S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The Board Game First Impressions - There's Not Just People Out There...

[@BoardGameCo]

I totally missed it, but the 8-12 hours campaign is the length of the campaign, but there are 3 campaigns in the core box alone. Which is a huge point considering I was genuinely worried about the replayability because of how much I enjoyed the gameplay.

[@jeroenbeelen9666]

And with the Zone Survival Mode it also offers 1 off play sessions for 2-3 hours.

[@timf7354]

I'm not sure if the GF page was updated between your video and now, but it says "Campaign mode is divided into 3 separate chapters, each 10-12 hours..." I've seen posts on FB quoting your video saying the game is only 8-12 hours in total length and not worth the price. :( 30-36 hours total gameplay plus additional time to maybe replay the mission to check out what's in the room that didn't go into or playing stealthy one time and run and gun the next...and probably die from the latter. :)

[@BoardGameCo]

@@timf7354 This might be a math thing....if there are 3 missions per campaign as the page says, and they are 2-4 hours per mission, I think it's technically 6-12 hours per campaign...which is even worse. This is made worse by the fact that mission 1 is really only about 60-90 minutes, and from youtube videos it seems like everyone is sharing my experience with that length. Honestly, I like the game a lot...but I'm really not clear on how much content to expect.

[@timf7354]

@@BoardGameCo I think it's a terminology thing, too. At 3:46 you hold up the Stalker's Momentos book. (Is this the "Campaign", "Chapters", or "Missions" book?) I assume from the GF page, the game contains 1 "campaign", which has 3 "chapters", and each "chapter" has an unspecified amount of "missions". The first "mission" played took most everyone between 60-90 minutes, like you said. Does that Momento's book only have 1 mission in it? Or does it seem like it's the chapter book? It will be very disappointing if there isn't at least 30 hours of gameplay for the price they are asking... EDIT: The GF page says the core box has 3 campaigns in it's graphic. And in the comments section, it says another campaign was unlocked via stretch goals. So, 4 campaigns total. Yet, in the English sentences on the page, it says 1 campaign with 3 chapters. So, I'm confused on what they mean... (I know, not an issue for you, just explaining/complaining.)

[@leadbones]

30 replayable hours, plus the zone survival mode seems like enough to me. That's less than 100 bucks and more content than a lot of games.

[@namewithheld8115]

Alex, I love the way you are always so upfront (and maybe even overly-cautious) about declaring your relationship with Gamefound and Awaken Realms. I've worked for a bank and for the government, and both of them heavily stressed that it is not just if you have a conflict of interest, it can be the perception of having a conflict of interest. Your effort to be fair and unbiased gives me even more faith in the accuracy of your ratings. Thank you.

[@joeferreti9442]

I hate stickers in board games!

[@kyssy7744]

I’m just exhausted of these big Kickstarter campaign games. I’ve racked up hundreds of hours of a backlog already, and it’s getting really hard to both table some of these games and to get the motivation to table them (especially with how rules complex they’ve become). And I would’ve preferred more of an open world adventure game for STALKER, so this one is a pass for me.

[@garylangford6755]

Idk what is with game complexity these days. Oathsworn was so complex I used 2 days with covid to learn the rules. It's not consumer friendly I feel

[@GPlewright]

These games appeal to the halcyon days of our youth where it felt like we had endless hours to get lost in a big game with loads of rules and bits. The reality is, an individual may be able to dig deep into their own favourite game system but we all find it hard to find opponents to sink hours into that one system we love. I have to very honestly interrogate my purchases with two questions, will the people in my life play this with me? Can I enjoy it solo? If no and no then it doesn’t get purchased.

[@marksomogyi2514]

I suspect the sci-fi campaign game you couldn’t think of with stealth was Earth Under Siege Flashpoint

[@bigbobbysmalls7702]

Absolutely love your point on watching others play and discovering things that you enjoy. For myself as a dad of two young boys, it’s one of life’s greatest treasures. A little off topic but, any plans to revisit Witcher Old World now that it’s out to the masses?

[@antonj.2408]

After watching multiple videos about the game, it seems like the cardboard terrain actually helps making it easier to figure out the enemies line of sight. I read that they consider alternative options for stickers, so I'm curious about that.

[@antonj.2408]

I think that replayability should be fine, because you also have the Zone Survival Mode with randomly generated one-off scenarios. While this removes the campaign stuff like map management, it still keeps the story elements and surprises which won't wear off like the ones from the campaign mode.

