Enormity Preview - Deep Space Lovecraftian Horror from Creators of Aeon Trespass Odyssey | Sponsored

[@quentinguichard5423]

I love the atmosphere, but the amount of overhead scares me as much as the Great Old Ones themselves. Thanks for the preview!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It's a lot. It captures the concept well - manipulating all these little dials and tokens feels like the meticulous way in which you would approach space exploration, but even simply moving often entails multiple responses, such as adding tokens to the pool or making noise checks. I would have preferred more streamlining, but I think the right group are really going to get immersed in this situation and have a really tense, fun time.

[@sebastienvivas9319]

Your preview beautifully captured the feeling of existential dread that has so attracted me to the game. Well done!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks for watching. It's very ambitious with a great concept. I hope the full game can live up to it!

[@Ekwah51]

This looks very interesting. Nice review. Well done.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks for checking out the video.

[@JonOfTheDead23]

You know, this makes me wonder why betrayal at the house on the hill hasn't gone sci-fi and done something similar on a ship or something like that. This game looks totally rad. I look forward to seeing more of it

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I love Betrayal, and "haunted house in space" would fit. Considering they have reskinned it for D&D and Scooby-Doo, I suppose it's definitely something that could happen one day.

[@EriktheRed2023]

Sounds like a perfect game for a dark, wintry night.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It's the kind of game you have to set aside a good chunk of time for. Nothing is going to get done quickly!

[@EriktheRed2023]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Good point, Let's call it a dark, wintry weekend, then. 😃

[@TheRealAlexBowser]

Reminds me quite a bit of the Warhammer Blackstone Fortress game... Lots of intriguing systems which were great fun for the first 5-10 hours but then became repetitive. You end up playing the same loop for hours, with tiny bits of narrative content thrown in when you hit some objective. It never felt like the core gameplay ever evolved in that game - I'm not sure whether that's a fair criticism of Enormity, but it's the vibe I get.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I love Blackstone Fortress, and I think that game evolved incredibly. The narrative Ambull quest from the annual is, for me, one of the best things GW have ever done in a board game. The final expansion turned everything on its head, which was exciting from a story and gameplay standpoint. One of the most narratively satisfying games I have ever played, with a story that really felt like an investment in characters from core game to finale. I would say Blackstone is much more streamlined and action-packed than Enormity. Enormity seems to be all about finding balance - maintaining your levels for optimal efficiency. But yes, there is a lot going on (especially if you are controlling multiple characters), and I'm not sure how (or if) the game loop will feel more varied as the campaign progresses.

[@HivisoftheScale]

"Game over, man! Game over! What the heck are we supposed to do now, man? We're finished!"

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

There is definitely a healthy dose of Aliens in this game... any game with motion trackers and blips always does! But I think it cleaves closest to Event Horizon, which is no bad thing.

[@winghong3]

Already backed. I feel like for anyone who enjoyed KDM and ATO, this one is pretty much a no-brainer one to back. I also saw another channel demonstrating the boss fight; great stuff. Heavy rules overhead is to be expected, but it's pretty much par for the course if you have any experience in KDM and ATO. I can understand if this game isn't for everyone, though.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I hope you really enjoy it.

[@johnnomak9883]

Too expensive and infinite upkeep - play card, move, count how many dice you need, throw dice for noise, use tokens, move blips, play another card, move more, throw dice for noise, use tokens, move blips, play another card, read text for interaction, throw dice for check, use tokens, increase adrenaline, add tokens, remove tokens, move tokens - repeat this for every character?! Definitely try it on TTS before considering buying!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It definitely involves a good deal of bookkeeping. It's a very meticulous, procedural system. It's all very clever, and I can see the reasoning for it, but it's more meditative than high-octane action. For people who can, trying the Tabletop Simulator version before backing is a good idea, although there are a few decent playthroughs for those who can't.

[@superspecky4eyes]

You had me at Event Horizon... Sounds like that ship has been to hell and back.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It definitely has a lot of influences, but for me it felt more like Event Horizon than anything else.

[@walt_man]

At 5:00 getting some Mass Production Eva PTSD!!! lol

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Oh, they do have a similar look. Good spot.

[@momuse88]

Damn dude, you can't show me stuff like this in December. My wallet is already sad from Christmas.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Ha. I thought it was quite bold of them to run the Kickstarter in December.

[@rudyjansen4242]

Intrigued by the theme, I love the Alien IP (Nemisis, Space hulk, Space crusade (starquest) Aliens AGDATC, Space hulk death angel, Space marine adventures etc, enz) but they need to work on the miniatures, not convinced by the look of those so far, off putting I have to say.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I was really excited about the theme. I know what they are going for with the player character miniatures, but it does make it a bit confusing to have them look so similar. I suspect people will colour code them if they paint them to make it easier to tell them apart. I do like the grins and the Mothman.

