Calico vs Cascadia vs Verdant - Play This, Not That

[@dOkIchIxD]

I always love the genuine opens before the actual video begins. Makes me feel like I'm there at the table with you guys.

[@KyawThurein]

I am totally in love with Cascadia. Normally abstract games are not in my wheelhouse, but somehow Cascadia has become my "Zen" game.

[@BoardGameCo]

It's a blast, I really enjoy it

[@pesmerga275]

Great thoughts! Calico is great but I'm solidly in the Cascadia camp. Building outward and being able to pivot into different scoring opportunities is just more fun for me than gradually constraining and removing options from you the way calico does. It's tense for sure, but having your score hinge on a single tile to come out and not be drafted is a bit brutal.

[@olivierjodoin2283]

Cascadia all the way! I already have Sagrada if I want to paint myself in a corner with my own choices. Cascadia with its freedom appeals to me a lot more than the other 2.

[@PeteQuad]

Cascadia has been a huge hit for me, both as multiple plays in a session and as a filler. It was also a great campaign, with good communication and delivery on time. Flatout games won me over and at their prices, future backs are a no brainer for me.

[@BoardGameCo]

Absolutely agreed. They really impressed.

[@JumpOnYourHead]

I love the punishing nature of Calico. I love the 3 thirds of it's game arc: 1st arc - The freedom of endless possibilities. 2nd arc - The creeping feeling that you made mistakes and the angst of having to commit to choices. 3rd arc - Damage control and utter panic, as you have to face the consequences of you own 1st arc hubris. I also love what many seem to hate about it: the tension of the draw and the frustration of having someone else take pieces you need. The game is not too long so it doesn't bother me. Also, it goes both ways and it's always fun when you take a piece and trigger groans from another player :D

[@MerrillWhiteKalEl]

I absolutely LOVE Cascadia. I have played it over 100 times and the puzzle keeps pulling me back.

[@Kr1stmas]

Dude don't you have any other games?

[@MerrillWhiteKalEl]

@@Kr1stmas Sure do. I have played a ton solo, and they go super fast.

[@beerman2000]

There are exactly 0 moose in any of those 3 games. There are, however, some ELK in Cascadia. I appreciated Jesse so much for enlightening me about the stencil of moose I thought I should return the favor.... except mine is an ACTUAL fact. 😃 Also.... pinecones, not acorns

[@justagirlwhogames949]

In all fairness, I also thought it was a moose until I saw more of the artwork. On the tokens, it very much looks like a moose.

[@Reverie42]

Overboss would like to be part of this video from the category of "tile-drafting tableau builders where you put tokens on things".

[@BoardGameCo]

Noted :) time to check out overboss.

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Interesting to see the different opinions here. I'm probably most in agreement with Alex in the sense that I really like all 3 but so far I like Cascadia most. I need to play Cascadia and Verdant both a bit more to know for sure though, as I've played Calico the most. There's just something so beautifully simple about Cascadia, and it feels less restrictive than the other two while also having a high level of variability from game to game. That being said, my wife and I have played Calico around 8 or 9 times in the past year and we've loved it every time, and after playing Verdant recently I think it's great too. Overall, can't seem to go wrong with anything from Flatout Games. - Carlo

[@EricWoning]

Which Eos was Cascadia compared to? All the ones I see on BGG are wildly different to Cascadia....

[@BoardGameCo]

Ecos

[@EricWoning]

@@BoardGameCo - DOH! Thanks!

[@EricWoning]

@Christina Crouch - thanks for the warning (& validation)

[@Caapaszabi]

My question exactly, thanks for the answer below.

[@kat2kool]

Okay I checked. A group of moose is called a 'herd'. A group of elk (which is what are actually in Cascadia) can be called a 'herd' or a 'gang'. Neat!

[@BoardGameCo]

Yep, never trust that guy :)

[@cobtyrannon2479]

Contrary to your oppinion, i think calico promises the absence of perfection. Everytime i play, i think about sacrifices more than about the perfect tile

[@BoardGameCo]

I agree sort of....meaning I know it won't be perfect. It never will be ....it's more of a tease of perfection than a promise.

[@TehTeh911]

I love the randomness and shifting of strategy. The choose as you go aspect is so good to me as well as the variety of scoring options.

