Hoplomachus: Victorum - Should You Back It?

[@BoardGameCo]

Update to hero pledge contents plus metal dice! Update #2: Victorum Day 2: Squad Development and a HUGE Hero Pledge Announcement! www.kickstarter.com/projects/chiptheorygames/hoplomachus-victorum/posts/3186809?ref=android_update_share

[@boardgametime3727]

Gosh I just cannot wait for this one. Day one back for me as I’m a Solo player. Love it, Thanks Alex!

[@BoardGameCo]

Enjoy :)

[@AlperAslan1980]

Thanks Alex! Tried very hard for one of the 10 strategist pledges and refreshed the screen EVERY SECOND, starting 5 minutes before the campaign. I clicked as fast as I can and I was still backer #82. Glad they had 300 pledges and allowed us to keep our pledges. They are just the most awesome gaming company in the world.

[@NotBoredGaming]

Great video (as always) Alex. I’ve previewed Victorum and have gone all in on the KS - it really is THAT good. As a solo gamer it really scratches so many itches. I even backed all the remastered product because Of my love of the original Hoplo. Victorum really takes the DNA of Hoplo and brings it into the latest Boardgaming age whilst retaining exactly what made it so popular. The amount of variability in the Heroes, the Primuses (Primii??) and Scions are going to create a unique experience each time you play. Also, each campaign ( over 4 acts) is going to take 4-5 hours so it’s not a huge time commitment. This was a huge gamble for CTG - to create a big box purely solo experience - boy has it ever paid off for them!😊

[@BoardGameCo]

That's awesome :) I'm glad it's a solid continuation of the series.

[@EricWoning]

Dude... now I have to go and find if they do a late pledge....

[@Lordmordisquitox]

@BoardGameCo I'll try to explain the VAT issue in the past there was a loophole used for internet sales as the VAT was set to 0% between countries or as we say in the accountant circles "it stayed at the boarder" Brexit highlighted how much money it was lost this way and they changed regulations for import/exports for online sales. So there are 2 levels of payments to a project the import tarrif from the manufacturer to the distribution centre which is normally absorbed by the companies and the VAT when something is sent which varies between country to country but it is safe to say is around 19% and this is now passed to the user as is no longer set at 0% like before. This means backing projects has become more selective in our region and backers are talking to FLGS to get the retailer pledges and get the games when the KS lands and at a more reasonable rate. The other option is waiting for retail but FOMO is a powerful force.

[@cinnabarsin4288]

I'm not an expert in dead languages but I'm pretty sure it's pronounced "Magento".

[@BoardGameCo]

Oh you horrible person you.

[@oobydoob7352]

Underrated comment.

[@dougrawald6000]

Best comment today. I love inside jokes when I feel like I am on the inside.

[@Thomas-kx9op]

LOL

[@davidvelazquez677]

Speaking of Too Many Bones, would love to see a Right for You, Wrong for You episode with the Quack on that game!

[@SteveOw0]

Looks interesting, but I think I'll wait and pick it up later. Thanks for the helpful video!

[@BoardGameCo]

Anytime :)

[@AthexTube]

"You are waiting on your turn, you should really go already!" My favorite part!

[@BoardGameCo]

Lol thanks :)

[@northlakeghost]

Been excited about this for awhile and couldn't WAIT to get your take. Thank you, Alex! Went in for the Hero pledge.

[@IPutSpidersOnYou]

Anecdotal: casual occasional refreshing as you mention at about 18:00 or so is how I scored my KD:M all-in pledge. We can say that it has worked at least once before.

[@BoardGameCo]

Oh it works...just not for most people.

[@tonybowers9490]

As always. Thanks for sharing. I'll probably back this one. Just not sure at which level.

[@BoardGameCo]

Enjoy it :)

[@GoWtheFlow]

Chip theory games said the remastered version of the dice will be different than the old version. Hoplomachus Lost Cities and Rise of Rome are gonna be in Hoplomachus: Remastered. Origins will be in Victorum. I expected my favorites boardgame KZbinr to know these information🙂 It's okay though. It's quite the commitment of you were to keep up with a companies videos, blogs, chatroom.

