Dice Hard - Eldritch Horror vs Dead of Winter - Board Game Review

[@rollz3]

oh god 'All for Nothing' fuck that card to hell and back. Me and 3 of my other friends spent all our clues to close gates, fight monsters and close portals. We were about to finish the game ( last mystery was to get to a place and solve the encounter) then this fucking card shows up and goes 'ay havin a giggle m8? havin fun? I don't think so' takes one mystery from us and end ups with Azaroth waking up 4 turns later and melting off our faces as the world explodes around us.

[@DiceHard]

Yep, I really should have gone ahead and burned that card! Ugh, I feel your pain on that one. That card popped up on our first game, it's never been in the mythos deck since.

[@justmike75]

I think the closer comparison is between Dead of Winter and Battlestar Galactica. Eldritch is a pure Co-op that is AMAZING with 2+ expansions. I keep going back to it b/c the narrative always different along with the game play and it REQUIRES total cooperation. Dead of winter is great with the betrayal element and can be really fun if you make up character stories and play into it. But Dead of Winter looses steam where games like Battlestar Galactica do: if there is obviously no betrayer or if a betrayer doesn't know what they are doing it gets repetitive fast (go to that place do that thing and all the anxious parts of the game... which make it awesome are gone). Also the different scenarios can be repetitive too. Occasionally with Eldritch there is an encounter that doesn't make sense... unless you are a creative story teller, at which point it can be hilarious. I have played both games dozens of times and I have had LOADS more high emotion, high risk moments with Eldritch. But I like deep narrative games. Really I would recommend both games, I would just lean a little further towards Eldritch Horror.

[@DiceHard]

I've still not played BSG. Really should, because I love co-op games with a betrayer mechanic. I suppose it depends on how well the betrayer plays, if you have a weak betrayer then it's going to fall on it's arse a bit. But, if you have a skilled and cunning betrayer then the whole game is a lot better. I tell you what is hard though, being the betrayer and teaching somebody how to play the game. It's a bloody nightmare!

[@AndrewNattan]

I'm remembering Smythe's face when he was stopped from winning Dead of Winter as the betrayer 16 seconds before the game ended. Good times.

[@DiceHard]

None of us will ever forget that, certainly not him. I'll make sure of it :)

[@lucaucciero4358]

I really like your reviews, a lot of people do boring unwatchable stuff that doesn't really points out the cons and pros of the game even after 1.30h of video.

[@DiceHard]

Thanks Luca, glad you like them :)

[@bol317]

i instantly subscribed when the dude with shades walked in the room

[@DiceHard]

You have very good taste :P

[@Munieq]

I've just bought dead of winter based on your review and can't wait to try it out!

[@DiceHard]

Great stuff, have fun :)

[@DuraheLL]

oh man Dead of winter is like, my fav board game right now. Pure genious! Evil, dark, immersive!

[@Yesbryn]

Great video. I own and enjoy both of these game and I still like watching other people's take on them. Player count is the determining factor for which of these two games I'd prefer to play on a given occasion. Eldritch Horror is the go to 2 player game for when my wife and I have an evening for a long game. I'd pick Dead of Winter over Eldritch Horror every time when we have a group of 4-5 people looking for a social experience style of game.

[@DiceHard]

Yeah that's something that I should have mentioned too. EH is great as a solo/duo game, but gets more unwieldy the larger the group, whereas DoW is spot on with a full compliment of players. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment :)

[@marcuscooper7739]

Nice one mate, just bought this to play at Christmas, will take that card out

[@DiceHard]

Good decision :)

[@gurtana]

Would love to hear what you think of Dead of Winter: The Long Night? People say it replaces the core game because it's basically the core game with extra modules? I definitely think as far as hidden agenda and psychological zombie horror goes, Dead of Winter certainly seems like the best in genre. Makes me wish it was re-themed again with a Walking Dead license.

[@DiceHard]

I've not played TLN, isn't it a stand alone expansion? May have to take a look at that :)

[@gurtana]

Samurai Rabbit yes, it's stand alone, but I hear it's also basically everything from the core set (but with different characters), plus added modules.

[@DiceHard]

I'll probably pick it up at some point :)

[@DuraheLL]

Cant you just play with All for nothing in mind, always saving clues for in case it shows up, and adjust playstyle slightly to make sure you have more clues on average.

[@DiceHard]

Not the first time you play it. It's a nasty surprise when it pops up, and not in a fun way!

[@mikejonesnoreally]

Thanks for the great review that was genuinely funny and appropriately horrifically themed (burning the card was clever I honestly gasped.) the time travel jokes were my favorite, keep up the hard work we appreciate it, subscribed! Do you have an opinion on Mansions of Madness or Elder Sign?

