Is Roll for the Galaxy Fun?

Roll for the Galaxy streamlines some of the mechanics from its predecessor Race for the Galaxy, and adds more randomness to the game. So is it fun?
Man cannot live on frozen taquitos alone (though i do try). Head to Patreon to help me out:
/ nightsaroundatable
Buy your own copy of Roll for the Galaxy using the link below, and we'll receive a small commission:
amzn.to/2Yyfv8s
Check out Roll for the Galaxy on Board Game Geek:
boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1...
.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.
Email Ryan: nightsaroundatable [at] gmail (dot) com
Chat with Ryan and friends on Discord: / discord
Follow us on Twitter: / roundatable
Like us on Facebook: / nightsaroundatable
Visit our Website: nightsaroundatable.com
Roll dance: • Charlie Chaplin - The ...

[@josh1674]

Oh my god why am I instantly in love with this channel? ???

[@NightsAroundaTable]

IT'S MY DREAMY EYES!

[@MorganHowell-ut6qf]

Because Ryan is awesome?

[@paulspo]

Oh... I ended up buying the Folded Space insert. I really like it.

[@NightsAroundaTable]

Fantastic! i’m working on a video that weighs the benefits of different types of inserts.

[@1Galaron]

I think it may be helpful to distinguish between kinds of randomness. Some randomness is just a subset randomness, like getting 5 cards into your hand out a known set of 52, while other randomness is zero-sum, meaning you either get heads or tails. Many people simply hate zero-sum randomness because you may have made all the right strategic decisions only to have the dice destroy your chances of winning through no fault of your own. Think of Stone Age when rolling dice for your workers productivity, or the reinforcements sent by the King at the end of the year in Kingsburgh. What sets Race and Roll apart as great games (7 Wonders has this as well) is that the randomness does not lead to zero-sum, but just to a different set of potentially interesting outcomes. Every tile you pull is useful, but it's up to you to get the most value out of it. Oh, and while I'm prattling on, another "fun" thing about Race and Roll is that it demands your willingness to switch strategies when going from early to mid game. It's almost impossible to sit down at a game of Race and say "i'm going to go military/rush this game." Your homeworld dictates early play, but you are almost always forced to switch your horse in mid-stream in those games because you draw a couple of tiles that dovetail nicely. Knowing when to abandon plan A for plan B is one of the wonderful tensions of those games.

[@NightsAroundaTable]

It’s a fair point, but it’s still possible for someone to build, say, the development that gives a discount on brown worlds, and then next turn, to scout and randomly pull two brown worlds from the SPACE BAG! i adore Everdell, and get tired of hearing about how that game is all luck, too. But it’s as you say: different kinds of opportunity. Killer Bunnies this ain’t.

[@GoreStarry]

Love your review style！really helping！

[@NightsAroundaTable]

Thanks!

[@hanseathl]

I always enjoy your take on games. There is a particular humor that resonates a lot. Keep up the good work. You just earned yourself another subscriber 👍

[@MickRissling]

And he's Canadian!

[@paulspo]

I was initially put off by this game. The person who taught it (at a game convention) basically said, "Well, what do you want to do with the dice?"... I was, like, I dunno!? So I BOUGHT the game because I felt like there must be something there. Ended up really enjoying it. However, I don't really like the multi-player solitaire part of the game preferring to watch each other as we play out our dice (at least in the first 3 or 5 games!). I play it a lot on Board Game Arena because I like how it tracks all the various "world powers" and helps you keep track of them. It also mitigates unintentional "cheating". Like you said, many paths to victory (which I like to attempt a different one each time I play) and it doesn't overstay its welcome. Great review and still holds up three years later!

[@NightsAroundaTable]

Yeah.. it’s like Hadrian’s Wall in that regard. It slows the game down if everyone takes turns, but it also prevents cheating, deliberate or otherwise. Glad you like the game! It remains one of my absolute favourites.

[@matthewrichardson1805]

Great video - very charismatic and entertaining presentation. Thank you!

[@NightsAroundaTable]

Thanks, Matthew! More to come!

[@the_luggage]

Thank you, Sir! Found the video very entertaining :)

[@jessewieman6955]

This series is fantastic

[@Davidesonar449]

I think you've really found a niche in these videos. Really informative about what you would or wouldn't like, keep it up!

[@MorganHowell-ut6qf]

This one is actually very cool and funny. Gives me some ideas of what to do in the future when it comes to who or when we should play this.

[@homosapsap]

I totally agree with the insert! Or lack thereof.. But I do like the artwork and components though. Cheers

[@jasong1610]

I like these videos. They feel different from other channels.

[@NightsAroundaTable]

Thanks! i’d like to make more, but i feel i painted myself into a corner by requiring a props joke at the end of each one. Coming up with that joke and the items for it is the bottleneck.

[@EmrysTernal]

COLOSTOMY BAG!

[@testoftetris]

I'm so glad I'm not the only person who's a little bit put-off by the weird meeples in this game. I always thought they looked a bit like astronauts with scoliosis.

[@NightsAroundaTable]

They showed up later in Beta Colony, which made me wonder how many other Rio Grande games they’ve appeared in. Maybe i’ll ask on Reddit?

[@quibily]

I have been playing Roll for the Galaxy on BGA, and I like it a lot more than I liked Race for the Galaxy, and I wasn’t sure why. Your video makes me think it might be because it gets rid of some AP-and I guess I like randomness? I dunno. I just feel like I’m playing the game instead of it playing me-which is how playing Race felt. I’ll have to play Race again, to compare.... Its been a few months since I’ve played. Hmmmm...

[@TheHesterC]

Dare I ask where you got a colostomy bag? 😬

[@NightsAroundaTable]

Oh man... it’s a fun story! i’ll put it in a blog post and link you to it!

[@archetype104]

I just lay the money person thing down and call it a turtle.

[@NightsAroundaTable]

SPACE TURTLE!!

[@ramieres85]

found it for 30€ which felt like steal, so i have another entry on my shelf of shame

[@NightsAroundaTable]

Get it played! You'll have a good time.

[@MystiqWisdom]

Very anime hair, dude

[@NightsAroundaTable]

This isn’t even my final form.

[@jacobhawk9311]

Poor insert design? Send them to Siberia!

[@NightsAroundaTable]

Right! Prison is too swanky!