Earthborne Rangers Review: 30 Days in the Valley

Milla and Zee chat about this complex card game that strives to present a unique world for the players to inhabit.
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[@searose6192]

Loving these longer reviews guys! Of course not every game needs 30 or 40 mins, but I love watching these reviews where you really take your time to share all your thoughts. Thanks for being the best Dice tower!

[@crosscutgames]

Camilla and Zee for the win! I really enjoy the group reviews on Dice Tower. It gives a better, fuller, perspective on games.

[@squishybuspr]

Solarpunk; the word you’re looking for is solarpunk.

[@SleepDepJoel1]

Thanks for the very balanced review. Appreciated how well you covered the feel and crunch.

[@FortressLad]

The Kickstarter shipped with an extra envelope that had pieces of cardboard that reinforced the corners of the insert. I felt the insert was fine once they were used. The dividers are a known problem, and the errata pack in the new Kickstarter will have replacement dividers.

[@Christian-cy2pn]

I have backed this with all the gameplay expansions, but im on the fence to cancle it. I realy want to get agemonia or 7th citadel instead because i had lands of galzyr and stoped playing it after a little while because there was 0 tension. Great review guys!

[@leebrown1352]

I'm not a thematic gamer by any stretch of the imagination. And I agree with a lot of the complaints here. It can be clunky, unintuitive, and frustrating at times. But when it sings. It sings. The world building is exceptional, and there are some really clever marriages of theme and mechanism. It's a narrative light game, really. But, the emergent organic storytelling that happens during any given session is excellent. It's brilliantly creative. Innovative and fresh but simultaneously familiar.

[@analog_arnie]

Yeah. I feel like I understand how its clunky. And while they said "it sings", they never really helped me understand how it sings.

[@leebrown1352]

@analog_arnie the SUSD video captures the emergent storytelling well. Combining these two reviews. You get a fairly balanced look at the game.

[@rmclean101]

Great review and overview, thank you. We played through a campaign and freakin loved it. Agree with your negatives....to an extent. Excited for the expansions.

[@ryanhuard7301]

How repayable is the game? Like if you play through one expansion is it worth to play through it again or is it play through once, enjoy the journey?

[@rmclean101]

Great question @@ryanhuard7301 I've only played through the one time. i am eager to play again with another combination. We didn't interact with every location or person in the base game. It is a world you want to spend time in, if that makes sense.

[@rachelandryan]

The setting is a lot like Studio Ghibli's Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind, which is very eco-minded, Sci-fi and Fantasy.

[@mescaLEO]

the anime unluckily is super compressed, if you liked it I suggest you to read the original manga series that gives the whole experience and sensitivity behind Miyazaki's mind

[@ivanbarilar8768]

Literally said that 30 min into my first session and had to rewatch the movie the next day :D

[@jksalamon]

Really cool. Need to see a playthrough to make an impression

[@user-bf5uc7cq5d]

When I see this game, Lands of Galzyr gets in my mind at once. Just curious about the differences between these two. In Galzyr, the weather and map changes, which makes me totally sunk in that game.

[@svachalek]

I have both. Galzyr is a lot of little stories with some gameplay to glue them together while Rangers is much more about the mechanics of playing out the deck with occasional snippets of story. They’re both easy to set up and learn, and they both are set in delightful places to visit unlike the standard grimdsrk adventures.

[@user-bf5uc7cq5d]

Thx for the reply and I'll give it a try!

[@joostheger3923]

they said that 28:19

[@joelabram]

The theme is solarpunk.

[@jesusfreakpl]

Gretahaven

[@aximomatic]

​@@jesusfreakplLOL 😂

[@mygirlfriendismean]

This was a hard game to teach. You can’t explain the cards without playing the game and you can’t understand the flow without understanding the cards. The group I played with missed the world after a tiring first session. We are likely going to give it a second go in a couple weeks!

[@danacoleman4007]

Hello nice DT people!!!! Been wondering about this one.

[@CB-yh3db]

I loved the comment, “You found someone on the bank of a river. Do you want to talk to them?….No….Okay, then just walk away and do something else.” That is quite interesting actually.

[@philomorph7]

Thanks for the thoughtful review! I'm still deciding whether to spring for this game. One thing I'll say is that your complaint about not feeling like you're "optimizing" because you sometimes end a day with points left over is understandable, but as another reviewer said, the feel and theme of the game is not about optimizing, and it's not a game that "min/max" players will enjoy. It's intended to be a more relaxed experience I think. This is one reason I haven't pulled the trigger yet - I have to take an honest look at my own playstyle and see if I will be able to relax and not stress about non-optimal play.

[@ivanbarilar8768]

Just started playing this a week ago and deck cards can be built in some nice "optimized" combos if you so choose. In general the game cards have a lot of built in interaction with one another what makes the game come alive. One thing that is different from lcg like arkham horror is like Zee says, not much deck modification. You have a lot of choice to set up your starting deck but after that you will not be exchanging tons of cards. Maybe one per every two in game days. But you definitely can play it more or less relaxed/optimized.

