Cthulhu: Death May Die - Fear of the Unknown Review - So You're Saying Death Hasn't Died Yet....

[@Sllohcin]

I'm the opposite regarding Investigators and Monsters. I felt that the Monsters themed the episodes and gameplay really well whereas many of the Investigators are just never really used (and we also didn't really enjoy playing many of them compared to others). I think we all expected the addition of the new Investigators though, but I DO think they went overboard on the amount of new Investigators they've introduced in the new KS via the Stretch Goals. Also, the new Unknown Monster board really set my expectations for a heavy leaning towards new Monsters (as it's a new and excellent mechanic that adds a a new and impactful replayability variable). For me though, I just would have preferred less Stretch Goal Investigators and just more Stretch Goal Monsters in their place when considering the final miniatures count proportion. I feel that many of these Investigators will be "wasted" (but I also don't begrudge anybody that feels differently because the game is NOT being designed just with me in mind :) )

[@thebeardedmother1535]

Whole heartedley agree.

[@Sllohcin]

@@thebeardedmother1535 The debate of Investigators always turns to "it's just a few more than the first campaign" but I feel that argument is missing a key component - it's not a comparison, it's a standalone "addition" to the first campaign, and the first two seasons are still (or will be) available. I expect a very large portion of the backers already have them (and have also now been given the opportunity to buy most of the first KS exclusive ones too). Total Investigators is 85 (or maybe it's already more than that...?) That's a lot. They could have taken a large portion of those Investigator unique skills and added them as Relic cards as a series of Stretch Goals and served up more Unknown Monsters (less diffcult to create mechanics for) or gone the route of a slew of gameplay enhancements (better dashboards, 3D fire, etc.) They could have just as many "components" too. Just my thoughts but the Investigator pool is Olympic sized! I like the game a lot but I don't get the decisioning.

[@williamskogen9895]

"I can't tell you how much I love the relics.....actually, I can, it's what I'm doing right now...." Classic Alex. Can't wait to get my hands on this!

[@BoardGameCo]

Lol glad you enjoyed it :)

[@NeoReziel]

For me and my wife CTMD is the best game on our shelf; setup is really fast, a single episode doesnt take too long, rulebook is clear and pretty short, and we die horribly most of the time; what's not to like ? ^^ thanks for your review Alex, I'm goin for the new content plus the unspeakable box (scr*w you scalpers!!!)

[@edwinas4422]

Play 2 characters each. It will make it easier. 2 player is harder.

[@NeoReziel]

@@edwinas4422 I will try, thanks!

[@arthurdent9281]

@@edwinas4422 Playing one character each is harder, but also very tense and fun, because the insanity ramps up faster, so your power does as well. When we win, it's often by the skin of our teeth. A single round determines the outcome. We either kill the GOO or we go insane or die.

[@kyssy7744]

As someone with the original KS and extra content, I think it makes sense to wait for retail for me. The amount of investigators I have already is insane. I don’t need more and wouldn’t know how the heck to store or even play all this. Add in shipping costs and retail discounts, and I’m good to wait. If you’re new? Oh yes, dive right in. It’s one of the best fast-paced, action-heavy dungeon crawls. It killed Zombicide for me.

[@joeferreti9442]

For me it's actually mainly interesting because of the monster miniatures, of course including the Elder Ones. I don't care that much about the investigators, especially when there will be 50-90 of them although there are only 15 different combinations of basic skills. The unique skill is nice, but not always impactful, especially when Arcane Mastery, Brawling and Marksman play a dominant role.

[@arthurdent9281]

The unique skills for most of the new investigators in Season 3 and 4 look pretty impactful. In fact, I wouldn't even use them with Season 1 or 2 scenarios unless I was also using the unknown monsters to balance them out.

[@jeffersonwu952]

CMON really should have taken this chance to add some more basic skills to the investigators. It could have made them a lot more interesting.

[@arthurdent9281]

I saw a comment somewhere in the Kickstarter updates saying that they felt it would hurt compatibility with the season 1 and 2 content. That said, they definitely amped up the unique abilities for the new investigators.

[@HadoukenX]

Hello. I was browsing a game store earlier today. I couldn't make my mind up! (lol) I was looking at Cthulhu Death May Die and Zombicide Invader. For someone that doesn't have a dungeon crawler style of game, what are your recommendations/opinions on those two or if you feel there are other suggestions y'all could make?

