Fantasy Realms Review - with Tom Vasel

[@boardgamefangirl]

Years ago when Tom reviewed this and then Jamey Stegmaier said it was good, I picked up a copy. This is not normally my type of game but wow--what an underrated fantastic game! Thumbs up, way up!

[@jimgrant9081]

The expansion is coming -- I highly recommend the app as Tom mentioned too.

[@Антон-к8л1б]

is it a prequel for "Red Rising" review?

[@scottdouglass2]

The highest possible score is well over 300. According to a thread on BGG you can get at least 397.

[@scyldscefing3913]

This is the go-to game for my wife and I when it's late, and we're tired, but still want to play a game. Love it.

[@9Nails]

It works as a 2 player game? I thought it was minimum 3 players?

[@joerobertson7709]

This looks cool! Do you think it'd still be good at 2 players?

[@Oncus2]

If this is a reprint, is there any difference from the older version?

[@Grundalow]

Just the box art. Everything else is the same.

[@stuartoleary7358]

Any idea when this is available in UK?

[@STOpandthink]

Hmm, where do you buy this new edition? I can only find the old one.

[@peltspencer32]

Wiz Kids website store has it for $20 with $11 shipping

[@STOpandthink]

@@peltspencer32 Ah yes, good point. I was confused because they were still displaying the old image. But if you click "Buy Wizkids" button, it does allow you to buy this new addition. Thanks!

[@cadiboy04]

Could you please review "Red Rising" with a comparison video?

[@JimmySquiky]

I'm curious to hear Tom's opinion about this compared to Red Rising

[@KissellMissile]

Jamey cites FR as an inspiration for Red Rising, but FR is a 15-20 minute filler game that is strictly a set collection game. Red Rising is much more extensive in its systems it seems.

[@yannisguerra]

It's very likely that he is putting this on so that when he reviews Red Rising he can link to this to give context

[@Dreader1962]

The first time I played this I got a score of around 270 points - I lucked out on my first draw with the Beastmaster and then pursued a hand of mostly beasts.

[@MoltenMan85]

Is the app not available on Android, or...?

[@28green]

Our group’s highest score so far is 267. I would not own this game if the app didn’t exist.

[@DarthEd77]

Wait... Did Tom say they changed the artwork on the cards? I have the first edition, but I don’t remember the artwork well enough to compare with what I see here. Is the expansion compatible with the first edition?

[@davidsolyom5604]

To me it seems only the box cover changed.

[@DarthEd77]

@@davidsolyom5604 Thanks. I hope that’s true.

[@bgt2701]

Some of the card art is definitely changed.

[@DarthEd77]

@@bgt2701 Just some? Is the layout the same (i.e. compatible) at least? I already preordered the expansion and I don’t want to have to repurchase this game in order to incorporate the expansion....

[@bgt2701]

@@DarthEd77 layout seems to be the same from what I can tell

[@TheMrE]

At 3:13 you can see the card “Protection Rune” whose bonus reads: “CLEARS the Penalty on all cards”. How can anybody win against this card?

[@dansioui9819]

The protection rune is a 1 point card. It is nice, but definitely not a game breaker as it lowers your points you will score.

[@TheMrE]

@@dansioui9819 I can’t imagine getting this card early in the game and not win. The intrinsic 1 point value in my opinion is not enough of a downside. Think about it: you can collect ANY card without worrying about the penalties while the other players are forced to make sure their cards do not interfere with each other at the end. It kind of “breaks” the game. For instance, has anybody ever discarded this card while playing?

[@chiptrip1984]

I rarely pick this card, although with the expansion (that I don't own) you get to keep 8 instead of 7 cards so it probably is stronger if you play with the expansion

[@tribalguy2]

@@TheMrE have you played, or conjecturing?

[@TheMrE]

​@@tribalguy2 Both: used to own it, played it a couple of times one day until this card made somebody win easily. I think my point (besides that to me it seems too strong) is that it removes the "fun" aspect of the game. I am actually thinking of picking it up again... I actually liked the previous box art better.

[@dancheston5786]

My most played game of all time. So good!

[@iNathanLite]

Red Rising needs an app like that. Maybe something that can score the AI as well because it takes too long.

