Play This, Not That: Atlantis Rising vs. Pandemic

[@bjornthebold]

This video just showed up on my feed. Good video. It’s pretty cool to see how far you and your channel have come since then. I still haven’t had a chance to get Atlantis Rising to the table yet. Pandemic is quite fun, especially with max players. Thank you for all your work.

[@davidakenson7173]

What a thoughtful, insightful and informative series that DOESN’T rely on humour. I also happen to agree with most of your judgments. Keep them coming.

[@BoardGameCo]

Thank you! And it's good that I don't rely on humor...I'm not nearly funny enough. Ironically I do watch Shut up and Sit Down despite not at all sharing their tastes...because their videos are so well done :) But I stopped getting games based on their reviews.

[@foodini666]

congrats on 1000 subs. i enjoy your content. have learned alot from your stuff. i listen to all your videos while i'm working at home. even though i'm always at home all the time anyway it seems worse more or less being forced to not leave, so you and other youtuber content creators are helping me a lot keep my sanity.

[@BoardGameCo]

Happy to help! Doing these videos keeps me sane :)

[@inoutsoccer11]

Wow, congrats on the successful year! I’ve been watching the new videos and came back to learn about this game. Crazy to think you’re at 35k subs now. Much deserved, you’ve become one of my go to channels for all things board games. Cheers to another year and a equally as successful 2022!

[@brandonhouston7575]

To each their own I guess. I prefer Atlantis rising over pandemic. Some randomness is the point I think you have to look at what you need and make some risk vs reward decisions. In pandemic you can better predict what will happen sure but that leads to everyone just looking at the board and saying “well obviously we have to do this next”. I own and like both I just have the opposite opinion.

[@BoardGameCo]

Yep, both are great. Different strokes on those details.

[@simmmi]

Nice vid! I have played a lot of the standard Pandemic game, and have the Fall of Rome version. It's a cool version of the original game, that I highly recommend playing if you want a to have a different experience while still getting the feel of the original. Fall of Rome is in my opinion, also pretty good playing solo

[@BoardGameCo]

Definitely on my try list, just haven't gotten around to it yet :)

[@larrytedmcbride]

I’ve contemplated this very question. And thanks to your review I’ll just hang on to my Pandemic for now. Perhaps after we’ve exhausted our plays of Pandemic we’ll try Atlantis.

[@BoardGameCo]

Pandemic has always been too clean and too much of a classic for me to get rid of.....for now :)

[@Nozdormu1982]

@@BoardGameCo Thunderbirds are a go :P.

[@keithroberts3447]

We highly recommend that you play Pandemic Fall of Rome. For me and my wife, it is our favorite Pandemic. When we play regular Pandemic we always include the On The Brink expansion. It is an absolute must!.

[@BoardGameCo]

It's on my list to try :) And agreed on On the Brink!

[@BillyIndiana]

Congrats on the 1000 subscribers! Absolutely love your channel. My wife & son & I just played Pandemic (original) last night for the 1st time in awhile. Haven't had a chance to try Atlantis Rising. It looks great, but I think the decreasing action power & randomness seems strange. I'm sure I'll try it if I get the chance though. Thanks for the video & hope you're feeling better!

[@BoardGameCo]

Thank you!

[@johnpanagos5835]

Amazing video. I like them both. You are so to the point. The only thing i dont agree with you so far is for UC. Keep up. Keep healthy.

[@BoardGameCo]

Lol apparently most people were with you on UC :)

[@owenvenes]

So nice to have good reviews of games from someone who isn't wearing a damn cowboy hat with a southern accent :)

[@BoardGameCo]

*awkwardly goes and cancels Amazon order*

[@owenvenes]

@@BoardGameCo you can buy southern accents on Amazon! man I knew they sold everything, but this...

[@JonoNZBoardGamer]

Watching this after backing the new kickstarter :D. I have been unable to find a copy of Atlantis rising for a while now so was excited to see it back on kickstarter. Do you see your opinion changing slightly with new expansion content for the game? I had the chance to play pandemic for the first time after being into hobby board games for 5 years and I liked it and thought the design was excellent. The theme of Atlantis rising pulls me in much more than pandemic did for me and my wife.

[@BoardGameCo]

I haven't yet looked through the new KS :) I did enjoy the game very much, eventually got rid of....but also torn on whether to get it back :)

[@shawns3911]

It's weird to see Alex say "I reached 1000 subscribers" and also to see him speak at a normal speed.

