Cloudspire | Chaz Just Played & Reviews

Cloudspire by Chip Theory Games is a fantastic production. But is this game all frosting and no cake? Let’s find out if its gameplay lives up to its fantastic production!
Find the Quick Reference Guide, which lists all the Cloudspire special abilities, at: boardgamegeek.com/filepage/185551/quick-rule-reference-guide
Taking place in the floating islands of Ankar, Cloudspire is a tower defense style strategy game for 1 to 4 players; heavily influenced by Multiplayer Online Battle Arena, or MOBA, style video games. In the game, players control one of four unique factions in a battle to destroy their opponents while capturing a resource called “Source”. Players will recruit and deploy armies of minions and heroes, build towers to protect their fortress, and explore for resources and powerful Relics to turn the tide of battle.
The units you deploy are placed in stacks, with different chips representing their hit points and other special abilities. As armies of minions and heroes approach opposing fortresses, they'll need to contend with Spires - powerful defense towers that can be built around the board. To survive, players will need to fight for control of build sites, and develop new spires and upgrade them wisely in order to hold off the enemy. So, march out your minions, level up your heroes, and upgrade your fortress to unlock new strategies and abilities as you fight to conquer your foes and lay claim to the Source, and the win.
As mentioned in other videos that I’ve long been on the look out for the ultimate tower defense style board game. There’s the “panic” line, with Dead Panic, Castle Panic, and (hidden gem) Star Trek Panic, and other recent, more traditional, tower defense games like Age Of Towers. So when I came across the Kickstarter campaign for Cloudspire, which promised a meaty tower defense slash MOBA experience, I crossed my fingers and went all in on it. And then, I waited, for about a year for it to be produced and shipped. And all the while, my expectations for the game continued to rise in anticipation as the days dripped by.
So, by the time Cloudspire arrived, I’d built it up in my mind to the point where I felt that if it didn’t instantly become one of my Top 100 favorite games of all time, I’d consider it to be a failure. And so, I played it. And the result? Success! That is not to say that the game isn’t without its faults. But let me start off by saying that Cloudspire accomplished exactly what I hoped it would: a deep, detailed tower defense experience, that kind of makes me feel like I’m playing a tabletop version of something like Warcraft 3.
Does Cloudspire accomplish what it sets out to do? To be a highly strategic tower-defense MOBA game with a focus on exploration, discovery, and replayability? Well, even with the finicky details we had to iron out during our first game, I’d say that Cloudspire absolutely does. Sure, there are more special rules introduced over the course of the game than you could ever hope to commit to memory. And while we did encounter several issues that required us to make our “best guess” to resolve, these issues were no greater in quantity or severity than those encountered in other games of this size and ambition. And because there is so much in this game to find and master, that I’m counting the minutes until I’m able to get it to the table again. I built up this game in my mind for a year after Kickstarting it, and it did not disappoint.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Help fund Pair Of Dice Paradise at: podpledge.com/podp
More board game component upgrades Chaz recommends: www.pairofdiceparadise.com/recommendations
Board game component upgrades sponsored in part by: TopShelfGamer.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
More Pair Of Dice Paradise on the web:
Homepage: www.pairofdiceparadise.com
KZbin page: kzbin.info
Facebook page: pairofdiceparadise
Twitter: DiceParadise
Google+ page: plus.google.com/+PairOfDiceParadise
Instagram page: pairofdiceparadise
BoardGameGeek Guild: boardgamegeek.com/guild/1842

[@tychay]