[@astrophe-cat]

It seems to me that Tom normally posts his reviews before the majority of people could get their hands on the game. This time, it is more of a review of a young classic, already available in different languages. Still, I cool review for anybody who might be new to the hobby.

[@mystic839]

This looks quite similar to Fairy Tale which is one of my all time favorites. I think my group will like this, not sure why I haven't seen it before.

[@Alan-pn8nu]

I really enjoy this game so I am very happy that you revised your original review which I recall was not as positive (maybe?).

[@CoNSu_11]

It was a positive review. Just like here, he said it was a great filler but repeatedly pinpointed in how deceptive and uninspiring the box and theme was, because to him it was plain generic and boring (the art/theme, not the game). That con was way more emphasized in the other video than here.

[@Alan-pn8nu]

@@CoNSu_11 Yep, that is why I said "not as positive" instead of "negative".

[@CoNSu_11]

@@Alan-pn8nu Good point.

[@homelessjoe]

Cant find a firm date when wizkids will be releasing 2nd edition of core game. This seems right up my alley. Excited for it.

[@RPG_Bliss]

How is this with 2 player?

[@gunzilla]

I honestly think it's at its best at 2. Instead of starting with a full hand, you start empty and are building your hand up before starting the 1-in-1-out play structure like in 3+ player games.

[@CincyAirshipPirate]

Reminds me of Monarch. Never understood why that game was disliked as much as it was. It's a great little set collection game.

[@davidsolyom5604]

The app is not recommended. It is a MUST.

[@sosbala]

Szia! Meg tudod esetleg írni, hogy honnan tudom a videóban látott applikációt letölteni? Köszi!

[@RyanOSullivan]

I imagine next time Jamey will send Tom a copy of his game :D

[@DarthEd77]

I really don’t see how this new box cover is better than the first edition/printing’s cover....

[@Reggie1408]

Me neither.

[@VictorDiGiovanni]

I was so excited about this (first edition) but when I brought it out to my group, it tanked SO hard, with me especially. I just love the idea of it, but me and my group got too frustrated with trying to develop any sort of strategy. It would have taken far far longer to learn what all the cards were and the combos were than we had the patience for. For me, this would probably be a great app game (full app, I mean, not just the scoring aid) where it can indicate how other cards out there interact with ones you already have. I'm sure it's a fun game, but I just want to provide a counterpoint for other gamers like me who might find instantly having to learn the interactions of 53 unique cards to be frustrating.

[@conillet]

Tom makes it sound as if the card art had been updated, too - it looks unchanged to me.

[@dioxyde0]

is it definitely 3-6 Players? boardgamegeek says 2-7 Players (Community: 2-5 - Best: 2-3)

[@DerKleineThilo]

397 is the Maximum :)

[@el_melocoton]

Even if it is just a filler, the artwork seems terribly bland.

[@Ottoppers]

max score 354 as of my exp. so far

[@michaelholz7034]

Sooo... I am defenitely missing something here, and I don't know what it is. I have no intention to bash the game since I haven't played it yet, but to me it sounds like - it's a small-box card game (53 cards and a notepad) in an oversized box... it costs more than twice as much as other small-box card games... it has "ok" artwork (+ a forgettable game title)... gameplay seems to be both very luck-dependent (luck of the draw) AND AP prone (puzzle out your options with the increasing discard pile each turn)... and many people see an App as a requirement since it is otherwise hard to get the scoring right, and if you try to do it on paper, it may take as long as the game... and after the end of each review I hear "BUT... it's fast!" as it would justify all other above mentioned not-so-good points... A few remarks: 1. the video has a pretty high view count for a dice tower review that's just online for ~1 day, so I assume the game is pretty popular 2. Whatever it is that I am not seeing - I think the Wizkids marketing guys are ingenious to make this thing relatively popular (or is the success just carried by Magic/Wizkids fans...?), because honestly - on paper it sounds overprized and... not so great... 3. Can someone explain where the fun part is that overshadows all of the negatives mentioned above (or where I am wrong with the information I gathered so far), and what makes this game stand out from the other gazillion set collection games? Is it just the amount of combinations to score...? I am serious (again, not trying to bash it) - my fomo is real with this one since I am a sucker for smart, small card games... ^^

