HEXplore It: Opinion Evolved: Or, Never Be Afraid to Change Your Mind

[@TheDungeonDive]

I'm probably going to be adding a short addendum to this video because I complete forgot to talk about the boss cards (which also actually contain some art), and the cool little story book!

[@Elric54]

What did you not like about the first game (Necromancer) that made you skip it?

[@MaverickofThePeople]

This HEXtended HEXplanation was HEXceptionally useful. Thanks!

[@BodyWellnessHub]

I own Hexplore It and love it. I'm an old hexcrawler so I knew what to expect. Unfortunately, like computer games most people don't look past the flashy graphics and appreciate the underlying gameplay. I guess i am old school. With a pen, paper, eraser, some dice, a sheet of hex paper and my imagination I can play the best game in the world.

[@TheDungeonDive]

I’m old too. Nearly 50. :) However, art and graphics are supper important. As important as good game play. All things should be considered when designing something with a visual component.

[@ianmcleod8898]

@@TheDungeonDive I'm 8 plus years older mate. I stayed away from this game too just because of the name, it could be better. In saying that here I am in '21 playing the game. My only beef now with volume one is the wording on hero boards, it could have been written better. I find some special ability wording difficult to understand, but I've progressed now I know how to read it and I'm enjoying the game.

[@Jezza_One]

The best games are also maths based but they hide it better. Gloomhaven is one of them.

[@Deltium5683]

This game is indeed very special in terms of its content, mechanics, and campaign. The publisher continues to support this game with more and more content. Truly special and unique.

[@bluebotic2327]

I had/have the same reservations about getting into this game. I love realm crawl games, and conceptually this game fits the bill, but all the reasons you mentioned in the first half the the video keep me from pulling the trigger on it. I'm impressed with the developer's commitment to the game engine and the number of volumes this game now has. Really impressive effort. Someday I'll dive in. I feel the same way about Shadows of Malice. I really want to pull the trigger on that game but the intentionally generic theme is unsettling to me. Even though I get why the developer chose to go that route, and I don't disagree it his design decision. At the end of the day though, I still want some immersive art...

[@TheDungeonDive]

Blue Botic exactly. Totally agree with Shadows of Malice. All things being equal, I’m going to gravitate towards the game that looks the best. Presentation is super important.

[@sethpeterson8261]

@@TheDungeonDive I agree. Presentation is king for me, and this game has not just poor presentation but also a terrible name. I came here from your other video though to see what makes it good even though it looks so terribly bad. Ha! EDIT: Watching your video showed me things I hadn't seen before and the presentation is actually far worse than I thought it was... why look past how bad it is when there are a ton of games out there that have great presentation and gameplay?..

[@z3r0slugfm]

Appreciate the opinion piece. I’m just discovering this myself. It would be nice to have some form of an official digital art book, if just for a basis to make home brew standees. But as an old hexcrawler I also appreciate the art neutral approach when designing custom campaigns. For what it’s worth, reprints of Volumes 1-2, and Volume 3 preorders are open until July 31st 2020 - this is definitely a solid series worth supporting.

[@tommartin7439]

I agree with your comment about the name! It kept me away from the game until I watched a playthrough. Now I keep adding to my recent Gamefound pledge with every Hexplore It related video I watch.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Fantastic games! So much fun and adventure. Hope you enjoy it!

[@Godzilligan85]

Agree. Hexplorit should be the name of the system. Not the game.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Godzilligan I think it is, but they don’t market it or write it like that. Unfortunately.

[@skiddwister9143]

As usual, great review, buddy. Love your reviews because they are full bodied. I don't need artwork to find something interesting. The fantasy genre has been a large part of all of our lives, so we don't need artwork or mini bios to understand what is happening. I'm actually sick and tired of thousands of artists and movie/tv show cinematographers showing us their rendition. I want to use my own imagination.

[@TheDungeonDive]

I appreciate that!

[@skiddwister9143]

@@TheDungeonDive You're welcome. You exude passion for your hobby and it shows. Fun to watch and you give loads of information.

[@erikpeters7072]

What’s frustrating is the art on the back of the class cards is amazing. If they had art like that on the enemy cards etc it would be amazing

[@TheDungeonDive]

I think they’re just trying to cram so much info on the cards that there’s no room for art. But if they followed modern design trends and got rid of the fat boarders on the cards, they could at least have room for something.

[@erikpeters7072]

They could simply superimpose the info over the art like tainted grail . Those cards have tons of info but it’s superimposed over full card art with no loss to either

[@DieNische]

Great to see that you love this game. Valley of the Dead King offers a TON of characters, though. And it is possible to combine both games that the Dead King and Adrimon are in the game at the same time.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Die Nische I’m sure once V3 comes out I’ll have plenty of characters. :) really looking forward to that. Sounds like it has a lot of interesting ideas.

