On Mars Review - with Chris and Wendy Yi

[@pilotvc]

These two make a perfect review team. I want to see more!

[@jflartner117]

this is the first video I've seen with Wendy - welcome! =)

[@DoctaDigital]

Just bought this on Saturday, was waiting for the review but glad I grabbed it. Can't wait to play it with my crew. Great review as always!

[@TheDarktater]

This is my favorite Lacerda, followed by Kanban EV and then Vinhos. Every single turn just feels fun to me.

[@DrDribs]

Chris has a bold, smooth, clear voice. Good addition to the DT. Good review to figure out the game is not for me.

[@MrJoelXIII]

excellent review both of you! It will be probable to see your opinions on other Lacerda titles? Just loved your take on Co2 for example.

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

This is an amazing game!!! Thanks for bringing attention to it 🙂 (not that it needs more, but I find it absolutely fascinating)

[@blurryface123]

Chris and Wendy Yi Magnifico addition to Dice Tower!

[@hanseathl]

I just played it last weekend and had so much fun. You are absolutely right with regard to the tray part for the small tokens. It others me like crazy that they did not made a small detached part to make it more usable. We ran into an issue where the game kind of staled at the end of the first phase. I have to check whether we did something wrong there.

[@neptuune]

I just purchased the game a few weeks ago and the insert is now detachable 🎉

[@boardgameknight2791]

YES! Thanks for helping fix the DT's lack of Lacerda games! Kanban EV? Also, why aren't we seeing more of Wendy on the DT? Great points, well spoken, very professional. You two have a podcast?

[@gabrieldomocos7570]

When he said completing the tracks pushes the cube, i felt that

[@mikefoster6018]

Just bought this at the UK Games Expo. I must be mad, as it's exactly the kind of game that doesn't fit my kind of schedules and the shorter play times I'm often limited to. But what can I say - I'm a MASSIVE fan of Vital's other games, which feel beautiful to me!

[@goesgeek]

Obrigado pela resenha! Vocês são ótimos!

[@matt7912-j9p]

I'm very late to the game in this one but I have played it twice now it is fantastic.

[@corrado8955]

First thing I did when I got mine was take an xacto knife and cut that resource tray free as the gaming gods intended it. Also, don’t forget you can spend those rockets to move back and forth too at the opportunity cost of the points they give you if you hold them. You’re never stuck in On Mars! Are you guys going to rank the Lacerda’s when you’re done with this series?

[@TheGiraffehead]

This was my thinking as well. Not only do you now have to pay a cost to move back and forth with your rocket ships but it also presents a really hard decision to travel with the ship as it will be multiple turns before it returns.

[@DTChrisYi]

Excellent point. Didn't want to go on too long, but this is a really important decision in the game. 3vp is absolutely not a small price to pay!

[@Skimaskkass]

Awesome review!

[@Drewkas0]

6:50 In my newly purchased copy, the resource tray is not attached. So apparently they fixed this problem.

[@BreezingThrou]

Real shame they mislead backers with Paradox Surviving Mars crossover/inspired expansion, then went for a mini game Alien Invasion with different player counts through out. On Mars was a big game here for few months, then faded, then pandemic... but was hoping expansion would get this back I to circulation, but not likely now. Good review, thanks for sharing your views. EDIT: So far the one our groups played the most of, and seems to be on one our tables for longer is Escape Plan.

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

Thanks for the review.

[@scilla359]

Love watching your reviews! Interesting insights 🤔 #teamyi

[@hypnotoad55]

wow, great review Chris and Wendy, looking forward to more!

[@jackabbott7295]

Odd, in my copy the resource tray is detachable. Sits right on the table and works great. I wonder if mine copy is a second printing. Maybe this review helped to fix the issue!

[@ESCTom]

Great review, I’ve been waiting for a Lacerda review for ages! What would be your recommendation for a 1st lacerda game?

[@DTChrisYi]

I think my personal recommendation is Eacape Plan. It has plenty of rules, but I find it easier to understand a general turn and the scope of the game. Many recommend The Gallerist, which is not too difficult but wasn't as fun as Escape Plan and had a bit of fiddly setup.

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

Escape Plan is probably the easiest to learn, but the most different from his other games. The Gallerist or Vinhos are the easiest to learn of his "normal" style games. The Gallerist was my first truly heavy game and I still love it!

