Hegemony Review: noun leadership or dominance, especially by one country or social group over others

[@pierreolivierlepage664]

"Getting enough luxuries to survive" is the most american thing I ever heard.

[@MichaelWarnock]

I don't think he meant it like that

[@devil332patriot]

@@MichaelWarnockhe’s not wrong.

[@PiterMorbid]

I think this deserved a seal of excellence just because the pros were so big and the caveats were majorly more about Tom's limitations about games being long or complex than about the quality of the game itself.

[@LegoAssassin098]

I really considered backing this one, but I didn't think I'd ever get it to the table. It was a tough decision. I love how much work into the game and subject matter they did. I stand by my analysis, but this is one I'd like to try.

[@renempineda]

Same here. I backed it and then decided that it was impossible to bring it to the table and asked for a refund. No rwgrets for me. What really interests me is the subject matter so I'd like to get the booklet they produced with the concepts of the game. And, knowing how this industry works, in a few years we'll have a game that will be "streamlined Hegemony that you can play in 90 minutes", so I'll just sit and wait.

[@WebMonkey741]

The KS package includes an approx 20 page booklet of the concepts behind tte game: economic, political, social. This could easily be the course material for a high school Civics class, and you would have a better understanding of these concepts because you get to "play" with them, not learn them as a set of dry dusty definitions.

[@jabbawookeez01]

in the campaign they even asked if you were part of like a school and wanted a copy to teach this stuff using the game to let them know. and some like university of Illinois in Chicago (UIC) i believe got a free copy for it

[@kylemartin7871]

Another key thing is how well researched this game is. They really did their homework, and then hired additional people to do more homework. I missed out on the KS but I can't wait to play this.

[@notsaved]

glad to see Tom turn around on this one after his dismissive reaction on crowdfunding overview

[@porqpine53]

Yeah I remember Zee being like “I smell an agenda”

[@pugdalf]

​@@porqpine53 Well, that's... disappointing.

[@davidgodfrey880]

laughed when I saw Tom's suspender flip up in the back.. I hate it when that happens...but he was a trooper and just kept going... way to be a professional...

[@ScytheNoire]

I'm surprised Chris and Wendy aren't reviewing this, as they tend to enjoy heavy games. Also, thanks for putting a score colour that doesn't blend into the background.

[@MichaelAW17]

Probably because they would give it a high review and not be able be as critical.

[@ArnieHorta]

I backed this but was worried a bit. Your description and like of it makes me feel better. 😀

[@Myst031]

Played it tonight. Was so good. A crunchy euro with asymmetrical gameplay and zero downtime because you're paying attention to everyones turns.

[@chemdent421]

Been waiting a long time for my KS copy of this. Excited that it's almost here!

[@BoardGamesBricksHobbies]

I came here to see if Peter Wiggin ends up in charge

[@TheSchaef47]

"I understood that reference"

[@nreekm]

If this game is not a 10, no other is. It's such a clever and beautiful design, it's almost a piece of art.

[@kamokamocsai]

I agree... almost. But it's too long and too heavy. Because of these points, I can accept the -2 points and it's a heavy 8 for me. I like it so much, but it's a timekiller, a heavy (huuuuuge) game, like Twilight Imperium.

[@nreekm]

@@kamokamocsai for me, there's no such a thing as a too heavy game. I play high frontier with modules 0, 1 and 2 and I'm eager to playing it with modules 3 and 4 when my order arrives 😂 I also think Hegemony is really not a heavy game, but again, I'm very used to heavy games, 90% of my collection weighs more than 4 according to bgg.

[@kamokamocsai]

@@nreekm I agree, it isn't a "heavy" euro. I meant the rules are simple and very logic but there are so many. And a simple playing session is more than 4 hours. The learning curve and the long playing time indicates this game "heavy" for me.

[@republikadugave420]

It has some problems regarding the cards...but to think of all of these elements and make them work together is kinda amazing...

