Etherfields Review - Off-Brand Nightmare

#boardgames #review #etherfields
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[@Churro_Douglas]

In a genius move by the developers, the rulebook is confusing so that you can really feel as confused as the characters.

[@georgevlassis7197]

Honestly this game's theme is so appealing and pretty,its such a shame that it doesnt play as beautifully as it looks

[@georgevlassis7197]

@@clonitza except for gloomhaven I'd say,I love that game so much

[@sevencoloredmage8726]

Adding a gameplay mechanic to skip your gameplay is pretty telling.

[@3rdmillenniumfuture607]

The rule about skipping slumbers is actually worse than it first appears. Lucid mode, which allows you to open the "secret" decks and make use of the sexier character miniatures can only be unlocked by completing slumbers. So if you skip them you will end the game with those minatures still in the box and the decks unopened. That's bad. What's worse imo is that even if you do slumbers it is only a matter or pure luck as to when you get access to them since there is only a 1/6 chance of taking on step on a path that requires a number of steps. So, I think, if you are really unlucky you could spend hours doing slumbers, finish the game and still miss out.

[@garylangford6755]

Martin Sigrist dude spoilers wtf

[@patrykszczepan]

I would say, that it all depends how 'you' treat the slumbers. If you, from the beginniing or after 1-2 slumbers, consider them as just boring, grindy, tedious chore, then it will be it. But if you came to play them with different mindset, they may be better than you think. You, the player, need to be the Tom Sawyer from Mark Twain book here (MC by clever manipulation guides other kids to treat painting a fence not a chore, but a game). For me - it's thinking about them strategically - you said, there is 1/6 chance to uncover one of a few secret cards. But are you forced to take this 17% chance, or do you try to increase your odds? You can use your cards to stall, avoid or even control slumber entities if you are not happy with loot. Depending on how many players play the game you have hour mechanics (pay 1 hour to add 1 turn to the encounter). In time (prob around 15ish hour of the game?) anyone can discover alternative method (that also give you more knowledge of the world) to deal with those entities, that do not require to deal with their mechanics (and with it its even easier to control the loot). Also as you progress in campaignes you unlock new slumber map tiles, that unlock new spawn points, where creatures spawn depending on the symbol on the turn cards, giving encounters a variety in how to approach them. tl;dr It's a game, it's meant to be PLAYED. If ppl want to just know the plot, then just read scripts (set up map, read and do all scripts, resolve them all - rinse and repeat). If even this is too tedious and a chore, and you just wanted to read sth with plot, pick a book to read, I assure you, there is a lot of them.

[@brother_oak]

I really appreciate in-depth, well thought out, and humorous reviews like this. I backed and own Etherfields - it's all been unpacked but not brought to the table yet. I also backed and own Tainted Grail and have played it a few times. TG is very frustrating to play, for all the reasons that NPI outlined in their scathing review of it. However, the artwork, the storyline, the concept, the unique combat/diplomacy mechanic are all reasons that I persevere with the game. I have no problem house-ruling to get through the grindy parts, provided the house rules are a little play-tested by clever people on BGG (and don't have an issue that a game needs house-rules to improve the experience for certain players - different players have different interests and tolerances - hell, D&D is the most house-ruled game ever, and it's pretty well liked :-)). I suspect that I will find Etherfields similarly frustrating, based on this review and SUSD's review, but I am also sure I will get a lot out of it too. Whether I'll get my money's worth is not yet certain, but that's the risk I accept when I back a kickstarter game. It probably helps that I like painting minis too, so some of my enjoyment will definitely come from painting those gorgeous models!

[@jeffmackey2740]

I made my decision on Etherfields early in the video, but held on watching because I really expected to hear a Norah Jones soundtrack overlay... It never happened so that was disappointing. If that was an intentional parallel to the gameplay - well done.

[@Bronnenheim]

The devs have an updated rulebook that clarifies a lot of the issues you had. The updated rulebook seems to make the game much better.

[@Chuckmurdock]

These miniatures would be sweet for a D&D campaign and you could actually explore the themes this game wants to explore

[@davieturner339]

Can I buy the penguin? Just the penguin.

[@oneanotherstudios]

Sure, I'll sell you mine for $300.00 ;-)

[@MosheSulamy_86]

There's another mini of it in AR Lite's Knockdown campaign :)

[@davieturner339]

@@oneanotherstudios it is almost cute enough, is that how much everything actually costed?