[@BoardGameCo]

Lol thank you :) much appreciated

[@CheddahSlammer]

actually they had the strategist pledge at unlimited when the campaign opened. They limited to 300 because 200 something people pledged at that level already.

[@yixiyixi4057]

If they provide the option to make one of the two as an expansion without health chips and other duplicate things, i would happy to get both..

[@BoardGameCo]

Totally hear that.

[@RiHa_Games]

Taxes/VAT still confuses alot of project owners. Sleeve Kings made the mistake of assuming it's not needed anymore and was really generous by absorbing the loss. Some still say it is still included (or subsidized). I think it's mainly what market they think they want to appeal to. US market priority will mean VAT in the PM, EU (or world) market will have an all in price. 19% is alot though :) Thank you though for showing it!

[@tgeorgom]

Right on, all KZbinrs that present, preview, advertise Kickstarter games should mention the VAT and shipping. Especially when there are countries with VAT as high as 25%

[@tgeorgom]

Hoplomachus. Consists of two words of Greek origin. Hoplo Machus

[@cajunatx]

I think I'd like some Hoplo Nachos myself

[@benoittourangeau6248]

Hey Alex, CTG just added an interesting add-on to the Hero pledge without changing the price. Looks like good value to me! :-)

[@BoardGameCo]

Thanks! Pinned a new comment.

[@Thomas-kx9op]

It is important to note that you will need some sort of chip bag to play the game. It is also worth noting that sometimes the Chip Theory MSRP will actually rise later...just look at the Trove Chest. The KS will always be the best deal.

[@BoardGameCo]

Good points on both counts.

[@ryanduhaime399]

I’m pledging Victorum and adding the amount for Remastered because I know if I get the premium health chips in the Hero pledge I’ll end up getting premium health chips for TMB and Cloudspire

[@BoardGameCo]

Yep....that's fair.

[@smoothrivera1928]

Alex, great summary video! Do you know if there is much difference in the solo play between these games? I like the idea of solo play as that will be something I would use more often, but having flexibility to play with others at times seems like it would be useful. My concern would be sacrificing a superior solo game by going with Remastered instead of Victorum. Any thoughts? Also, will the stretch goals be added to either version of the game I back? Thanks!

[@BoardGameCo]

If going solo alone I'd go for Victorum but that's because they haven't release a lot of info about the remastered yet

[@rosalind1635]

It's 95 bucks for victorum and 125 for victorum and the remaster. You could probably go for both. Keep in mind shipping will be a few dollars more if you get both.

HoplomaKus 👌 - Victorum for solo gamer !!!! 👍

[@BoardGameCo]

Yep :)

[@robertreecegmail6968]

In their live stream they mentioned that the Origins expansion is not counted in the remaster since they are saying Victorum is the spiritual successor to it and Origins did so well that they decided to make a larger more flushed out solo campaign

[@user-bp1jn3xz9e]

I have not played this series but it looks like a fun Gladiator game that I can’t pass up and with the compatibility with both games I had to go Hero pledge.

[@BoardGameCo]

Enjoy it :)

[@cajunatx]

The older "low end" chips had little pieces of plastic sticking out that could damage your neoprene arenas, premium chips are worth that , but I hope they fixed the "cheaper" ones.

[@BoardGameCo]

Oh interesting, didn't even know that thank you.

[@rawkyle9385]

Do you think they will be the same size as the premium chips from TMB? I purchased those during the Burncycle campaign and don’t want to buy more if they are the same besides the picture.

[@cajunatx]

I think all the chips are like standard poker size. But not positive. They might have specs on the ctg site

[@KSpllr]

@@rawkyle9385 The more important thing to consider is the fact that for Hoplo the premium chips come in 2 different colors to differentiate your gladiators from the enemy gladiators!

