Oathsworn Review | THE Game of a Lifetime

This is THE best campaign game I've ever played. Let me tell you all about it.
Link to their current kickstarter: www.kickstarter.com/projects/...
Intro: 00:00
Overview: 01:12
Review: 05:24
Final Rating: 18:42
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Tim Chuon
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#Oathsworn #Oathswornreview #kickstarterboardgames

[@beerman2000]

One of my favorite things that no one ever mentions is the index. Most amazing index I've ever seen. The way it shows which rulebook it's in, and the fact that it covers everything, is amazing.

[@bl4ckfl4g]

Another thing not mentioned much about the companions is they can allow younger kids not ready for the full character to learn and play and have fun

[@tonybowers9490]

Started with 2 full/2 companion characters, but after 4-5 chapters I've gone to 4 full characters, now that I fully know the rules and the character cards. Going with 4 full adds about 15-20 minutes to the play, but also adds table space and complexity, which is okay with me.

[@PACEUK22]

I’d love a non spoiler updated review when you’ve finished. Thanks for uploading

[@BmlCom]

Yes! Great review and I'm very curious how this plays with 4. My gaming group is now playing Jaws of the Lion, but I know they would love this game. Just backed it and can't wait 'till October 2023. Please show us a 4 player game of it.

[@ryanbartlett672]

Looks great. Thanks for speaking to BOTH pros and cons. Also like comparisons to other games. Auto leveling could be a showstopper but push your luck excitement plus narrated story probably has me overlooking it.

[@MerrillWhiteKalEl]

Agreed! Love this game. Currently on Chapter 10 and it is fantastic!

[@Henry-lk5pm]

If you were able to play through the whole game and post a review before the current 2nd printing KS campaign ends that would be awesome! However, I’d still love to know whether a full play through changes your 5/5 score anytime in the next 12 months. 😂

[@jonsible]

Love your board game reviews, thanks dude. You can make a good game sound great.

[@markdandridge4433]

I am going down the rabbit hole. I have some time to figure out somethings. Thank you again Tim! I am beyond excited and thrilled!

[@tonybowers9490]

Great video. Thanks for sharing. Oh yeah..... Oathsworn. Great story, huge and nice miniatures, and engaging gameplay. It hits on a lot of cylinders for me and is easily my Game of the Year for 2022. Definitely in my Top Ten and may be my overall favorite. Time will tell on that last ranking.

[@TimChuon]

thanks so much Tony! I totally agree with this across the board-would definitely hit soooo many lists: oathsworn is incredible. would love to hear how it ranks for you in the future!

[@Kojimalosophy]

could someone please explain what the map pack is ? it say it includes 8 large maps, how are they implemented into the game?

[@ctarabusi]

Received Oathsworn this October 2023. We are currently at Chapter 5 and it is beating every expectations! We are loving it so much!

[@TimChuon]

YESS! So glad you’re enjoying it! I got to ch 7 but going to restart when v2 comes and plan on doing a full spoiler review when finishing the game 🙌🏽

[@shazam2323]

is there magic/spells or just melee/ranged? And is that a d20 dice orrr

[@TimChuon]

Drop your favorite campaign games! Which one would you put against Oathsworn?! 👀

[@mattiazedda2173]

Kingdom Death: Monster. That’s the best one

[@shoruk]

KD:M is so great. Huge investment; currently loving Middara - 130 hours in. :)

[@KarimTheilgaard]

The Hunters 2114A.D.

[@drinkwatertopreventkidneys841]

I'm in the minority but I slightly prefer gloomhaven. Great games

[@TimChuon]

@@shoruk AH I wished I backed Middara-that's so awesome!

[@kylemoore7746]

"Respects your time" is definitely the selling point for me. Thankfully Etherfields 2.0 has gotten rid of much of the grind (plus I'm playing solo which speeds things up), but I've been playing Bardsung with three other people and it has been very repetitive. I don't think it's challenging enough but you still end up investing so much time running through repetitive crawl scenarios looking for one or two cards to advance the game. It's a shame, really, because I do enjoy the mechanics of the game a lot and the components were all great. I think we've played about 18 sessions averaging ~3 hrs each and we're only 1/3 of the way through it.