[@davieturner339]

@@MosheSulamy_86 almost as adorable, maybe one day I will sneak one off eBay

[@nicholascamarata8883]

Efka, I love your approach to writing reviews. I enjoy your videos immensely. Have a good week

[@massimoregoli4429]

Have you tried the Continuous Dream Mode? What do you think about it? Thanks :)

[@sebastiang.5032]

Hm, my wife and I am really enjoying our playthrough of Etherfields. But we also enjoyed completing Tainted Grail a lot. So maybe your and our taste in boardgames does not match exactly. Funny, we also loved completing Gloomhaven.

[@kronik1447]

I loved completing my homework too. That doesn't mean I enjoyed doing it. It's easy to feel compelled to slog through something you paid a premium for regardless of whether you enjoyed it not. Of course, this doesn't apply to every game or every gamer but Devil's advocate and such.

[@danielbooth9995]

@@kronik1447 Or maybe they really enjoyed it. It seems really rude to do your best to crap on someone else's enjoyment just because you don't agree.

[@NoPunIncluded]

Please don't be mean to people who enjoyed Etherfields or any other game we reviewed negatively. Everyone gets to like whatever they want to like.

[@au7oma7ic]

Jon wasn’t mean (edit) or rude. Dude was expressing his opinion...and his opinion does has some scientific, psychological basis.

[@mothproof]

​@@au7oma7icYup, he does seem fun to be with at parties, with his scientific and psychology-based opinions. I'm all for it. 😊

[@jacobthomas6876]

Ah, so not your game of the year then? lol Love y’all’s videos! This is another great one and I’m glad I wasn’t lured in by the artwork to back this. I am still enjoying Tainted Grail however so to each their own! Always appreciate your takes!

[@buddywahlquist2467]

You're glad you didn't back it because Efka didn't like it, but you're currently enjoying Tainted Grail, despite the fact that Efka didn't like it... Maybe your tastes and Efka's don't quite line up...

[@jacobthomas6876]

@@buddywahlquist2467 nah they align on some things and not on others. Don’t have to agree all the time. Also etherfields just mechanically doesn’t look interesting to me. Once again to each their own and I’m glad people are enjoying the game - at the end of the day that’s all that matters is people having fun.

[@BrocksBasement]

I don't even play board games, and I love your reviews. Especially the burns you sneak in about the product, game play, concepts, or just because. Keep up the great work. Also, now I want to listen to Nora Jones. Thank you for that.

[@MrTomlette]

Hah, really? Board games can be quite cool tho.

[@grimebear]

Great review! What's the name of the piano interlude? Thanks!

[@NoPunIncluded]

Grey Clouds - William Benckert

[@Possi_ball]

Not sure how can you compare anything with Gloomhaven just because it has a campaing. Only thing that reminds me of Gloomhaven is the "discard a card to avoid distress- you die if you have no cards" thing, but well, it's an awful comparison.

[@johnpanagos5835]

they both have big box

[@jhowd78]

I think this mire about a big campaign game versus another. Sometimes gamers decide because they are in the same category ONE MUST GO

[@Possi_ball]

@@jhowd78 I have the feeling it compares more to 7th Continent than to Gloomhaven, but I haven't played 7th Continent anyway.

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

A lot of people only have the time and energy for a very limited number of massive cooperative campaign games, and in NPI's opinion, Gloomhaven has set the bar for that genre. So I get the comparison even though the mechanics and theme are pretty different.

[@moltenbullet]

Sigh, I wish they'd start just producing minis separately from the games. I'd buy minis just for the heck of collecting and painting them, but I don't want the rest of the production. Besides, I'm sure people lose or damage minis, so why not just sell them separately.

[@SpoonyBard88]

I'm guessing because they are the most expensive component to produce and they don't feel like dealing with the overhead?

[@Kelfuma]

You made an excellent point when you said that Etherfields seems like a game made by the developers for the developers themselves than for an actual audience.

[@NoPunIncluded]

I forgot I said that, but it sounds smart.

[@cartereast8129]

Mine came with two rule books as well. I was told it’s expected you’ll need two for passing around and for when you wear one out.

[@scribohisnard1096]

To think that all these years, I thought Cakestarters was spelled differently.