[@jtfike]

It’s always about optimizing

[@ivanbarilar8768]

@@jtfike that's a very narrow view you represent

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

Minus the rinse repeat of going through the locations (might house-rule a fast travel rule in future) this was a pretty solid game.

[@FalkFlak]

I'm not sure about the thematic connection here. There is a sandbox game called Ultraquest which tackled the "do what you want" approach pretty well a couple of years ago. Theme in abtract games is sooo fragile. I know people who think Robinson Crusoe and Arnak are the most thematic games, ever. For me they are just cube pushing. On the other hand I think Netrunner, Imperium or Lord of the Ring:Card Game are one of the most evocative abstract games I have while many players just don't seem "to get it".

[@abwuds7208]

Earthborne is my favorite game of 2023. But 7th Citadel just changed everything to me

[@Toadbabe]

Great review - thanks!!! I’ve seen a couple glowing Euro reviews from people I like watching and yet, the game just doesn’t look fun to me. I like some games the Dice Tower has given an 8/10 (and I would rank them higher), but after this review including the good and the frustrating, I am confident this game is not for me. Happy gaming!!!

[@freek204]

Great solo game!

[@whittaker007]

You know I've only heard this board game described but I've seen Vincent Dutrait's amazing art for Tribes of the Wind and somehow associated the two in my head. I really wish this game had that art. This art doesn't appeal to me at all, though I love the theme and idea of the game.

[@michaelfoley7577]

I thought the insert was totally fine...

[@searose6192]

Intriguing

[@ThakingT]

I wonder if this is an older copy or the latest version of the game. I know from the recent campaign for the new expansion they mentioned that the new copies of the base game will ship with improved dividers.

[@VaultBoy13]

It's the original version. It's only had one printing, and the second crowdfunding campaign is the second printing.

[@artistpoet5253]

so, a card based hex crawl with background plot threads that advance until they affect the player. Uh, I think I do that in most hex crawls already LOL.

[@KristoVaher]

The "see the world be alive" is just TOO frequent. In a four player game, essentially everything triggers all the time. It doesn't feel alive. It feels chaotic and forced.

[@mofficus]

Just wondering, do you know that, in general, the cards in front of everyone else don't trigger when *you* take a test?

[@dominikgarbauer6883]

It's a shame they changed the cover. The original one they used for the Kickstarter was so much nicer.

[@joemason9648]

I liked it, a good homage to the original 1930's Hobbit book cover. It's nice to see something different. I agree that the original art looks awesome too, they use it on the back of the box

[@danacoleman4007]

Green = ecologically friendly

[@lawofgravity1979]

They said that in the video

[@kevinwilson1197]

And then they sleeved the cards in plastic……

[@RichardFalkner]

​@@kevinwilson1197really? Boo

[@KristoVaher]

I don't understand Camillas "resources left over" critique? I barely - if ever - have resources left over. You can almost always use them all.

[@joemason9648]

I found that the risk of taking a test sometimes outweighed the energy use. I ended up resting after using only 1 aspect on some rounds if the challenge effects were potentially disastrous

[@frc1255]

Divider is fine. Great game🎉

[@npckse8508]

Folks seem to love this one and perhaps the story is good, but mechanically I am just not feeling it. I think I would rather play Call of Killforth or something else.

[@Castorshells]

I think the better seeling point is the game is not made in China. Eco friendly,,,,ehhhh,,,rather have the better components.

[@seantilson8728]

I am pretty disappointed by this review. I thought it would be an opportunity to right a wrong that Tom committed on crowdsurfing, but I am not sure that happened. For clarity, I am not complaining about the scores that were given. I also think the game can be fiddly and hard to learn. This is valid. 1. During crowd surfing, when the second printing of this game was mentioned Tom was negative. No one said anything positive about the game. Maybe it had not yet been reviewed. It was also not mentioned how successful the campaign was, it had funded within 30 minutes. That seems like relevant information for potential backers. 2. Some of the complaints about the difficulty of game play are things that happen with deck construction games. Constructing a deck is hard. I wonder if these would still be complaints had Zee and Camilla tried some other decks as well. In fact, very little of the flavor of the different specialties and backgrounds was mentioned. 3. There is actually a story in the game. The fact that anyone would say "this game can't be spoiled" implies to me they did not play the game past day 3. On day 4 the story begins. I understand you have limited time, but then at least _indicate_ that you only played 3 days and that something happens on day 4. This just disappoints me in terms of how much effort was put in. Almost like you didn't look at the campaign tracker. The story can indeed be completely ignored, but... yeah, I dunno. The story also has mechanics that make it seem more alive. 4. Despite receiving a good score, Zee was mostly negative by a fair margin. If I didn't know the score I would assume Zee gave this game a 6 based on what he said. 5. The game is produced by a company with 4 employees who work their asses off. And I think that effort and love comes through. Not mentioning this does the game a disservice, imo. I am also disappointed Roy was not involved since this was one of his most anticipated games from last year. Regarding the difficulty of learning the game, there are video tutorials, an online rules reference, and a great community on the official discord. Game designers should not rely on such things in order for their games to be taught, but I think this is worth mentioning. I understand the game isn't for everyone. I understand that your time is limited and you can't necessarily play a game more than 3 times when it is as long as EBR. But then when you review a game like this you need to be transparent about that. I really felt you could have done better. I don't think any of the things I listed above would have been hard to address.