[@GeneticResearch]

Is something known that the developers want to make a season 5? Are there any future plans about the Cthulhu: Death May Die game series?

[@1981troyboy]

im sure there will be more. everybody wanted Yig in last season and we didnt get him

[@quashmonkey]

What's your favorite scenario in each season

[@kumanight]

Super excited for this. Glad I've held off on buying DMD at retail, the core box + stretch goals is so much content. Not to mention the S4 optional buy. I'll be good on DmD content forever

[@andreasoranno]

As someone that does not have Season 1 and 2, as odd as it sounds, Season 3 KS seems a good deal in terms of # of episodes and investigators. I don't think I need the unspeakable box and I am sort of asking myself whether I should go or not for expansions... any advice?

[@kennethfharkin]

I am in exactly the same position. I am not buying the animals, $120 unspeakable, or toddler size Cthulhu but I’m in for everything else. Perhaps I’ll get the original this Christmas as I’ve seen it for $85.

[@roofustheman]

If you’ve never played before just backing season 3 is solid. Or pick up season 1 if you still can and late pledge for 3 if you like it. You will probably like it. It’s very well regarded for a reason. You don’t need all the stuff off the bat though.

[@edwinas4422]

Please note the Unspeakable box is the stretch goals from the original game and will need the tiles from the base to play.

[@roofustheman]

@@Deltium5683 the All-Knowing Pledge for fear of the unknown is just the new stuff. It doesn’t include the original base game, season 2, or the first campaign’s stretch goals.

[@roofustheman]

@@Deltium5683 no problem. There will be a LOT of content once the new kickstarter ships. Season 1 (the original core box) does come with 6 scenarios and a handful of investigators. Season 2 comes with 6 more scenarios and more investigators, and so does fear of the unknown, and season 4. The investigators are unique in each box, but you could theoretically use any investigator for any scenario if you want to mix and match. Fear of the unknown being called a core box just means that you could skip season 1 if you wanted to and just get Fear, as it comes with the dice, tokens, and other components you need to play the game

[@blakecurry3880]

The Elder One summoning chips might make it easier as well though. I feel like there are times where the Elder one comes out "on your space" which is immediately bad so him showing up randomly can bail you out of those pickles. I love the first game so I'm all in on the new content.

[@arthurdent9281]

Do the summoning chips apply to the initial appearance on the board? I was thinking they were just used in place of the portal that the GOO would move to for each new phase. I suppose we could just play it that way anyway to make it harder.

[@blakecurry3880]

@@arthurdent9281 good question I'm not sure. It will hopefully be clear in the rulebook.

[@JeffreyWarden-cc8br]

Well stated! ❤ I’m looking forward to spending many more years playing my absolute fav’

[@carpegodi1]

Hi, have a look into your camera. Sometimes the picture blurs out for a short millisecond! 😁😁

[@KiwiWeeDee]

Is this still worth backing if you dont have season 1 or 2? or does it play alot better with the original content all mixed in?

[@TheRealSwiggy]

It's a standalone, so you don't need season 1 or 2. Def recommend getting it.

[@arthurdent9281]

Season 3 is a great value, and I would go for that over season 1 if you have to choose. None of the original content is needed for it.

[@Scizzzor]

Can you combine Season 3 with the previous ones?

[@1981troyboy]

no they are all stand alone games.... of course you can

[@mattmc20]

Is this worth getting as your first foray into Death may die?

[@Filthyanimal9]

Yes

[@johncorrigan268]

I don't know. But another way to look at it is to consider buying season 1 now and trying it. You can pick up season 3 later in retail if you enjoyed it. Saving on shipping and depending on your location vat. Possibly in the long run giving you more variety for your money vs the extras you will get in this kickstarter.

[@SmokeRingHalo]

Looks interesting but I haven't played the core and previous seasons and there isn't an all-in pledge so I'll probably skip. On the surface, I also don't really need another Mansions of Madness which it looks extremely similar to.

[@BoardGameCo]

It's soooo different :)

[@michaelmueller260]

Mansions of Madness is a far superior game in my opinion. The scenarios and immersion are light years better, and the app integration makes for a much better experience. I wouldn't recommend it if you own Mansions of Madness.

[@edwinas4422]

@@michaelmueller260 this is why playing a game or looking at how it plays matters. I own both. I love both. But ultimately my entire group prefers C:DMD. It's a preference thing. C:DMD is a lot more tongue in cheek and if that is a plus or a detractor may inform your decision

[@arthurdent9281]

@@edwinas4422 Exactly! We happen to love the campiness of CDMD!