[@DiceHard]

Hi mate thanks for watching and thank you for your kind words. I've not played MoM but I enjoyed Elder Sign as a solo game, might be a bit too luck based to get a good co-op experience out of it though. I've also played it to death on my phone. The app is pretty good actually.

[@KrayyNZ]

Great reviews. I own DOW and was looking at Eldritch but I might try and coerce one of my mates to buy it as he is a Cthulu nut.

[@DiceHard]

There's plenty of juicy Cthulu flavour text for your mate in Eldritch and there are plenty of expansions to keep it fresh. If you reckon you'll get it to the table a few times then it's worth grabbing :)

[@eldritchBolt]

I liked Dead of Winter for my first 6 plays, including a very good game with a traitor who managed to convince us that his mistakes where due to tiredness. However the next two games after that were a car crash. One ended after 30 minutes with a bite which ran amok and killed all of the colony. Then we had another where the goal was to churn though the decks. Everything was about hitting that sweet loot in the remote decks, and it just didn't entertain after that. We all ended up with a very 'pandemic' style opinion of the mechanics, fun, but just too shallow. Eldritch on the other hand is fun, but hard as bloody nails. The story telling IS bonkers.Weird moments we had involved a riot breaking out in Antarctica, and an old politician making 'friends' with a lad in San Francisco. Having someone at the table milk the theme is important. Love the character development. Arkham Horror is my preferred co op though. More theme, less gamey, more character development due to longer play time

[@DiceHard]

Ah, Eldritch's older brother! Not got my teeth in to that one yet, but I do love the Cthulu mythos theme. Although it does seem to be shoehorned in to everything at the minute, it'll be as saturated as zombies soon. The riot in Antarctica does sound like fun though! :D

[@Gyrogyro]

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Arkham Horror if you ever have the interest in trying another Lovecraftian co-op horror game! I'm currently on the fence as to which of the two I'd like to buy, and hearing your thoughts old the older of the two would definitely help me make a decision. Also, do you think the issue of Eldritch's decks being thin is easily remedied if you decide to purchase a small expansion or two once you once the cards start to lose their surprise factor? Would you suggest going as far as to buying the game with a small expansion from the outset? One other quick question: You mentioned an excess of Cthulhu mythos games, but I honestly don't know of any quality Lovecraftian themed board games besides Arkham/Eldritch horror (and silly spinoffs like Cthulhu Munchkin). Are there other Cthulhu mythos games you'd suggest in addition to (or even instead of) Eldritch Horror? Thanks!

[@imsogladtobe]

i like the art of eldritch horror more though... but good comparison... i own eldritch with all of the expansions so there are lots of cards too ^^

[@DiceHard]

Hey, you do you. I'm glad you have fun with it and enjoy the expansions too :)

[@venomenoide]

Haha i just came to watch again the name of the card that i must burn. Thanks for the tip !

[@DiceHard]

No problem at all. Happy to be of service :)

[@zombiesrppl2589]

D.O.W. is my favorite game of all time. I just started my first game of Eldritch Horror and I like it quite a bit as well (maybe top 10) but does not compare to the beauty they made at Plaid Hat Games. I really want to try The Long Night but I almost feel like the original is perfect as is, so why mess with perfection?

[@DiceHard]

Not played it myself but by all accounts TLN is worth grabbing. You get more characters, loot, crossroads cards and scenarios. Seems like a worthwhile expansion :)

[@jeffslater2133]

Awesome, Thanks!

[@DiceHard]

You're welcome!

[@alastairbishop2450]

Great video!

[@DiceHard]

Thank you very much :)

[@3ggh3ad]

forbidden stars vs star wars rebellion? (thought both are beaten by twilight imperium :D)

[@DiceHard]

I've covered TI and Rebellion already mate :) Not played Forbidden Stars yet. But it's on my list!

[@NstHarlequin]

I am now informed AND entairtained! Praise our eldritch overlords! (in vain ofc)

[@DiceHard]

I've told you about worshipping ancient unknowable horrors before Nikos!

[@MrNoirocla]

the personal objectives are there to artificially raise suspicion in the game, it's just an excuse and a worse implementation than the mechanic in Shadows over Camelot. Eldritch has so much more story in it, and if you compare Dead of Winter fully coop to it, it just loses terribly... The only bit of story in DoW are the crossroads cards which may not even trigger. In Eldritch every single card helps build the epic story you're going through. DoW has a lot of hype going for it, it's not that great if you analyse it closely, it's just an artificial traitor mechanic with zombies in the background. The only innovative and interesting thing about it are the crossroads cards, but they are beyond gimmicky. Anyway, that's just my 2 cents, and I do love Eldritch so I had to defend it haha

[@DiceHard]

I'll let you in on a secret... like Eldritch Horror too :P

[@Lugo428]

I respectfully disagree. I think that the secret objective cards do reflect people's behavior. Ideally, everyone will work together, but everyone will have their own motives, for good or bad. Sorry, had to defend one of my favorite games.