[@nikver1102]

huge miniatures+ks+dark-twisted themes = turn away and run for me.....in other news still waiting for the arkham horror lcg part 2

[@alfyb4512]

I backed Tainted Grail and Etherfields. I was as disappointed as you on both counts. The only good that came of it is that I’m not backing ISS Vanguard. That’s what it took for me to learn my lesson: two full all-ins. I really wished there was a website that would teach me not to be so dumb for cheaper.

[@PickleTheHutt]

You can likely sell your all-ins for what you paid or more. It's a little hassle but getting the money back makes it feel better. I will likely sell TG after the new stuff comes in and glad that I avoided Etherfields and will skip Vanguard.

[@hermanturnip3984]

Same here. I've balked at backing ISS Vanguard based upon their past games. Unless a miracle happens, I don't think I'm going to back any further Awaken Realms games.

[@Iamwrongbut]

I agree with Kenny. Try and sell your stuff on eBay or BGG and buy spirit island with the proceeds.

[@dragon0085]

Yeah, I am very so-so on iss vanguard, whyd you cancel?

[@hermanturnip3984]

@@dragon0085 The lackluster game play of Tainted Grail is making me second guess ISS. Although I did like Nemesis.

[@ludwigamadeushaydn706]

Good thing that I'll be getting Frosthaven and Etherfields around the same time so I won't be too disappointed if I fall towards the SUSD/NPI side of this game rather than the Tom Vasel side.

[@dantes9811]

and The Broken Meeple. Just cumbersome game for pile of money

[@Jaaskle]

did etherfields gets the vasel hammer of approval?

[@aronalber9107]

@@Jaaskle It got a seal of excellence. Different strokes for different folks.

[@Jaaskle]

@@aronalber9107 yea I’m iffy on it bc I don’t know who I align with more. Susd and Tom have both let me down in the past but not NPI so far.

[@justacynic]

MvM likes it too! Game of the year candiate!

[@GrosOrteil1]

all your reviews are great!

[@Gfloresadam]

The music in the opening shots sounds like Explosions in the Sky, love it!

[@monstiii749]

What song is this?

[@Gfloresadam]

@@monstiii749 kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKusfGh8lqhmbtk

[@marcymarc1981]

"Buried so deep that you couldn't get to it if you house-rules yourself a shovel", brilliant :D

[@rjkral]

FANTASTIC review No Pun!! Not saying the game is great, your actual review is amazing. Photography, words, ideas and points made, hilarity subtle and not so subtle, just fantastic review work!!! No doubt the art is beautiful and evocative, a pity about the let downs. Off to check out Comanauts. That trash can looked happy getting fed so well. Keep up the great work!

[@captainron7120]

Always grateful for the content. Thank you NPI

[@Stomski]

You say the campaign page stated that the game would test a person's emotional intelligence, but what they meant was that the choice to back was the test.

[@PakornThaipituk]

The emotion fear-of-missing-out is opposite to emotional intelligence.

[@Stomski]

a) I was being sardonic. b) Who mentioned fomo? c) Even if I was implying that people were succumbing to fomo rather than other reasons for backing, a person's ability to rationalise their fomo and not back is a good test of EI, no? Happy to be corrected, good discussions can come from ill-informed jokes.

[@PakornThaipituk]

@@Stomski I am sorry if my post is inappropriated. My comment does not mean that backing KS is bad, (if they know what they are doing). People has different resones to spend their own money. I am reading a book Emotional Intelligence written by Daiel. He implies that the delay glatification is one of good trails for people who can control emotion. I am almost all in this game (and others) too. Luckily I could delay that feeling - "I must wait for reviews first". But this does not mean I am good. I bought many things becouse fear of missing that make me regrat now.

[@NoPunIncluded]

Pssst, I am pretty sure emotional intelligence is pseudopsychology hocum! I'm no expert (I once minored in Psychology) but all the warning signs of this being nonsense are there.

[@PakornThaipituk]

@@NoPunIncluded Is it true that if player spends icons (red, green or yellow) on wrong spot on a deram tile, the game punishes the player without warning?

[@davidenania7386]

Loved the video. I was intrigued by ISS Vanguard, and not for the minis (haven't backed any "massive campaign game" like Etherfields or Tainted Grail up until now). Do you guys think it's going to be like this one? I enjoyed a lot Nemesis but it's a different kind of game.

