How it Plays: Tawantinsuyu Board Game Full Gameplay

Full boardgame playthrough and review.
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What are the best boardgames to play with two players? What games should I buy for my family? What boardgames should I back on kickstarter? What are the top boardgames of 2021? We have your answers! Welcome to Ant Lab Games. We deliver full playthroughs and gameplay videos for two players. Our goal is to show you how games play, and how to play, before you make a decision to purchase. Whether you are looking for cooperative boardgames, competitive games, games for families, kids, or the perfect boardgames for couples, we have you covered. Subscribe and hit the bell to make sure you never miss a new baordgame playthrough or kickstarter preview!

[@AntLabGames]

Hi everyone! Did this video help you decide whether or not to add Tawantinsuyu to your collection? If so, please give this comment a thumbs up.

[@OutOfCuriosity]

I gave you a thumbs up, even though I already own this game. This video maybe motivates me to actually play this game. Only time will tell :). Anyway nice to see you back, I will watch this playthrough this evening. And thank you for your time and effort to put this video together.

[@MurrRockstroh]

It's motivated me to take another look at it, because initially I had dismissed it.

[@theshogunstein6475]

will you still use the other channel to discuss books, I enjoyed the geek mavericks book discussions

[@jankogo]

Tawantinsuyu was one of the few games I bought from last year. I like the vibrant colours, the worker placement mechanisms, the thinkiness and the different ways to score. It reminds me of a heavier Five Tribes. For me personally it definitely hits the sweet spot complexity wise.

[@Agent_Pendergast]

First and foremost, glad that you are both back. I have missed your videos. I think you both do an excellent job. Second, Tawantinsuyu was our playgroup’s favorite game from last year. Amazing game. A few plays in and the “fiddliness” fades away. Turczi continues to be on fire as Excavation Earth is currently a top 2021 favorite. Back to back years of making amazing games.

[@cobolatrix]

So happy to see you guys back to board game reviews :D

[@michalcabak654]

Glad to see you back and you've made loads of improvements which looks great. I'll miss your final thoughts though.

[@SeanOnTilt]

This game sounds like a romance novel about lawyers - to want and sue you. Welcome back.

[@LordVader07]

You don't even know how glad I am to see and hear you again. I really missed your movies and your presentations and thoughts about the games. I must admit that David Turczi is my favorite creator and Anachrony is in my top 3. As for Tawantinsuyu, I do not know yet, although the observation of your gameplay strongly encouraged me to buy. I only missed your final thoughts after the game, because I know we have very similar tastes and your opinions are very important to me. I'm glad you are back and thank you for the movie

[@swan7djj]

Just wanted to say I'm so happy that your back. We have missed you so much!!!! Your my favorite gamers!!

[@jimtompkins9946]

Great to see you back! Production values are really good and combined with the previous video an interesting introduction to the game. The game itself is too much for me and, I think, my group, that much mental math late in the evening would suck all the fun out of the room. This game isn't for me, but your channel certainly is. Thank you.

[@Alan-pn8nu]

Great to see you guys back. I wish it was a video for a game I was interested in, but at least you are here and with a new improved format.

[@AntLabGames]

Hopefully one of the next few we already have lined up will be for you!

[@thomasjulchristiansen8591]

So glad to see you back! We are so many that love seeing your videos and appreciate what you do for the hobby! :)

[@ElaDivine]

Welcome back :)

[@JB-ym4up]

Welcome back Your dreams were your ticket out Welcome back To that same old place that you laughed about

[@derabkoemmling]

Glad to have you back

[@Rufiy0]

Loving the new production, can definitely see an improvement and effort you guys put into the video

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

Good to have you all back!

[@bratsche1980]

So glad to see you guys back!

[@saltheart2023]

Beyond Elated to see you posting new content!!!! Just was watching some of your old play throughs yesterday (New Bedford to be exact!) --- Thank You for Everything you Do! God Bless!

