Nemesis Board Game Review

Join us as we review the Alien rip off board game Nemesis from Awakened Realms.
0:00 Rough Rules
11:12 Pros
13:56 Cons
16:50 Summary

[@manonfire4jc]

I agree with everything you said. 💯 But this is still one of my favorites. Elimination is rough. But it's thematically accurate. Look how fast characters die in the Alien movie franchise. I'd play with you mate and watch from the sidelines enjoying how the story unfolds. This was one of your best videos to date. Cheers!

[@BoardGameBollocks]

I play games to have fun…not to sit and watch. We organise games weeks in advance and people give up precision time to be involved so this type of thing can gtfo if you know what I mean.

[@googlefuckedupyoutube]

This channel is fucking amazing. I don't know where I'd be without it. This guy has the best voice I've ever heard

[@BoardGameBollocks]

You’d probably be watching Tom Vasel

[@docstoddard5930]

His voice reminds me of Jason Statham (sp?)

[@adamg4912]

My biggest criticism is that it's way too expensive for the kind of game it is. I know it would be on my shelf and I'd be lucky to play it once a year. If it was $40 with cardboard standees, then I'd be in.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Too true. We haven’t played it for months. Will prob get rid.

[@stevenmill9887]

In the games I have played there has been very little player elimination through death - aliens are tough so best avoided. Players have though left the ship early due to completing their mission and using an escape pod - even that though has taken place until late game. So agree with the issues you note but they don’t happen very often early game for us and we love it 😊

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Happened in every game we played thus far…anytime from 1.5hrs to 2.5hrs. Got fed up with people who went out fiddling with their phones. Some even went home. What sort of fun is that?

[@corsa180]

@@BoardGameBollocks Definitely understand your frustrations and reaction to elimination with it happening in all of your games. Luckily, thus far in our group, we've only had experiences similar to @Steven Mill so it hasn't been an issue.

[@riverOfWinds]

@@corsa180 Ditto. Fantastic game. Some people clearly hate it, others love it. I'm in the second group.

[@henrikwakman7776]

If you haven't experienced player elimination in this game, you probably got the rules wrong. It's hard and mean and it's just not a game for your mum, in all likelyhood. This is a veteran gamer's game (which she might be, but mums often aren't)

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Why isn’t it a game for my mum? She went out based on random card draws which couldn’t be mitigated…what a dumb statement.

[@iriis1]

One way to fix this is to have Official optional rules in the rulebook or errata. People can House Rules all they want but when it's time to execute the made up rule, players feel like they're cheating. If there was an official document that stated "this is a valid rule set to play by officially" then maybe things could improve

[@richardhancock1505]

Great review as ever, you make me laugh! 😂 I love the game. I agree with all your points. But I will still play it with others who are aware of the risk. That said I like the earlier comment on the house rule for players to select another character if theirs dies early. I know it should have been a variant in the rules, but the game is otherwise so good, I can live with/ work with the big flaws. The board is crap. Annoyingly too dark. I’m printing 3D walls to see if that makes it easier to navigate. Cheeeeers 🍺

[@SL1M73]

The randomness you hate is what makes the game such an unpredictable emergent narrative generator and is the biggest plus for me. I want that unpredictable cinematic kind of experience. Sometimes Euros can feel a bit dry to me if I'm not in the mood. Early player elimination can be an issue, agreed. Again I kinda like the uncompromising and uncertain aspect of it though gives each play an extra edge. But I can see why it would piss some people off. Especially if it happens to your mom!

[@BoardGameBollocks]

I haven’t heard the end of it…she says next time she may as well flip a coin before playing. Heads she plays, tails she doesn’t. Cuts out the middle man.

[@marcelmundinar]

Play it on game conventions, then no issue about bad luck and dying quixkly, leave the table and play anything else… The random factor Males the Stories, even an advanced Senior player can not predict what is going to happen, which is realistic and great

[@BoardGameBollocks]

It’s not though it crap. My mum sat out of the game for 1 1/2 hours…it was awful. Games are supposed to be fun…this wasn’t. I’ve never been to a convention due to work dominating my life.