[@reylijosh45]

@timchuon do you think the minis for the boss are needed or will the standees be just as good

[@TimChuon]

The standees are ginormous and really cool… but well…. You probably know my stance 😅 I’m in for the table presence of the statues 😂😂😂

[@foyzo3673]

Keen for some advice from those that have played the game. I’m looking at the new KS campaign. How important to gameplay and elevating are the extra minis in the core pledge over the basic standee version? I’m looking at the new KS and trying to “be sensible” and constantly talk myself into the basic pledge rather than the core pledge which is close to double the cost.

[@TimChuon]

The basic pledge is perfect! Everything you need is in that one; in the base game, you’ll be opening mystery envelopes but with the fancy upgrades, you’ll have the options to….. make the environment much more upgraded and will be opening mystery boxes instead. If you’re looking for whole experience, the core is perfect; the core already has sooo many hours of content to play through and just in case you don’t like it, you won’t be stuck with all the mystery boxes. if you’re looking for an upgraded experience with a cherry on top, and you feel like this is a game you’d really really love, then def consider the upgrades ~

[@p4n95]

But the minis are so great, and being improved for second printing. Painting brood mother currently, first model I’ve painted since I was a kid.

[@theoverzealouscollector8198]

Great review- please keep doing them. Descent’s story and the very long dialog got a bit stale for me, but it was good for my kids because we acted out each scene. You should play Gloomhaven the big game, I switched characters 3-4 times because there is a retirement system that is excellent. - Frosthaven will be even better.

[@Anton_Palych]

Cannot decide whether back this or buy Middara :( I'm so torn, i love dungeon crawlers but never played a boss battles before.... Does this one have diverse character progression? I mean is there a way to build each class diferently? Like take a make and make a fire mage and the next time I play build an ice mage or some other kind...?

[@catedavis4008]

I would love to see you do a play through .

[@ABoredGamer]

So far we are playing Stuffed Fables but have a few others sitting on the shelves we will get to eventually.

[@TimChuon]

oh very cool! that looks like a fun family game!

[@lahicor]

Yes!!!! I am going to back the second edition. But I don't know if I am also going to back the pouch bags, sleeves or metal coins. What do you recommend me? I don't have that much money so thats why I only have space for one of those... 😬

[@TimChuon]

Ahhhh this is a really good question! I love tokens and would personally go with those, but sleeves are the most practical if you’ll be playing heavily through the campaign with other players. The bags are awesome, but I’m ok with the black ones-I feel like they’re already unique and stand out! Don’t quote me if you see the cloth bags on the channel in future gameplays though 🤣

[@settlers33]

Weird this just came into my email yesterday. Of course their campaign started. Makes sense!

[@TimChuon]

sorry about that David! I had to unlist it to check audio for a sec-that might've been why!

[@craiginglesby8515]

Thank you! I trust your opinion! Backing today

[@TimChuon]

So awesome to hear Craig! I hope you'll enjoy this one-it's seriously amazing!

[@namephanan]

I am considering this or Dwellings of Eldervale. I know they are not similar but due to budget, which would you rather have?

[@TimChuon]

OH An that's a tough one! Do you mainly play solo games or with people? Does your group like co op or competitive play? If you mainly play solo, I'd go with Oathsworn; much more compelling, more content, and ofc made for solo gaming. Dwellings has a solo option but it does get repetitive after some time so it's def not solo-oriented. If you like competitive, dwellings all the way! Oathsworn is co op-there's no competitive play at all and is geared towards story-driven gaming with great combat. Overall though, if you had to make me choose one, I'd choose dwellings in a heartbeat hahah

[@namephanan]

@@TimChuon Thank you so much for your response. I appreciate your reasoning. I saw how much you loved Eldervale and I was really interested in getting one or the other.