[@timothyshiu8742]

Ditto to your sentiment! Pleasantly surprised to see another Donaldson lover--SF is probably my favorite character in the original TC trilogy, rivaled only by Lord Mhoram... :-)

[@KnutTheDragon]

Love to see you back with a game playthrues. You have the best playthrues and i misses you a lot. By the way it is a bit of fotage missing at 20:26. Hope you Will make a lot more videos. Big hugs from Norway

[@wyz1324]

Glad to see you guys are still making gameplay videos!

[@feliperodrigues8273]

Glad you guys are back!!!! Please keep up the good work!

[@MhorGonzales]

Wow! It’s so refreshing to see you guys back in action Please don’t ever leave us again 😊

[@bradleyhayward7122]

You are SO GOOD at playthroughs and it is simply a delight to have you back making videos!

[@franciscorojas8088]

Seeing this video pop up in my notifications brightened my day. I just love this channel, so glad to see you guys back with such great quality video.

[@ZabbaXXL]

New format looks great, good job guys

[@natpool]

I love the new format and think it's so much better to hear the teach as you play. Can't wait to watch more playthroughs like this, so good to have you back. 😃

[@timothyshiu8742]

So glad to have you back! Really enjoyed last week's video in prep to this playthrough as well--whetted the appetite/anticipation beautifully. Great, engaging, informative playthrough as always. And your production quality is through the roof! I love the subtle ways you help direct our attention on the board with your camera work--thank you for your care in this regard in your editing. Interesting experiment engaging our participation in lieu of your own final thoughts. I'm fascinated by the game--it may be slightly too think-y for me; not sure yet. I do miss your own thoughts (you have a perspective from inside the game experience that those of us who have not yet played it do not). Maybe you could put out your final thoughts after a delay of a certain number of days...? In any case, just so happy to have you back!

[@deecuevas7253]

So HAPPY and EXCITED you did a play through!!!! REALLY MISSED your videos!!!! GLAD YOU'RE BACK 😊

[@BillyIndiana]

Glad to see you two back at the table showing us how to play games. I don't think this game is for me, but now I'm able to make an informed choice. Thanks!

[@TheHeirof50]

My favorite "T" game. I like how visual the strategizing is. I think this game will have longevity like a lot of old school euros have.

[@Jahloveya]

First glad to see that you 2 still having fun. For me this is a must Have.I Like puzzly games and figuring out possibilties. So do my friend and beloved ones i play with. For me/us Tawantisuyu is like Anachrony, Trickerion and in some way the Gallerist. Hard to figure out but so satisfiying to Play and find your way through that it doesn't mather who is winning.

[@Muageto]

Cool that you're still doing BG content on this channel

[@IlMeepleConLaCamicia]

Welcome back! Tawantinsuyu has some good ideas! David Turczi is a brilliant designer but I think sometimes needs to be more polished. I'm thinking Anachrony where he worked with Mind Clash and made an excellent job. Here I find just too much for what the game gives you at the end.

[@AntLabGames]

Agreed on all points.

[@sairam71]

Glad u all back. I already have the game but I sometimes use my KZbin feed to pull games off shelf. It’s certainly in the next set I will pull from but would have definitely loved to hear some thoughts. You don’t have to go crazy with rating scales but simple pros and cons maybe a good balance between saying nothing vs becoming a review channel. Maybe the way before you play folks do it. I think lot of us do care for some opinions even if it’s reflecting on the session.

[@AntLabGames]

Agreed and we actually had that exact format they now use for the last 5 years. We are looking for fresh, new ways to bring our opinions and impressions of games to all of you. In our opinion, there is a lot out of content out there that’s gotten “same-y” and we feel it’s the right time to raise bar. We’ve never set out to emulate any other channels in this space. Thanks for your support and feedback!

[@sairam71]

@@AntLabGames got it. Makes sense. Love you guys trying to get creative and push the hobby. Keep it up.

[@dizpatcher01]

Well I'll be!!! It sure is nice to see you again. Welcome back; for good I hope.