[@GoWtheFlow]

Another correction for this video! Strategist pledge owner gets a free copy of the featured product of future kickstarters.The featured box can be a base game or expansion, etc. However, Add-ons and shipping are not free.

[@BoardGameCo]

Yep, I thought I said that? Base game only.

[@Copterman]

Thinking I’ll wait on this one. But will buy one day for sure

[@NeilY1000]

H dice have been upgraded :)

[@BoardGameCo]

I saw! Excited :)

[@ThePetz88]

I think of skipping it cause of VAT. I hope to get it next year on a convention

[@BoardGameCo]

Totally makes sense, chip three games deals aren't good enough, that often 20% can make it not worth it.

[@PeteQuad]

I'm curious how you can avoid VAT. Do they not charge tax at conventions in Europe?

[@alicemoore2036]

Backed at Basic level; the base game. Already have Origins and Rise of Rome. Favorite is the Net Gladiator with the Trident.

[@alessandroloru7786]

Hi Alex, here i am again!!I've always been on the fence for hoplomacus and i woukd get the remastered base because i don't play solo but here are my concerns: Is it awsome as pvp game or is it just a good pvo and a great solo? Will be worth playing this instead of super fantasy brawl for 1on1? Is it playable in 3? How much luck is involved? Is it mitigated somehow?? I really am struggling!! Please help me! I want it but i live in europe so it's a 150 Euros and i don't know if i will play it a lot. Thank you for your time, any clarification you can give me would be very appreciated since we share the same tastes.

[@olsonjonathan]

I’m in!

[@BoardGameCo]

:)

[@cajunatx]

Hoplomachus Origins it seems is quite close to Victorum, and not large arena battles. I think that's why you don't see Origins pieces in Remastered.

[@BoardGameCo]

Yep, I believe they posted that themselves based on an update I saw.

[@DaletheCasualGamer]

I can't get this game just because I'd never pronounce it correctly. Hope you enjoy your copy of Hoe-Ploe-Maw-Kus: Vik-Toe-Rum.

[@BoardGameCo]

Lol thanks

[@cajunatx]

Just say "Hop-low" and don't worry about it:D

[@ChazTyldsley]

Really interested in this as a solo player but the savings on the game are miniscule. When you throw in UK tax + shipping I'm 90% sure you'll find it cheaper at retail.

[@elan-6418]

There is no retail. they do direct sales only.

[@wiktormonfilsgustafsson56]

Nice reasoning as always! Cancelled my pledge before watching this, cant imagine playing this ower TMB and dont want to make my decisions based on fear.

[@BoardGameCo]

Not to pull you in, but if it matters, they did just add to the hero pledge which does slightly improve the value. I can still argue for passing, I just don't want you to do so based on my incomplete information.

[@wiktormonfilsgustafsson56]

@@BoardGameCo no worries, I dont externalise 😉

[@patriziopastore9895]

The correct way to say is Diplodocus... Mmm... maybe no... anyway still on the fence to go all in or just victorious.

[@kathleenstanford8431]

I love the company, I want to support a solo only game.....I just don't like fighting games..... hopefully this will be successful enough that they make another solo game with a more appealing theme/game mechanic in future and I can get involved then.

[@BoardGameCo]

Wouldn't burn cycle fit your goal?

[@kathleenstanford8431]

@@BoardGameCo yep...backed that, can't wait 👍

[@wingmansion]

So, I love TMB, am really looking forward to Burncycle, didn’t warm up to Cloudspire, yet, and just backed the Strategist level for fun. I did not assume to be among the 10 people. I am not that interested in Victorum, but might like the remastered version of Hoplomachus. So, I am still debating whether the Strategist level is right for me. The CTG guys all seem to be in their 40s. So, if they keep on developing one game for 100$ a year for the next 15 years, I would still „profit“ from this deal, right?