[@RandomPerson-nd2ey]

The theme is cool. The artwork and minis are awesome. The gameplay? Ehh, that's where the game lost me to be honest. It just seems fiddly and frustrating. Trying to go stealthy gets impeded by the random movement and the direction enemies end up facing. There's not many ways to mitigate that. Going on the assault seems like it would result in getting assaulted from multiple directions all at once. Maybe it would work for solo gamers that are fine with that stuff but I'm not seeing how it would work for a group. They pretty much *have* to move but everyone doing so attracts all of the enemies immediately. So... Yeah, pass.

[@leadbones]

The facing and the fiddlyness of it are what make it so awesome and open up all the tactical possibilities you can't have with a simpler, less fiddly system. It'd not for everyone, sure. But it's definitely for this license.

[@JohnnyMcNabb63]

Concerns… 1) Hate the building terrain for walls. Should get rid of them which would lower price. 2) hate stickers and paper map, it hurts replay. 3) cards on what’s in the rooms. If not random it lowers replay. 4) over watch tokens don’t seem to be needed. Just another token to move. 5) enemy line of sight. They look straight /left /right but they don’t seem to look diagonal. 6) everything is either black or gold. Different colors for player cards. 7) too many tokens for noise Likes… 1) it’s a beautiful looking game just too much black and gold. 2) miniatures are awesome. 3) like the radiation and the counter for it. 4) short campaign. 5) one shot games available. 4) not having to track damage on enemies. 5.) not having to roll for noise all the time like Reichbusters.

[@antonj.2408]

I wonder if having enemies only looking straight would have worked better... then they would also avoid the problem with enemies not looking diagonal. However, this would probably need even more miniatures to keep the challenge, but it would make it easier to keep track of the enemies line of sight.

[@JohnnyMcNabb63]

@@antonj.2408 .. I like that idea for line of sight. Don’t have to worry about left or right.. it would make the difficultly easier I think so it would be a lighter game than maybe what they are going for. I would like the noise streamlined more. Don’t need yellow and red noise. Just one color would be better.

[@derekgarcia3069]

I don't think the 3d terrain is in the core pledge, nor are the enemy minis. I believe both are add-ons, and not the same box, so you can probably ignore the terrain. For me it's a huge bonus as I love the table presence, and it's even more obvious what's blocking line of sight.

[@stuward9226]

I’m learning to say no. Whilst there are so many things I like about this game I do not like it enough to be a priority in getting to the table vs some other games I have on pre order. I want to say thanks Alex as you have help me resist buying due to FOMO and focus on buying games i know i will table lots and enjoy.

[@stephenwyda2568]

In your opinion, how does this game compare to games like Zombicide or Nemesis which seem to be similar systems? Any reason to get one over the other? Thanks!

[@danno4729]

Thanks for posting. My question, as well. Thanks for the video, Alex!

[@seansmith2650]

I couldn't stand trying to keep track of each enemies vision in burncycle so this is a hard pass for me

[@antonj.2408]

The card board terrain seems to help making it a bit easier to see.

[@danieldouglasclemens]

Skipping ANY Awaken Realms games at this point. Their estimates are purposely way too optimistic and I am not willing to wait for a board game for 3+ years just to get the base game let alone the expansions. Still waiting for my base game of ISS Vanguard in German. With large language models and artificial intelligence translation should become easier, cheaper as well as almost instantaneous. Even if it isn't perfect, it can be a first draft and take a huge initial weight off of any translation task. This and given the fact that Awaken Realms has the policy of first having ALL English gaming components done before even starting on the translation process doesn't help. I may not get all the fancy additional components of the campaign, but who cares? I wait for retail or skip the entire game.

[@jamessullivan5168]

I always enjoy your take on gameplay and this overview was right on track. I have watched a couple run throughs on other channels and found them very informative. Your review just solidifies my feelings for the game, feelings that will more than likely get me into trouble $$$-wise. So far, based on what I've seen, I like this game. The story telling aspect really draws one into the atmosphere of the game. The Anomaly mechanics are really interesting and I love those models. I do have to mention I felt like the noise issues were a bit troublesome but something with which one just has to overcome. One thing I've come to agree with you on is the 3D structure outlines. I thought they were really cool during the unboxing, though I immediately thought, "Oh oh, more money, more money!" Once I saw how the game sets up, I was of your opinion that they get in the way. I do like some of the other rubble thay have but I doubt it'll all be separate from the set. All that said, once again I fear we'll have a huge issue with FOMO, wanting all the goodies offered. And then, in my case, there's waiting a year - maybe more - for the game to appear at our doors. Love your channel. Peace! Ramble off.