6:25 “Same distance” is determined the total path length as is “closer.” So if they are truly the same distance, then yes, but it sounds like they aren’t actually. 6:37 No, they duke it out. They have to finish “closer” if possible and that is determined by path length, irrespective of blocking units. This makes purchasing the terrain tile at the beginning of the wave very powerful as you can block off the easy route as long as you leave a route open. 7:17 You are right they are wrong. There is only one terrain per hex. Any wargamer can tell you that. :D This is an important tactic because your minions need to use their full movement if possible, but they only need to end up “closer” than their start, so moving sideways is a tricky way to slow them down. 7:49 Yes, they retaliate. Thematically, the flying unit of adjacent enters melee range to do its attack so it gets a retaliation. This is similar to how retaliation ignores “armored” since it isn’t an “attack.” The rulebook does cover it through the way it covers the word “attack” (Units with attack but no range cannot attack flying. Neither can spires unless they have the ability “air defense” or somesuch…) 9:34 You can’t add range to that unit because it doesn’t have range already. The key is to understand upgrades are handled completely differently between units and spires. They are using the same chips but they mean different things. 9:52 I think you are right, that campfire is random art. IIRC, there are two source wells on ever hex group other than the middle that has 1 in the center, and that one has one on the opposite end and one in the water tile. While you can’t do this in game, you can ask questions on their discord channel. In game, you can scan their ever growing FAQ.

[@GameNightPicks]

Thank you for the excellent follow up!

[@tychay]

@@GameNightPicks Awesome review btw. You seem like a totally chill guy to play Cloudspire with and I think I'd be happy with any of the things you houseruled even if it doesn't agree with CTG's interpretations. :D

[@GameNightPicks]

@@tychay Thanks, Terry. I appreciate that. :)

[@kevinerskine3299]

I far prefer too complex over too simple, but I get what you were saying about the rules. For those who don't know the game comes with a book of solo scenarios as well as co-op scenarios. The best way I can recommend this game is that when I lose a scenario or even win, but not accomplish all the objectives, I find I'm thinking about the strategies I used and what I could have done differently while I'm in bed, while I'm driving, while I'm at work until I can't wait to get home and try again. That's this game for sure.

[@ryanbrown9102]

Thank you for the honest and detailed review! I did ask the designer all your questions that raise up in your review stating from minute 06:10 in the video, and those were his answers: " Hello! I'll do my best to answer the questions raised in the video. Some of the questions he had are ones we are looking to make more clear in the revised rules and reference cards. Others do have an answer, but maybe not in the place he thought to look. 1. Minion movement questions -As long as the final hex your minion lands on is closer to its mark than where it started, and that it used its full movement to get there (if possible), then you can. Where he shows the two "x"s. This may indeed end up taking you down a path that is longer in the end, but as long as you are still ending movement closer than where you began each turn. -As to the shortest path, you always count hexes through units. You also only count terrain that the minion can move through (usually only path, but may change if a unit has a higher terrain allowance). So if the shortest path will be blocked by minions, you would still travel down that way. You could take an alternate route ONLY if doing so still gets you closer to the mark. In the example he provides, the Architect would not be able to take the alternate route, as he would have to end his turn more path hexes away than where he started. Neoprene tile questions: -The only thing you factor into the hex is the primary terrain type. So even if the two paths may have the art of grass and trees in between, as long as they are two adjacent path hexes, you can traverse over them. So his intuition of saying "yes" is correct. -The fire well is just for art and does not serve any gameplay function. Flying question: -This is an understandable confusion. However, we do clarify in the rules that attack and retaliation are different key words. Talents that apply to attacks do not automatically apply to retaliation. For Flying, it says that the unit can only be attacked by other units with Flying or the Range talent. However, it does not say that it can only be retaliated against by such talents. As attack and retaliation are different, enemies retaliate against Flying as normal. -This distinction is important, as it applies to other talents as well, such as Armored. Hope that helps! If you have any further questions, or if there was anything I missed, please let me know! All the best " - What do your opinion..? - Do you have any other things which you like to know? Best regards

[@ryanbrown9102]

Oh, it seems like they already answered for all those issues.... I guess I've missed this. Do you love the game more since you upload that video..? (you don't have to answer)

[@GameNightPicks]

Hi Joe. Even though answers for several items were already found, thank you so much for taking the time to provide your list. I really appreciate that! Jumping in to help like that demonstrates how awesome our gaming community is. Cheers!

[@Gdohhhrzzzz]

Thanks for the review man! Appreciate your enthusiasm and tongue in cheek humor :)

[@bensecaur1690]

Thank you, Chaz. I saw this at Origins this weekend and was tempted, even with the big price tag. While I’m happy you like it, your review has helped me understand that it’s not the game for me. Keep up the good work!