[@jinjoz42]

So I was disappointed with Etherfields but absolutely loved Tainted Grail. I was excited for ISS but honestly the gameplay looks very dull. A lot of dice rolling basically and moving form location to location. There doesn't seem to be any kind of combat system which is fine. Buy honestly it just doesn't seem that interesting to me

[@davidgulyas9509]

Their late pledge is usually open for several months (Etherfields: from November to May, Great Wall from March to November) so you have plenty of time acutally.. check the updates if it is for you or not

[@luizm.1549]

I think ISS Vanguard is weaker than other... Im tired about this campaign games...

[@PickleTheHutt]

ISS Vanguard looks very boring. Seems like bookkeeping the game, in space.

[@RandomFactor]

every review i've seen of this makes it sound like what Gloomhaven must have been before any editing happened to it

[@terrencesoltz8943]

And yet, no matter how many crap games they put out, AR’s KS projects continue to be massively funded. Is it just for the miniatures? I’m pretty strictly a eurogamer, so I don’t really get it at all. If I want story, I’ll play D&D or AS&SH or the like. If I want miniatures to paint, I just buy miniatures.

[@rupert7565]

Liked for the magic hair. And the great review. Or maybe for the mention of a similar, but better game.

[@nekochen]

Hah! I found a sign token matched art from this video! Totally worth it.

[@omnitheus5442]

It kinda looks like the designers love The Sandman comics from the 90s and wanted to out that into board game form. Scope far too large...

[@chiproush7480]

"an absurdist theme park" - so an appropriate game for 2020 then. A useful review and lovely shoutout to the remarkable Ms. Jones.

[@mihneacateanu3808]

It's kind of funny that they put so much padding into these games so they can boast about play time (50, 60, 100, 200-hours campaign!!), while most people who get all giddy looking at that number will play the game for a few hours before moving on to the next ginourmous Kickstarter hype...

[@fy8798]

Sounds fair. I still have to try playing it with our group again *without* Slumbers, because with slumbers, the game was so, so... grindy. It made Dark Souls: The Board Game feel fast and snappy! Mind, I found the rules very easy to get into, but that's a personal thing. Overall, the game seems to heavily suffer from a part of kickstarter where the price is justified by "game time", but as someone that has a fulltime job I... care less about 3435 hours of time a game supposedly gives me, and instead want the time spent to be *quality time*. A lot of kickstarters just don't seem to care for that, it's pretty minis + lots of content, which hurts the design so, so badly. It's weird! I would expect a "premium" game to be the opposite, and have a relatively high price per hour of game time, rather than a really low one. The "lotsa hours" approach just seems like the opposite of premium to me. Like the slumbers here. The BoardgameCo Review does mention the idea to skip them, and we really need to try that variant. If the game can be made to be more focused on the good aspects, I feel it might play a lot better, even if one has to get over a rules hurdle.

[@VaultBoy13]

Just be aware you'll be skipping the important things by bypassing Slumbers... - You'll miss out on the secret path with has a pretty big unlock - You'll miss out interaction with the entities which provide stories, world building, and more information about the players. Once you have those things, then you'll also be able to skip Slumbers pretty regularly without house ruling past them.

[@fy8798]

@@VaultBoy13 Thanks for the warning! Didn't know about the secret path. Quite a Sophie's choice D:

[@MozilloGames]

I really enjoy that the means of communicating with Quinns is via email. He loves email.

[@NoPunIncluded]

At the fear of being told I just copy the shutups, I also really love e-mail.

[@johnpanagos5835]

I love gloomhaven, but that rulebook was a pain too.

[@TheSpacebeagle]

@@mikolajwitkowski8093 Same here, personally I thought Gloomhaven was pretty easy to get in to. Etherfields rulebook 'did my head in'! Still a fun game though.

[@TheSpacebeagle]

@korrok Yep but there's an app for a lot of the book keeping, makes the game much better in my opinion. Personally I found Gloomhaven quite straight forward, outside of the enemy AI which is learnable.

[@TheSpacebeagle]

@korrok Yeah I can see that, I play with my 'significant other' and as it's co-op it doesn't really matter if we get a rule or two wrong but I can understand that doesn't work with everyone. Most games I play I understand that the majority of the time when I'm learning we'll be playing it 'wrong' but I usually review afterwards and next time we'll play a little bit more right :) I mean there's no rules police...is there?