[@jeremycarnes1656]

"A singularity, a portal, a window into the depths of the universe..." "An eye of terr-" "SHHHHHH quiet, Jeremy. Anyway.." Kidding, kidding

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Ha. I definitely get a lot more of Event Horizon than 40K from this game!

[@jeremycarnes1656]

As the video continues, I absolutely agree, and the minis look great.

[@jeremycarnes1656]

I'm much more of a fantasy geek than a sci fi geek, but color me intrigued. It's reminiscent of Space Crusade and Space Hulk, but the gameplay looks much deeper and crunchier. The sculpts are great, and while I'm not a huge fan of the maps being in the rulebook approach, the art is very nice. If this Kickstart succeeds, I might snap this up.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Although it has echoes of games like Space Hulk it doesn't have that same level of action. It's not a chaotic run and gun game (until you are dealing with a boss). It feels more tense - more about balancing those conditions so you can keep your cool in a very stressful situation. You have to approach it in a different kind of way. Crunchier is definitely right. I am more of a Space Crusade and Hulk fan myself!

[@flipz101]

Being mostly a solo gamer, it rings alarm bells that you always have to play with 4 characters? The overhead looks to large to run 4 characters solo?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It is a lot controlling four characters, which is why I wanted to make a point of including that in the video. In the full game perhaps there will be a "true solo" mode, but that wasn't present in the demo and the current rules simply state you always use four spacers. I am sure it will get raised in the comments of the Kickstarter as I know lots of people would prefer to play without a full team. Personally, I don't think I would recommend it as a solo game unless that option is available at some point. It feels like something where you really need a team. Although of course, some people will enjoy the logistics of managing a whole team.

[@1000jjwalker]

neet

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks for watching.

[@Deltium5683]

Was this preview a paid sponsorship? It seems that many of the previews are paid, which destroys the credibility of everyone reviewing these complex games. The preview sounds very scripted as if ITU gave you something to read.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Hi. Please be aware, this isn't a review, it's a paid preview - note the word "sponsored" in the title and the "sponsored" flag that appears at the start of the video. The script is 100% my original content (I script almost all my videos), based on the demo kit that was sent to me - I was not provided any pre-written content that I was asked to include. Followers of my channel will know that I tend to admire these larger, more complex games more than I enjoy them, meaning I appreciate the clever designs but I tend to lean more towards more streamlined experiences. I never accept payment for reviews, but I can't review this game as I haven't seen a finished product. Much can change during the course of the crowdfunding campaign. Feel free to ask any questions and I'll answer as best I can, and thanks for watching.

[@Deltium5683]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring well - that’s precisely my point. Your video implies a rather positive and glowing assessment of the game, when in fact, this is just a prototype and exceptionally premature to assess at this stage. Given the complexity and depth of these games, and given your supposed affinity for such games, a preview video should be highly caveated. Honestly, it comes across as too enthusiastic and scripted, thus my perception of a highly biased and paid preview.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Sorry you felt it wasn't clear enough, but I'm not sure what other caveats you want. I advertised it as a "sponsored preview." I flagged it through the KZbin system as sponsored. I put in the video description it was a paid preview. I clearly stated it was a prototype I was asked to preview at the start of the video and everything was subject to change. I showed the box cover that states it's a prototype. I stated that I had only played a demo that introduced the core gameplay concepts. And I made it clear at the beginning and end of the video that the idea is for you then to go to the Kickstarter campaign and take a closer look if what I had said sounded interesting. I don't think it's unusual to sound enthusiastic in a paid preview. It's supposed to be an entertaining and engaging video or people wouldn't want me to make them, and I am supposed to be highlighting interesting things about it. I was captivated by the theme of the game, so that is something I leaned into when I wrote my script because that was the bit I found most compelling. It gave me some ammunition to play around with language and theme, and as I am a writer I am always looking for a hook like that when I write my scripts. Again, writing a script is nothing new for my channel. I do it for every video that isn't a playthrough. It's worth noting, the inclusion of the locked black box, with an "escape room" type puzzle wasn't something I was expecting. They didn't tell me they were sending that, and I wasn't sure what it was or whether I was allowed to share the contents or how I solved it, but again, it really fit the theme of the game. I realise now that may have seemed like some kind of pre-planned "skit" but I was just happy to have solved it and thought it made for a fun mystery for viewers. You will notice that even though you considered the preview to be very positive, I did say it was generally more complex than something I would engage in, and further said at times I found it baffling, with incomprehensible iconography and it requires a lot of effort to learn. I appreciate there will always be people who would rather there were no paid previews on a channel, but they keep the lights on. Reviews on the channel are unpaid, and if you watch my reviews for something like Dungeons of Doria, Dungeon Universalis, or the new Warmachine starter set you will see that while I always look for the good in a product, I will always share my complaints or hangups. Thanks for the feedback.

[@TheZappaZ]

@@Deltium5683 Don't you know how advertising works? :)

[@FranzAudio]

dude, it's literally in the title of the video