Everdell Review - with Zee Garcia

[@jeroenvanderhorst1513]

I like Everdell. But I agree on the tiny letter font. Unfortunately this comes up in more kickstarter games lately. It is a 'young designer blind spot'. And mostly unnecessary because there is room enough for bigger fonts. Hereby I wave the flag for bigger fonts in board/cardgames!

[@CosmicTavern]

Each box should come with a pair of glasses.

[@DemoEvolvedGaming]

Love how indepth Zee Garcia analyzes how all the design elements going together. Great review

[@w0mblemania]

Thank you for pointing out the problems with the card readability/usability. This is a huge issue for a LOT of people. Anyone over 40 is probably going to notice issues with tiny text, even with spectacles.

[@petarenev2909]

Extremely well made video, Zee! I liked how you showed all your points onto the screen with "+" and "-". Really easy to estimate the game and to see in a summary what is your estimate for each aspect of the game. This should be a standard for all Dice Tower reviews!!!

[@ModernPlague]

Yes, that really was a helpful feature. Great video!

[@TheMr02drop]

I think this might be my favorite artwork of the year so far.

[@hermanpesina6328]

This is a game I'd put on a lazy suzzan to make it viewable with all players.

[@carla8478]

Cute is not just for kids, I'm 40, I'm enchanted by the artwork too. :)

[@sherlockhomeless7138]

Just played this for the first time. Reall, really loved it. I thought it was difficult at first, but after 1/3 o the game, I was getting the hang of it, thanks to my fellow players. And in the end it was a tight game. Anyway, loved the artwork, loved how you're forced to think about what to do first to make sure your opponents don't ruin your plans. And it's funny that the last two seasons take so long, even though you don't even have that many resources.

[@SuperDoggy99]

I think it's worth noting that, because the tree doesn't actually change the gameplay, it's completely optional; out of the many playthroughs I've done, I've played with it once.

[@chrisgilsonmusicchannel7144]

An ace game, extremely fun and consistently challenging/entertaining. The first time we played we didn't have a clue what we we're doing... Now we're addicted! Love it!

[@TheProgrammerGuy]

If the tree gets in your way, just cut it down.

[@drwzytft]

A correction: Summer and Autumn were swapped. Summer gives +1 and Autumn gives +2 workers at prearing for next season. Also the card is Ranger not Raider xD

[@Syncopator]

Small text on cards is a show stopper for my game group-- we have a lot of people who have less than perfect eyesight, and games have been completely killed off when we're spending all our time with reading glasses trying to figure out what cards mean what. Takes all the fun out of it. Games that make use of decent iconographics are much better.

[@revimfadli4666]

Taking cards so you can read them closely can also disrupt the flow of the game. That adds to the importance of visual accessibility On the other hand, symbols might seem daunting to beginners

[@samiches4500]

9:25 "enchanted by the artwork" There is another review on youtube of this board game by an adult woman who said over an over how cute it was, the game play is superb, its really freakin cute, an has never won a match, no matter who she plays against... You be speaking some truth there! buawahahaahah Great review though, helped me make up my mind. I'm ordering it tonight. Thank you!

[@cparks1000000]

I really enjoy the detailed review going over all the bullet points.

[@FangerZero]

Thanks, My mother bought this game, and I'm glad we never opened it, we're going to try to return it because this game after watching this is just too complicated for some of my family members to play. I can't believe that it's for 10+, it feels more like 14/16+. Not to mention some of the artwork I feel that a lot of the components get lost in the artwork because it doesn't contrast enough. Putting a border around the cards/tiles placed on the board would've helped make them pop and be more visible. Then the artwork on the board is lost, like the circle vs the incomplete circle that tells you how many workers are allowed on that location.

[@mrbastos]

I saw some stuff on BGG where you can print out some sheets to replace the tree. I will probably do that to simplify setup. My CE copy arrives tomorrow, and I'm so stoked.

[@kevingray5690]

Thanks Zee. Always good to be reminded that glitz isn't everything.

[@Arjay82]

They could've easily remedied the tree issue by just including a small board with a spot for everything. The rulebook is rough. They definitely spend more time on the letters and songs and random stuff than the actual rules.

[@ChrisChan-i4f]

Thanks Zee for the thorough review

[@vincenthawke3146]

Great review. Thanks Zee. Worker placement games are not normally my thing. But I like the look of this one.

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

I wonder if backing the Kickstarter of this game is worth it.

