So glad I'm not the only one who really digs this game. I've seen a couple of other reviewers who have bounced off it, and it had me thinking I would be on an island. I haven't written my review yet as I'd like a few more plays, but it's really got its hooks in me.
@Bloodstoner6 ай бұрын
It's phenomenal, and a game that really reveals more depth the more you play. You can really feel its war game DNA because you really feel the arc of the play session. Every battle won or lost, territory gained or ceded -- by the end of the match you can feel the impact of those losses and you see it on the map. I'm not going to name names, but in a lot of contemporary games of conflict -- even ones I love -- the battles you have in round one are all but forgotten but the end of the game whereas the conflicts leave their mark on the map.
@timofkings51737 ай бұрын
Haha, I laughed at the 'Ultima'-games map-reference... 😂
@Bloodstoner6 ай бұрын
Our group is up to about a dozen plays and it just keeps getting better. And you're right, the solo game is fantastic.
@rcub35777 ай бұрын
I picked this up as a Wizard Kings replacement, and it delivered. I agree with the comparison.
@WallaceDesigns7 ай бұрын
Really good video, would you let us link when we do the expansion ?
@DriveThruReview7 ай бұрын
Definitely. Please feel free to always link any videos I have if you like. Thank you.
@WallaceDesigns7 ай бұрын
Thank you so much @@DriveThruReview
@WallaceDesigns2 ай бұрын
Also if you have a quote we can share, we'd love to share it.
@rachelandryan7 ай бұрын
You got a rule wrong in Bloodstones that will drastically change the game length. You regroup after 2 refreshes with 3+, and 3 refreshes with 2. No wonder your games ran that long! Maybe it was better, though? I'm a fan of long games that are interesting throughout.
@DriveThruReview7 ай бұрын
Oh man... That's how we played it! It just came out backwards in my head when explaining it!. I need to put a note in the description. Thanks for the catch.
@Valcurdra7 ай бұрын
I have played twice at 6, in each scenario players were all new and drinking, still an easy teach and people picked up the rules easy, very efficient game, 5 min setup, 5 min pack up and 10 min teach. Gameplay is actually pretty light, but the game does take a bit longer than you might think at first. I just love how Bloodstones makes an asymmetric board game accessible to even casuals, without losing the feel of your faction being unique and fun. Planning out your turn and fighting out the combat is interesting and rewarding and surprisingly there is quite a learning curve and plenty of different ways to play.
@gregorys96297 ай бұрын
I agree with everything above - I just wish the game was a bit shorter because it definitely does take longer than you might expect. I've been enjoying the solo campaign too.
@Valcurdra7 ай бұрын
@@gregorys9629 I won't ever play the solo personally, but I have not heard one bad report from anyone on the solo mode. Glad to see they nailed that too.
@henriwhitehead7 ай бұрын
Great review!
@timir3137 ай бұрын
Lovely review and got my copy of the game finally
@davidsanchez-bu9un6 ай бұрын
Thanks for sharing your opinion.
@twentysides7 ай бұрын
Fantastic review! I kind of wish I backed it for some of those extras but I may have to get this at retail. It does remind me of Wizard Kings but way streamlined and more solo-ready.
@foyoGames7 ай бұрын
Oooh Dominoes area control...❤ it! ...added to my want to play list
@buddhawasright6 ай бұрын
Sweet components, very unique!
@brotherhorus43167 ай бұрын
Great review, sounds like the multiplayer wargame I have been waiting for.😊
@JayTaylor997 ай бұрын
This game is right up my alley... I really don't know how I missed it during the original crowdfunding campaign since I watch KS/GameFound quite closely. I'd love to get this game right now but it seems the smart way to get it would be to wait until the expansion campaign and reprint that they are planning for late this year... so I'll probably, for once, wait since it sounds like they are trying to address some minor bag related issues and it's very expensive right now for the few copies they have available. The cost will certainly go up from the original campaign... I think folks that got the game in the original crowdfunding got a great price, but it does seem quite inflated right now. Can I wait to have the game until sometime in 2025? Yeah... I think I can do that. I think.
@mgk20207 ай бұрын
I really want to try this now.
@goober_35757 ай бұрын
I was surprised you didn’t mention Martin Wallace’s Mythotopia when comparing Bloodstones to other games. To me it seems like Mythotopia with some asymmetric factions and dominoes instead of cards. Even the map artwork looks the same!
@DriveThruReview7 ай бұрын
To me they are pretty different, but I can see that.
@goober_35757 ай бұрын
@@DriveThruReview Lol, well you will know better than me! Great review. Keep ‘em coming!
@JimmyWorld7 ай бұрын
Wow, you're right, the factions are a lot like Game of Thrones. Wonder how well it would do if it were rethemed to that?
@Caratacus17 ай бұрын
Looks really interesting. I'm a bit burned on games where the main strategy is to build the biggest doom stack of counters and dogpile another doom stack. Was wondering if that's the main crux of this game. That first map looks a lot like Britain with Ireland on the West 😁
@DriveThruReview7 ай бұрын
It's part of it... but also you want to get out your villages... and protect them.
@Fontzig7 ай бұрын
Yeah, but if you use all your tiles on recruiting units you won't really be able to move them much or build Villages, so there is a balance there you have to manage.
@Caratacus17 ай бұрын
Thanks for the replies!
@StoneTempleGlyph7 ай бұрын
I've got Burning Banners coming via crowd funding in a month. It's also a boardgamey fantasy wargame. How does it compare, if you're familiar with it?
@DriveThruReview7 ай бұрын
I'm not.. but just watched a little intro video on it. They seem very different honestly. Burning Banners looks interesting though. I think (obviously kind of guessing) that Bloodstones has a bit more of a unique feel to it with the multi-use dominoes bit, but Burning Banners has very nice ascetic and looks pretty cool in it's own right.
@cloudsRniceC0M37 ай бұрын
my only concerns are, how "bad" is: Analysis Paralysis? downtime, waiting between turns?
@DriveThruReview7 ай бұрын
In the four player game it wasn't bad. We had a little bit of it, honestly, because two of the players were coming in cold. But, after everyone gets the hang of it, it plays pretty snappy. I can imagine a six player game might get out of hand in that regard.
@mikolajwitkowski80937 ай бұрын
I really like the idea of the game, what makes me hesitate is how big the spread in combat can be. With 3 tiles, they will decide most fights, not your tactics.
@DriveThruReview7 ай бұрын
That doesn't work out to be true actually. We had more close combats than not. If you go in equally matched... you're leaving it up to the tile draw, but it forces you to commit for more certainty... which again has it's own implications for putting all your eggs in one or two baskets. It's definitely not swingy. And, if you lose.... you lose one unit.
@mikolajwitkowski80937 ай бұрын
@@DriveThruReview Ok, thanks for clarifying that, it sounds quite promising then!
@chrisjohnphillips63526 ай бұрын
Most of my game plays are at 2. I rarely get to play at 3 or 4+. I know you said you haven't played it at 2 and that you think you'd prefer it at 4 or 5 but do you think it'd be good enough at 2 to warrant purchasing it?
@DriveThruReview6 ай бұрын
@@chrisjohnphillips6352 Honestly, I don't think so. Definitely a try before you buy there. There are a lot of maps and a six difference factions with more to come that could keep it interesting... but I think it would be a little too much zero sum with two.
@jonridley28 күн бұрын
Should be interesting to see what the new solo mode is like….