[@johnpanagos5835]

I had to use bgg forum and the faq, so it wasnt that great rulebook for me. Great game, not great rulebook.

[@TheSpacebeagle]

@korrok Nah, I've a face for radio :) No I meant I review the rules again and the way we played and then pick up where we got it wrong.

[@nohandle54]

to be fair, some of my dreams are crap too

[@HatterM111]

Love u for dropping Twin Peaks 🖤

[@gjkf]

It so appears, the game is actually a dream. Great review, as always!

[@Cerhob]

I'm just commenting because of the Twin Peaks reference. That show needs more attention!

[@Hey_Fab]

I can imagine some backers getting an anxiety attack by watching your last shot.

[@SirBlackjack010]

Because he threw away the packaging? I don't think so.^^ Even with this opinion of the game he wouldn't just trash it, he would resell it, because there are people out there that want it.

[@NoPunIncluded]

Indeed I will resell it (or in case of review copies, donate a game I don't want). Despite the gag, I lament how much waste goes into printing games and I would much rather someone else who wants it takes it on.

[@acomaslip5212]

@@SirBlackjack010 Most of us a perfectly aware of it being a joke. Nobody was hurt, save for mother earth.

[@IronAMVS]

I really just want someone to send me them minis for dnd

[@iamtheoneyouknowbest]

So.. did you like it or not? :)

[@jinjoz42]

While I think the review is a bit exaggerated I agree with a good amount of the criticism of the game

[@greenspartan1213]

Is that a Norah Jones Vinyl you are displaying?

[@Stomski]

No, it's the Norah Jones vinyl sleeve.

[@wolvz7081]

I’m a nightmare for rules! No house rules, no bending the rules for any reason and definitely no vague rule book rules. Yes I’m boring at parties. 😞 So for that reason I’m out.

[@MrScrawnjuan]

I think 90% of the games I've bought have come with 1000's of cards that are randomly wrapped with no indication of how to use them. It's what stops me from setting a lot of them up..

[@NoPunIncluded]

It's a lot more intimidating when the order of these cards clearly matters.

[@michaelrichard1320]

If they would of trimmed Etherfields down to 10-15 of the best dreams(instead of bazillion they came up with), with bigger tiles(great idea Efka), a useable rulebook, a cohesive story, or any story for that matter(the vague snippets I found don't count), trim the slumber fat, and charged me the same price I would of been raving about how good this game was. Sadly, I sold it as fast as I could after 8 dreams when I realized it was a grindfest where you house rule everything to make it playable... As a Kickstarter consumer I"M NOT LOOKING FOR BLING AND BLOAT! I'm looking for a fun, new experience.

[@CheddahSlammer]

Funny thing if you go on the unboxing vid on Awaken Realms Channel, they talk about how they changed the rule book from being very vague with more art, to being more rules heavy. Still love this game though. I read through the rules a few times, and I finally figured it all out, it honestly isn't the worst rule book I have seen. Gloomhavens rule book for example.....

[@NoPunIncluded]

I think what's important is having made sure as a publisher there's accessible resources that help people learn a game.

[@CheddahSlammer]

@@NoPunIncluded Yeah, I see that.

[@aronalber9107]

I don't really understand the comparison to Gloomhaven. Sure, they are both campaign games and dungeon crawlers, but Gloomhaven is extremely mechanical and the story is very schematic. Don't get me wrong: I love Gloomhaven, but I don't play it for the story or for the theme; I play it for the optimization puzzle. While I appreciate the tactical cardplay in Gloomhaven, the narrative and campaign structure was rather disappointing. Gloomhaven didn't feel like an epic campaign to me so much as a collection of scenarios. I'm hoping that Etherfields will succeed for me in the ways that Gloomhaven fell short, even if that means that the mechanics are not as interesting. I don't need every aspect of a game to be good for me to be able to appreciate what it does well and, at least for me, mechanics are not the most important part of a story-driven campaign game like Etherfields. If Etherfields can deliver on the atmosphere and offer opportunities to explore and solve puzzles in a strange world, that is enough for me.

[@blooper1098]

Really excellent negative review, maybe the best I've seen. I want SO badly to love this game but it's just not good. One thing about panning these huge Kickstarter games is that the people who have the game are already hundreds of dollars into it, and the people without the game can't get it straight away anyway. So sometimes a negative review just feels like punching down on the folks who already know they made a bad call in backing (like me). I really like how you went through your critiques without making a mockery of it.