[@ScytheNoire]

I love how there is a different opinion on all of them, which must mean that each is good for the right person. Going to back Verdant and get the KS editions of Calico and Cascadia in the pledge manager, just get them all.

[@BoardGameCo]

Yep :) it was a great discussion.

[@siyuanxi9985]

This is so much the video I am trying to find! Thank you so much for this!

[@robinett74]

I would be very curious to know where Overboss ranks in relation to Verdant. Verdant feel very much inspired by it (limited space, tiles that get bonus if they match the cards and also have some specific tiles with powers). I'm guessing the answer would be Verdant above Overboss for you guys though since it was not even in the video heh.

[@riChchestMat]

Wow I think you are right about that. Verdant vs Overboss is the play this not that video that we really need

[@natecress4226]

Love this format. Great review y'all!

[@BoardGameCo]

Thanks Nate :)

[@VikingKittens]

Really glad to that I have Cascadia to play until Verdant arrives. Wonderful video and glad you to see all your happy faces together again. Cheers

[@BoardGameCo]

Cascadia is excellent, all three are but that's my favorite.

[@patricksteele]

That was a very enjoyable review. If this is foreshadowing Quack&Co, then I'm looking forward to it!

[@BoardGameCo]

Glad you enjoyed, we had a lot of fun together.

[@BenKrefta]

Thanks. Good to get a variety of opinions. I'm 50-50 on owning any of these but would probably go with Cascadia if I had to choose 1.

[@BoardGameCo]

Cascadia is easily my favorite, from all of these it's the one that gets better with each play.

[@andrewwagner3462]

These games are right in our wheelhouse, we own Calico and Cascadia and they both fall in our group of perfect weeknight games. We've backed Verdant primarily because we trust Flatout Games and the gameplay looks enjoyable. It seems to be a step up from the others just because you have so many ways to score, I'm excited to try it out next year!

[@BoardGameCo]

Enjoy it, all 4 are solid :)

[@-LiQuidGaS-]

Can anyone please explain to me why two of them kept saying they prefer EOS: Island of Angels over Cascadia? I can't see a single resemblance between the two and am having a hard time understanding why the comparison...am I looking up the wrong EOS or?

[@zenmazster]

Same

[@kigerspirit]

ECOS. They’re referring to Ecos

[@ramorgan1]

A group of moose is called a herd. The plural form of moose is "moose”. That is regardless of whether there is a single or large amount of moose in any of the games. PS - Cascadia is the best theme and the best game there (despite i haven't played the other two).

[@eyoung6943]

I'm highly amused about the misidentification of elk as moose. In Europe, elk refers to what North Americans call moose, so it's a funny switch-a-roo.

[@Viragomp]

Very interesting comparison, and refreshingly honest. (Not refreshing for you guys - you're always open and upfront with your opinions, thank you!) I really enjoy both Calico and Cascadia and find them delightful to play. I'd been looking foward to Verdant for months, but watching recent playthroughs have made me rethink my interest level. The art is beautiful but I'm not sure that I'd reach for this game over the other 2 (and all the lovely 'themed' abstracts I own already). Thanks for sharing your thoughts, very cool, and I like this format with all 4 of you! Wishing you an easy fast today. ❤

[@thecuriousboardgamer]

Haven't played Verdant, but after watching several vids about it, I think I'll end up with Alex on this one.

[@ilqrd.6608]

Oh look, the whole family is here!

[@BoardGameCo]

Lol yep

[@kumanight]

Jessie is flat out wrong picking Gods Love Dinosaurs over Cascadia. He complained about there not being enough in Cascadia but would rather play something even lighter? 🤔

[@BoardGameCo]

I completely agree :)

[@eseilana]

Hi =) Nice Video, could you or someone point out the games they where talking in the end? Which they prefere over Cascadia and Verdant (themewhise)- I dind't get the right names

[@stefaniebrown3801]

now I’m curious on a play this not that between ecos and cascadia. I dont think you’ve reviewed ecos

[@BoardGameCo]

I haven't....but I will :)

[@orhan7255]

Good thing about these games is the price point. They are not that expensive... so i will own all 3 of them (have Calico, will get Cascadia and backed Verdant).

[@BoardGameCo]

Yep!

[@jusqueicitoutvabien]

Which game they talked called eos?