[@michaelmueller260]

@@edwinas4422 Yep, I understand completely. Everyone has different tastes for sure. My friends and I love the dark horror aspect, so we were really disappointed when DMD turned out to be a little on the silly side. But as you said, plus for some, minus for others. Thankfully we have about 50,000 games to choose from to find ones we like! 😁

[@phoenix_dreams6206]

What's you opinion on the season 4 expansion? Is it worth getting now and paying the high shipping fee or waiting for release on retail and just getting fear of the unknown?

[@BoardGameCo]

There will probably be an all in pledge

[@merccc1]

Literally it just depends if anything exclusive is worth while to you personally and if they are planning to release it at all in retail. Just check and weight if it is worthwhile for you based on that.

[@johncorrigan268]

If you are in Europe, no wait for retail for season 4. Unless you really want those promo cards and are willing to pay for them.

[@ryan_here_we_go]

For someone who has never played Cthulhu DMD before, is Season 3 a good starting point, or do I need to start at Season 1 for the story?

[@BoardGameCo]

I believe it will be totally fine

[@merccc1]

From what I understand asking similar stuff. The stories are all self contained. So it does not matter what box you start with as long as it is a core box. Like season 1 and 3 are core boxes as it says on kickstarter it is standalone. maybe season 2 or 4 is but I forgot. Essentially a core box for the core of the game, anything else is just extra content and self contained episodes/story missions.

[@kusheil]

i would recomend hopping in on this. it's a really good value actually. and if you have extra cash get the 1st game while you wait for this one to arrive, you will have time.

[@edwinas4422]

If I were starting now and getting only 1 thibg it would be C:DMD season 3 due to all the extra goodies in the stretch goals. Great value. The extras will be great.

[@jb4882]

Can you mix and match all the seasons? I’m assuming you can but I just want to make sure.

[@BoardGameCo]

Yes!

[@edwinas4422]

That's part of the charm! Pick a scenario, pick an elder... try to survive 😉

[@arthurdent9281]

Basically, yes. Although Season 2 scenarios use Season 1 map tiles as well. Season 1 and 3 are the core boxes, and Season 2 and 4 are expansions for 1 and 3 respectively, so they share map tiles.

[@outofit08]

Do you recommend the season 4 expansion?

[@BoardGameCo]

Yes from what I've seen, but I haven't played it, so keep that in mind.

[@GrimLocke161]

The $100 pledge with all the Kickstarter Exclusives is an incredible value, but it doesn’t seem appropriate for me to back it when I still haven’t even played the base game that I got on sale from Amazon a couple years ago. 🙃 Still, I fear I may make a late pledge for this later on. 😏

[@arthurdent9281]

Is there a particular reason you can't get it to the table? That probably won't change with the new season either.

[@GrimLocke161]

@@arthurdent9281 Well, my old D&D group broke up right before the pandemic hit, and that’s who I was originally going to play it with. And, trying to get them gathered individually just hasn’t happened. And, then, my other friends who do like to game are either busy or, when we do get together, we play lighter games or just watch stuff. 🤷

[@arthurdent9281]

@@GrimLocke161If that's the case, then maybe the base game is enough. Maybe you'll get it to the table once in a great while. But buying more seems like it could be a waste. If the situation changes in the future, there will probably be other great games around to take its place! Maybe focus more on the smaller games you're more likely to get to play.

[@Kojimalosophy]

I can't see how to add the original core game to my pledge over on Kickstarter, am I missing something? Did they remove that option?

[@kusheil]

the original core game i don't think was ever on there. you can buy that in store.

[@gs24-xor]

Alex is the unspeakable box necessary?

[@BoardGameCo]

Not necessary, but definitely has more goodness.

[@gs24-xor]

@@BoardGameCo In your opinion is it worthy to pay the $120 for it if I have season 1, 2 the 2 extra elder ones and I'm backing this campaign?

[@Filthyanimal9]

@@gs24-xor i think only you will know the answer to that. I’m in exact same boat. just got S1,S2 and Black Goat and Yog Elder Ones and i’n just getting S3, S4 plus the extra Elder One. That gives me 50+ investigators, which is plenty for me

[@rustyaudiobook]

First time backer. I decided to get this kickstarter, season 4 and the unspeakable box. However, I read a comment that said the unspeakable box needs the 1st base core game to work. More specifically, the tiles. Did I waste my money on that?