[@nerzenjaeger]

If a first (and second) impression of a game is not positive, you're allowed to express that.

[@npckse8508]

Look, I stopped watching Crowdsurfing as they sometimes almost get mean with their little comments about various games. Like I get it is often all in good fun, but when you make snarky comments about a game based solely on looking at a crowdfunding page, it just seems a tad mean. Having said that, this game is very much for some folks and not for others, as not every game is for everyone. Despite their comments and critiques, Zee and Milla both recognize that this is an excellent design. Sounds like a nuanced take to me and I actually applaud them for their approach. When you have played as many games as Zee, you can be hypercritical and still give a game an excellent score.

[@seantilson8728]

@@nerzenjaeger I believe I explicitly addressed this. When you are a professional game reviewer and you stop a long campaign game after 2 plays then you really ought to say so in the review. They should not be obligated to beat there heads against any game. But they didn't say that at all. How do I know they didn't play more than 3 times? Because on the fourth you are instructed to read an entry in the campaign guide which starts the main story arc. They almost went out of their way to say there was no main story and that demonstrably false. Like imagine reviewing sleeping gods after playing it for an hour and not mentioning it. Would that be a review you think they would put on their channel?

[@seantilson8728]

@@npckse8508 I am, in essence, disappointed. It isn't that I mind them being critical or saying it isn't for everyone, it really isn't. But if you look at my original comment, some of the things they said imply they didn't play the game more than 3 times, which with a game like this you opught to mention. That, or they played it incorrectly and missed the story in a storytelling game. I think that when a game is made by less than five people and you like the game, then maybe you should talk about the good as much as you talk about the bad. Call me crazy.

[@meyer1633]

@@seantilson8728 Completely agree. For a review called "30 Days in the Valley", it certainly sounds like they spent 3 days in the valley. Regarding what they said about "energy being wasted" and "suboptimal" and not "saving up for a big move" kind of thing; it seem like they didn't get pulled-into the game. It sounds like they viewed it as Math: The Game, and never really felt that "I'm trying to traverse this ____" or "I'm going to try to avoid this wolhund and go behind this tree!". While I also found it frustrating to get 5-sixths of the way on a mission, only to end the "day" in the game, that actually made me hungry for that mission. My ranger learned some things along the way, saw what needed to be done, and changed his approach next time. Felt real. And if I didn't want to work on that mission next game session, that was totally fine too. But they're right about the rulebook. I only understood the game because I had been following the game for years of development. Best to watch a good playthrough to grasp the flow of the game. And the insert as well. I like the idea, but practically it's not that good.

[@williampassage]

This review feels a little half-baked, folks. Criticism is fair and valid, but there are crucial elements of the game that were left out of this review, namely that there IS an overarching story.

[@quiescent1530]

They gave it an 8, some of you people are absolutely rabid if they don't give every game you love a 10. This is why the hobby is toxic, people are allowed their OPINIONS and an 8 is a great score.

[@classicalteacher]

I'd give the review of the review a 2/10. Doing the sums gives a 10/10.

[@broganirwin864]

I don’t understand how you could watch this review and not come to a decent understanding of what the game is, how it plays, and whether it looks suitable for your tastes. A review does not need to be an exhaustive evaluation.

[@williampassage]

I don’t care what score they gave it. I even said their criticism was fair and valid. The only rabid fans here are the ones of the dice tower.

[@classicalteacher]

@@williampassage oh, Billy.

[@hudsonjesse3177]

I love the Dice Tower, but this review is half-baked. Zee is normally quite considered and articulate. In this review, however, he spends more time humming and hawing (literally "umm, umm, umm") rather than expressing clear opinions and views. Be negative, be positive, I don't care, but be prepared. Doubt it will happen, but would love to see a proper review.

[@benjaminloyd6056]

You might check Shut up and Sit Down's review.

[@jtfike]

I’m six minutes in and haven’t heard a single hum or umm…

[@hudsonjesse3177]

@@jtfike Still waiting on the situation reports for 12 minutes, 18 minutes, 24 minutes.... Did you get a final count? How did that premature comment turn out for you? I love the DT - not blindly, like you, but I respect them, hugely. My gaming interests align with Zee's in many, many ways. His reviews are typically great. That doesn't change the fact he only partially collected his thoughts for this one...

[@bettydingus3318]

That giant “allplay” advertisement background is WAY too distracting for me. Couldn’t watch after five minutes. Gag.