[@fooni3606]

Congrats on 1000 subs! Your videos are always honest and enjoyable, which is solely missing from some board game channels. As for me, I haven't been able to do any board gaming with friends due to having to isolate myself but luckily we have steam to play some board games. I'm actually surprised at myself thinking that I would be playing more of my Nintendo Switch but that hasn't been the case at all which I found odd. Just been playing Scythe at steam since it was 50% off and so far it's a good game (I don't think it's amazing though...) from playing it twice. I noticed you have Istanbul and I ordered the Big Box version and was wondering what's your thoughts of the game?

[@BoardGameCo]

I'm very much on the fence on Istanbul sadly. I own it and keep holding onto it...but it doesn't see play sadly. It's one of those games that I'll either play more eventually....or trade.

[@fooni3606]

@@BoardGameCo So is it just because it's not seeing play or fundementally it's not a GREAT game?

[@FallenB1ade]

Just went through a series of videos/playthroughs to see if I should back the expansion for Atlantis Rising - honestly the game just feels like a glorified Forbidden Island to me, and I don't understand why it's so highly reviewed.

[@BoardGameCo]

Sure....but generally when a game gets that much praise there's usually a reason. I really liked Atlantis Rising.

[@FallenB1ade]

@@BoardGameCo Right, I mean a 7.9 on BGG is no joke for sure. I just want to know what that reason/ those reasons are, and I haven't been able to find them yet (despite trying to look). I'm especially critical of games that are strikingly similar to other games I've played/enjoyed (e.g. Secret Hitler vs Avalon). So to me, Atlantis Rising doesn't appeal in theory, and I guess it must play out differently in practice, or it wouldn't be so well-reviewed. What's strange to me is that I like worker placement, and I liked Forbidden Island. Yet still, Atlantis Rising may just not be a game for me.

[@vargas0897]

@@FallenB1ade Did you try it since? Thoughts?

[@FallenB1ade]

@@vargas0897 nope I never backed it. I would try it since it's highly rated, but I'm kinda on a game buying freeze unless it looks REALLY good (and/or it delivers immediately so I can resell faster if it doesn't fit). I did buy pandemic legacy and that also has a very strong forbidden island vibe 😅

[@ScytheNoire]

I do think Pandemic is the better game, and is easier for newer players and more fun for a wider range of player skills. I also think Pandemic Iberia and Pandemic Fall of Rome are better versions of the game. Then there are the two (maybe one day three) Pandemic Legacy games, which are great. Pandemic is just a winner in many more ways. :)

[@BoardGameCo]

Yes it is! Love the legacy ones, replaying season 2 now.

[@MeepleTreeGames]

Cool video! Keep them coming! Awesome work! I prefer Pandemic: Fall of Rome.. But I'm a history geek :)

[@BoardGameCo]

Thanks!

[@lystic9392]

I'm going to try Atlantis Rising today ^_^ Before I play it, it does seem to me that a house rule could create some logical predictability to the flooding. But I first want to play it myself and then think about it. It is getting a monster expansion soon right? But I dunno if that makes it less or more random.

[@BoardGameCo]

Yeah, they had an expansion on Kickstarter that should be delivering soon. I don't know what it does to the game though

[@m.schwarz]

I just rewatched this video because you mentioned it in one of the new videos. So much has changed in such a short time! How has the **UPDATE** affected your thoughts on the randomness part and how do you think the new expansion might affect this (assuming that the last three days of the KS campaign won't completely change that)?

[@BoardGameCo]

Can't comment on the expansion as I don't know all that much about it, but yes, the update improves the randomness aspect for it.

[@m.schwarz]

@@BoardGameCo Thank you!

[@vargas0897]

You didn't mention an important criteria, which is very important when deciding which co-op game is better. Whenever we compare two co-op games, it is a must, to talk about alpha player syndrome. Leaving that out, doesn't give a realistic image of the games. And in that aspect, Atlantis is also above pandemic

[@twinkle04evr]

I don't like the theme in Pandemic, and out of my collection after the second play. I played both & I really love Atlantis Rising ( 2nd edition) & so much more beautiful than Pandemic.

[@BoardGameCo]

It's definitely more beautiful, no argument there.