[@SuperNateTaylor]

Great video and explanation of a new game. I think your video would be much better in HD.

[@TimChuon]

Thanks so much Nate! It’ll be processed in 4k in a few hours -sorry about that!!

[@bobsantosjr]

Hi Tim, how much table space would you need for a 4-player game? Also, if your budget only allows either Oathsworn or DMD, which one would you choose?

[@TimChuon]

oh shoot-you would need a TON of table space. I have a fairly large dining table that I use-I forget the dimensions-but it's bigger than "average" dining tables and oathsworn still takes up everything and then some; this is because you need room for all the mystery stuff, components not in play, components for the encounter, and more if you consider the minis. It's not a hassel persay but def know that this will take a ton of room! Cthulu death may die? I haven't played this one but based on theme/gameplay/combat alone, oathsworn by a mile!

[@bobsantosjr]

@@TimChuon Saw from Rathskellers that you got one of their tables. Not sure if it was the Phalanx. I have the same one just custom size (smaller). I do have a spare foldable one that I bring out when we have a second group, so that can house the non playing components. Just hoped it would not need the second one because the wife will surely say something about that. Thanks for the comprehensive answer! I'll see if I'll pull the trigger right at the end of the campaign.

[@SeanUCF]

Nice and informative review. Would like to know how you feel about the quality of the miniatures though, specifically the characters. Tom Vassell from the Dice said the weapon changing didn't really work and you would have to basically glue them in for it to not fall apart. Also he said some of the miniatures are too obstructive (large), especially the terrain. So with that, he said he would probably prefer the standee version. Would love to know your thoughts on this.

[@TimChuon]

Glad you enjoyed it! I recorded a snippet about the minis and forgot to include it in the final video 😩 but the character minis do fall apart pretty easy; you basically either have to glue or squeeze them pretty tight as you play-some moreso than others depending on the shape. I think the reprint tries to address this with pre glued base models and fixing the joints, but I’m curious to know how the second edition holds up~ As for the terrain, I’m all for the statues 😂 the table presence is incredible and unlike anything I’ve seen. They’re crazy big, but it invites a lot of table talk and raises the bar for encounters. The standees are also really big cut-outs so if you want to save a couple $100 and want to save space/weight overall, they’re a great option

[@elzev1187]

this game looks so cool! also i love your vids

[@TimChuon]

thanks friend! excited to hear this!

[@chrisfernandez2219]

would love a gameplay of the game especially with 2+ players

[@Botzystudios]

annnnd now I need to buy this game XD great review tim!

[@seriouslysampson]

Any word if this is going to go retail at some point?

[@adrianmihaizamfirescu4540]

Let s see a play through 🎉❤❤❤

[@jeremiahhammer2282]

Thank you, Tim! Finally someone has sold me on this game. I haven’t seen any other video that dives as deep into it as you’ve done here.

[@seansmith2650]

Does the core box have any monster minis?

[@shazam2323]

no

[@endu84]

Amazing production Tim, now I'm really considering to go all in. What do you think? It's $300+!!

[@TimChuon]

Ahh thank you!! How invested are you in campaigns? If you think you’ll be going through the story often solo or with a dedicated group, it’s certainly worth considering all in now vs the price jump afterwards! But if you think it’s something you want to try, a game you’re likely not going to set up often (it is a ton of game and takes up a lot of space), then I’d go with the base $125 pledge!

[@eastargamemanufacturing6914]

It looks like a very interesting board game, and all the board game accessories are quite satisfactory.😆😆

[@bobageoff]

Gloomhaven is still my campaign game of choice, but havent made it through yet. Frosthaven will get here...some day

[@tonybowers9490]

Just me, but I like Oathsworn a lot more than Gloomhaven.

[@drinkwatertopreventkidneys841]

Even though oathsworns story is miles better, GH combat takes the edge for me

[@TimChuon]

ahhhhh the classic! I'd love to try GH once frosthaven arrives! or vice versa!