[@arthurdent9281]

@@rustyaudiobook Yes, you'll need Season 1 to play through those scenarios since they use those map tiles. Season 1 is usually about $85 to buy online.

[@travisnaganuma2542]

When does this kickstarter ship/release?

[@BoardGameCo]

Not for awhile

[@maxf.7262]

Ty for the video!

[@BoardGameCo]

Absolutely :)

[@dannyf1168]

Counterpoint. How much does this expansion really add? The new ways to play feel minor. I wonder if this was released as a FFG expansion 5/10 years ago the reviews would come out would not be that positive. CMON games/expansions (zombicide etc.) often give more of the same. With some minor twists. $100 USD with shipping. This is more expensive than most new games. What will honestly be the retail of this game? Can we get a - should you back value breakdown?

[@BoardGameCo]

It adds more content...it doubles the amount you can play. It's a standalone, you don't need the original content.

[@arthurdent9281]

Having played seasons 1 and 2, if this came out as a retail offering, I would absolutely buy it, as it is a huge amount of additional content, and that's all I really want from them More CDMD! Although I agree with Alex that I could do with fewer new monsters, and would rather have more new scenarios.

[@darcsonalbuquerque4001]

What about the pets?

[@BoardGameCo]

I didn't know those existed when I filmed this...

[@darcsonalbuquerque4001]

@@BoardGameCo well, more content for u to cover, and more Alex for me to watch. It's a win win situation

[@johncorrigan268]

Play this not that, The Others vs Death May Die.

[@BoardGameCo]

Funny story, once upon a time I filmed that... And then my computer crashed and I lost everything. This is my first year of doing KZbin, I lost five videos that I never got back.

[@johncorrigan268]

@@BoardGameCo if ever there was a time that that video would get a lot of traffic it is now! I and I am sure a lot of people would be very interested on your comparison. While I am very tempted by DMD, with the Others in my collection it is hard to pull the trigger when I feel the the original is still the best.

[@JBXyooj]

Is that a Shaolin Monk? Oh I'm sooo quoting 36 Chambers.

[@aSyphodias]

Unfortunately the game fell flat for my wife and I. We played 5 episodes of season 1 and called it quit, don't see anything that would change how we felt about it in this new core.

[@stuck804]

Why?

[@aSyphodias]

@@stuck804 I think it's just not our type of game. The setup time and even game time was too long for what we felt was not a really enjoyable gameplay. I also didn't enjoy managing the game and a small annoyance with the tiles not fitting the monsters properly when too many. We're more puzzly type of gamers in general (we like things like Mage Knight, spirit island, Arkham horror lcg, TMB) but we wanted to try a dice chucker and as this one was highly recommended we thought it had a chance.

[@michaelmueller260]

You're not alone, the game was a complete let down for us as well. I expected more that just a simple skill check chucker with piles of cheap plastic...but in the end that's all it was.

[@johncorrigan268]

@@aSyphodias you should try The Others. Literally the original DMD. (check out the player boards, structure etc.) But it is 1 vs many as opposed to coop. That is it's strength though because it is well balanced both sides can go at it to try and win which makes it exciting. As opposed to some games of that type where the 1 has to hold back. I am constantly tempted by DMD hype, but when I look at it carefully I have the nagging sensation of the tension and challenge of the Others diluted with a lot bells and whistles. The bloated number of investigators only reinforces that impression. Really wish Alex would do a play this not that comparison. I do not understand the often raised comparison with Zombicide but rarely mentioned the Others.

[@arthurdent9281]

@@michaelmueller260 Calling it a simple skill check chucker isn't really fair, imo. Tactics and strategy are absolutely needed, and the choices you make will almost always determine more than the dice how you fare in any given scenario, as there are many ways to mitigate die rolls. That said, if you're only interested in something nearly completely deterministic, then this, like most games involving dice, won't be for you.

[@wagner594]

What a bunch of crap. Why would you buy this if you already have all of the old stuff? I don't get the fascination at all. 100 bucks for some relics, 6 scenarios and a pretty much meaningless new mechanic. Shame on you CMON. Why can't you just make some small expansions as FFG used to do for AH/EH for example? If you don't have the old game, go for this as a stand alone game. Otherwise, don't support the illusion.