[@marcelmundinar]

@@BoardGameBollocks just because YOU have no time for conventions, the game itself is bad, because your mom lost 😂 there is even a Xeno-carddeck for anybody being killed to take the part and play the intruders, which takes out some random stuff about them and make the game end more quickly at all, so your unlucky mom could have another role and continue to play……

[@markpolelle3256]

@@BoardGameBollocks quit work! you done found y'er callin' herez

[@brotherhorus4316]

Omg, such a good review, mirrors our thoughts exactly, we played the game 5 times and sold it for more than I paid for it...I really disliked this overly long and random fest of a game. I can see why people may like it, but for our group, despite wanting to like it, it was a fail. Great vid..👍😎

[@Paul-ro6py]

Agree player elimination should always have the option of being mitigated.

[@matthewhoyle3223]

Co-op version you can respawn. Probably should consider that in the review.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Haven’t played the coop which is why I didn’t mention.

[@timber9707]

Can't stop laughing at your reviews. Top stuff

[@BoardGameBollocks]

👍🏻

[@elaine9223]

Great review. We love this game and always have a ton of fun. Have you ever tried having the eliminated player play as the alien? There is a deck of cards and special rules for this. It makes the aliens smarter and drives the game in a new, interesting way.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Yes. That variant makes it considerably harder for the other players to win as a) There’s one less mind working with them and b) The game doesn’t rely on AI so much to force a loss. As such we don’t touch it with a 10 foot barge pole.

[@elaine9223]

@@BoardGameBollocks Fair enough. We like it for cases where there is an early elimination. It keeps everyone at the table engaged with something.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

I like playing the game. It’s great fun…unless you’re the poor sod who gets killed in round 3 after a crappy card draw.

[@elaine9223]

@@BoardGameBollocks LOL, yes. Luckily, we've only had one bad experience of that. Mostly I've been blown away by the stories this game can generate. Oath is the only other game I've played that does this so well, creating story from your game play. So fun.

[@harimakenji7608]

@@BoardGameBollocks did you play using the revive mechanic? Also some people have house rules to remove cards that instant kill such as kill any players holding an egg

[@svunnig]

Great video! I enjoyed watching.

[@timber9707]

Also...isn't the hibernation pods unlock when the time marker gets to blue and not the escape pods? Think you made a right bollocks of that one 😆

[@manonfire4jc]

You are correct. Cheers.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Yea a slip of the tongue…

[@chucktelschow]

Love this game. That said when I played with my friends in a 5 player game none of us died until the end. Randomness is fine and needed imo.

[@GeneraluStelaru]

I'm sticking to Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Quality game that one

[@jackburtonstwin]

I picked this up on the original KS campaign. Great game but, as you indicate, it's a long game and, combined with player elimination just renders the game disappointing for anyone killed off or away in a life raft. That's just not great in a game that costs as much as this one does.

[@LukeE94]

I’ve wanted to get into Nemesis for a while, but I might start with Alien Fate of the Nostromo. It’s the equivalent of Betrayal at house on the hill compared to mansions of madness - but In SPAAACE!

[@BoardGameBollocks]

How about A Glorious Day in the Corps? Word round the campfire is it plays quite well…not played it myself though.

[@Trueflights]

@@BoardGameBollocks AGDITC is an "ok" game. The concepts are there, the theme is there, the mechanics are a little wonky but you can get used to them, but the rulebooks is abysmal. Definitely fun with the right group, once they have learned the rules from someplace other than the official rulebook. It also suffers from Player Elimination, but since you always play with a team of 6 regardless of the number of players, you can just take over a different character if yours dies. There is also a side mission that gives you a chance to rescue some of the characters that might have been captured alive.

[@barrybadranath]

Valid points. I really like it, but I would only play with 3 players max.

[@adriang6259]

Great review. Love the delivery and the pros and cons. Was on the fence. Might get it for just the solo if I ever have a spare $180

[@flyingnoodle3267]

As someone who has played the game, this review isn’t really all that good. It’s insanely biased and the guy actively tried to tell me that the only reason I like the game is because I’m “afraid of buyers remorse”. I don’t even own the game yet lol. The dude is bitter

[@BoardGameBollocks]

@flyingnoodle3267 troll wanker ✊🏻💦

[@theshogunstein6475]

Honest review!