[@nielse4099]

Great review and presentation! Can't wait for my copy to arrive!

[@mrbastos]

I had this on my reminder list for KS, and was back and forth on backing it. It looked so fun, but the price scared me away. Definitely something I wanna play before buying, but glad to hear positive reviews of it thus far.

[@TheDavidPhillips]

I love tower defense, but to me, all the fiddly bookkeeping and referencing makes something this complex better suited for an app or video game. Castle Panic may be more random and simplistic, but I think it pulls off the feel nicely. I don't think I'd be willing to be the one to learn and teach this game, but I'd certainly give it a go if someone were willing to teach and quarterback me through it until I got the hang of it. It'd be a play, but not a purchase for my tastes. Great video!

[@hellboy7424]

My copy is on the way and I can't wait!!

[@richardsaunders9214]

Chaz, did you try the solo or co-op modes/scenarios? That’s probably how I’d want to play...

[@Sl1vers]

What exactly would be wrong with all icing and no cake? That sounds FABULOUS !

[@GameNightPicks]

I will concede that point to you, as long as said icing contains no coconut shavings.

[@freeguy7628]

This is Cones of Dunshire, the TD game.

[@mrsamtheman80]

Have you played defense grid the board game? If so how does it compare?

[@GameNightPicks]

Ooh, I do have Defense Grid on the shelf, but I haven't had a chance to get it played yet. Your question definitely bumps it up the to-do list a few notches, though. I'll see what I can do!

[@mrsamtheman80]

Pair Of Dice Paradise I can’t really compare right now, as I have only begun to learn Cloudspire, but building towers is the focus. It is not as rules-heavy as Cloudspire (although to me Cloudspire is not too heavy either, just takes time to learn; complexity is fine with me). I will keep my eye out for your Defense Grid review!

[@Footrot13]

I backed for a dollar as I live in Australia. The shipping turned out to be almost more than the game so had to say goodbye. Maybe on a visit to NA I will get a chance to play but the complexity has me concerned.

[@benlauson555]

That fire well looks an awful lot like a for pit.

[@maximilliansantiago5208]

Chaz, you are a Chaz

[@westlin3]

I was initially really interested in the game, but I don't think I can make it through bad rulebooks anymore. I want to be able to teach a game and play it without the awkardness of having to look up rules constantly through the game.

[@GameNightPicks]

That's always a good consideration. I will say that I thought Cloudspire's rulebook was really well written. There was just a LOT of abilities and special cases to keep track of, which is what required a lot of lookup. But, once they were looked up, the answer was usually communicated well. Even if it's not worth investing in a copy of it, if this is the style of game that appeals to you, I'd say it's still worth at least trying. But, yeah, the first game of it may require more lookups than usual.

[@silversunseven]

Pair Of Dice Paradise agreed. The rules are well written

[@khressdota1811]

Just like DotA. If you have to explain that game to someone, its going to take a while, and there you only have to play one hero. Here you get to play the whole faction. I really enjoyed the games I played with it so far. and yes, the first game is a bitch. but afterwards it pays dividends. Just like DotA

[@JoostN86]

Wow, that's a long talk about what you didnt like about it, just to hear that you love it... That's so weird.

[@GameNightPicks]

I can definitely see what you're saying. I wonder if it was a subconscious thing. Perhaps I was trying to counteract the possibility of coming across as blindly gushing praise about the game by being sure to list issues we encountered while playing. I'm not sure. But regardless, I still really enjoyed Cloudspire, and I highly recommend giving it a try! Thanks for sharing your feedback. I appreciate it!

[@AnthonyFreyC]

Didn't seem weird to me at all, sounded like a great cautionary tale spelled out in a way that lets people know it's not for everyone, but some will still love it. Thanks for the review, mine arrives Friday. Side note, I still don't know how to play too many bones, but every time I play it it's completely amazing! Seems like this might be similar...

[@josh1674]

Dag, yo.

[@DCAMM720]

Kind of a strange "review." You didn't really say what you liked about the game or what the game does well or stories/experiences in your games.