[@lancourt]

Heh-gem-eh-knee

[@BlackRainbowFT]

Hedge fund, hedge money... Seems logical.

[@GoldenAura32]

Man if this ever comes up in my group or even from someone I know, I'm going to ask right away "When are we playing?"

[@richhutnik2477]

Time to make Tom to play Europa Universalis. The original boardgame. Muahahaha!

[@akadam90]

seems like i have a habbit of canceling kickstarters that end up being good and funding kickstarters that are meh at best.

[@lordbritishe]

I introduced this game to my 3 separate board gaming groups... And they want to play more... Perhaps its not for everyone but a lot of people really like this game... And its easy to get to the table... 😊

[@JorWat25]

Note: 'hegemony' is pronounced 'huh-JEH-muh-nee'.

[@chadamir]

Both pronunciations are correct.

[@JorWat25]

@@chadamir Looking into it, it seems there's little agreement about the pronunciation. The OED lists at least six: /hᵻˈɡɛməni/, /hᵻˈdʒɛməni/, /ˈhɛɡᵻməni/, /ˈhɛdʒᵻməni/, /ˈhiːɡᵻməni/, and /ˈhiːdʒᵻməni/. i.e. the 'g' is either like in 'gun' or 'gin', the stress is on either the first syllable or the second, and the first 'e' is either like in 'gen' or 'gene'. So I guess I retract my statement.

[@NinjarioPicmin]

@@JorWat25 I've also only heard it the way you described it before

[@JorWat25]

@@NinjarioPicmin Looking on YouGlish, the /hᵻˈdʒɛməni/ pronunciation is the most common, but you do find a couple of /ˈhɛdʒᵻməni/s too.

[@MatthewAnslow]

A soft “g” in American English, but a hard “g” in British English. So, Americans will say either HE-je-moh-ni, hi-JE-muh-ni, or h(uh/e)-JE-muh-ni. Those using British English will tend to say h(uh)-GE-muh-ni.

[@porqpine53]

Hyped for my copy to come. I will almost certainly play this far less than I’ll want to

[@NinjarioPicmin]

oh yes, i'm certainly prepared to have it sit a year in my shelf before it get's played

[@lumitic774]

I thought that 2, as I am very oriented towards table top rpg... but I did buy this in KS, it arrived, opened the 5,5kg box... put it on the table, just followed the quick rule handouts... LOVED IT, played 3 times. you can stop the game in any round

[@BoardGameCo]

Really enjoying Joey on the channel what little I've seen!

[@XHuntinatorX]

Obviously a game designed by proponents of a “centrally planned economy”. I don’t understand why people shy away from the fact that our personal biases are bound to come through in any endeavor we undertake. If you design a game, design it the way YOU want it to be. Don’t try to tie yourself into knots saying it is unbiased. It does’t matter. Board games live and die by their mechanics. We don’t have to pretend to be immersed in the theme to enjoy them.

[@Walter.Kolczynski]

Second KS I'm expecting this month that DT has given a great review for this week. Always a great feeling.

[@MCJesse-hu4ru]

"I like the government a lot" - Tom Vasel Hahahaha. Such a funny moment.

[@lystic9392]

I had to get this. I have a 4 player game group that told me: 'It cannot be complex enough.' So we'll see. It was this or U Boat. One of the players has started a kind of political science study so I think he'll love this theme. Now to find a week to (learn and) teach XD

[@modemacabre]

Is Hegemony the new word that we pick on Tom for mispronouncing? There are two accepted pronunciations, hard g and soft g, and Tom's. Sorry Tom, still love all you do for all of us gamer, just having some fun. And to be fair quite a number of other content creators are also butchering this word.

[@sordhacker]

Yeah, too few hedges in this game to be called Hedge Money :)

[@andykim088]

I got to play a prototype of this last year and I was so impressed. What I found that the game really lets you explore how different aspects of our society come into play in how a country runs and it really showed how much each level of society really needs each other in order to be successful. When one class is coming out ahead, everyone suffers. It's definitely a monumental work and I can't wait for my copy to come in!