[@flyingnoodle3267]

My advice to people playing Have a plan for people that get eliminated early. When my friends and I play, we always have some video games (or better yet, the movie Alien) on standby for people that are out of the game. It drives me nuts when people talk about sitting there for hours doing nothing when they don’t have to do that. Once you’re out of the game, go do something else until the game ends? Without player elimination, the game loses a ton of its tension. It also makes winning that much more satisfying.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

We just don’t play the game and play something else. Then nobody is eliminated early.

[@flyingnoodle3267]

@@BoardGameBollocks I mean it’s a valid opinion to have but some games are just inarguably better with player elimination. Making statements like “in this day and age player elimination is unacceptable” is just a silly thing to say. Some of my favorite board game stories ever come from this game and they simply wouldn’t exist without player elimination

[@BoardGameBollocks]

@flyingnoodle3267 watching my mum sit out most of the game through no fault of her own isn’t fun. Player elimination sucks if you’re the player getting eliminated. Nothing silly about that. People defend this game because they spent truck loads of money on it and are fearful of buyer remorse.

[@flyingnoodle3267]

@@BoardGameBollocks ah I see, so you’re just being bitter. Believe it or not, there’s people that genuinely love the game and the stories that come from it. Some people enjoy the tension and the fear that come from the knowledge that any single round could be your last. I’m sorry you didn’t have fun, but nobody’s going to respect your opinion if you go around saying “if you say you like this game, you don’t actually like the game you’re just trying to justify your purchase to yourself” which is a ridiculously stupid thing to say. I don’t even own the game, my uncle does and I absolutely adore it. And to think that my first sentence was “your opinion is valid” and your response was essentially “your opinion isn’t valid, you’re just pretending to like it”. I pity anybody who watches your review and takes it seriously

[@BoardGameBollocks]

@flyingnoodle3267 get in the sea dickhead

[@antoinevick9839]

Very real.. I enjoy the conclusion - things you don't like... Good job.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

👍🏻

[@harimakenji7608]

Will you review nemesis lockdown and do a quick comparison??

[@BoardGameBollocks]

If you want to buy it for me…it’s over £100. Could buy a small farm holding for that.

[@harimakenji7608]

@@BoardGameBollocks haha . I managed to grab a brand new copy for under $130 AUD (im from Australia ) on sale so i was super happy. I love your bollocks reviews 👍👍

[@BoardGameBollocks]

👍🏻

[@mih2]

Enjoyed that, cheers. Was tempted to buy it but will avoid now.

[@billwhitteaker2722]

I like it solo. I would love to play with others at some point but I guess you need the folks with the right mindset. My think friends are those kind of people. We survived the RPG Paranoia and still got together every week back in the day.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

We played AD&D for the same reason…difference is it wasn’t random.

[@billwhitteaker2722]

@@BoardGameBollocks Good point. With over a year of solo gaming I've been removed from the coop play dynamics. Either way, great vids.

[@billwhitteaker2722]

@@BoardGameBollocks Paranoia was a really bizarre RPG that came out in 84. People either loved it or hated it.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

I remember it. A couple of kids at school played it but we were obsessed with BECMI and AD&D1E

[@SingleTrack66]

If some random game, kicked my mum out, for some random reason……. I would say “NO” ………. “Game…..You can’t come around my ‘ouse and kick my mum out…..for no bloody reason….Ooo do you think you are game?” No. No.

[@Trueflights]

It might be worth noting that one of the expansions adds a med bay to the ship that can be used to resurrect characters that die, effectively removing the player elimination aspect from the game.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Still got to get there and waste valuable turns…

[@PACEUK22]

It’s amazing solo

[@ghodan77]

Thx for the review. I was planning to buy this game next month. But now i am in doubt. I already knew the black board sucked, but the possible early player death i did not know of. Also did not know about the extreme randomness of everything in the game. As this is is expensive, i will think about it some more.

[@Sin4Profit]

I was going over my game collection looking for a good Halloween game and considered picking this one up, considering the praise it gets, but the price tag and the random element has me holding back. Maybe it'll get a second edition that'll take care of the main issues.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

I’d rather play Spooky Stairs…

[@MattWGAllan]

It won't, player elimination and randomness (which I hate in other games) aren't design flaws, they contribute to why the game is loved.