[@danflaman7268]

At the same time, there are the folks who speculate on these games. I know of at least one person who proudly posted on media at the surprise (because they'd forgotten they'd backed it) of receiving the game recently, only to post it to a board gaming site to sell it 2 days later, unopened, for more than they had bought into it for.

[@UnreasonableOpinions]

"The Bloodborne version of Tom Waits." So Tom Waits then.

[@luigiscazzari4724]

Next time, ask to Matt Lees. His bin can digest anything

[@NoPunIncluded]

This video is sponsored by Skillshare. The first 1000 people to use the link will get a free trial of Skillshare Premium Membership: skl.sh/nopunincluded12201

[@Tiggermk4]

As a suggestion, you might have the promo at the start instead of the end. For quite a while i was assuming the paid promo might be the game , not the unrelated actual sponsor. (Note that some youtube platforms do not necessarily give you the extra text info “below”)

[@NoPunIncluded]

Very valid.

[@sinistraphobiaify]

Yeah, I was thinking for a bit..."oh, wow; Awakened Realms paid for this?" In any case, it's a great video, NPI.

[@NoPunIncluded]

@@sinistraphobiaify we don't take sponsorships or receive payment from board game publishers.

[@TorIverWilhelmsen]

"Contains paid demotion. Of the game, not Skillshare." Also: The cake is a lie.

[@masterdjab1]

As a product developement specialist, a hypothesis I have about KS game is what I call «Target-Audience-who-are-really- into-you» test bias. Since the target audience for Etherfields is big gamers. They tend to like complex games, are common users of BGG, they don't really care about the rulebook and they often first-play games in groups where everybody read the rulebook, so they don't tend to miss stuff as easy as if they were alone. So even if you are doing blind tests of the game, you are not going to have a lot of feedback about these aspects of the game/product, which are the main flaws of KS games, in this case Etherfields.

[@Albertinio1994]

9:50 love your painted fingernails, Efka! /s

[@Kreylix]

Beat me too it! El must be jealous.

[@fmgs31]

Came here looking for this comment

[@tobyr21]

Please clarify: At about 20'36", you mention a game that had many aspects similar to Etherfields, and I did not catch the name. My best guess is "comanauts". Was that it? If not, please spell this game out. Thanks! - toby

[@glenndean6]

Sounds very Cones of Dunshire.

[@FPchie]

From a casual gamer perspective who have limited game time, this overhyped game is indeed a nightmare. The cluttered rulebook, small cards with condensed text and tons of erratas to remember, a board that is massive but not user friendly. Miniatures being pretty and all, but the longgg game time spent felt wont be quality enough. Might give me more stress. Full of style, lack substance is my impression.

[@aleksandardjordjevic5718]

So at the end, do you like Tainted Grail better? Whenever there is situation similar to this, it's great to mention/compare to other game. Commanauts - Stuffed Fables Gloomheaven - Gloomheave JOTL etc.

[@aleksandardjordjevic5718]

@@mikolajwitkowski8093 it does not have to be. I love Gloomheaven but: - they are not that similar that you can compare them - Gloomhaven is their Best game of all time, so this one didn't have a chance, right ;) Compare Dead of Winter with Battlestar Galactica or Nemesis - all different companies. Or Blood Rage, Mezo and Kemet - all different companies. My point is that - ISS Vanguard is on Kickstarter (or what ever the name of their new platform is) and most people are not looking into Tainted Grail and Etherfields to decide if they should go down the road of ISS Vanguard. Just think that for both viewers and channel - those things would bring more value. At least it would for me. That's why - Efka -> If you find time -> Let me know which one you liked better and why :)

[@MattyJude]

On the plus side that Norah Jones LP is phenomenal. Incredible work as always.

[@NoPunIncluded]

I don't want to say she peaked with her debut because that would be terribly unfair to all the other wonderful albums she released (Daybreak anyone?) but there's not a bad song on that LP.

[@ManuelMartinez-vh9dz]

Good review, but you only focus on the bad things. It has bad things, of course, but it has a lot of brilliant moments, awesome mechanics and surprises. I love this game, even with its flaws... Good review, but a bit unbalanced. Its your opinion, anyway. Good work!