[@AngoraWinch]

About a fortnight ago I played this as a favour to someone I met in a meetup because they needed a 4th player and I was immediately hooked. I’ve played 2 more games since and own it myself. It’s the kind of game where when it’s finished you want to take some ibuprofen and immediately rack up and play again. You’re right about how apolitical the game is, it’s about politics, but almost entirely the economic aspect - it’s up to the players to account for the human aspect as they see fit. Love it! Just need to learn how to win as the middle class now. Does anyone know if Tom shared the strategy thing the creators sent him?

[@thatkaiguy]

How does this game compare to Sidereal Confluence (my current favorite game)?

[@jasonhandy6440]

Agree 100% with the comment that "it's not complexity for the sake of complexity, it's clever". It's heavy, but also allows folks to bring their real world understanding of economics and public policy to flatten the learning curve

[@TheSchaef47]

Out of all the Kickstarters I have outstanding for this year, I am looking forward to this game more than any other (with the caveat that the jazz musician game is on hold and may die on the vine). There are several games that I wanted to have but this held the most interesting idea for the premise and execution of a game and its theme. Kind of scratching my head that this is on no one's anticipation list, here or on other channels I've seen thus far.

[@peerblickdicht8401]

could I get more info on "jazz musician game" please?

[@christianibsen1994]

​@@peerblickdicht8401He could have been talking about 'The Gig' from Brain Crack games.

[@peerblickdicht8401]

@@christianibsen1994 thank you! that sounds good :)

[@OrbitaPictures]

Will it be availaible in retail?

[@raymondboudreau8516]

There's very few stores that offer pre-orders of the KS version ATM... but with the success of the Kickstarter, i would be surprised if it doesn't go retail... Probably low print numbers because its a very niche game.. but my guess is.. it will hit normal retail in limited numbers

[@xshadowscreamx]

Class warfare would be the party game name.

[@RichardRobertson]

0:36 only one 'faction' is part of the government, not all four of them.

[@nurseruben5431]

Joey needs to get hired!

[@Walter.Kolczynski]

He was. He's going to be a part-timer to cover some of the void of Mike leaving.

[@henrikwakman7776]

MIKE LEAVING????

[@Walter.Kolczynski]

Announced on Smogasbord last week: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXO4eKhudryCq8U&ab_channel=TheDiceTower Mike will still be working for DT, but he's leaving Florida so won't be in the studio doing group content.

[@henrikwakman7776]

@@Walter.Kolczynski thanks for the headsup, appreciate it! Man, I'm sad:p

[@mckeoncrawford9262]

Economical Root?

[@gerrade71278]

I played 3 players and got crushed as the working class. Exhausting and not a fun way to spend 4 hours. Maybe I expected too much. Was excited. Told pple about the game and how interesting it would. Now when they ask how it was, I will have respond the outcome was eerily similar to real life. I think I lke games where it's no too close to reality. Lol. Don't know how I feel about playing again...

[@Fissi0nChips]

I guess neither of you really know how to pronounce the name of this game? I don't think Joey even attempted to say it. lol

[@mihirshahisme]

Joey, u r magical (on camera too) 😊

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

Review coming out this week - surprised that DT managed to get the plays in quickly, it's a behemoth of a game for sure. :-)

[@jessz6634]

Will have to keep checking my feed! been looking forward to your review on this since I spotted the game in the background of your Obsession review video, and very keen to hear your thoughts! Thanks Luke :)

[@itsGabrielaCristina]

This game really speaks to me. I love the theme. I love most things about it. However, because of the theme and the heaviness, I don't think anyone in my game group would be down to play this. I know they have automas and I could play it solo, but man for the price, I just don't know if I can justify buying it. Even solo, I don't know how often I'll get it to the table. I hope I get to play this one day.