[@dr.vegapunk5853]

@@Lugo428 what did you defend ? you just say the premise of the game, great defend there! you just literally said every player work toward their secret objective for good or bad and hope for they cooperate together the game is boring and feels artificial

[@Lugo428]

@@dr.vegapunk5853 Perhaps I wasn't clear. Ideally, people would work together. But, in real life, people will and do have their own motives, even in the face of the worst of times.

[@Osborne4Life]

I've tried Dead of Winter, but I just couldn't get into it. I was already bored to death with the overhaul of zombie games out there, so my interest wasn't the highest from the start. As a game itself, it was okay. But I just couldn't get into the theme of it. I don't know. I think I'm just going to take a hiatus from zombie games in general and won't be getting any more for a long while. On the other hand, I'm having an absolute blast with Eldritch. I've played a few games solo and with friends and it's been a joy each time. We enjoy and weave our own stories from the cards we draw and what happens. We've even drawn that "All For Nothing" mythos card a few times and we either had enough clues to prevent it or we drew it before we had a mystery solved; it was never an issue. I do worry that Cthulhu Mythos games may reach a point of exhaustion like zombie games, but this game is something different, in my opinion.

[@DiceHard]

Glad you're having fun with it. There seems to be a deluge if Cthulhu Mythos games coming out in the near future though, which is a shame really as it may hit that saturation point you talk about. I found DoW refreshing in that regard because it focuses on the characters rather than the zombies themselves, especially when playing with a traitor.

[@juniorlopes3476]

way down here in Brazil i play with my friends, everytime saving half of investigators number of clues just in case of "All for Nothing", or in the very romantic portuguese, "Tudo em Vão", emerging from the deck. And a lot of times, we just save the clues "for nothing" (sorry for the pun). But it is worth.

[@DiceHard]

Easier to burn the card :P Thanks for watching, and it still blows my mind that people on the other side of the planet can watch things we create in our houses in Manchester. The future is wild!

[@davidmedina3063]

I own both and prefer Eldritch Horror

[@DiceHard]

Glad you're having fun with it :)

[@PASTY06]

man you are going places

[@DiceHard]

Cheers mate, thanks for watching :)

[@karlhauser893]

I was bored with Dead of Winter after the second play through, so I'd be interested in hearing how other people's games went. For instance, I hated the mandatory personal goal. When our games came down to achieving the group goal, I was often forced to decide if everyone wins or everyone loses because I can't win. Stupid. Also, for the last three games we have only ever had one truly interesting crossroads card, and it feels ridiculously random (because it is.) None of the game felt personal or important, but it also may have been because the traitor wasn't doing his job. I don't know. Contrast this to Eldritch, where every decision seems to matter, and where my selfishness brings the group down, as stopping to heal could give the monsters the time they need to tick the Doom down to 0. I don't know, maybe it depends on the group. I also love that period in history, and have been over zombies for awhile. I thought zombies were cool before TWD, and was bored with them by the time the show came out.

[@DiceHard]

I like the personal objectives because they help cast doubt and suspicion over everybody, which makes it difficult to work out who the betrayer is. In a fully co-op game though, I don't see any reason why you can't play with out them. I know what you mean about the zombie theme though, it's SO over done. However, I feel DoW shifts the focus on the characters and players as opposed to shambling corpses. Thanks for watching :)

[@karlhauser893]

Yeah, great reviews. I think when I play a co-op game, I want everything to be co-op, so maybe I wasn't prepared for the competitive element. Also, I like other, fully competitive games more, like Game of Thrones. Keep pumping out videos, and thanks for responding to the comments. Makes me want to come back.

[@DiceHard]

Heh, thanks Karl. I always get around to replying eventually. Even after four weeks :P

[@mireazma]

Come again? What's illegal in U.K.?

[@DiceHard]

Haha, I don't even remember writing this silly joke :P

[@mireazma]

How could I forget to like the vid? There you are.

[@DiceHard]

mireazma thank you very much :)

[@gabrielmoraes9399]

Buy Tabletop Simulator and play both for free.

[@DiceHard]

Game Stu Don't be ridiculous. Digital board games are no substitute for spending an evening wth your mates. Besides, both of these games are worth paying full price for.

[@Iparbuvesz]

Another SU&SD copycat channel? :(

[@DiceHard]

I don't think that's fair. I do videos in a similar style because I feel that bringing the audience to my table is better than standing in front of a camera and giving a dry run down of a game. I also try to have as much fun as possible when making videos hence the attempts at being funny every now and again.

[@Iparbuvesz]

Sorry, but that's true. The camera angles, the framing, the scenes, the setup is like 95% shut up and sit down. I only need to change you for one of those guys and you couldn't tell the difference...