Hostage Negotiator | Rahdo's Final Thoughts

Help Rahdo Run: / rahdo ❤️ Code of conduct: conduct.rahdo.com 🙂 And now...
A video outlining gameplay for the boardgame Hostage Negotiator.
For more game info, boardgamegeek....
Part I: Gameplay Runthrough
• Hostage Negotiator Gam...
Part II: Extended Gameplay
• Hostage Negotiator Ext...
Part III: Final Thoughts
• Hostage Negotiator | R...
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[@Anarchosyn]

Rahdo, I missed it in 2002 as well, but there is a Denzel Washington movie called John Q. that is almost precisely the third abductor you discussed (the guy who just wants insurance for his son). Denzel plays a working class common guy who takes hostages at a hospital to get treatment for his son. No real reason to share that, but it may have been an inspiration.

[@rahdo]

yup that's exactly the one :)

[@andrewwilson895]

You should run through more solo games! :) I enjoyed the Friday runthrough a while back. This one looks a bit too serious for my taste.

[@checkrazor76]

The card is from the movie John Q with Denzel Washington.

[@UncleMilo]

checkrazor76 Thanks! I was about to write that myself! :)

[@rahdo]

UncleMilo yup, i totally forgot about that film (well, i guess i dimly remembered it, since i mentioned denzel washington in the intro) :)

[@stevefett1]

checkrazor76 I've seen it done on television shows over the years more than a few times.

[@jackskellingtonsora]

I like playing against Edward because it really feels like you're working with him and actually trying to help him as opposed to pretending like you're trying to help but actually have a sniper waiting on the rooftop. You have to build up to a huge conversation turn for the big demand for his son's medical bills. It's pretty great. It's a very different style of play to the other two abductors. You're not even necessarily trying to release the hostages, you're working towards that big payoff because it lets you just immediately win. And, I think, it highlights how incredibly fucked up the US's medical system is that we have to pay for medical care at all. Not necessarily something a board game needs to do, but it's good that it does it. It is odd, though, for sure, that it has the tonal inconsistency by bringing up a seriously fucked up thing about America and then tries to play it goofy with Donna.

[@BobLee-df4zh]

Boardgame designers aren't exactly known for subtlety. Of course the handling of something as serious as school shootings has to have the "lol" edgelord slant.

[@shawnblack9840]

Definitely gotta get this one

[@SuperDesignermatt]

I’ve just got this game over Xmas, and I’m really enjoying it. But I’m still trying to work out some of the finicky little rules around the dice, and how to use the 0 cards and how many I pick back up. I’ve already bought the #1 abductor pack and the demand pack to expand it a little down the line.

[@BobLee-df4zh]

Dice randomness makes perfect sense in a game like this. I'd say it's almost more of an "activity" than a game. Realistically, what type of "meaningful decisions" can you make with a deranged gunman? Nothing would ever be 100%, the theme in its very nature is a random gamble.

[@jboggs2814]

"I don't play solo games" whole channel is him playing solo.

[@rahdo]

John Boggs point john boggs!

[@michaelhastriter3299]

+rahdo It looks difficult playing all those solo games against yourself. I would get bored.

[@KabukiKid]

By the way, aside from the two Abductor packs you have in this video and the Negotiator cards that you mentioned as another expansion, there are two more Abductor packs planned to come out down the road.

[@rahdo]

KabukiKid no idea, but i'd be shocked if they weren't planning more content

[@KabukiKid]

***** Definitely. The Kickstarter talked about the first four Abductor Packs, so two more are definitely in the works... maybe more past that. :-)

[@stevefett1]

KabukiKid As you guys are aware of by now their first actual expansion, Crime Wave, was on Kickstarter a few months ago. I believe that we unlocked meeples of the different hostage takers as stretch goals too! Very excited!

[@oldmetro]

What I found that I liked was that wide variety of opponents; that's what you find in the real world of negotiations, or at least in my 30 years on the job.

[@TorIverWilhelmsen]

Hm, maybe the various hostage movies could be expansion modules themselves... Dog Day Afternoon, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, ...

[@mattbowden1981]

Thumbs up for Falling Down reference

[@brqbui]

Aw man, these thoughts vs Zee's thoughts :(

[@mohnkern]

Thanks for the interesting review!

[@Michael.Virtus]

1:11 - There is a movie particularly about such case (hostage taker with medical demands for his son). It's called "John Q" (2002) starring Denzel Washington: www.imdb.com/title/tt0251160/

[@rahdo]

yup, that's the one i was thinking of! :)

[@comeplaywithmeeples1530]

3:50 cameo appearance from Jenn. 🤣

[@1981dardar]

cant seems to find this available in any retail store... is it release ? or when will it be release ?

[@rahdo]

cindy tang not out yet, but will be released soon as i understand it :)

[@KabukiKid]

cindy tang They just recently shipped out to Kickstarter backers, so I am guessing it will be available to everyone else any time now.

[@1981dardar]

thanks for the response !!

[@tadamsedits]

Just now noticed Jen's feet back there.

[@fonimer]

A near miss is a hit.

[@bavideomaker29]

Do you see this passing Friday as one of the top solo games?

[@rahdo]

Brian Andrews well i'm not a solo game expert, but i suspect this game will get more ongoing support with additional content...

[@casmith46]

"The fun side of hostage negotiation" (2:09) I know it's a game, but... I'll bet someone in law enforcement in RL might find your comment jarring. I know that you didn't mean what you said, but other words might have been a better description of what you meant. I would have gravitated to playing the man with a very sick son. There is real pathos in that, an interesting challenge to save both the hostages and the man who took them hostage.

[@stevefett1]

Charles A. Smith Same here. The dad one is the most interesting. I've seen just as many shows with that theme as I have the others. I can't wait to play.

[@TheFamousECCLES65]

So, no games allowed with any gravitas? Don't play The Grizzled.

[@1981dardar]

my sniper just killed edward...

[@TheRooster1972]

I love the feature of Jen's feet :)

[@mikeforner7797]

kill a human to save a human....hmmmmm

[@xenothonstelnicki597]

Was Donna supposed to be funny? I hate her as much as I love and sympathize with Edward.

[@xenothonstelnicki597]

Xenothon Stelnicki Dude, Richard- I just listened to the part where you said you haven't played Edward. Play it! It's the best experience I've had in the game. I refuse to take him down with weapons (though you could if he killed a hostage). It's a very different and rewarding experience.

[@xenothonstelnicki597]

Xenothon Stelnicki Solid review. I will say that everyone seems to roll the dice more in this game than I do. I am horrible at rolling dice, so from the beginning I tried to find ways to minimize that. Watching this review, I'd say I roll about 60% as often as you did here. I about died when you rolled two successes to start the game. Never in my world! hahaha

[@TheTheshadow32]

Too abstrast, not a very good game mechanic either, no story telling. Solo games need to tell a story or the theme needs to pull you in. Not fun at all but apparently heavely supported by some industry pushers. Sold it after 4 play throughs. Alternatives ? Elder Sign, Death Angel, CoH solo, the Lovecraft games from FFG, the many Victory Point solo games. Dice in this game are not good, since they don't link well to the theme. Also you "win" by letting 40% of hostages killed ??? WTF... An example of dice being used in good games : If you have to attack a city for example and you have a 3 to 1 advantage in attacking units, you can use dice to create probabilty charts, modified by other elements. Here it serves nothing. I rather play solitair, the 100 year old card game than this mess.

[@stevefett1]

The BoBo This game is amazing. I can't believe that there is anyone that doesn't like it. That's crazy.