To Back Or Not To Back - Cloudspire, Speakeasy, Twisted Cryptids & More!!!

BoardGameCo Ko-Fi (Exclusive Content) - ko-fi.com/boardgameco
BoardGameCo Patreon (Exclusive Content) - www.patreon.com/boardgameco
Instagram - bit.ly/39GvjNH
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Channels I Recommend (Not a comprehensive list by any means)
Professor Meg - bit.ly/3XKR1ol
Devon Talks Tabletop - bit.ly/36HAr3l
The Board Game Garden - bit.ly/495mdEO
Room & Board - bit.ly/48ZeurF
Thinker Themer - bit.ly/495mis6
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Why Value Matters To Me - kzbin.info/www/bejne/hmXZf4mGYpqip68
In which I talk about the latest batch of Kickstarter games, brief overviews of the campaigns and whether or not they are games that will hold their values. A whole bunch of links below :)
TimeStamps:
0:00:00 - Introduction
0:00:35 - Cult of the Now
New Campaigns
0:01:35 - Harakiri
0:04:45 - Pax Porfiriana
0:06:45 - Ecologic
0:10:42 - Twisted Cryptids
0:15:00 - Parks & Potions
0:17:05 - Citizens of the Spark
0:20:40 - The Birds
0:23:52 - Nature
0:30:10 - MonToons
0:31:37 - Stardriven Gateway
0:33:44 - Restart
0:36:57 - Speakeasy
0:39:34 - Cloudspire
0:45:42 - Invincible
0:50:28 - Camping Season
0:53:10 - West Story
0:55:52 - Picks of the Week
0:56:45 - Upcoming Campaigns
Links:
Cult of the Now - www.gamenerdz.com/reef-project
Harakiri - gamefound.com/en/projects/synergic-games/harakiri-blades-of-honor-reprint--souls-of-yomi
Pax Porfiriana - gamefound.com/en/projects/ionsmg/pax-porfiriana-ultimate-edition
Ecologic - gamefound.com/en/projects/istota-rzeczy-borys-binkowski-/ecologic
Twisted Cryptids - www.kickstarter.com/projects/ramybadie/twisted-cryptids
Parks & Potions - www.kickstarter.com/projects/moonsagaworkshop/parks-and-potions
Citizens of the Spark - www.kickstarter.com/projects/thunderworks/citizens-of-the-spark
The Birds - www.backerkit.com/c/projects/rose-gauntlet-entertainment/the-bird-series
Nature - www.kickstarter.com/projects/northstargames/nature-a-standalone-game-in-the-evolution-series
MonToons - www.kickstarter.com/projects/mnstrgames/montoons-clash-of-the-coral-isles
Stardriven Gateway - gamefound.com/en/projects/mike/stardriven-gateway
Restart - www.kickstarter.com/projects/teetotum/restart
Speakeasy - www.kickstarter.com/projects/eaglegryphon/speakeasy-1
Cloudspire - gamefound.com/en/projects/chip-theory-games/cloudspire
Invincible - www.kickstarter.com/projects/ibcgames/invincible-the-card-game
Camping Season - www.kickstarter.com/projects/1271213949/camping-season-design-build-and-manage-your-own-campground
West Story - gamefound.com/en/projects/smart-flamingo/west-story
Knitting Circle - www.kickstarter.com/projects/flatoutgames/knitting-circle
Zeroday.EXE - gamefound.com/en/projects/pudkat-games/zeroday
My Game Table (Non Referral)
bit.ly/4cPRRay
bit.ly/3W51bQE (Partner Company for Components)
Upgrade Your Game At Top Shelf Gamer (Referral Link)
bit.ly/3siD0PL
For media inquiries, please email [e-mail]
For Gamefound inquiries, please email me at [e-mail]

[@pascalroder7748]

First time in my life that i had to use 0,75 playback speed, with that its nearly sounded like a normal talk speed :D

[@ptastydactyl]

I've had my eye on Cloudspire ever since I tried out and loved TMB. This may not be the most practical way to get into this game but in a year or so when it hits my table I'll be glad I took the leap. Thanks Alex as always you're the best in the business!

[@jamessullivan5168]

WoW! It's a good thing you're a fast talker with so much to cover and still a fairly long video. Fortunately, nothing really pulled at me as something I need. FOMO averted. Thanks for the work to pull this together.

[@WestChamber21]

Backing Speakeasy. Will be my first Lacerda. I love the theme and all the previews of it really looks promising even for solo.

[@MS32816]

I watched a playthrough from before you play of this and despite the appeal of the theme I think I need to try a few other Lacerda games before diving into that heavy one

[@a.c.s.6204]

Hey Alex I know you probably don't get a lot of thank yous for your to back or not to back videos but I really do appreciate them and I appreciate your hard work and dedication to this hobby. It makes my drives to work less boring lol thank you 😂

[@leadhead69]

Camping Season is very overpriced for what it is. $300 for the all in is absurd, and when I asked them why it was so expensive compared to other games with much more grand productions, they could only say "it has over 700 components!" Their first game also still has yet to deliver to backers and that campaign was filled with issues. They've solidly landed themselves on my "never back" list.