[@penguyen25]

I think a lot of people backing the Kickstarter are mad that it is so cheap for the complete edition. Must mean it’s a good deal. I waited for the complete edition to back myself. :) so glad I waited

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

@@penguyen25 - Same here. I'm getting the Complete Collection plus the Deluxe Resource Vessels Add-On.

[@Mefi93]

I've been waiting for this 8) Great review Zee!

[@PwndNewbie]

This game has 2 cards in it called "The Fool". If you get that card, hold onto it until you can play it on someone as their 15th card. Make sure they don't have an open Dungeon or University spot. That person can not win. The negative 2 points isn't that big of a deal, but filling their last spot and making them unable to play a 6 point+ card from their hand as well just knocks them out of the game. A net loss of 8+ points is devastating in a game where everyone scores 50-60 points on average.

[@wuerchj]

I found this out the hard way in my first play. It was an 11 point swing against me. I'm either going to remove those cards or house rule they can't be played as the 15th card.

[@Luke_L]

Yeah, I just don't play with them.

[@jernfuglen]

Purple scittles and small chocolate sticks. This game has a very delicious look.

[@AndyVandercoy]

Finally got this game in my hands today. Thanks for the help to decide if I should still pick it up at the flags. Can't wait to play this tomorrow!

[@mkitten13]

I would say the tree blocking the view is really the only issue to playing with four. We did two games in a row with four and the game ran very well. I say, if the tree becomes an issue for you, just move the tree further to the side so everyone can see each other's stuff. It's not really a big issue. I will happily play this game at any player count. Did not have any issues with the rule book, it clarified things very nicely for me, though as a Kickstarter backer, there were some extra cards we got that the sheet of paper accompanying them did not clarify, and we had an argument over which way was the right way to play it (someone eventually found a thread on the card in question on BGG so we could move on). And I also learned to never include the three "Rugwort" cards that came with the KS copy (two of them are insanely mean and does too much to set back/ruin another person's strategy, the third one was not mean, but was a bit too rewarding).

[@PwndNewbie]

You should boot the "Fool" cards as well. They basically say "Target Player Can Not Win The Game" if they are played late in the game.

[@mkitten13]

I wouldn't say the "Fool" is as bad as two of the Rugwort ones. Yes, having one slot taken up by a negative scoring card sucks, but it's not as bad as having your early-to-mid game strategy completely uprooted because someone took all your cards or grabbed that production building you got out early. In the game I played, I had just drawn the card I sorely needed to get my chain working when another player stole my hand from me. Another player had got the storehouse out before he had to go to Spring and did not have time to grab the resources off it before that same player stole that from him. I would honestly have preferred getting the "Fool" played on me over either of those.

[@Aaackermann]

No seal of excellence? Why? I have played it several times now, and it is awesome! I give it a seal of excellence! There you have it! ;-)

[@Metroidam11]

I've had glasses my whole life and am so used to bringing things 6 inches from my face to read them. When he said that as a complaint I'm thinking "uh... thats every game"... lol!

[@charlieinnes4378]

The rulebook problems really do get me. If you are a rules lawyer, I would recommend the FAQ on BGG, if not I would take everything as literally as possible. Or a combination if both, as I tend to do!

[@thepixalking6589]

Diet Agricola. Friend bought it at GenCon. Good game. Agricola with better theme and art. Not as diverse as Agricola, plays faster. Steep learning curve for new gamers. Medium curve for experienced gamers. The expansion makes it better. Has a lot of potential with some future tweeks.

[@Wh0isTh3D0ct0r]

I played this game with friends at Gen Con. It was fun, and I agree that the artwork is excellent. However, this game suffers from one huge problem: it is possible for one or more players to draw out the length of the game using combos that allow them to stay in an earlier season of the game for a really long time. Most of us were moving on to the final season, while one guy was still way back in the first season of the game.

[@thesavantart8480]

That is not a problem. That is just strategy. You could've tried to force the other guy to go to the next season by using certain cards and blocking resources with your workers.

[@Wh0isTh3D0ct0r]

@@thesavantart8480 Strategy is one thing. This goes beyond that and feels like a loophole in the game which then creates a negative play experience for other players. No matter how you explain it away, what matters is that most of us did not enjoy the experience because of how it drew out the game and made it feel unbalanced.

[@jrgenrafn6742]

Berries, dude. Berries! 😀 Great review. Great game.

[@Valcurdra]

Great game, mostly fair review. The tree is a non issue, leave it in the box if it's annoying you. The small cards font is certainly a thing, but after 2 games you will remember what 90% of the cards do because the effects are very basic. Personally I think it's unfair to criticize the rulebook because you assumed the mechanisms worked a certain "standard" way. The rulebook is actually perfectly clear, it's just that the mechanisms are a little different than you normally see.