[@TrueRampancy]

Yes! Glad to see you both doing board games again! Keep it up and ignore the noise!

[@michaelgoshorn476]

Welcome back! I love this game. It’s in my top 20 of all time. Need to find more people to play it with! When I try to push it at meetups my fellow gamer’s eyes glaze over. But it really isn’t that complicated. Nice job! Other than the few mistakes noted, very well done! Please do more games!

[@donandjillbarrett7244]

Yes! Thanks for providing more proof that you just can't keep a good thing down. Welcome back! As for Tawantinsuyu, this video makes me want to try it. I don't find it too fiddly for my liking, but it seems similar to Lost Ruins of Arnak, which I own and love! I might try to find a game of Tawantinsuyu or a demo at Gen Con in September and see what I think after experiencing it.

[@Luke_L]

Great to see you both back at the table! Look forward to more AntLab videos! Thank you! :D

[@simonbrandon7289]

Glad that you are back. This is a great game and one of my favourites. Thank you.

[@wolfstritt598]

Hallo Francis hello Anthony I am looking forward to watching your review of Tawantinsuyu. This afternoon I will be off and have enough time to closely watch it. I have recently bought but up to now I have never had the opportunity of playing.

[@BadAndy3]

Yay! You're back! Pretty stoked.

[@windyhillbomber]

Dog Might wooden token trays? Very nice. Thanks for the great overview. Welcome back.

[@TheDarktater]

Not sure yet if someone else mentioned it or you corrected it yet, but at 35:00 when you produce on the corn building it stays face up and does not get flipped down. Editing to add that John Wheeler mentioned the rest of the goofs below. Thanks for the playthrough! Editing again to say I don't find it fiddly and think it was one of the best games released last year. It currently sits in my number 11 of all time spot.

[@timothyweddle3723]

Yeah! Glad to see you’re doing this again!

[@omgwtforz]

Now I want the antlab mug the same as boardgameco's now that you're back.

[@AntLabGames]

They are on our website!

[@Thomas-kx9op]

Glad to see you back

[@brycejarrett9211]

I’m so glad you guys are back!

[@theshogunstein6475]

Nice to see you guys back. Love what you guys do.

[@markweaver1275]

Enjoyed your playthrough. Seems a bit too confusing for my crowd. Thanks for sharing!

[@spaztekwarrior]

This game is on my big box purchase list for this summer. Looks great!

[@tazmane3]

Good to see you back, and I'm definitely not vibing with this game...but then, I'm getting older too, so that comes into play...going to be playing nothing but checkers before too long LOLOL

[@jhc18173]

Hello guys, glad to have you back! I always look at your playthroughs before I dive into the games 😉 the new format is awesome btw! I think you should have started in the position 10 of the scoring track, that give you an extra 10 points each at the end of the game 😅 Greetings from Portugal.

[@sympatheia]

It's great to see ALG back!

[@waltermilligan4207]

So happy to see a new video from you guys!

[@mariusferreira1297]

Really awesome play through I bought the game right after your play through Thank you so much 👍

[@jwetsch]

Loved the new video! Great to see a playthrough again. Compared to the other games out there I don't think it is over all too fiddly, but I kinda like that in games so probably not the best one to judge.

[@uyghurboardgames]

Welcome back!

[@davidkok2489]

Welcome back!!

[@tuckleberryfinn5271]

Just curious, have you monetized ALG? I got an ad before the episode. If you have, I fully support that decision because y'all deserve to get compensated for the massive value your channel provides to the hobby.

[@AntLabGames]

Yes, we have monetized the channel now. This was ahead of KZbin placing ads on everyone's videos, so we might as well jump in now.

[@sairam71]

Same. No issues here.

[@shaunfischer7570]

Glad your back!!!

[@fredl91]

Welcomeeee back :)))))))

[@J-Wheeler-G]

At the beginning of the next round (after each festival) discard and replenish buildings.