[@nirszi]

Plus early bird Fomo, plus $1 pre pledge. All the marketing tricks that make me not want to back it even though I love the theme.

[@ylein6508]

Yes the $1 pledge plus the first campaign so called underestimated shipping and they had to charge more for shipping should be a warning to backers of this new campaign.

[@otakuofmine]

Backer of EcoLogic here - it is absolutetly inspired by Wingspan, but the creator wanted to do it with more than just birds and to emulate an actual ecological chain (predator-prey-plants etc) and it matters what you have where and what eats what (as the habitats are more important here). so, maybe not too wild (ha), but thinks some parts more thru in that direction. certainly get the passion of the creator and they plan future version of Africa and North America.

[@ChenchenQu]

are you planning on a review for cloudspire, that MOBA+tower defense mechanism got me hooked, but not sure if it worth jumping in or not

[@asdf6287]

i would be interested in Alex's cloudspire review. It is a big game though and I understand that it might not come for a long time. That said, I like the game and the new person pledge is very good value at$240 if you happen to want it and it not be an issue. That bundle has a lot of content for price. Everything else has less value per dollar but I am getting everything because I like the system.

[@dayoltay]

I have 46 plays under my belt and I believe it is a great system. One of my top 1-2p games. There is an insane learning curve though that's why it is hard to recommend. I would call it a "lifestyle game" because it needs time investment and frequent play. Like being a boardgamer you gotta be a cloudspirer haha

[@ChenchenQu]

@@dayoltay Any factions you would recommend to get from the first expansions?

[@dayoltay]

@@ChenchenQu I just have the base but for chronogical solo scenario continuity Griege, but in general The Uprising faction is the best because it has a ton of market chips which are added to all game content. I'm planning on getting both. I would recommend buying just the base game first.

[@drummerdanny1269]

I went ALL IN on Cloudpsire. I really like the lore and gameplay. This is the only game that I will own from Chip Theory.

[@CohMa]

Huge cloudspire fan, so I’ll be getting all the new stuff and storage. Also really enjoy Lacerda games, so Speakeasy was an easy back. Harakiri is a maybe, likely decide in the PM.

[@danbrown679]

I liked your take on designer testimonials, and I certainly think they should be taken with a grain of salt. I do find it interesting to look at designer profiles on BGG to see the rankings they give games (including their own). Many designers do not seem to rank their own games, but one peculiarity is John D. Clair who ranks all his games a 10 (which includes 13 of the 16 games he ranks a 10). I would be interested to know if he really loves them or if he is just promoting them.

[@jcapo5]

I am playing through hara kiri right now. Wow is it cool. I'm having a great time with it. The adventure phase is way way cooler than it looked. And the exploration is super fun dungeon crawler goodness

[@michal4736]

I didn't play Cloudspire but I think this is the kind of game, where the basic version is complete to have fun without feeling that something is missing. I want to get this basic game because while Too Many Bones doesn't fit me by its coop, Cloudspire feels way better to my taste.

[@xtrem5428]

For Invincible / Astro Knight, you technically don't NEED sleeves, even if they make it look better. Since you don't shuffle your deck and are always allowed to look at it, the back of the cards don't really reveal anything new to you. That being said, I'm still getting the sleeves so they look better.

[@rayman7898]

Could you and Meg do a playthrough video for Cloudspire? Maybe before the campaign ends? I do enjoy yalls playthroughs!

[@M3M3M32]

Went all in on Valheim the board game becuase I love the PC version of it. So my wallet is safe for now.

[@zerocool3742]

Random thought/question. Chris George and West Todd sang a rather impressive intro for one of room and board's videos. Being that you spend a significant amount of time talking, does this automatically translate into a powerful singing voice? Small box games is pretty good. I've seen a few good gentle songs. Are you able to sing loudly? Is talking for a living a contributor I wonder? 😁

[@nirszi]

There were several games this week i was interested in but I'm not backing anything from here: Restart is way too abstract Speakeasy is going to be backed by a friend so I'll get it retail if it's good. Camping season is riddled with bad marketing practices: early bird, $1 pre pledge. This are a big no for me.

[@raggededge68]

Harbinger, something signaling or announcing something else to follow, pronounced HAR-binjer, with a J sound. Kind of like “binge watching”, which is what I’m doing now! 😂

[@Aroundthestumpgames]

lol, seeing how we as designers frequently use children as an analogy for designs the question of not our favorite is hilarious to me. Cause Yes, I love them all but… **insert Lucille both I’m not a fan of Job.GIF*

[@nomascontrol]

No TMNT?

[@mylor1066]

Poor brother... ;)