[@Sin4Profit]

@@MattWGAllan I'll have to check out some playthroughs to see the potential for it's pacing. But everything about "random, highly difficult but very thematic" reminds me of the boardgames i designed when i was 10 years old, and no one should want to play those. Maybe story-bot games just aren't for me.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Bizarre…

[@TrUlster]

The possibility of player elimination is essential to any "Alien" game.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Yea…sitting there with nothing to do for 2-3 hours is essential. Don’t think so, bud…

[@IF040020]

@@BoardGameBollocks​⁠I think euro games like carcassonne would suit your group better

[@hamzad5061]

There is no need for house ruling. Use the cooperative rule and carry your dead mate to the surgery room where u can respawn. Solved I guess. 🤔 I agree with the board, just looking too dark

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Not solved as that would mean several valuable actions and turns wasted by the remaining players thereby unbalancing the game even further.

[@augustinhamza303]

I totally agree!

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Let’s all have a disco 💃

[@gidiyaniv82]

Ouch

[@gcygnet8817]

This game is awesome, we do this usually co-op with 3; with the revive option; altho we never use it as usually no one dies before the last 3 turns or so. But it's not a game where you just walk into rooms and hit aliens and it's not a light game.

[@MrABK108]

Ridiculous.. one of my favourite games. Player death? Just accept it, I have died more than once and enjoyed following what happened to the game. It's as if in a movie your favourite character dies, and you stop caring? Anyway we just give them to run the events and play the aliens (there is a "you play the monster" optional rule!) Randomness? That's the best part. You never kniw what happens. You only have control over yourself... like in real life. It makes it all so immersive. And tense.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Hey guess what…I don’t care what you think 👍🏻

[@MrABK108]

@@BoardGameBollocks great dialectic! Way to go 👌🏻

[@spoobsjammin]

Thanks for that. Was just on the verge of buying it but you’ve convinced me £100+ isn’t worth it. I’ll get the PC lockdown version for a lot cheaper👍

[@wrath231]

Nemesis is random , chaotic fun. It's not for everyone.

[@petermillen6924]

Another game where my rejection of Kickstarter has saved me from a problematic purchase. Thanks for posting.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Dodged a bullet..both in and out of the game.

[@danielmarlett1421]

Saved me some money

[@portwills]

I have to say I totally agree with this. I never played the original but I did pre-order Nemesis: Lockdown. I really hope they come out with official rules or errata on their website regarding this, otherwise it's just embarrassing inviting people over to play and then this stuff happens early.

[@morecoffee998]

Nemesis is one of the most overrated games in modern boardgaming, it's both random and heavy. So you spend ages teaching/learning the rules and within 30% of the total playtime you're out of the game by some random act of chance. Player elimination is fine when the game lasts a total of 15-20 minutes, anything more than that, it becomes a massive detriment to the game

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Hit the nail on the head mate

[@theshogunstein6475]

people have to find ways to justify the high costs of the game and the fact that when played it takes up peoples entire game night

[@IF040020]

Play carcassonne then instead

[@morecoffee998]

​@@IF040020 true, carcasonne is certainly a superior game

[@henrikwakman7776]

The player elimination is just fantastic, it makes you really scared to take risks. You cán mitigate the risk of elimination in many ways that only become apparent after a few more plays. It's a searchfest. Yes it's random.. and it's HARD.. but it's a total thrill ride if you play with keen players.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

It’s not though. My mum went out early and sat there doing nothing for 2 hours. Not good.

[@MS-pw8yu]

I was watching your live stream and your player who died on round 2 made some really poor choices, causing their very premature death. Unfamiliarity with the game is present and contributing in this case, but even without that, the game can smash you in the ass real quick. This game is THE BEST at making memorable stories. Unfortunately, sometimes this will be at the expense of your character becoming Intruder shit, but that's life in space, brudda.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

On the other hand I could say had the game not had player elimination my mum wouldn’t have died…🤷

[@kastork82]

14:21 seriously? anger issues much? Also, the eliminated player has a mechanic to take over the Aliens, so what are you on about :D

[@BoardGameBollocks]

That’s a variant mate. And with a player out making decisions it makes the game even harder so what you on about :D

[@IF040020]

@@BoardGameBollocksgain play carcassone if you want an easy game instead lol

[@BoardGameBollocks]

@@IF040020 Maybe just kiss my arse instead?

[@nahkubnah]

great looking game, terrible game design