[@BoardGameCo]

Ecos

[@nicolasbroin471]

@Quackalope and @BoardGameCo the best dynamic duo in Board Games Channels!!!!

[@BoardGameCo]

Thanks Nicolas :)

[@CheddahSlammer]

Funny because your recent game of Cascadia on this channel was giving off heavy Calico vibes.

[@BoardGameCo]

They all have degrees of overlap, I appreciate them all for different reasons :-)

[@kumanight]

Cascadia is my favourite of the three. Calico is quite good but it leads to more AP & there's less control over what you draft than Cascadia. Verdant - the plant theme doesn't interest me at all (and I'm a big themer)

[@BoardGameCo]

Agreed :)

[@eyoung6943]

I haven't played Verdant, but I love the other two games. Calico is the first (and perhaps only) game for which I really appreciate the rising tension toward the end of the game. Like many projects in life, the closer you are to the end of the project, the less you can optimize and have to work with fewer options and do the best you can. In Calico, you start with more options and end with few; Cascadia is the opposite, where options increase the further you are into the game. But for me, Cascadia wanes near the end, and choices feel a bit flabby. Cascadia is more casual than Calico. I throw Sagrada into the same mix as these games, and love having all three of these games. I don't like houseplants as a theme. I would happily play someone else's copy of Verdant, but I prefer tile laying and I don't want to overcrowd my selection of this kind of puzzle game. This set of games is my go-to for midweek gaming.

[@BoardGameCo]

Yep, you definitely don't need all three, but all are solid.

[@dekdekan]

i own calico, and love it. didn't get cascadia because felt I don't need two very similar games (and friend was getting it). and now here we are with verdant. Looks different than those two (you know, both of them have hexes and some sort of animals). but from the reviews it seems like in the middle between cascadia and calico. So thinking, should i get it? if it is in between, shouldn't i get cascadia for diversity and skip verdant. or is each of them different enough to own all? or stay only with calico? hard choices when games look so good(and price is reasonable )

[@Mepper.]

It's funny... I considered getting Calico but never pulled the trigger. I never considered Verdant because I don't like how it looks (even though I love plants to the point I once won third place in a national horticulture competition). I jumped on Cascadia and backed it on Kickstarter even though I expected it to be cheap at retail. All seem somewhat similar and the theming of all are fine, but just the look of Cascadia put it on top for me. I would be willing to play any of the 3, but I never felt a desire to own the other 2.

[@BoardGameCo]

Totally hear that. Cascadia is easily my favorite, but all have their sweet spot.

[@wbeytel]

Great video Alex and Co. I really like Calico, it is a solid 4 for me as well. My Cascadia pledge arrived a couple of weeks ago but I haven't gotten it to the table yet so I cannot say anything about it yet. I am currently bouncing off of backing Verdant for some reason. I just can't put my finger on why it does absolutely nothing for me. Alex, I suspect from what I have seen so far that I would rate the games in the same order as you and Shira did. Thanks for confirming my gut feeling about Verdant, I can now happily ignore it.

[@ButOneThingIsNeedful]

This was an interesting, helpful, and creatively conceived video with four likable personalities. I'm trying to figure out why none of these three games grabs me more than it does, especially the enormously popular Cascadia. Is it because I most love elements such as deduction, suspense, mystery, excitement, etc., rather than these mechanisms? I enjoy some deep thinking in a game. But I'm not reaching a final conclusion yet. Maybe something will yet click and I'll see its full merits. Could happen. Sorry for the journal entry.

[@jelledaems808]

I like Cascadia a lot and I also like Calico, but I do not intend to buy Verdant. The theme is not for me and looking at the reviews, I think I would rather play the other two over Verdant.

[@kumanight]

Same here

[@jamesmorgan1967]

That sums it up for me too.

[@robertsilver6181]

So I was watching a playthrough of cascadia and realize how very similar it is to overboss

[@Sebastian-rt9qf]

Busy, busy yet cosy stream. The younger version of Waldorf & Steadler x2... enjoyed it.

[@danielveda5870]

Sooo, if I already got Calico I don't need the rest? Good for my valet.

[@BoardGameCo]

To an extent. They def have overlapping gameplay.

[@kumanight]

I heard Eos being mentioned a few times; do you guys mean Eos Island of Angels or a different game?

[@TheClyd3Man]

I think they might mean Ecos: First Continent and not Eos.