[@andropups]

I agree. I had no any problems with understanding the rules. The game is great.

[@sebastiang.5032]

@Zee Your placement of the workers on the tree is wrong. 1 waits for spring, 1 for summer and 2 for autumn (as stated in the rulebook). Otherwise, great review!

[@egyptfreaka]

I can't decide if this game actually looks good. It's beautiful and cute, but I can't decide if I'll actually enjoy playing it.

[@Alejus-z8y]

is it an immersive game? Is your theme connected to mechanics, or is it an abstract? Just focusing on what it costs me and what I get?

[@pierrewhite2062]

Thank you for your grounded review.

[@TheMrE]

Can you play “without “ the tree? I mean, set up the cards, goals, and extra workers on the side.

[@Atlas-FM8]

Yep, you can do this very easily. The only thing I missed when I played without the tree is the reminder of what you get at the beginning of each round as it varies from season to season.

[@TheBrothersMurph]

The tree literally just holds stuff. You don't need it, but we will say this, it's more useful than it looks. One it holds all the cards together which is nice because it's a big stack of cards. But mostly it reminds people what they do when they move into each season, and that's super nice. We've played without it before people for the life of them COULD NOT remember what they were supposed to do when they moved into spring, summer, autumn, and we had to explain it over and over and over again. So it's more useful than it looks, but it is not necessary

[@Atlas-FM8]

No need to roast the paper hero game group online, Nick haha. We weren't THAT bad.

[@TheBrothersMurph]

haha! It's more of a roast of us, I couldn't explain it well, and we're the ones who forgot the darn tree even though we set it aside to make sure we brought it! It wasn't as bad as I made it out to be. Paper Hero for LIFEEEE

[@Valcurdra]

Yep, if you don't like the tree leave it in the box, it makes 0 difference

[@JWE008]

I wanted to buy this game but I can't with the small font.

[@sammylahr3429]

Does the gameplay still feel full with only two players?

[@superdux1997]

Great review as always. Got this game saturday morning, by sunday night my wife and I have played 14 games..... Its amazing, 'uno mas' again and again. Last couple of games Ive been using entirely new combos and methods for scoring than my previous games, had 'bad luck' in last two games and lost as a result, I didnt care, I had great fun manipulating my cards and city to try and get things moving and still build a good score. Rules could have done with more detail, tree doesnt bother us for two players but I can see it is form over function for more players. Just overtook Eclipse, Scythe, Galaxy Trucker and Dino Island as my new favorite game.

[@Alejus-z8y]

Can you tell me if after 14 games it feels thematic when playing or is it already an abstract where you don't even see the theme anymore?

[@superdux1997]

@@Alejus-z8y I'd say now we have played over 200 games. The theme still feels very strong, still get much satisfaction building a different village each time, trying the unusual victory path (chapel with pristine ceiling event), or trying to win by just giving all my resources away. The theme ties through brilliantly imo still, and the mechanisisms and strategy are great, it's our top pick

[@Alejus-z8y]

@@superdux1997 perfect! Thanks!

[@simonwadd4038]

Do we know if they updated it in more recent print runs with better font size etc?

[@Bgarz06]

Thanks Zee for this review

[@DavidSteiger]

Having played it twice sitting in the "bad" spot... Rather than 8 shared cards facing one direction, it would have been better to lay out 16 cards in a ring, and you pick from the 8 roughly facing you. So you still compete with the player to your right and left for your 8 potential cards (but not with the player opposite you, who can't read them). The same solution could be done for the special event cards.

[@dabarnhoorn]

If you have a lazy susan lying around, that works wonders

[@mkitten13]

lol, I'm so used to sitting with cards facing away from me, that I've just gotten used to reading things up-side down. It helps to not focus on every minute detail on the cards in the middle, and mostly just look at cost, ability and check your own hand to see if any of that works with what you've got. I don't need to see which characters will work with a potential building because that detail will come up if/when the character comes up.

[@Rik77]

Lovely game but... designers PLEASE USE BIGGER FONTS. 😮 thank you

[@philippniemann8842]

playing with seasons and not having them as a kind of forced rondel mechanism sounds like a really big missed opportunity. the game looks gorgeous though

[@joerobertson7709]

Does this game play well with just 2 players? Some games you can play with 2 players, but it's really best with 3+.

[@CrystalblueMage]

Two more things that could be mentioned: The Open placement circles have no placement limit, and some cards in your city are "open" to other players workers (earning you victory points)

[@12345678abracadabra]

It's funny because you don't need the tree to play. If it's blocking someone's view, take the tree down.