[@bronzeforlife3351]

where can i buy this game i only found it for the price of 800$

[@CatLegoDiver]

It’s on kickstarter right now! Over $2M raised so far.

[@thegreatyeti33]

Leveling system seems perfect to me. It allows you to swap characters and/or players at any time. Also with it being a co-op game the synchronized levelling lets each player focus on how to best help the team. Most other board and video games people get selfish in order to meet some goal or get XP. It is extremely annoying when everyone gets killed from someone being selfish.

[@kelliealanis9485]

is there any replayability for this game??

[@DanD20]

I enjoyed Descent 2nd when I played, but the timer built into the app (limiting # of turns) kind of bugged me. I haven't yet played Gloomhaven, Resident Evil 3, nor Hunters AD, nor Sine Tempore, ugh I'm hoping ISS Vanguard gets delayed lol. I did play through 75% of Stuffed Fables with my nephew/niece and it was really fun with them! Oathsworn looks absolutely amazing, though! I need to glue my mini's, because they fall apart too easily 😡 I thought I'd love the Armory (swappable weapons), but now I'm not so sure. With all that said, you are in luck! I'm in SoCal and available to be your "stranger #1" to help with a 4 player game of Oathsworn 😁

[@TimChuon]

ah that's a really good point about Descent! I think I wanted more out of combat there-especially since a lot of it was automated into the app. I didn't end up backing ISS vanguard but would love to hear your thoughts on that when you do play! hahah! thanks the offer/tips dan! I was just thinking about getting the armory, but I think im gonna pass on that and get the terrain upgrade instead 😁

[@Janisurai]

I just bought jaws of the lion, but this looks awesome

[@TimChuon]

NICE! jaws is such good value for the money-I hope you like it Jahan!

[@shazam2323]

is there magic and spells and stuff or just standard melee/ranged?

[@TimChuon]

Oh there’s definitely lots of magic! I’m actually playing as the witch right now who alternates between fire/ice spells it’s awesome!

[@shazam2323]

is she the only one who uses magic? My standee version just shipped!@@TimChuon

[@arthurmensing3869]

I hate you buddy! I have Frosthaven and Tanares Adventures coming in the next month or so. I have one of the rare $1 pledges for this game. Something needs to give here? Lol. I'm definitely seriously thinking about it. I know what your decision would be. Haha. As usual great stuff! You could make checkers look exciting and intriguing!!!

[@ericcorson1436]

I agree. Near perfect game. Better than Gloomhaven for me. Reason being…the written story. So good. Gloomhaven story to me was…meh. The battle flow system is pure genius. Gloomhaven, I would get frustrated every time I had to burn a card to rest. The only negative I could say is against the line of sight. Too strict. Also, the turn order. We house ruled that one to have better flow. I love, love, love this game. Great review. Would love to see a full play through from your group.

[@cometken5]

Whats the house rule that you guys implemented? Would love to know!

[@ericcorson1436]

@@cometken5 For turn order we stick with the one move, one card per turn but we throw in a D&D hold action. You can hold your turn or go out of order if another fellow Oathsworn can reposition the beastie or push you into a more advantageous position. It usually ends up being a free-for-all but it seems to move smoother.

[@rattenusrattoonus1880]

Arkham Horror LCG is stiĺl the unparalleled king of campaign games for me. Exciting push-your-luck skiĺl test system, the freedom to express one's own playstyle through deck construction and dark, lovecraftian narrative, what's not to love about this masterpiece!

[@mitorious]

The setup and the cost! 😂 love the game as well but it’s such a pain to store well and it costs a fortune once you get into it

[@lowlifehightech822]

@@mitorious still less than oathsworn)

[@TimChuon]

very cool!! I'm gonna have to revisit arkham, but i've definitely tried this one a few times and it hasn't hit home just yet for me; happy to hear you love it though and i'm gonna have to dive back in to arkham!