[@DieNische]

@@TheDungeonDive Indeed. Nonetheless I think that all six volumes are a bit much for me and my wallet in the end. ;)

[@TheDungeonDive]

Die Nische No way I’ll end owning 6 volumes. I’ll end up keeping the best 2 or 3 of the bunch.

[@SirKazrak]

@@DieNische I'll own all 6, because I hate not having complete sets. On top of that, I just think the developer is one of the folks KS was meant for, and is doing this as a passion project as much as for profit.

[@TheDungeonDive]

SirKazrak I have very limited space. Small house. Tiny game room.

[@patrickk.6641]

Absolutely valid critique of the game in my opinion. It has roughly the same table presence as your typical pen and paper RPG - maybe a tad more - and that is prbly the reason why it feels dated. Sure, to go toe to toe with current boardgames you have to go big and that is why I can get behind everyone who is complaining about the look of the game. I remember an interview about kickstarters in general, sadly I don't remember the author, that pretty much came to the conclusion that you have to have a good looking game at first to sell your idea. Even the best game will not get enough recognition without an interesting look to it. It is a matter of expectations and one of the reasons why so many games (especially on kickstarter) are miniature games nowadays. But for me personally the look of a game does very little besides getting a game to the table. After that the game has to deliver. And HexploreIt - despite all it's weaknesses in regards to being a board game - is doing exactly this. It is pretty much a short pen and paper adventure ranging from a few hours to two evenings instead of weeks to months on end. The lack of art (there is a story journal in every core box that fills in many of those blanks regarding the most fearsome encounters if really needed) is also pretty much a non factor for pen and paper players. At least for those I know. Hand out one player a DM-Screen and all the components regarding enemies as well as treasures and you pretty much have an evening of fun adventuring through the world as long as your gaming group likes to roleplay it as such. For those who are looking for a complete, finite, tightly balanced game HexploreIt will be a tough pill to swallow but for everyone else it is a great system that is easily expandable with homebrew content / house rules and that already holds a ton of content in just one box.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Well said! :)

[@johnberry5296]

Really trying to stop myself from getting this one!!

[@johnberry5296]

I was unsuccessful. Magic Madhouse put volume 2 in their sale……..

[@kevinerskine3299]

I'd ignored this for a long time, but just got it. I can't disagree with your negatives, but this is reasonably priced and the lack of art on the cards has to help with the price. I like pretty games and good miniatures but if given the choice, I'll take more options and game play over better art.

[@TheDungeonDive]

I greatly prefer cardboard over plastic (truth be told, I could go the rest of my life without another new mini, and be just fine), but art is super important to me.

[@Hybban]

So you mean that once you've passed the not good looking cover, you actually enjoyed the book? The video of the beer and boardgame guys sold me the game and I've been backing their game since. Could you please post the link to the review you talked about?

[@TheDungeonDive]

There's a lot more to it than that. Many of my favorite books and albums of all time I've discovered because of their covers; the cover is the first thing that someone sees. I value presentation a great deal, because to me it shows a dedication from the creator. The over all UI design of this game does nothing to inspire me, which is what I mention many, many multiple times.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Link to review in description.

[@cosmicdeb7576]

Hi, new to this channel (DUN Kickstarter led me here), but I can see we seem to have shared interests. Watched this last night since it's one of my favourite series, and wanted to point out there is a story book with loads of nice art in it and background information about the world, then I saw you recognise this in the pinned comment! These games are what you make them to be honest - the honour points or achievements suggest some objectives for sessions but there are many possibilities. Im a solo gamer and these are high on my list of recommendations for solo gaming, if this type of gaming is your thing. I'm excited to see the series develop further - as noted below the first game provides many more character classes than later games do, so if it grows on you you might want to look into that one too.

[@TheDungeonDive]

I’m really looking forward to the new one shipping soon. Sounds like it adds some cool ideas, and I love their whole idea of the living card system.

[@alexandre4115]

Always interesting to watch you discuss about games which i hear about it ! :) I'm very curious to see your review/shares about Dark Venture which has been arrived yet ;) Got my copy recently, 1 game for me from now, i got really intrigued by the narrative experience. I thought that quests would be less important than that : a little disapointment for that part.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Alex Thanks! I’ll be doing a video on DV soon. One thing I’ve been doing is playing solo with some house rules. I posted them over at BGG.

[@MichaelsCatEmporium]

Awesome discussion! I enjoyed hearing your thoughts on the game. I'm curious, in terms of tone, how "dark fantasy" does the game feel for you?

[@TheDungeonDive]

It’s not dark fantasy at all.

[@MichaelsCatEmporium]

@@TheDungeonDive Ah, bummer! It looks like their volume 4 in the series might take that direction though. Thanks for the response!

[@coppershark1973]

Quarriors does the same with the naming conventions, it is really annoying.