[@rogerklee459]

Got the strategist pledge :)

[@rogerklee459]

I was waiting to buy hoplo for awhile and I am glad I waited. Seems like better price than the old stuff while also being upgraded

[@GoWtheFlow]

Congrats comrade. I'm part of the army of 300 strategists too.

[@rawkyle9385]

Are the premium chips the same size as the premium chips for Too Many Bones?

[@rogerklee459]

@@rawkyle9385 Good question. I do not plan to buy the premium chips in this kickstarter as I have them for TMB and Cloudspire. I will reuse those unless there is a good reason to buy more. I will say if you do not have any premium chips I would suggest to get them as I can't imagine playing a CTG without them.

[@rawkyle9385]

@@rogerklee459 Yes that's the same reason as me. I purchased the premium chips during the burn cycle campaign and would prefer to just reuse those. But, I noticed on this campaign the premium chips are both red and blue colored... so not sure?

[@gameline146]

This game is awesome. I have issues with how they did strategist pledges. They should have kept 10 as they always have had. For everyone who bashes this idea I would just say that its easy to disregard this issue if you a) have one already b) received one during the campaign or c) did not care to begin with. Those of us who have been chasing this for years intentionally who are seeing people post who picked that level and did not even know what they were pledging for till after the fact is frustrating. Will I buy this all in - yes. Does CTG make good games - yes. Is CTG the shining example of treating fans the way I used to say they were - not anymore.

[@BoardGameCo]

Just to be clear, I'm a little lost... Are you saying they would have been treating their fans better by not honoring the strategist pledges? I don't really see how that helps anyone.

[@gameline146]

@@BoardGameCo I am just saying that they intended to have 10 and should keep it that way. They screwed up but that was their intent to have 10. For those of us who intentionally tried to get that and see people who did not even know what that pledge meant it leaves a sour taste in our mouths. Again, if its not a big deal to you, you probably don't care or see why the rest of us are upset, and that's fine. We can always agree to disagree on whether it was right or not. I am just stating a side of the argument that I think gets lost in the conversation because of how CTG has been in the past. For me, their product is great but their non-product status just devalued majorly. That's just me. To each his own.

[@successfulgeek]

Love CTG but I need to hold off. Theme doesn't really pull me in. I'm about to attract a ton of hate but I thought the movie Gladiator was boring...

[@BoardGameCo]

It's ok, this is a safe space. I've said bad things about Star Wars, Rina doesn't like Friends...we all have unpopular opinions.

[@successfulgeek]

@@BoardGameCo I don't like Friends either. I do love Star Wars, including the new stuff. But I also like Star Trek. You won't find me gatekeeping any fandom.

[@justmakingthistoreply5085]

I don’t need to back another game but I’d like to get one of these chip style games for my collection

[@jcdc9437]

Triplock 😉

[@alicemoore2036]

I would suggest Hoplomachus Origins. The MSRP is about $60. You can dive in right away with the beginning Solo Campaign. Chip Theory games is weak with rules clarity. This steepens the curve. For me it was worth it to be persistent.

[@justmakingthistoreply5085]

@@alicemoore2036 thanks. I saw triplock and it looked interesting but steampunk has never really grabbed my attention. TMBs doesn’t really do it for me either. I’ll look into origins some more. There’s a chip style game called High Heavens I might buy but I’m on the fence. I’m just on the fence as a whole right now

[@thecuriousboardgamer]

All Chip Theory Games have amazing mouth-feel.

[@BoardGameCo]

Lol yes

[@alicemoore2036]

I think the old set can be adapted to the new.

[@BoardGameCo]

Hmmm, must have missed that. I thought they were incompatible.

[@alicemoore2036]

@@BoardGameCo you are right. 😔

[@sidneyleejohnson]

What if Chiptheory switches from Kickstarter to Gamefound leaving all its Strategist in the dust. I suspect since they are so awesome they would port the promise over...just saying...

[@janvanosselaer7075]

Do you think the strategist pledge is worth it? It's basically a 400$ gamble with pretty good odds of getting value, but a gamble nonetheless, or do I see it wrong?