[@mitorious]

@@TimChuon it's a really fantastic game with the right scenarios (Dunwhich and Carcosa come to mind). It is also very messy and with a few upgraded components (bag for tokens, coin capsules etc) and more expansions it can end up dearer than almost any FOMO Kickstarter. Glad I played it though

[@adam551982]

@@TimChuon I believe TTS has a nice mod for it. This way you can play without having to find out you don't like the game by spending a bunch of money. That's what I usually do now. Once I realize I like the way the game plays I'll spend a bunch of money.

[@arnavborlepwar4549]

When will there be an andromedas edge review

[@TimChuon]

HAHA! Arnav, it's comin friend. stay tuned 😁

[@eldritchmorgasm4018]

Right now I only care about the story/characters/world, somebody should do a story-review, what's happening in the game & how it ends

[@jcapo5]

Im on mission 19 of 21. This game is phenomenal and keeps delivering through out the campaigne.

[@erichorner8336]

Amen!

[@HistoricalConflict]

Better than Kingdom Death? Middara? GloomHaven? There is a lot in this category? Also how does the boss AI work? Cmon now

[@AnthonyFotiaJr]

Which version is this on the kickstarter? Will it be available to buy after the kickstarter ends?

[@pauls3585]

The only thing that worries me is that people are saying the story doesn't affect combat much and your decisions have little effect on what happens next.

[@TimChuon]

It's a fair concern! Idk, i've played through the first 3 chapters already and haven't felt that at one and two players; there is some give-and-take because then mechanics and transitioning into the encounter would get more muddled, but for me personally, I feel like the decisions matter. You lose out on health, permanent tokens, allies even if you make certain decisions in the story that are game-changing for encounters! I'll definitely revisit this point once I finish the campaign though albeit it'll take some time!

[@JohnnyMcNabb63]

I’m going with the standee version even though I paint miniatures. Mainly because having to stop before every battle to paint the boss would be annoying. I’m hoping ISS Vanguard will be my favorite campaign game.

[@lahicor]

Yes!!! I thought the same!

[@casspirmk6338]

I found the way. I asked my wife to open boxes and make a list with box numbers and monsters inside. Then empty boxes were stored for a while and figures were painted. Then my wife put every painted boss in their respective boxes. Voila.

[@lcronovt]

I had been asking in many channels that review this game. My question is: Why buy Oathsworn/ Gloomhaven/ and a like when you have D&D/ Pathfinder/ Frostgrave/ and a like?

[@Sini-Haapanen]

I could think of at least one reason: These games don't need someone to take the role of the GM. :D Also might be these kinds of games are more interesting for heavy boardgamers who aren't interested in a full TTRPG experience.

[@dershihaya2263]

nicely done, but you cycle the card wrong as you battleflow. it should go from 1 to 0 and not from 1 to 2. 😁

[@TimChuon]

thanks for checking this for me! will fix before the gameplay hahah!

[@bl4ckfl4g]

I agree. And I’m only 1/4 way through it.

[@AuroraEditing]

Is it just me or is there no audio?

[@liryanlee517]

Yup.

[@TimChuon]

Sorry idk what happened! I think KZbin was still processing, but let me know if there are still issues! Hopefully not bc I won’t even be able to fix it for six days 🫠🫠🫠🫠

[@Spyryt193]

Was watching 1 minute after it went live, and audio was fine for me. Then I got message that video was no longer available.

[@TimChuon]

@@Spyryt193 sorry about that Deryck! I unlisted it for a sec to check audio but it seems to be on now… thanks for the update!

[@AuroraEditing]

​@@TimChuon Audio is fine now, thanks! Guess I was just too early haha

[@Davis12249]

One question for anyone that’s played this, I know it’s not made for kids but could a kid sit and watch or would they be scared sh!tless? 💩

[@TimChuon]

HAHA! If you’re playing this at night in a dimly lit room with the voice over, they might have nightmares 😅 but depending on their age and all, I think it’d be ok if you’re not too thematically immersed in it! Im sure they’d find the combo story/encounter + mysteries fascinating!

[@Davis12249]

@@TimChuon Thanks! Btw you have the best cinematography out of all the board game channels on KZbin.

