Food Chain Magnate | Shelfside Review

[@ax0r799]

New viewer here - great content! Just wanted to let you know that The Ketchup Mechanism actually has no catch-up mechanisms. In fact, if you include the ketchup module, it can be used to further punish early mistakes.

[@Shelfside]

Great catch! Thanks for letting us know!

[@ronaldsanfran]

14:11 "Who is this game for? Well, it's for players who like as little to no luck in their games as possible, and love to constantly survey their opponents' decisions. This player enjoys punishing others and learning from their mistakes and thinking about the game for hours afterward. He or she wants an experience that's rewarding in its variety of different strategies they can employ. And they're always thinking about how to combine their various employee abilities. Food Chain Magnate, for this type of board gamer, is that heavy classic they will constantly play." This quote encapsulates why it's a PERFECT game for me and my friends! Thanks for the thorough, balanced review!

[@markalexandermaron5531]

Very good analysis! Every bit of pro and con was discussed. I cant believe 21 mins flew right by. Thats how enjoyable this video is

[@Shelfside]

Thank you! It was fun seeing all of the animations really fall into place!

[@Santanilla]

This game is my favorite from a 100+ collection, this game must only be played on weekends at morning and with a huge coffee jar next to it, best plan ever. My top 5 medium heavy: this one, Tta, Rising sun, Great Western trail , TI.

[@tigertemprr7276]

I think it's becoming increasingly important to ensure your game's production/design isn't better served to a digital implementation. Gloomhaven, for example, has certain elements like setup/teardown, component overload, box organization, monster AI, damage/condition tracking, stickers/sheets, etc. that I think are better handled in helper apps, on TTS, or the new digital game.

[@Shelfside]

I agree 100%. Game publishers are catching on really well though! Gloomhaven Jaws of the Lion helps a lot with component storage and even reduces setup by removing the scenario tiles and having them on a booklet. I am super excited to see what new ingenious ways they come up with in the future. -Ashton

[@SeeJayMac]

Great review. I've played 3 times or so and quite like it. The indirect interaction between players really made me feel like a competing business owner. I too think the info management is overwhelming. A PC would totally help, but then I can't see my friend's face when I totally need up his burger empire by convincing them to buy beer. For us, It's not for every game night, but FCM definitely fills that saucy afternoon slot perfectly. That said. Shaving an hour off the experience would make me happy.

[@Shelfside]

this makes me want a FCM lan party now :)

[@jeffreywriddlejr]

We found that for an additional $2.50 and 10mins of clipping dish racks from the dollar store, the card organization becomes a lot better. It doesn't have many more components that need setup than other games of lesser weight and complexity like Gaia Project, Dinosaur Island or Dinosaur World, notorious table hogs. The plastic bags they give you for the food products work just fine to keep them organized and on the table. My wife and I adore the game, but yes, the price tag was a bit steep.

[@bushibayushi]

Try my method of setting up the game! It's absolutely painless and dirt cheap - boardgamegeek.com/thread/2428936/cheapest-cleanest-most-painless-way-storing-unslee

[@Shelfside]

this is a really original idea! Thanks for this! Will have to tell my FCM friends for sure about it. -Ashton

[@bushibayushi]

@@Shelfside FCM went from a game with the most irritating setup/tear down in existance to a game that is basically already pre-setup in the box. And it takes as much or as little table space as you need it to. I totally get all your negative points mentioned in the review (100% fair and deserved), but this storage solution really is the answer to the majority of the problems ;).

[@Exozik]

I don't think I will buy this game because of its length and the fact that once you are better than others at it, it is going to be a bad experience for the others. But the tenseness is why I play board games and in that department, this one looks great!

[@ScytheNoire]

Food Chain Magnate is in the Twilight Zone.

[@mistuhbear]

me want borgar - gibe borgar pls FCM is fun but I can't ever get people to commit to it on the table due to how fiddly keeping track of everything is :( ... so i just ended up selling my copy lmao

[@Shelfside]

nom nom eat burgar eat pizzah! Yeah I'm really tempted to sell my copy here too, too much fast food on the table to keep track of everything :/

[@Botanica_Gaming]

The game play looks great. Due to the cost of the game and problems with organization of the components. I'll just wait for a second edition or crowd sourced deluxe version.

[@nurseruben5431]

Lucky Duck’s got you covered!

[@GreenGlassScarab]

I'm surprised that the cost of the game wasn't mentioned! FOUR times as much as most other games!! Sounds an interesting game but at that price it's off-putting! edit: Oh okay, you briefly snuck in a mention at 16 min.

[@Chironex_Fleckeri]

This makes my shoulder hurt just thinking about. Lots of fiddling with stuff. I would consider the game if it were $60-75, but it feels like too big a gamble at $100. Good explanation though

[@Shelfside]

the heaviness is pretty intimidating for most groups, that may be a good idea! Though resale value is pretty good :) -Ashton

[@shortydancer]

Not to brag, but I got it on sale during Nerdz day. But honestly, who knows if I’ll play it lol

[@simonmtkwong]

Have you ever played Smartphone Inc? It's literally what you wanted.

[@nathanmartinez6639]

I need to google this.

[@TheMightyFlea-0]

I’ve only recently turned to board games as a past time since my son and I have thoroughly enjoyed playing with my dad. Three generations playing stuff from Everdell and Mice and Mystics to Exploding Kitttens and Magic The Gathering. So I’ve trawled through the sea of KZbin board game stuff and after a year of Shut up and sit down becoming obnoxious twits and other stuff just being very dry or just plain dull, I love your guys approach. You and No Pun Included are my go to guys from now on.

[@CresentSoul]

Another con is using $1 and $3 discounts. Makes calculation messy. Keep it to simple denominations

[@crinklechips6950]

How is it misogynistic?

[@cobtyrannon2479]

The art style alone is the reason i will never play this game. No matter how good it is.

[@Santanilla]

My thoughts exactly before playing it , then I played it at a friends house and Oh my god this game is so good ! I ended up buying it and until recently I got the expansion which is amazing.

[@jumpyg1258]

The cards aren't bad but those tiles, yikes. The tiles make the game look like a prototype and not a finished product.

[@JDarkona]

I would argue that, while the tiles are indeed bland, at late game there can be so much going on, with many houses, restaurants, marketing campaigns and tokens everywhere, that if the board wasn't perfectly just functional, it would be very distracting and hard to read. I love high production games, but I understand the decision to keep it simple and agree entirely. Any extra fluff on that board and reading it would become a nightmare.

[@CamilleDeveveraux]

when you put 9 and 10's on nemesis..yep barbie players.