Race to the Raft Review: Fast Fleeing Felines

[@thedicetower]

While the overview portion of the videos are not supposed to fulfill the role of a "how to play" segment, I misspoke about when Fire tiles are placed on the board. In the overview, I was putting out fire tiles when the cats were moved, when you should be placing them every time a pathway card is placed on the board. The cards you discard for cat movement go to a disaster pile which will bring out another fire tile when you have four in that pile. I apologize for this error, and want to make it clear that I have always played the game according to the correct rules. - Mike

[@Ominous39061]

Aw man! I was just coming here to tell you this....

[@thecuriousboardgamer]

I agree with you so much. I didnt back this almost purely based on the esthetic. And the meow token is a huge turnoff. Core design looks fun though.

[@vwilliams9365]

This is a great game. I also really enjoy the solo mode of the game. And everyone I have showed it to in a multiplayer game has loved it. There are definitely some people who like the Meow token, and others who don’t. Personally, I can take it or leave it. (My wife thinks it is fun, but definitely group specific.) It’s very easy to just treat it as being the same as one of the talk tokens and not do the meowing. That still allows each person to have that one chance to communicate while taking away the zany aspect from someone meowing in various tones. I agree that I wish the fire looked better than it does. The problem is that the designer was limited because the cats in this game all come from the Isle of Cats game. So their colors have to match what they were in original game. As a result, to use a lot of red or orange in the fire would have probably been confusing with the red paths for the Teruvian (red) cat.

[@SarahHadley162]

I noticed even on a playthrough a month or two ago how hard it was to look at this game. I thought, "That's going to make people's eyes water." I'm surprised at such a vehement response to the Meow token, though. I would think that would make the game more appealing to families with kids. Of course, I also think it's hysterical, myself - flashbacks to childhood watching Mister Rogers! "Meow meow meow everyone takes themselves meow seriously, meow!" ;)

[@Wylie288]

Actually the more you look the easier it gets. Having watched 2 reviews on it, its just become super easy to parse. Your learn how to ignore non relevant information. EVERY game has this problem. Even uno. Each card has colors, 3 symbols, a useless pattern. There are so many cards in your hand etc. But you learn to filter.

[@nilsjahn1184]

You got a rule wrong. After you moved a cat you just discard one card to the disaster pile, you don‘t place a fire token. If the disaster pile has 4 or more cards, you discard 4 cards from the disaster pile and then you place a fire token.

[@michaeldilisio557]

Good catch! You’re of course correct. It’s the curse of trying to focus on both teaching and filming.

[@pluvia33]

@@michaeldilisio557 Also, you're supposed to draw and place a fire tile after every single pathway card is placed.

[@michaeldilisio557]

@@pluvia33 correct. That’s what was stated above.

[@lindasorensen7790]

We did this (fire token with every cat move) until we got to a scenario that was impossible. Then I re-read the rules. You can get through a lot of the easier scenarios doing this if you want to up the challenge 🙂

[@ChitsandCardboard]

I didn't love this at first glance but you've convinced me to give it another look :)

[@edwardbrost331]

Gameplay is right up my alley but this looks like a prototype version with its graphic design and color scheme.

[@jjcc8379]

Limiting communication can be a core mechanic, and I find it genuinely interesting if done well. The best example for me is The Crew . In fact, with the mission book here and the gradual rule introduction / difficulty increase I was reminded of that game. But with these kinds of tiles? That can be so varied even knowing the palette limitation? mmm... I get your point. Seems fun though. And an easy cooperative to teach and enjoy. :)

[@nihlify]

I hate it in The Crew as well.

[@raggerrhinouk]

I backed this at KS I mostly play solo, and it's great as a solo play. I've read on the FB group, couples trying it and barely scrape through due to communication issues.

[@arnold2011]

Played it multiplayer and it surprised us. It was engaging and the limited communication worked well for our group.

[@soogymoogi]

I think the "meta" limited communication problem is more of a player problem than a game problem, like alpha gaming. I agree with you that it's not my favorite thing, though. Limited communication aside, this sounds like a very fun co-op puzzle. I think my group will really enjoy the Meow tokens. Hoping to pick this one up soon.

[@nihlify]

You don't solve a problem by introducing another problem. Hence devs making it a game problem. Also there's perfectly valid reasons to want to be able to communicate in a co-op game other than alpha gaming. If you don't want alpha gamers, don't play with alpha gamers.

[@soogymoogi]

@@nihlify i said i didn't really like limited communication, so idk why you're saying all this to me? I just pointed out that one of the arguments in the video is kind of the opposite to one I believe Mike's made in the past.