[@Adamborries]

5 min, this game sounds exactly like a highly scripted D&D. Impressive that they coul do it well, no doubt. But how does it compare to a great DM?

[@odiedodieuk]

The cost is holding me back...

[@TimChuon]

it's a pretty hefty cost! worth it if you're into campaigns/solo gaming, and I think the base pledge is worth considering before all the fancy upgrades

[@odiedodieuk]

@@TimChuon I’m. Leaning towards the core pledge minimum (can’t have no standees FFS 😅). But I will see…

[@CarlYota]

Too expensive for me. Unless it goes retail and drops dramatically in price. I’m not dumping $350 for a board game. I guess it’s just a different target audience. I have many hobbies and can’t afford to blow all my cash the way “specialized hobbyists” do. It does look cool though.

[@shazam2323]

it's nowhere near that much unless ur getting the all-in version

[@danteinferno6513]

near 2 million campaign for the second edition of this game, and they don't make any effort to translate it? Only english and maybe a german app? It is really sad because I think I could have backed it if there was an french version... With all this narrative aspect I can't back it in english , not for a game that will cost so much in EU because of VAT and shipping...☹

[@janzavrel6886]

Then dont back it Iam czech and I dont whine they cant do czech app or translate it....play it in english or let this gem miss you

[@danteinferno6513]

@@janzavrel6886 French is spoken by hundreds of million people around the world, so I m still thinking that they could make some translation in French, spanish, even chinese... if they want to involve many gamers of the world in their campaign I think it is a legitimate demand...but thanks for your constructive advice czech mate ;-)

[@janzavrel6886]

@@danteinferno6513 They probably calculated it and it is not worth the work I would say.

[@kosterix123]

I like the nausicaa vibe that nobody ever seems to mention. I did not like that voice actor. Everything he says sounds exactly the same.

[@jrod5113]

Game play pls!

[@TimChuon]

AH awesome! working on it!!

[@jrod5113]

@@TimChuon thx a lot 👊

[@Rodinov_Claw]

Disagree that it is the best campaign game ever. It is good, but no, it is not the best. Played my copy, finished it and sold it off as soon as I could. Couldn't see myself keeping it beyond thar point.

[@dershihaya2263]

i disagree your leveling argument. in the end its a boardgame, dont put it up on a pen&paper level. wouöd be frustarting to start lvl1 on chapter 5 just becouse of trying another hero. you get over time difrent abilitys cards that benefit other playstyle or maybe the boss you are up against. so you have to manage your cards to get a bit of individuality. everything else would complicate the game a lot

[@TimChuon]

that's a solid point! I think keeping it simple is fair, but i did wish there was a little more to the leveling system. It definitely already has a ton to manage as it is, but it'd be a fun aspect to experiment with/experience in solo/groups~ I appreciate the thoughts Der!

[@w4tch0ut10]

sooo... this looks very interesting, for sure. But to get the full game (with all the encounter pieces etc) I need to pay 225$? 😂 I don't even know how often I (or my friends) will have the time to play, let alone if I am going to like it. I could just get 4 copies of Baldurs Gate 3 for that money (or 1 + some "normal" board games)

[@CaseyMcBeath1]

I kinda dislike it because my company is making an amazing dungeon crawler that features a lot of the same systems. Way more technically advanced, but a lot of things that you’re really happy about are things that we designed in years ago. I would hate for us to be considered a knock off

[@shazam2323]

what's urs called

[@CaseyMcBeath1]

@@shazam2323 Beyond Humanity: Snatchers. Coming soon hopefully

[@shazam2323]

it's not on kickstarter or anything?@@CaseyMcBeath1

[@andreikoenig5718]

Really great game? Ohbyeah. Best campaign game of all time? Nah, not even close... 0 replay value for me. I don't see myself wanting to go through story mode again

[@commandershepard9920]

Best campaign game ever? No, that would be KDM. KDM is the best campaign game, and also the best board game, and also the best ANY kind of game, that has ever been made, and will ever be made most likely.