[@MashingP]

This video seems more like a rail against Kickstarter and AW's (all of the top funded games--except for shclock like Exploding Kittens are all big games, with lots of mechanics and miniatures--or your game with -haven in your name) more than anything. I was intrigued about your comment about Comanauts though. I've owned that game for a while, but haven't gotten it to the table. I never really thought to compare the two games. Btw, it'd be nice if you'd finish up your Arkham Horror series (are you waiting for the current cycle to be done or something?)

[@yagsipcc287]

He does and he does alot... also seems like he doesnt like big long games either. Big games he almost always says is "bad"

[@TylerMcWilliam]

Nemesis is supposed to be good though right

[@marcoponts8942]

I like Nemesis and if you're looking for a "cinematic" experience and a story it's great imo. We didn't really draw goals or sth but just played and created a story together of what we wanted to do on the ship before the game was over. That was a great experience so I think if you want to just create a story it's great! If you want a game with clear winning objectives where one person can win by having "the most points" this is definitely not it. Hope that makes sense. :)

[@Heldermaior]

You know which game doesn't disappoint? Pericles.

[@trianglestri7487]

I sold my Gloomhaven long ago, it’s boring, repetitive after 20 hours. Has nothing to offer, or any interesting story to follow. But it’s definitely fun to put tiles and play with each other I still keeping me JOL With all the EF flaws I tot the solo experience was well worth it I’m glad it’s a game that is not really about combat and survival More about discovery and escape room I agree the board is amazingly awful and I have no idea how it did passed the playstesting I don’t think games of these scales usually get play tested Another reason why don’t make it to mass production for retails other than retailer pledges

[@Caltaron]

I feel like part of the reason how relentless those big Kickstarter games are reviewed by certain channels comes from the fact that they are big Kickstarter games. For some like me, the size and the cost and design is not overproduction but production value. And for me, games like this give me a completely different kind of entertainment like a mechanically tight and focused game like Hive or Gaia Project that have a theme just attached to them (btw: I love both mentioned games very much). Like in a „walking simulator“ in the realm of video games, I also love getting immersed into a story. There are „experience games“ where my primary focus is getting sucked in - mechanics is not unimportant, but only secondary. By many reviewers and commentators, overpriced behemoth-boardgames for preorder-Junkies are not only seen as „not my kind of game“, they get very often despised and belittled. Frankly, I feel that this is sad, because while I firmly believe that all the faults mentioned in this review are true and do exist, I also think that they do not earn this kind of beating. I think, enjoying a great production with serviceable mechanics is not better but also not worse than an ugly Euro game with well honed mechanics - it is just a different kind of enjoyment. I do not wish that channels like SU&SD and NPI suddenly start loving this kind of games because they do not have to become what aligns with my preference. But I wish that some reviewers would see games like this with the same thought in mind. Keep criticising these games in all detail which they have earned. But please stop kicking them twice as hard as you would kick a bad 30,- € retail game. And I still love both mentioned KZbin channels and will keep watching them.

[@Caltaron]

@@JLX5 I play boardgames, videogames, watch movies, series and I read. I think I have a pretty good grasp of what media I enjoy, but thanks for your tip.

[@DenisRyan]

FLAT PACK YOUR RECYCLING, YOU MONSTER!!

[@chronosone]

Can't flat pack when the game is still in the box.

[@JaugerPlays]

I love your reviews because you are of the more honest ones out there. But! There are so many times that I disagree with your opinions. And that's fine! I still find the time to watch your videos. I do want to say that comparing to Gloomhaven is going to make any game lose. Gloomhaven is the best for far too many reasons. I'm wondering if Frosthaven will even beat it...

[@acerumble4991]

The NPI and SY&SD negative review double whammy - hard pass

[@smile.__]

I like that you mentioned circular puzzles, and your shirt had tons of overlapping circles.

[@TheMartinChronicles]

Has a Sandman vibe.

[@VaultBoy13]

That's a pretty good description of how it feels to play the dreams.

[@zylo202]

So No Pun and SU&SD both dislike this game and Dice Tower loves it. Next SHUX panel will be a powder keg!

[@luizm.1549]

Dice Tower love the money that he got from Awaken Realms....

