On Mars Review

[@kevina3411]

I subscribe to lots of channels discussing board games but I love your videos, feel so much like just a casual conversation about the game rather than a formatted board game review.

[@DriveThruReview]

Appreciate it Kevin!

[@michaelbrands5191]

I still need to play this one, and it looks great. What I don't get about this designer's games, is why Lisboa does not seem to attract more attention: it, too, is an amazing blend of mechanisms, theme, combo's, detailed deep strategy...

[@TheDarktater]

I really like this one. My favorite Lacerda and might climb into my top 10. Thanks Joel!

[@mikefoster6018]

At the UK Games Expo I bought this game based on my love of some other Vital Lacerda games. But it's a pretty twitchy choice because it's the kind of game that fits badly into the gaming scene I have (which is mostly 3 hour evenings with plenty of people wanting to learn new games rather than replay ones). I just want to own it because I love what Vital does and who knows, maybe it'll be an incentive to change my game scene a bit. Wonderful Rube Goldberg machines, putting spanners in the works etc.

[@mysterymcfly3107]

This is a very detailed and professional review, well done! You got a subscriber out of me!

[@DriveThruReview]

Thank you. Welcome :)

[@RedEyedGhost1]

Really loved my one play of it so far, but definitely agree about the First Colonist cards. Everybody completely forgot about them as we were playing (same thing happened with the same type of cards the first time we played Lisboa as well).

[@RustyskillCS]

What shelve are you using behind you?

[@DriveThruReview]

It's not a currently available thing as far as I know. I picked them up really cheaply during a sale at an Office Max which is now out of business.

[@VinegarAndSaltedFries]

I love other Lacerda games, so it was quite a shock when I played this and it fell completely flat for me. I didn’t enjoy it at all. It felt like a prolonged experience in to many mechanisms with a few working against each other. I even tried it again and didn’t like it even more. The On Mars/ Off Mars decision is a lot of fun and definitely one of the highlights in what I overwhelming found an experience that isn’t for me. Vinhos is one of my absolute favorite games so you can imagine my disappointment. All this said, while it definitely isn’t for me, and I feel the need to warn people that it definitely might not be for them,the game is gorgeous with great graphic design and I’m sure some people will love it. I just find this his least accessible game, and struggles from a bit of overindulgence in mechanics. Great review though despite our major differences in opinions.

[@jacobjslee]

Exactly my thoughts. Every single one. You didn't mention price, though, which made it sting a bit more.

[@Jasebbi]

Vinhos is one of my favorite games as well. I still haven’t played this yet...all the reviews scare me as there are just way too many moving parts/maintenance and thus the reason I never backed the KS. Your comments as well as the reviews make me think I don’t really need to try this. Lacerda games are hit & miss for me. Love Vinhos and the Gallerist but CO2 and Lisboa are just bad games....I think this one might miss the mark for me as well.

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

Jasebbi I feel like many would disagree that Lisboa is a “bad game”. Long, complex, and not for everyone, sure, but objectively a bad game? That’s a difficult stance to defend.

[@Jasebbi]

@@johnathanrhoades7751 okay....I’ll agree with you that Lisboa is not a bad game, I just don’t think it’s fun. It’s well designed, just quite boring. However, I do stand by my statement that CO2 is a bad game and escape plan should also be added to that list of bad Lacerda games. =) I was going to give Mars a try until Joel said it’s most like CO2.

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

Jasebbi Haven’t played the other two, but yeah, not everyone will find fun in Lisboa. I love it, but I feel like most board gamers would be on your side there.

[@kennethhcsit2]

Also one of my favourites of 2020 and a serious brain burner one! Thanks for the review!

[@aminzarei8078]

You dont review many games but your reviews are great informative and detailed ALL IM ASKING is to focus more on cons maybe?! Thank you

[@Salixalba1000]

Great review (as always), love this game but I am a homer for Vitals games. Lisboa is my favorite however. Only one I have not played is Kanban.

[@tonybowers9490]

Thanks for sharing. The game is probably too complex, to long to play, for my group. I like the premise and hoped the game was for me, but I'll pass. Look! The Gallerist is over your left shoulder. :-)

[@Littlebean-t2t]

I'll throw this game on my bgg as a eventual play. Must find that 2nd hand copy on the cheap :D

[@icarusmustburn]

Great review of a great game! Maybe we’ll get to share a table over a game of this one day.

[@DriveThruReview]

Thanks. Hopefully one day. :)

[@benfoster6715]

I've become disenchanted by Lacerda games and stopped playing/getting after The Gallerist. CO2 is hands down my favorite and Kanban has become my #2, and gotta play The Gallerist more to decide to keep or not. I always liked his approach to theme integration, but with the prevalence of certain mechanisms and concepts in his games, the heavy euro feel and decision making punches thru the theme and remind me it's just another Lacerda game instead of a Wine game or Mars game etc. I love cynical financial/economic games and I feel CO2 is the most distinct game of his first 4. It feels more like a financial game to me than a euro. Kanban, the theme was enjoyable, and for some reason, I didn't feel like the mechanisms and euro decision making overwhelmed the theme. Its certainly cool to see him incorporate a map for On Mars! (Also the EGG mini coffin box deters from buying on a whim haha)

[@savethefunk]

Joel, have you watched Mars on Netflix? Very appropriate show for this game ;) It's very good (imo)

[@DriveThruReview]

I've not. I'll check it out. Thanks.

[@savethefunk]

@@DriveThruReview www.imdb.com/title/tt4939064/

[@Karmancer67]

I really really like the Mars show on Netflix, great suggestion. I'm super happy about all the potential colonization technology and potential futures that I might see in progress before I die. I think Elon Musk and the other players in the "space faring race" potential future have the right idea. If we stay on Earth our timeline is finite, if we become multi- planetary our timeline has a greater potential to last far longer than we could have imagined possible.

[@framebrain]

Fine, fine... I’ll get it to the table Joel... long overdue... :)

[@DriveThruReview]

Get to it!

[@jonathangeorge7528]

I need to get this back to the table. My first play was a disaster, but I saw a fun game underneath its brutal rules/how to score points overhead.

[@greginfla_1]

While you were giving final thoughts... Wanted to see what you thought of Lisboa.... I don’t see where you did a review. Any thoughts on Lisboa? I put you as one of the top five reviewers, I was surprised you didn’t do one on Lisboa, was there a reason?

[@DriveThruReview]

I never got a chance to try it. Folks in my group that did try it were very lukewarm to it.

[@oinc7320]

Sold me when you said CO2