[@Bobo_was_born]

Is the game OK for 2 people ?

[@ModernPlague]

Numerous people on Board Game Geek say yes, it is very good for 2 players. Rahdo's review says the same.

[@chrismusix5669]

I figured out what it is about your solo reviews that feel so different compared to when you do stuff with Sam and Tom: you are so serious! I miss the witty stuff man!

[@ThielComedy]

Sounds like we need a live solo playthrough of this. Get to work!

[@tribalguy2]

How does the normal edition compare?

[@chrsprkr]

The game is the same with the exception of the slip cover, metal coins for victory points, wooden tokens and stickers for the occupied constructions, and a small handful of exclusive cards that don't affect gameplay, but rather add a little thematic flavor. Otherwise, it's the same game and still a ton of fun!

[@mkitten13]

The KS Collector's Edition only has a couple of extra buildings and accompanying character cards, three very take-that cards (that I will never play with again, holy hell two of those were nasty, the third one was not, but best to keep them all out), and a mini-expansion (like 10 cards if I remember correctly) where you at the beginning of the game receive a random legendary building and a random legendary character that you may choose to add to your city during the game. And the already mentioned metal coins, wood tokens w/ stickers and slipcase cover. So you aren't missing out on much with the normal edition, it will still look gorgeous, still have heaps of cards :)

[@squidracerX]

Looking at the board - is there an error? I see spots for the resources, they all make sense -- but 2 of the permanent ones right next to each other -- "berry" and "berry + card". Why would anyone ever land on just "berry" if next to it there is a "berry plus a card"!? Unless only one person can land on each spot (you did not say). It seems like that should be 3 berries on that last one? Or else maybe you need a berry, someone else took the berry and card spot, so you get the one berry spot as that's all that's left unoccupied at the end of the round? But otherwise that seems like it should have been 3 berries?

[@YouKnowWho808]

Theres a rule that allows only one player to land on the card and berry space while only the berry space is a "public" action which means the space isnt exclusive to one player

[@billjensen51]

So it is pretty? Is there a game under the pretty tree?

[@bgambin7039]

Looks fun

[@lall7928]

Would 13 year old who is into gaming be able to play this?

[@agnetegrenild1588]

I'm fourteen, and I absolutely love it. Its easy to understand the rules when you've played the game once or twice.

[@alexbiersner3350]

My girlfriend has been eyeing this board game simply bc she thinks it's beautiful lol. I finally watched this review to see what it's all about and.....she might not like this lol XD

[@marceln.1228]

"ranger"... not "raider" :)

[@ThatAnimeSnob]

At the 6th minute you called the card Raider, when it's actually Ranger. Yes, thematically it makes more sense but that is not the name of the card.

[@superomelet2897]

If there is one thing you would think would apply to all players in a game at the same time, it's the season. They really should have used a different concept than a season for this, such as level of advancement (or something).

[@JaKamps]

Ranger, not "Raider", but who cares.

Even do is a good structure review, i feel that you left out one of the most important thing reviewing a "competitive game" and that is Interaction of players, why don't mention that for more that 90% of the game you feel like playing a solo game for points because your cards have little to none effect on the others players (the only interaction that feel remotely meaningful was the use of cards from the common pool and possibly the use of a resource spot that block other workers for going to that resource) and for me in a competitive game that's not enough

[@dddmmm21]

I found this game pure hype, with mediocre gameplay... It is buy resources to buy cards, nothing that we haven't seen before a thousand times. Components are gorgeous but impractical, the tree is a gimmick and you will have berries and wood toekns rolling out of the table constantly (did it need to be so round?)... But the worst, the game begins and you will spend 20min checking and rechecking every single card in hand and on the table, trying to figure out what to to with that tiny text... And turns feel quite inefficient... Annoying game... Sorry.

[@Alejus-z8y]

It's amazing how you can explain the game in different ways and you're both right. With your explanation it is clear to me that it is a dry and abstract euro. And the video reviewer leaves that aspect of the game ambiguous and only focuses on describing it from an aesthetic point of view. Anyway...

[@clumsydad7158]

Zee and EverHELL … Zee frustrated by the damn text !! Damn that gimmicky tree !!!

[@cdoninger1]

The game is pretty, but found it tedious and uninteresting. Likely won't play again unfortunately for my friend that purchased it (even though I did win). P.s. played with 4 people, tree wasn't in the way.

[@dragociencia]

Your reviews are great but, why did you have to copy the video style from jongetsgames