Khora: Rise of an Empire Final Thoughts

[@deepdivemusicreactions]

Improvement suggestion: 6:20 (Suggested start hand) 8:40 (Burning cards/population)

[@CG_Hali]

About drafts: I liked TM Ares Expedition because they did just what you suggested here. They selected cards to start with. Now I never use them anymore and I'm happy to draft myself according to the Company sponsor card I have, but learning the game with those pre-chosen cards (and enough so that they weren't the same each game) was brilliant!

[@IvanGrimm1]

I pre-ordered this a few months ago. Watching this makes me glad that I did. I just have to keep waiting for it to release.

[@JohnQSpartan]

I have some reservations about limited turns and actions in the game, as well as the lack of any real interesting interaction between the players. But thanks for bringing this game to my attention so I can look further into it.

[@simongoodwin5989]

This looks just like our type of game! For me the reservation on buying it would be how a string of lucky/unlucky dice rolls could really colour a player's experience of the game. In Castles of Burgundy all dice values have equal merit, a 6 is not inherently better than a 1, so the dice mitigation function is just to let you nudge values to something that better suits your strategy. But in Khora a roll of 6 is about six times more powerful than a roll of 1. In a game of only 9 rounds I can imagine getting a bit miffed after a series of rolls of 1s and 2s while an opponent revels in a series of 5s and 6s :) So I think I'd house rule this so that each round one player rolls 2 dice and all players set their dice to the matching values. Anyone with a third die gets to roll it independently. At least that way good/bad dice rolls would affect all players more or less the same.

[@rahdo]

sure, all dice in burgundy have equal potential for value, but their relative value to a player's position is constantly shifting. a 6 can be completely useless to you in one round, and the thing you need more than anything else in the next round. so you do still have the potential for unlucky dice rolls, and they mitigate that with the workers chips, who are worth VP if nothing else (i.e. you'll always get something at least). khora has something similar with the "you can always get population if nothing else" which helps somewhat, though like i said in the video it would be nice if population has a little bit broader utility) :)

[@simongoodwin5989]

@@rahdo Yup I'm with you on that. A great thing about your runthroughs is that sometimes the designers are able to act on your feedback, which means we get to buy an improved game :) As an aside, I've often chatted with my other half wondering how on earth you manage to learn the rules so well for each game you video, given the huge number of new games that you review each month! We really appreciate the unseen effort you put into your presentations :)

[@wishmeheaven]

I LOoooVE the honesty!! so much..

[@harleygrattan2851]

Great comments about a gateway civilisation game and the draft mechanism issue.

[@humanaffectation9021]

This one reminds me a lot of Hadrian's Wall for some reason. I love that the only real player interaction is in claiming tokens and objectives.

[@elizabethdoney6025]

We just got this one and love it! It was be nice to have a little more flexibility in converting citizens or scrolls!

[@RuNacken]

Rahdo, you're the best!

[@laurasmith2758]

I love pre-game drafts. Similar to Res Arcana or even to how Cita-Statto feels special due to the extra time scoring, pre-game drafts feel like a mini game in themselves. I agree with your point about teaching for the first time but steering away from pre-game drafts for ever I think would be a shame. Also, even if you don't know a game I have always thought it has been over-egged that you don't know what the cards may mean. I reckon a new player can still read the cards and get a feel for what may synergise. Even if just the symbols or resources match up...

[@rahdo]

i imagine they're much more engaging with 3 or more players. at 2p, they always feel like drudgery to me, since we keep handing the same cards back and forth. much prefer a "draw 5 cards, discard 2 to get your starting hand of 3" style approach :)

[@Chivvy695]

100% agree about the initial draft comments. But it looks like a good game

[@AufdenTisch]

Thanks for the vid! Got it on my list for Essen SPIEL now :)

[@n1kolakis28]

I love this game!

[@KingDookums]

Does the game feel well balanced given the military advantage over most event cards?

[@rahdo]

id' say yes. military helps with events, but not so much with money to drive politics cards. economy can leave you with enough cash to get any card you want played. and culture gives you an extra die, so you're doing 25% more every round. they're all super valuable, but you can't max them all out

[@do_hickey]

Interestingly, while I've never played it myself, I hear from almost everyone that is into Terraforming Mars that they will ONLY play with drafting at the beginning, and you're advocating against it in any game.

[@rahdo]

sure, that's because the alternative they offer in TM is worse. but that doesn't mean it couldn't be better :)

[@do_hickey]

@@rahdo lol, don't let the TfM diehards hear you say that!

[@humanaffectation9021]

Drafting is always difficult for a new player in the first game. I love drafting, and thankfully those I usually play with are ok understanding they might lose the first game or two just because they don't know enough to draft optimally. I do agree that each nation should have a few starter cards. That is a missed opportunity. But I think it's easy to work around in this game.

[@TheLuminousCleric]

@@humanaffectation9021 Drafting also favors the more experienced player.

[@dsquaredgames9286]

It's been a while since I've seen a game I am this super excited about only a few minutes into your runthrough! This looks great! Something you didn't mention in your final thoughts was AP. Are the dice manipulations and card combos light enough to not cause too much AP for a newer gamer? I also agree about your point about multi-use cards. Multi-use cards are always better =)

[@rahdo]

i would definitely not think this is very AP prone. the dice are fantastic as a choice limiter, and the cards give you a clear direct to chase.

[@borissrebotnjak7865]

Hi :) so, what is better choice: Khora or Rise?

[@rahdo]

oh rise for sure. khora would need an expansion to compete i'd say

[@borissrebotnjak7865]

@@rahdo tnx 🙂