[@milacheatom9060]

I want to play this at The Retreat!

[@Rubberglass]

Looks fantastic but would never make it to the table w my group.

[@SanjuroSan]

Ash.... Ash Williams??

[@cameronfield4617]

It's like economic root

[@hugotavaresgomes9539]

0:18 what was that beside Tom!? 🥺

[@severngamingnetwork]

His suspender popping off i think!!

[@hugotavaresgomes9539]

​@@severngamingnetworklooks like it is!

[@roseability86]

Ha, I didn't even notice. I was too engrossed in what he was saying 🤣

[@wimpiedag]

I can't wait for my KS to arrive next week. With the DT review I got even more excited :))

[@RandomPerson-nd2ey]

"I like the government a *lot* !" - Tom Vasel

[@Sasquatch18]

Please review Undaunted Battle of Britain!

[@vitorhauser8476]

Done

[@matthewharris-levesque5809]

0:18 - The Suspenders Iz Killing Me :D

[@Nolrai12]

That is one of the two common ways to say it.

[@TerrierHalo]

This one I really hope to try some day.

[@nicolasharoutiounian4542]

still no realease date :(

[@Tjolmir]

Can't wait to get to try this one

[@Dell999950]

This game is REALLY aimed at the UK market! We love a 'class' system,!!

[@Lex_Koncord]

he-JE-ma-nee, right?

[@rb4551]

Tom, you said jokingly that you like playing as the government (pretty much implying you do not "like" the actual government). That being said, as someone who works in the public sector only in the second half of my life, I sort of remember hating on the gov, and now working for it, I sort of see the challenges from that side as well. I guess my question is, do you find that this game helps educate and maybe change your views about the government? I see a lot of people making simplistic statements such as "Oh why do they make cuts here...." or "just infuse money there! " but you have to take money from somewhere to infuse elsewhere in an economy with limited resources. Anyways...this could be a big debate and thats not the idea of my question, just curious if the game helps bring people to understand the "other side" a little better?

[@Mike_James]

everyone understands the push and pull. you're misinterpreting their statements, or they definitely need an eye opening. i think mostly people make those statement more in reference to why those choices were made instead of others as we all tend to have a leaning one way or the other. or at least a preference in where we'd like to see public money spent.

[@rb4551]

@@Mike_James For every 1 person against a choice, 1 is for. You cant please everyone and you have a government to do it. I work for the government and I also sometimes find some decisions frustratingly dumb but I feel like most people who "hate" the government are typically ignorant about a big chunk of the big picture. Same way you hear some people talking about Natives like they live tax free like kings....Its just a reality based on ignorance. And yeah, usually people who worked in the private sector their whole life will be the worse at bashing government irrationally. I see it almost daily and its frustrating.

[@mikesmith542]

The private sector bashes the government because they understand the huge waste the government is. Most private sectors are run tightly and the workers actually do work. Governments become overly bloated because they consist entirely of mid-level managers doing their dandiest to meet their yearly budget and bloating their departments so they can take the next step up all with tax dollars taken from hard working individuals who actually help create things instead of mismanaging things. Being a low-level cog for the government doesn't give you some profound insight into its innerworkings. I think I'll pass on that boot lick today, friend. Continue earning your living off the stolen money of hard-working individuals.

[@soogymoogi]

@@rb4551 as someone who dislikes the government, I bear you and most people who work for it no ill will. You're often at the behest of people above you who give you a certain amount of money to work with, and people under those people who decide where it goes. I won't be as specific as I could be as to not cause an argument, but my issues with government are with higher level things like gerrymandering and lobbying. Of course, once you have enough issues like this, it's easier to say "i don't like the government"

[@rb4551]

@@soogymoogi Good points and I can totally understand and agree with that. I think the target audience of my comments are perhaps not at a different place than you are.

