Orleans Invasion: My Favorite Game Mechanism

[@MjrLeegInfidel]

I have to super agree. This game was awesome and the idea that the expansion added a cooperative element to me was offputting. However, it works! It really does. I don't know of other games that have an expansion or both a coop and comp game mode, but this game was and is amazing

[@philippneumann5181]

I agree. I absolute love the coop mode. I also prefer having a clear goal and building towards it, in contrast to other coop games where you always feel like beeing in damage control mode, which feels more stressful to me. I played it only 2 times so far and also we won both times, but only at the last possible moment, so it did feel quite balanced.

[@jameystegmaier]

That's perfectly said about damage control--like you, I'd much rather have a clear goal and build towards it. After all, Orleans already has uncertainty in it regarding which tokens you draw out of the bag.

[@spenner2]

I love Orleans, and the first expansion (Invasion) is absolutely brilliant. While I'll probably teach Orleans as the base game, when I'm playing with more experienced players I really think that, after 10ish plays now of the base, I'm more interested in the cooperative variant or the other competitive scenarios. I'm hard-pressed to think of another expansion to a different game that adds so much variety to playability and changes up how you play the game.

[@spenner2]

What I think I find most interesting is that the expansion isn't a bunch of modules, so it doesn't feel tacked on.

[@jameystegmaier]

That's true. While in principle it's neat to have different modules to combine together, what I usually want is the designer to tell me, "Here's the best way to play the game. Do it this way."

[@charlesdionne5500]

I love Orléans and I thought it was wonderful to get the Orléans experience as a cooperative game. I, too, thought it worked really well. Now, I've only played it once and it's been a while so my memory might be a bit hazy, but if I remember correctly we had the option to build our own events deck by mixing and matching events from the base game and the expansion. I like that mechanism because it adds variety from game to game but also changes the level of difficulty without resorting to just an increase or decrease in the objectives needed (the number of epidemics needed to lose in Pandemic, for example). Hope I am remembering correctly :) Definitely a great expansion and you remind me that I need to play it again soon!

[@jameystegmaier]

That's an interesting twist about mixing the original event deck with the cooperative event deck. We didn't play that way, but I think that would add a fun twist to it!

[@kirbywarrior1]

I have played Thunderstone competitively exactly once, and used my set FAR more for cooperative "tower defense" games as laid out in one of the expansions. You place cards out in this field, face down, and every turn you flip them face up. After the last one is flipped up, the row(s) slides down and a new row of cards is added. If a row hits the "village walls" it loses health, and if a monster ever passes through a destroyed wall, the players lose. It's a straightforward deckbuilder, and a straightforward tower defense, but it scratches both itches on a basic but satisfying level for me. The players sort of slot themselves into specializations, too, which is kind of neat and adds a bit of character to the experience. Orleans: Invasion is great, too! I hear City Council has a pretty good co-op version with one of its expansions, but I haven't been able to try it yet.

[@jameystegmaier]

Thank you for sharing that, David! It sounds like the "impending and progressing threat" style of cooperative games, which work well.

[@kirbywarrior1]

Jamey Stegmaier It very much does! Thankfully, it's also a barrage of known duration, which makes it more rewarding as you watch the deck of Monsters dwindle. Oh! I also forgot! Even if the players succeed, they could still lose - if their combined victory points earned don't exceed the value of the monsters that cast themselves on the walls by game's end, true victory has evaded them.

[@benjaminbruhn4360]

I love the coop version of Scythe. Might be inspired by Orleans Invasion 😁👍

[@jameystegmaier]

Thanks! Yes, I think there were some slight inspirations there. :)

[@yacoubhs]

I have shared this video with a friend who likes Orleans but hates to try the coop variant, he doesn't likes Coops, hopefully this'll convince him to try it 😊

[@kevinqueen6246]

So would u rather see variations within the rules when the game ships, is it bad or wrong to try to change the core gameplay after the game is in the marketplace?

[@jameystegmaier]

That's a good question. My personal preference as a gamer is that the core game is just the core game. I almost always ignore variations, as I just want the designer to tell me the most fun way to play the game. As for expansions that drastically change the game (like turning a competitive game into a cooperative one), I actually think it's a really cool concept. The reason I was hesitant about it is that Orleans is so cemented in my mind as a great competitive game--why would I want to play it cooperatively? Invasions made me realize how much fun it can be cooperatively, though.

[@kevinqueen6246]

That's a awesome answer thank Jamey!!

[@Keindzjim]

Does it play well with 2 players?

[@jameystegmaier]

I've heard from friends that it does, but I haven't tried that myself.