[@Flip5ide]

A nice constructive review.

[@JayBee10]

Sonic the Hedgehog would be proud of that red communication token: “Uh… me-oooow?”

[@brianblessednn]

I played this two player and all I could think of was that it would be better solo. I quite enjoyed it, nevertheless. Also, the look of the game is the reason I didn't back it myself. Busy busy.

[@boardgamemusic]

Great Review, Mike :)

[@wolflarson71]

Looks solid. Is there one "standard mode" you can play with instead of playing through all of the different scenarios?

[@TheClyd3Man]

For that I think you just pick any of the 81 scenarios and play it again. They will have more for download via their website as time goes on.

[@brianblessednn]

​@@TheClyd3ManIt's not a campaign. The setup is highly variable so you have to pick a scenario. Without a scenario, there's no setup.

[@TheClyd3Man]

Right. The term "campaign" is used for sets of puzzles. There is no story.

[@ZenicNZ]

We have played a few of the scenarios, definately gets trickier, especially when getting cats back in the right order. Lava having to go down each path placement spreads quickly! So far the puzzling element wins over the odd colour design choices.

[@CamObscura88]

Seems like it could be fun, but admittedly I can’t get over how ugly the board looks which is a bit disappointing given how pretty Isle of Cats is).

[@PChal015]

и достигнешь высот!

[@PChal015]

Это видео мне подняло настроение))0)

[@lucy3107]

Played this game with friends who had backed the KS. We had fun with the Meow token, but otherwise I think MIke's review is spot on. The game was fun enough, but the graphic design is a mess and is very visually overwhelming. It's not one I'll pick up since others in our gaming group already have it, but I won't refuse to play it when it comes out.

[@DarthPizza777]

I like the idea of the game but the looks of it throws me off and gives me a headache..

[@kevinbhieey9188]

I saw that board and immediately said, "This is from the Isle of Cats people?" Isle of Cats is so gorgeous. This is so.... not. The garish Kingdomino colors are just not working. The larger problem, though, are those fire tiles. Sooooo ugly. Also, why? It would've been much more thematically sound to have the cats escaping A FLOOD. Here's a secret: most cats don't like water! Also, there's a raft! It can catch on fire! But it'll keep you safe from water!! So dumb. (For the pedantic peoples: Yes, water is one of the paths. In a game about cats! It could've easily been grey stone, which would actually help the other eye-gouging colors blend a little more.) Having a field of blue surrounding everything wouldn't be any less "scary" and it would be much more of a looker. Glad you mentioned that it can solo because it didn't sound like you could from the multiplayer game. It looked like "Limited Communication" would turn into "All the Communication". I'm sure we'll be getting that review shortly...

[@TheClyd3Man]

Lore/story wise the fire makes sense. The island is being destroyed by Vesh Darkhand and minions, not some natural disaster such as a tsunami. I also find the game quite busy visually, but the theming works based on the previous games.

[@kevinbhieey9188]

@@TheClyd3Man I appreciate referencing the original plot here, but all the original game says is that "Trees will burn, and the ancient rocks will be broken." So even the evil Lord Vesh knows his fire will not work on stone. Also, the trees are the only tile here that would be devastated by fire. The sandy beach wouldn't. The stone buildings wouldn't. The water definitely wouldn't. The grassy areas MIGHT but the grass looks awfully healthy and the trees are less abundant than in that forest of horrors that probably SHOULD be burned to the ground. It's not like this game has really solidified his plans either. Somehow he is setting the island on fire AND is harvesting it for resources (I assume those are the buildings...?). That's not a well-themed plan if Lord Vesh really is some sort of evil genius. This comes off more as: "Me set fires! Me no want make money! Me no want live workers!" They could've done better, even with the minimal story they are using: that most of the cats have already been saved - in Isle of Cats - and these are the few stragglers. "Arriving on the Isle, Lord Vesh decided NOT to set it on fire, and instead decided to harvest it for resources." The tiles then could've been themed with his minions setting up camps and harvesting equipment, something far less ugly but easily distinguished from the island tiles. Or even better: "Lord Vesh has been harvesting the island for resources, but his minions over-harvested and the island has started collapsing, the ocean reclaiming what it had created." Isn't that a better actual story than "Lord Vesh is a hot mess"?

[@Greggiexplore]

I agree, my first impression was visually overwhelming ..., for that reason I decided to skip the game, its really hard on eyes.

[@dbungart3044]

Not really a looker eh? This seems very mediocre.

[@nihlify]

I agree with your opinion about the limited communication rules, not a huge fan of any communication rules in co-op games.