[@DoctorGarro]

You gotta love the title of the video 😂

[@nshaw1299]

Surely you meant the title of the v... Read more

[@marcuschamp9881]

The game certainly sounds interesting, however the problem I am having it the game reinforces a false worldview. For example, taxes DO NOT need to "go up" to make healthcare free. THAT IS SIMPLY NOT TRUE. Sadly very few will know why that is the case. Sigh.

[@johnnovotny5074]

You know it's an excellent game when it's a style of game you normally don't like but, love it. 15:40

[@gamera2351]

So is Joey going to be the new Mike the way Mike was the new Sam, or is he just in the Dice Tower Studio temporarily?

[@michaeldilisio557]

Mike never was the new Sam. Mike is Mike. Sam is Sam. Joey is Joey. Joey will be seen in studio more than before, and since I’m moving, I’ll be seen in studio less. But the narrative of someone replacing someone else isn’t accurate.

[@gamera2351]

@@michaeldilisio557 I definitely worded that wrong. I understand you are not Sam. I just mean that the Dice Tower (at least when I started watching in 2015) has had 3 major characters (Tom, Zee, and Sam) and then supporting characters. (Ugh…Characters? I’m so bad at using the right words). The others even jokingly called themselves the A-Team because they weren’t part of the big 3. Anyway, I just was asking if Joey was part of the new Big 3. Like they guy who does the Top 100 Games of all time with Tom and Zee. I meant no offense, I just am not good with using the right words I guess. :)

[@michaeldilisio557]

@@gamera2351 I understand, and I apologize if I responded too harshly. You’re definitely not the first nor will you be the last to ask similar questions. I suppose it’s important for everyone to understand that the notion of a “Big 3” or some such is one that isn’t reflective of how important everyone is on the channel. Everyone brings their special something, and different personalities will naturally resonate with different people. Again, I didn’t mean to call you out specifically, since I understand that people are curious about these things.

[@spunx44]

I'm sorry but this game looks like you're playing a spreadsheet.

[@joeferreti9442]

I think the political theme is not enjoyable, reminds too much of daily problems and work.

[@saykhia]

Handled properly, it can help empathise with each other’s struggles dontcha think?

[@joeferreti9442]

@@saykhia Even if it were so that doesn't make it enjoyable.

[@gerrade71278]

Yes. But too bad about the play time. Informaion on board is overwhelming too. Impossible to know what to do. Unless of course you've invested weeks of resarch. Very hard game to get to a group I think.

[@gameoverhate]

Comparing this review to Toms comments on political theme in game in the Shasn video really seems like double standards. This is one of the few kickstarters I cancelled as it just had too much problematic political messaging. I am never a fan of buying votes mechanics in political themes, it is plain cynical. The booklet they published on the kickstarter page was a tough read for polsci majors. On the upside if you like that ideology it really seems to bleed through to the mechanics

[@olanmills64]

The political concepts seem way more abstracted here than in Shasn, so I can see why Tom likes Hegemony but was turned off by Shasn

[@travisspencer6704]

This looks like a theme that would be too controversial with most gamers and create uncomfortable atmospheres amongst friends. A game about politics is like a game about religion or or other hot topic issues. If you got people that agree with you or you know won’t see one of these cards and be like, “oh my gosh! Let me tell you about that…” I just see this one as not landing with most groups regardless of how good the game actually is.

It's more about political sociology, not a fight between democrats vs republicans, or any kind of political parties. The game simulates how modern societies work, and I don't really see the controversy.

[@travisspencer6704]

Totally see what you mean. I think I had a strong knee jerk reaction hearing capitalism and immigration and class systems battling it out. It would be WAY WAY worse if it was a democrat vs republican type game and honestly anyone can find a something to debate and fight over when that’s what they are looking for. Honestly, my bad. The last thing I want is for all this political garbage in the air to start leaking into this hobby I love and i saw red before really thinking through what this game is

[@pigasos15]

you should always mention the designers that put all this effort. show some courtesy.

[@OriginalNuckChorris]

I missed the KS. Damn.