[@DTChrisYi]

@@johnathanrhoades7751 True, it is the most different from his other games, but you'll definitely get a good enough taste of some things he often employs, like executive actions and relatively few turns in a game with nested steps

[@ESCTom]

@@DTChrisYi Thanks for the advice. Ill check out escape Plan and the Gallerist

[@nickbrown8892]

The Gallerist for sure as it is not too complex, theme works well (mostly) and it is a beautiful example of Ian O'Toole's suberb art

[@BxN88]

My version the resources tray are detached from the other tray - I guess they fix this.

[@mrdreadful5567]

At no point did David Bowie show up in his funky, funky little space suit.

[@jamescartwright1150]

Good review Chris, game looks very complicated, think I'll stick with Bonfire.

[@ThymeKeeper]

Now that this has a seal of excellence, can we stop hearing about it in the Q&A's :D?

[@mikaelhansson9613]

Thanks Chris and Wendy! I actually just got this game after thinking about getting it for a while now. It's up on my table mostly setup, and tomorrow I'll dive into the rules...

[@john-qz3fu]

Does Chris work in radio?

[@nshaw1299]

no, but he does work as Seth MacFarlane.

[@williammcguinness795]

I own three Vital games, including this one. (Vinhos and Lisboa) Of the three this one has a mechanism that really ticked me off and that was the Shuttle action. I think it really slows the game down. Lisboa will remain my favorite among three.

[@mcstabba]

13:42 giggles!

[@kevinbhieey9188]

Whenever I see Chris & Wendy, I know this is a game that will not be for me. But I still enjoy the videos.

[@DullDishwater]

Vital Lacerda games just make my brain explode.

[@JerreMuesli]

Yi-ha!

[@jacobcrumpacker1]

My copy has a detached resources tray

[@kriswhite3912]

So did mine, purchased 2 weeks ago in UK

[@DTChrisYi]

Oh wow, good to know. I will 100% assume they saw my review and time-traveled to the 2nd printing to fix it. Only plausible explanation!

[@xxYetterxx]

"so now you know how its played..." um..

[@Agent_Pendergast]

First, it is great to see the Dice Tower start covering some of these heavier games. Maybe we will get to see a live playthrough for when Mike teaches the rest of the gang Pax Pamir😁. Second, this has been my least favorite Lacerda game. I love Kanban, Vinhos and Lisboa. Absolutely 10/10s on those games. On Mars just felt to me like this was one time where Vital went full on crazy director ala The Phantom Menace where it would have been good to have a few no men/women in the room saying “Maybe, just maybe we tone things down just a smidge and remove some of the complications/fidliness around some of the actions to make for a smoother easier to remember experience. No matter how many times our play group has whipped this one out and it is quite a few times, this is the one game where we consistently have to go back over the intricacies of the actions within the rule book. In my opinion there is a difference between making the game just complicated enough to produce a challenging/rewarding experience vs. making things more complicating for just the sake of complexity. Again my own opinion as I know this game has a large following, with two of that large following being in our playgroup. My ideal sweet spot where I think Vital nailed it in terms of complexity will always be Lisboa.

[@todddonaldson885]

I have cooled on my Chris love but wow does Wendy bring it to the table! You need her on more things!!! Anyone giving something a 9 with a complaining voice is really strange Chris, stick to your Vanna voice :D

[@corsa180]

FYI, that resource tray is detached in later printings of On Mars.

[@DTChrisYi]

Ohhh, that's really good to know. They heeded my warning from the future. That's the best explanation I can think of.

[@ben59320]

That was a nice surprise when I unboxed my game 2 weeks ago. Amazing game. My favorite one right now

[@juliesquirrel5269]

I love KanBan EV. We all (3 players) thought On Mars was a real stinker. Mars itself plays no role at all. Oh well. EDIT: I also saw the expansion, with meeples of little green men in scheming poses. You have got to be kidding me... :/

[@BreezingThrou]

Yeah... that expansion, such a let down, we agree. Had so many here hyped with the chance of expanding the ISS and colonizing or adding more depth with multi domes... No idea what was next, so many great Surviving Mars aspects... no Aliens in the game at all, so to see that was what they meant was just bs. The various player count with the expansion meaning can not play with same group through them all, widely different ideas but none cohesive... sigh can go on but yeah... that expansion, such a let down, roughly sums it up. EDIT: Wonder if the negative push back made them rethink it, has Eagles been quite since.