Food Chain Magnate Review

[@winterplum]

I've been waiting for someone to cover this newest Splotter gem. It looks to be just the right sort of game for a cozy winter's day in. I like the graphic nod to the fifties in the game too...especially keeping the design 'clean' and not cluttered with unnecessary imagery to distract or confound a player, given the amount of AP that could already be induced. Looking forward to Christmas time off so we can play this. Thank you Joel for your timely review of this game, and Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones.

[@DriveThruReview]

+winterplum Thank you! Merry Christmas.

[@MrMikemafia]

Great review. You're one of my favourite reviewers. I own the game but haven't been able to get it to the table due to time restrictions with my group and I've been waiting for someone to review this one so that i can drum up some hype amongst my friends, and I was not disappointed. thanks for taking the time. Looking forward to the end of year vid.

[@SwitzerPlays]

Fun review. I was on the fence on this and your excitement pushed me over the edge. Can't wait to play it!

[@joeldalangin2427]

Such a great game, thanks for clarifying rules

[@mongoosethe]

I just thought I would chip in on the artstyle/visual representation of the game. People saying this looks like a prototype (I want to clarify that this did not seem to be your(the reviewers) opinion) is a bit silly I think. You can easily look at each piece of the game and see that it is indeed fully realised. For example: just look at the player aid or the cards - they are gorgeous. It feels like people are getting hung up on the gameboards in that discussion. And concerning that: the board look like this to be clean is my guess. My guess comes from knowing that both Splotter guys are big fans of 18XX-games which have similar "boring"-looking boards that sacrifice a bit of visual flair for functionality. Great Review by the way!

[@trainiac1985]

Will you review the expansion? FCM. Great review by the way.

[@DriveThruReview]

No plans to. I’ve kind of cooled on FCM honestly.

[@trainiac1985]

No problem. It was worth a shot.

[@miranl7140]

Thanks for the review! A great review and game to end the year ;)

[@Cons2911]

I’m interested, but I’m see the price now, damn $100? There are too many choices that are cheaper..making this a hard purchase for me.. and yeah I’m new to these things so 100 is a bit high. So how much was this years ago (for those who bought it)

[@DriveThruReview]

It was 100$ back then. And, it is high. This company usually produces only a few hundred copies of their games in a print run, maybe 1000 tops for the year. And, then they charge a premium. "Usually" the game play lives up to it. But, yes... it's high.

[@Cons2911]

@@DriveThruReview yeah i understand that they have to earn, esp if the volume is not that great. And it is probably a good game, not going to go against that. But for someone like me who is new to these.. 100 is pretty high esp if i am not certain how much we will play this one as we are new to these. If this end up not being played.. that’s 100 on the shelf. But yeah, nothing against the company. Ill probably limit my purchase to 50, maybe 70 if i think we will enjoy it. Thank you for the response

[@blintscav]

I wonder if Splotter would consider licensing the game to individuals for print&play...

[@stevef3663]

Food Chain Magnate > Crunchy...Good one. Wow, that art work looks like something I would've done for an art class project , when I was an art major, in college. Yikes. Thanks for the informative review.

[@TrackerRoo]

Just waiting on Amazon prices to go back to normal for this one. Not paying 120 for an 80 dollar game and ebay is no better.

[@DriveThruReview]

Ya that's outrageous. It's not THAT fun :)

[@gnomechompsky4996]

Cool review! Looks like fun!

[@CardboardJungle]

Was kinda hoping you didnt like it so you would send it to me...LOL

[@TekkorGJC]

Thanks for the review Joel. Although...it sucks because the game is like impossible to get unless I starve my kids for a week or something. I guess they are backed up on pre-orders or something. So I guess I put it on my list to check out in a few months. =(

[@jean-francoisgenest7081]

Hi! I really enjoy your reviews! Me and friend are looking for a new heavy euro game, something "hardcore". In the recent years I've played more coop games and family games with my family so I haven't stay in touch with the more heavy games. Caylus and Agricola are my favourites games and he really enjoy games like Railroad Tycoon. Is Chain Food Magnate really worth the price? (It's quite expensive here in Canada) Is it really superior then other new or older heavy euro games like Dominant Species, Mombasa, or The Gallerist to name a few game that seems interesting for us. We would like to play a game with the qualities of Caylus and that is open so we can play a lot of different strategies with as less luck as possible, with more interaction than Caverna but not only a calculating game like Le Havre. In short, I want an advice from a guy who placed Caylus as is best game of all time. : )

[@DriveThruReview]

+Jean-Francois Genest I can't really answer if it's worth the price for you. That's very tough. I like it better than the three games you listed. Gallerist gives it a run for it's money though. It's got a definite bit of brutality like Caylus though ;)

[@jean-francoisgenest7081]

I admit it was a tricky question : ) After seeing your review and reading about the game, I have the feeling that this game stand out of the crowd of good heavy euro games. Anyway, I'll probably get it when it'll be in stock.

[@jpetey985]

Outta curiosity, which games did you trade?

[@DriveThruReview]

+Moose Drooler Mombasa, New York 1901, Shakespeare - No regrets ;)

[@bijanajamlou5152]

+Drive Thru Review Nooo not mombasa! :) must play this game. Bought att essen but havent giving it ny love.

[@DriveThruReview]

+Bijan Ajamlou It's good. I enjoyed it quite a bit. I predict stern looks when others find out. But, I had to spring for FCM. Was hearing too many good things... all warranted ;)

[@EclecticCamel]

+Drive Thru Review That trade makes the baby Jesus cry.

[@DriveThruReview]

+TheGreatHamEl It doesn't. Spending upwards of $120 would. ;)

[@Raphaelus13]

Given that I can get other very engaging games for less than half the price, I comfortably say its not worth the price, regardless of it being good or great euro game. (If someone starts making movie ticket calculations for me, I'm jumping from a bridge.)

[@DriveThruReview]

+Raphaelus13 Less than four movies...... *queue Wile E. Coyote plummeting from a cliff sound effect*

[@TheOldMan-75]

+Drive Thru Review Does this game cost so much because it's out of stock or is it meant to cost that much?? Because 120 really seems to be way to much to ask DESPITE it being a great game

[@DriveThruReview]

+Hitchslapped Splotter typically does very limited runs of their games. The price always meets the demand as they continuously sell out.

[@mgk2020]

+Raphaelus13 Movie ticket comparisons aren't necessary since you compared the cost to other games, not entertainment in general.

[@Loomonauts]

+mgk2020 Why can't all entertainment fall under the same definition? For my wife and I, it costs about 60-80 dollars to go out for dinner, because we have to pay the babysitter as well. With that as our keystone, we just say "Will we spend more than 6 hours playing this?" If the answer is yes, we buy it. If we're not sure, we don't.

[@Jasebbi]

You lost me with the comparisons to Great Zimbabwe...didn't like that game at all.

[@DriveThruReview]

+Jasebbi Ack! No! I take it back! I take it back! *bringing this today* =/