[@BoardGameCo]

I would do it....over 3 years or so it will pay for itself. That's a bet I would make

[@kevintortissier3916]

I still have a hard time understanding the difference between Victorum and Remastered when it comes to solo... I mean, if Remastered does it that well, why would I need Victorum. Their communication on that point isn't really clear as of now... either way, I'm going to get one of them, if not both in a group pledge and sell what I don't need... but still...

[@joshmcilroy603]

Do you know if I could pick up Too Many Bones through this? Or would it be better to just get it through there website?

[@GameBrigade]

You can get too many bones through the PM and bundle the shipping in with the $10 shipping here. You'll just have to wait till this ships.

[@joshmcilroy603]

@@GameBrigade Sweet - I've been tempted by Chip Theory so many times but have never got one! Do you think Too Many Bones is the best place to start?

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

@@joshmcilroy603 Too Many Bones: Undertow is my recommendation. It's the cheapest entry point and should give a good idea if you'd like the TMB system. Cloudspire and the rest are pretty different from TMB.

[@GameBrigade]

@@joshmcilroy603 I went all in on TMB with the Trove Chest and love it. I definitely would try that before going into Cloudspire.

[@PeteQuad]

My hesitation on this game is from my experience with Too Many Bones. I think it's a fun have but there are too many times where I have to Google rules questions. It didn't end after one or two plays. I felt like unless I dedicated all my time to it I would always be looking up rules questions, and I don't enjoy that so for the time being I have given up. If I knew the rules on this game were tighter I would back it. Does anyone know?

[@jeremiahperry4607]

The mechanics for Hoplo are much less complex than Bones or Cloudspire. There are still a number of talents, but all the talents fit on one sheet and most of them are used by multiple gladiators so you learn them pretty quickly. Its really quick to grasp and enjoy. I did not like Bones because of the complexity. I enjoy Cloudspire, but it is really pushing the limits. Hoplo is the perfect mix of simplicity and tactical decision making for me.

[@PeteQuad]

@@jeremiahperry4607 thanks! Very helpful

[@alicemoore2036]

Why make the Bard the Baddie? 😢

[@BoardGameCo]

I know right!

[@MrScrawnjuan]

It's actually pronounced Hoplomachus :P

[@BoardGameCo]

Thanks :)

[@calebf.6806]

But you should go faster cause you're waiting for your turn and it's frustrating 🤣 lol

[@dromadrosis]

Don't worry about pronunciation... You speak so fast that nobody can hear if you said it correctly :-)

[@82ndmi]

I wouldn't back a company that had to give away 350 copies of every game they ever make forever. But that's not this campaign, this campaign is the one after they tied the fiscal boat anchor on and are flush with cash immediately after. Hoplo victorum takes a couple maps from hoplo origins, moves it from a puzzley arena scenario game to a more campaign style of play and gives it all a fresh coat of paint. Hoplo origins is one of my favorite solo games, so this is a pretty much instant back. I'll just not be purchasing product again from them after this as they try to price in 350 copies on games that traditionally sell 4000 copies up front, and I know consumer who have these type of up front subscription services will end up selling off their product below market because they value and price the product differently in their heads.

[@BoardGameCo]

I mean that's your choice...but not sure how it really impacts your buying decision. CTG has been pretty consistent in their approach to market and I believe what they're doing is sustainable.

[@rogerklee459]

Suspect math

[@82ndmi]

@@BoardGameCo easily, increased risk, decreased product quality by necessity, and reduced aftermarket prices. again, this campaign isn't affected.

[@BoardGameCo]

Sure, but it would take 5-10 years before they were losing money on it, and that's ignoring the gain they got from buzz, goodwill, people going in on add ons they wouldn't, and the time value of money.

[@CheddahSlammer]

I answered you on the other channel, but I want to point out their selling Neoprene Matts for all their games for 40 or more a pop, and people are buying them like hot cakes, and those are just the mats. I don't think their going to have a problem with those 350 free copies.