[@neilm8279]

Awesome new way of doing videos 👍👍👍👍

[@J-Wheeler-G]

When you do the production with the 1 on the board the building stays face up, only when you do the secondary actions it's when they flip down.

[@henribcosta]

At the festivals you also get the stuff rewards for the positions on the temple. So at 29:50, for example, Fraces should get to do the training action as a reward...

[@RedEyedGhost1]

The bit bowls look nice, but way too small in my opinion. I think I'd be fiddling with my resources all the time to keep the count right. During the festival you score each of the four regions separately (page 17). When you take a weaving (from a non-task action) you get the choice between the top 2 (page 12 of the rulebook). You only get 1 point when someone else uses your steps (page 9) - the 2 points indicated on the board is when someone builds step on the lowest level, the owner of the steps on the level above gets 2 points even if they're both yours (page 11) .

[@Feldingor]

Maybe I’m a little late to the party, but I was looking for videos to refresh the rules since it’s been months since my last play. Thanks for the playthrough. I notice yo both started at 0 VP. Shouldn’t you start at 10? 🤔

[@crockett243]

Thank you for everything you do!

[@charlesvalentine9638]

Brought to you by the Potato Growers of America LLC.

[@terryskinner5436]

I think you might have scored the conquest regions incorrectly during the festivals. I believe you score them separately for each of the four regions rather than as a whole. For example, in the first festival, I believe Anthony scored two points (because he controlled two regions) and Francis scored one (because she controlled one region). I don't recall the exact numbers on the other festivals but it looked like you were counting discs in all four regions together to determine majority/ points.

[@AntLabGames]

You are correct. Rulebook wasn't ideal to be honest, but a misinterpretation on our part.

[@terryskinner5436]

@@AntLabGames still a great video - good to see you back

[@Sajatzsiraf]

SOooo... does this mean you are back? Yaaay! Slight niggle, I would have preferred to add a bit more lighting/brightness to the recording. But it may be just me. :)

[@AntLabGames]

Still working out the kinks...all new equipment and such.

[@boardgametrucker9376]

Great overview thanks!!

[@J-Wheeler-G]

First Festival you not only take the points on the temple you also take the resources reward you are on. The four corners you score individually, so Anthony would have gotten 2 and Frances 1.

[@J-Wheeler-G]

If you don't want the top weaving you can get one random from the top of the pile.

[@J-Wheeler-G]

When you use someone else's stairs it's one point. When you build a set of stairs under one that's already there then it's two points for the owner.

[@J-Wheeler-G]

Yellow worker does give you an additional action if he is the first in that section.

[@zaszaza]

Welcome back guys!!!

[@jankogo]

Love this one!

[@J-Wheeler-G]

When you do secondary actions you can take them in any order. Before going to war you could the army card first.

[@AntLabGames]

You are correct. I don’t remember if that came up for us in this play, but you are absolutely right!

[@adamV1P]

Ooof. What a ruleset. I am a big DT fan and it looks like fun if you can learn it but I cant imagine trying to teach this game to a group of people. What happened at 20:26? Any chance well ever get that Black Angel playthrough?

[@AntLabGames]

No idea why the video cuts there. Something must have happened during the edit. Black Angel is still coming. However, our queue is already filling up fast so may be a little while. We have some great games to cover in the coming weeks so stay tuned!

[@J-Wheeler-G]

I love this game. I don't understand how why placing workers has been complicated to some people. Roaming cost is either 0,1 or 3 depending how how far away you go from your high priest and descending cost is either 0,2 or 5 with every set of stairs giving you a discount of two. My wife found this easier to learn than Tekhenu for example.

[@AntLabGames]

It's not overly complicated, just more to keep track of. Some folks don't particularly enjoy that. We are fine with it, but at times you can easily forget to do it.

[@michaelnewsome1248]

That's funny. I also found this game easier to play than Tekhenu. It feels much more sandboxy rather than tight and constricted which was my experience of Tekhenu.

[@J-Wheeler-G]

@@michaelnewsome1248 it is very easy to find something to do (might not be optimal). But even rules wise she found it more intuitive.