[@kumanight]

@@TheClyd3Man thanks Ed that's probably it. Ecos looks way closer to Cascadia than Eos

[@BoardGameCo]

Ecos from aeg

[@JeremyDobler]

It's okay to be in the minority Jesse.(SP?) I personally own Calico and Cascadia, similar yes, but different enough I am okay owning both. I think all of these games do the thing that a lot of gamers don't like, force you to make decisions on your feet that may not immediately benefit you. It mimics real-life more closely in that you take what you get and make the best situation out of it. It puts everyone on a level playing field in my opinion, assuming players have spatial awareness enough to figure out the puzzle. I have a buddy who utterly stomps me just about every game, but he struggled to win in Honey Buzz where spatial awareness is key to understanding the best optimized path for maximizing points with what is available to you. Cascadia is the only one I will always choose to reset and play again immediately if folks are willing.

[@successfulgeek]

I really wanted to play Calico but the more I hear not sure how much I would like it. Cascadia would probably be the most fun for me. Calico theme so pulls at me though.

[@adelfaidah3224]

It just depends on what you are looking for. Cascadia is sort of more casual and chill, while calico you start with a plethora of options but every single tile you place will come back to haunt you if you didn't think hard about where to put it. It can get really tense but man is it satisfying when you can pull it off.

[@uplift-yourdailypickup6424]

Calico is alright. I'm keeping it around cuz my wife apparently likes it. I guess colorful quilts aren't really my thing.

[@sidneyleejohnson]

EOS isn't even available to the general public...

[@BoardGameCo]

He's talking about ecos

[@sidneyleejohnson]

@@BoardGameCo thanks for clarifying :)

[@buddha1062]

Played none of them but based on watching playthroughs of all of them. Cascadia for me. Prefer theme and more open options. Verdant would be bottom - actually seemed slightly broken to me.

[@BoardGameCo]

I enjoy all but cascadia is the one that keeps going up with each play.

[@oneysnyder2116]

Was saying ver-daunt as well... maybe that means I’m pretentious...

[@BoardGameCo]

It just sounds better... So less boring :-)

[@matissmatiss3126]

Cascadia is awesome.

[@BoardGameCo]

Yes!

[@Kr1stmas]

I don't get this whole stress thing with calico. Anyone that has played Patchwork more than twice knows that it can get really tight and competitive because alle the information is out there and you're looking at the other player just as much as you look at your own board and it's maybe easier to hate draft in that game than even calico maybe

[@BoardGameCo]

Both games are competitive and tight, but I think the problem specifically is the promise of perfection. Patchwork never really promises you the ability to perfectly finish your quilt.

[@ylein6508]

I think verdant will be my favourite. Love all 3 games. Love calico but it's more thinky and not as relaxing as cascadia.

[@BoardGameCo]

Yep, that's.why cascadia is so far my go to.

[@billlau9505]

I couldn't quite catch the names of the two games that you were comparing with Cascadia to kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKaUfKd_fqmersU Could you type the name out for me?

[@robertsilver6181]

Its just called a herd of moose

[@BoardGameCo]

I know :)

[@BoardGameCo]

I know...never trust that guy

[@robertsilver6181]

@@BoardGameCo lol

[@DicepairGames]

Haven't played Verdant, but... Cascadia all the way! Calico is good, but unnecessarily stressful. Cascadia gets rid of that without sacrificing rewarding good playing. The best player will, most likely, still going to win. Once you realize that, you kind of feel Calico's difficulty to be "artificial". Or that's what I think, at least (^^;).

[@BoardGameCo]

I respect that, I agree with your pick while Loving both.

[@RiHa_Games]

My 2 favourite woman in the boardgaming space 😁

[@bone6232]

Calico is just brain fuckery for us

[@seraphiccandy21]

While I appreciate the theme for Calico I just don't think quilts will ever be as interesting as plants or animals.

[@BoardGameCo]

I can respect that....for me it's arguably my favorite theme but not my favorite game.

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

I'll pass on both games.

[@joeferreti9442]

An easy pass on all three. They are too softened and too mainstream / mass market for me. Also, I'm not a fan of little puzzle games. I would probably play them if pressured into, but not buy. Cascadia seems to have the best theme. I really don't understand the fetish for the cloth/fabric of cat cushions.