[@Infyra]

I knew you would like this one :)

[@TheDungeonDive]

If only it looked as good as it plays!

[@hlorridirudel9627]

I like the look of the game :)

[@crushingit5128]

I agree with all your reasons on why you were hesitant with getting this game. I feel the same way too. But i didn't really pick up on the reasoning why you liked this game. It's like you started to list very specific reasons why you stayed away from the game. But then you segue into a general description of the game. Don't know what's so good about the game or why you liked it. (Could be just me though)

[@TheDungeonDive]

I think I cover that. It conveys a strong sense of adventure, it’s generally well written, and has a lot of variety in its quests. I’ll try to address more of the positives in a future video!

[@erikpeters7072]

Kind of like fallen land. Yeah the board is ugly as hell and art may be divisive but the game shines in its well written quests and encounters and the huge number of characters and items etc

[@TheDungeonDive]

Yeah, and some of the art in FL is truly terrible....like really bad! But for some reason, I found the bad art/look in that game to be more charming. Something about it appeals to me more.

[@josh1674]

I am still intimidated by my six boxes of this. I loved the hex crawl idea but 1) it seemed very fiddly 2) very long and 3) has a "doom timer" and I THINK I don't like these (Runebound and so many FFG games... I want time to "explore"! Maybe I need to house rule the doom timer in this game?

[@TheDungeonDive]

The timer here is well done, because it keeps the players moving and pushing towards the end game goal.Without, a game that is already long would be much longer because the players would just meander about. But you also have tons of time to explore and discover things. It's a very slow game to enjoy at a leisurely pace.

[@crazyvolucris]

Well this may be a fantastic game… but i am a very visual gamer and i need Art… and Miniatures… so i stick to shadows of brimstone with hexcrawl 😄

[@TheDungeonDive]

Very different styles of games. Both great.

[@crazyvolucris]

Yea, I guess so and I am very thankful for your vid‘s. That I can judge the right one 4 me. All the best.

[@ReprezentSacramento]

Thank you for this, i love this game. I have to disagree, with you on the name, i think it fits the game well. All games do not need to be named weird fantasy names. I agree on the art, at least have some art on the background of the card, that would have been nice. other than that, most board games you have to use your imagination, and it is easier when the game puts you in that mindset.

[@listrahtes]

You talk about why spend time with something were you have to shut your brain down and I completely agree. On the other side with this game: Why should I spend my time with such an ugly awful looking game especially as its a story telling game? board gaming is also about visual savor and its more than just optics as it evokes the theme and narration of a game . With hexplore it the whole design is enabling a disconnect from theme and narration. A mediocre game at best in my book. I get people buying it for gameplay mechanism but there are just more complete games that combine design and gameplay and story much better.

[@TheDungeonDive]

listrahtes I totally hear you.

[@listrahtes]

@@TheDungeonDive and I only meant mediocre regarding the whole package. Think it has some great ideas and a unique approach so I am always happy if people like you support such creative board game developlemt. have fun with it

[@TheDungeonDive]

Of course! I fully understand. All things being equal, I will always gravitate towards games that have great graphic design and art that I love. For sure. But for me I need to sometimes step outside my boundaries to try things. Helps to keep my thumb on the pulse of these games, if mainly for the purpose of this channel.

[@hlorridirudel9627]

I like the look of the game.

[@jacksbacklog]

HexploreIt is the only game in my current collection that has made me feel like an idiot for buying it. I bought the original game, Valley of the Dead King, at retail. Forests of Adrimon launched on Kickstarter less than a year after the original was released, but it did so with an option to buy an upgraded "1.5" edition of VotDK that re-balanced the entire game and upgraded the map tiles with better art. The kicker was that an upgrade pack was offered for people who owned the original 1.0 edition, but ONLY backers of the original kickstarter campaign could access it! Retail buyers were stuck with a lesser, outdated version of a game that was less than a year old, unless we were willing to buy the entire game all over again. It made me feel like I'd paid ~$100 to essentially be a beta tester, and the experience left a very sour taste in my mouth towards these games and the designer. It's a shame because I quite like the design, but now I won't touch any of these games out of principle.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Gearless I’m sorry man. That sounds like a super frustrating and poor way to handle things. I’d probably completely write off the game as well if that happened to me.

[@hlorridirudel9627]

so if i buy a new car, am i entitled to get all the successor models for free? Just because I owned the old model? Oooookayy .....

[@hlorridirudel9627]

@Dr. D Come on.

[@loarnchilcote9895]

Could I plz ask anyone, which Hexplore It games got an updated version, or was it just the one volume? Thank you!

[@Filthyanimal9]

Hard to put too much faith in your “review” when you focus so negatively on it for the first 10 min ... good luck!

[@TheDungeonDive]

Your loss.