[@J-Wheeler-G]

You start in the 10 point space instead of the 0.

[@matthelion]

You guys are the best

[@timstimbre9762]

I said...The Ants are back in town *...Ants are back in town* (plays Thin Lizzy in the background) -- Welcome back lovely people. :-)

[@rgmnetid]

51:11 A lot of sounds. LOL

[@Summerville2008]

Live long and prosper.45:05

[@fmoros]

Tisnicetosiyu again :)

[@AntLabGames]

Lol, nice!

[@axeludewagner]

You made a mistake in the Last Festival you forget to place a 4th worker so you gain 4 points for the majority in each area, that wird be 16 not 3...

[@AntLabGames]

Agreed.

[@qu3tzl]

Glad you are back. Love the improvements on the production value which was already high to begin with. The game looks like a pass to me. I won't say no to play a game if suggested but I'm not running to get it for myself. My gaming shelves have starting to get filled up so I'm a lot more picky than I used to be.

[@dennpars]

I played this online about a year ago. I didn't find the gameplay to be especially engaging and the board online looked bad. Seems like the physical presence isn't much better. It's a little too dull and cube pushy for me.

[@eetuli85]

To be honest, the game looks like a mess. I know it doesn't really mean anything, gameplay might still be tight, but the table presence is not engaging to me.

[@Matt-bd6rv]

Is this more of a brain burner than Tekhenu? Mostly just my wife & I playing these days.

[@mikefullen814]

👍

[@richardscales9560]

Tempted by this one I must say. Put off by lack of current likelihood of playing it enough

[@shinjial]

This game just doesn't do it for me. The main mechanism of paying to place your workers is not interesting at all. Worker placement games are cool when you choose a spot and you get to do something cool, you get to do something others can't at that moment, you seize an opportunity, you timed your actions just right. This requires so much jumping through hoops to just place something on the board - having the food, having the right colored meeple AND card, being in the right spot. And in the end you get some potatoes. And the board just looks bland and uninspired to me. This just doesn't look like a recent game to me.

[@zhivik]

I believe the game is indeed fiddly, though it is not necessary an obstacle. What I find more off-putting is that the iconography of the game doesn't help you much to figure out the cost of your actions, and I think this should have been included on the board. Also, it appears that the rule book is not the best out there, which is something I don't particularly like. In short, the game needs a polish, as its strong concept is undermined by such omissions. In contrast, Tekhenu, by the same designer, is much better in that aspect and you have a much better idea what you can do and what it is going to cost you. Regarding purchasing decisions, your videos have influenced me in the past. I would like to hear your view as well, though, especially since this is an unpaid review. I believe most people here are wise enough to make their own mind, even if it is different from your view. The reason I enjoy another opinion, and yours in particular, is that it gives me a fresh look and helps me consider things I may have omitted. One final thing, and please take it as constructive criticism only. I understand that a long teach adds a lot of time to videos, but for games like this one, I believe it would have been helpful if you had explained all the rules in advance. It's just too much planning required, and when I have no idea what the consequences of your actions are, it makes it very difficult to follow the game flow. Also, you have a short time skip at 20:27, when you did something but it got cut off. I enjoy your channel a lot and every new video is a please, but you do tend to skip rule explanations, which I see as a downside. P.S. And I believe I omitted this, but I don't think I am getting this one, as I'd rather wait for a revised edition that deals with the issues I listed.

[@AntLabGames]

Thanks for the feedback. We will certainly take this into consideration.

[@pincao]

[@josephuvalencia7121]

Ssssss whistle

[@janefields9191]

vot.fyi brilliant

[@ScottPetersonPhoto]

Never give an inch to the woke brigade. No matter how much you try and explain things or apologize, nothing will ever satiate them. So don't back down, ever. You guys do you and keep up the great work!

[@Axel_Vrarimor]

Welcome back!

[@MightyfireflyAndme]

Welcome back!