[@javiertalay]

A game is usually deemed to be good based on the amount of decisions you make along the game and the different viable paths to victory. This game offers a silly amount of both for being a 53 card deck that is played in 15 min. It trully is a treat to your mind in such a small period of time, which is not normally the case

[@michaelholz7034]

@@javiertalay thank you for your response! Ah ok, so it's more or less about exploring the combinations and dealing with the challenge of the vast amount of scoring options that you have...(?) And i guess it's also something that get's better when playing more and learning different pot. combos that can happen... Still somehow hard to grasp/categorize for me :) This is prob. one of those games that I have to try first to see if I like it... I'll give it a go!

[@CoNSu_11]

@@javiertalay plus, the drafting, choosing what to take what to discard, and that every card is potentially useful, it's not like they are obvious choices. It's more like "hard" choices, because everything could be great. You potentially can have 150 points, but you need 3 specific cards, and they would know if you draft one of the set, so they would not let you, so then, maybe it's a better choice going to a lesser (still high) amount, then you evaluate possibilities and risks, trying to do the best choices, and at the end, the satisfaction of seeing how well it results. To me, the only con is I read de BGG post and now I know the perfect combination to the highest score :( and I cannot forget it. It's a disadvantage to whoever play with me.

[@Антон-к8л1б]

red rising is coming

[@davidpurkiss4681]

I think my issue with this game is how long it takes to score compared to how long it takes to play, there's an app, although an app shouldn't be needed for a game. Red Rising looks more interesting, as the game length is long so the amount of time scoring is more reasonable, the theme's also more interesting and not as generic.

[@RadishTheFool]

I came to this video from the Red Rising review. It does sound like a cool game, and I love how they managed to keep the footprint so small. I'd wish the new edition came with a more modern and original theme and art style, though. This really isn't for me, and won't appeal to my friends either. Also, if not for the Red Rising video, I would not have realized this isn't that fantasy version of Star Realms.

[@jessicaw2137]

I really don't unterstand why so many people think that the app is essential. The game is so easy to score and it only takes like 3 minutes to do the math?

[@brucebush5744]

The review makes it look tempting - but the generic theme and very average art are really off putting for a quick filler game.

[@benjaminspears8488]

Who’s all here because of the Red Rising review?

[@moewolf5195]

I've played it a couple of times with 2 and 3 players and found it incredibly bland. Both in theme and in gameplay.

[@Kajotex]

Only played this once a few days ago. 4 of my cards i drew at the start were with me till the end, i took one form the middle and two were from the deck. I won by i think 60 points over the guy who explained and taught. Found it pretty boring and I dislike the card designs... just doesn't really speak to me. Will never play again.

[@DuGStp]

Did everyone learn math with the common core or something? This game is easy to score cuz Arithmetic is easy.

[@alexstrang9823]

I always loved this game. Not a fan of the app, as people really need to work on their math skills!

[@Djaian2]

You make a review of Fantasy Realms now and you do not at all adress the comparison with Red Rising? Why? Surely you wondered if you should talk about it, right? Tom, aren't you the one that always says that "games do not exist in a vacuum" ?

[@edwardbrost331]

I heard he did not receive an advance copy of Red Rising.

[@notgeoff799]

They haven't reviewed RR yet, have they? Likely they aren't allowed to talk about it yet if they have even played it. Edit: Just saw that there are indeed reviews out for it on other channels, just not on DT yet.

[@KissellMissile]

My guess is 1) he hasn't played RR yet or 2) there is still a review embargo except for those who received specific preview copies (likely). I don't think there will be that many comparisons in the end.

[@npckse8508]

@@edwardbrost331 Perhaps they didn't. Jamey has been vocal about trying to spread the early review copies around the community.

[@lexum09]

Should not be the opposite? This game is from 2017, if he is going to make a comparison, then it should be when he reviews the newest game, from what I've seen in his reviews when he uses the phrase "games do not exist in a vacuum" he usually refers to an older game that is similar to the one he is reviewing.