[@PickleTheHutt]

Poor form to disparage others with no evidence. I have no doubt Tom loves the game but I also know the game looks absolutely awful to me. People like different things for different reasons

[@davidgulyas9509]

@@luizm.1549 Or maybe they love the game? but hey, way to go making assumptions

[@SisyphusX]

A) It's fascinating to watch you and Quinns land on one side of the boat, and Tom and (most recently) Rahdo land on the other side. Difficult to reconcile, but interesting to watch. B) Wasn't this the Christmas Review? What happened to Christmas is Murder? (That was such a great intro song.)

[@DF-we4pt]

Why you bringing Norah Jones into this? What did she do?

[@TorIverWilhelmsen]

Switched effortlessly between country and jazz, filling our ears with candy.

[@therealcause]

Slumberpunk 2020

[@conmacaodha5019]

I followed/pledged the Kickstarter and then dumped it on the last day.I was glad I did at the time and see nothing that would make me regret that decision.

[@Caylus1]

But if Tom Waits is in it.....!? 🤔

[@harrywagstaff6331]

Is it just me or is this review very dark? Maybe it's to fit the theme of the game but especially when looking at game components (e.g. 3:40) it seems very dark compared to other review (e.g. 7:32 of tainted grail review)

[@harrywagstaff6331]

By the way the game is absolutely gorgeous but the idea of finding time to play through a gigantic campaign is absolutely laughable even if the game is great (e.g. gloomhaven).

[@jhowd78]

This is a thematic choice

[@marioho]

I got a bit confused with the hands here. Naked fingernails to manicured fingernails in loop with the constant voice over. Thought I was tripping for a moment there.

[@eriksjogren800]

Thanks

[@Jeepllama]

This was a good and enjoyable video.

[@Dwiggy4444]

I only had to watch 3 minutes of this review to be convinced to avoid this game. Game designers, take heed: No matter how beautiful your components are, if you can’t write a rulebook and/or provide other “how to play” resources, your players will never interact with all of those beautiful bits while playing your game. You’ve created a work of art, not a board game.

[@scottoliver9594]

You don’t really need the rule book to learn to play this game. The game teaches you in the first few scenarios. The rule book is more of a reference. I hated the rulebook at first as well, but now I understand why it is laid out the way it is. We have played a few dreams and have enjoyed it so far. It’s very immersive and figuring out the story has been fun to this point, but if you are looking for a tactical dungeon crawler this isn’t the game for you. That isn’t what this game is or tries to be. This game is much more about exploration, solving puzzles and uncovering the story.

[@randothomas3733]

Lets collect some funny comments that contains the word "skip" to feed the yt-algorythm.

[@sauce773]

This game looks complicated as hell. It looks very nice tho.

[@boardgamer447]

So in summary - Etherfields: get in the bin.

[@NoPunIncluded]

It's not rocket science. It's bin science.

[@blakecurry3880]

This makes me concerned about this upcoming ISS Vanguard.

[@ubeinn]

Well that was brutal

[@TheDungeonDive]

This game is so good. Maybe my game of the year? Can't quite say for sure, yet. But, regardless, this game is truly something special.

[@VaultBoy13]

@@mikolajwitkowski8093 The rules aren't nearly that complex to have that much issue playing the game. It only takes about 2 dreams to understand the full gameplay of Etherfields.

[@jamessendy8131]

You and me both, sometimes i feel like i'm playing a different game to everyone else lol

[@Naruga]

I recognise its flaws but I love it still. But I also liked Tainted Grail so my brain likely doesn't work properly.

[@MrLiguinii]

That's harsh, it could've been recycled!

[@NoPunIncluded]

Brown bin is for recycling.

[@MrLiguinii]

@@NoPunIncluded happy to see that the dream will have a second Life.

[@StephensCrazyHour]

It's a tragedy when a game looks so beautiful but isn't worth playing.

[@NoPunIncluded]

Right? I so wanted this to be good.

[@jasonnewell7036]

These big box mini kickstarters need to do a minis only pledge. So many people buy them just for the minis and throw the rest away, and it is so wasteful.

[@yardswimmer]

Sounds like it is more wasteful on the gamers side who is buying the game instead of the producers side.

[@jasonnewell7036]

I mean wasteful as a waste of resources.

[@yardswimmer]

I know what you meant and still stand by my previous comment

[@aleksandrivanchenko6323]

Good review, very good. Supported Etherfields on KS because of it's similarity to Comanauts - expected it to be "bigger and better"... But it looks like you helped to save me at least 179$ ; )