[@matthewmanghi5765]

I’m pretty sure there are actually 4 different 12 hour campaigns (1 is a stretch goal) so if you want more stalker just play the next campaign! 🙂

[@Towerofheaven]

Really sad they took a stealth approach for the game. The video game and books are more about the dangers and caution of the world, you can't avoid the danger, it's present and you can find a way to deal with it. Resources being scarce etc. Here it seems more like a tedious puzzle, where the only dangers lies in knowing you have to hold back or you get overrun. I would much rather they turned it more into a survival game or explored a more narrative driven solution. Although I guess narrative is too rough, since the writing in the books is so good that they would only cause dissapointment.

[@4sh2k8]

That's not quite right. "Being stealthy" in the video game was 1 way to deal with the danger arround you. The A.I. was pretty good. It did really matter how you killed the enemy. I was a pretty big fan of it ;D. Of course its not absolutly identical, but I was pretty amazed how close this board game feels to the actual video game. They even included the possibilty that 2 different factions fight each other here in the board game. I'm curious how that'll work. To your second point, the narration: I don't think Awaken Realms will let you down there. All their campaign games had a fantastic narration (whatever you might think about their gameplay elements). I can't imagine otherwise. If one company can pull of an atmospheric stalker board game, its them.

[@renatocarvalho6059]

Thank you for the thorough review, Alex! Great as always. :) The other stealth based game you were trying to remember, was it Earth Under Siege: Flashpoint? I'm also quite excited for that one.

[@philthephreak]

Question regarding stealth: could you feasibly make a bunch of noise in one space, then run and hide in another? This would allow you to sneak up behind enemies again. That’s a fun tactic in games like Last of us.

[@BoardGameCo]

Whenever you move you generate noise, so yes it can be done, but requires less noise in the second area.

[@Nayr090]

I'm not super sure about another campaign game, but they did a whole dev diary on Zone Survival mode, aka one-shot mode. If that's fleshed out well, maybe it'll be enough to make non-campaign gamers (like myself lol) jump in.

[@samharkin9981]

Don't know how I feel about the prominent grid layout on the board. It's very bold and gets in the way of the art, and by extension, the immersion.

[@BoardGameCo]

I respect that but also I can say it has worked for me

[@derekgarcia3069]

I'll sacrifice immersion (which I basically never feel anyways) for ease of play and readability.

[@leadbones]

That's kind of preferable for a board game. Certainly, it is better than obscured and difficult to define boundaries.

[@mr.beaker8714]

What would you prefer if compared to the new Tainted Grail ?

[@haxan6663]

I do like the post-apocalyptic theme but I still have Hunters 2114 that I haven't played yet, so I will probably pass. Beginning to think that I have enough campaign games to last me several years (with more to come). Decided that I am not keeping Isofarian Guard because I don't like it enough to play it for the required hours, so don't really need another campaign game.

[@seansmith2650]

I'm also bothered how they have three outstanding projects. Hey how about you get some of these guys on my over a year late ISS vanguard

[@damiankomimasa3609]

Thank you for showing me this game in more detaiil point of view. Now I know what I should do about this campaign:) I love your corner "twhat I cna see that others not like" too.

[@markmahoney4089]

This game looks a lot more enticing now but my bank account dictates Firefly > S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

[@Raving94]

sorry but im but im confused so this is a storry game with missions and it has a just survaval mode so a mix of storry games like tainted grail and a dungeon game like cthulu death may die ?

[@iainlangley7219]

I am amazed that games are sticking with noise as a thing. It hardly ever works, why not just trigger 'noise' immediately - you run, they chase. Much more impactful, less to remember and less tokens.

[@joncarr5545]

Can’t wait for this! Thanks for covering.

[@Hewardrv8]

Very similar to core space as far as combat etc

[@BoardGameCo]

Interesting, good to know

[@PecktecGames]

Thanks Alex I’m looking forward to this one. It’s totally my vibe.

[@fergusonfasso338]

I hate campaign games, but I love Awaken Realms and STALKER, Nemesis is my favorite game ever. Is the Survival-Zone mode enough for purchase in your opinion?

[@joeferreti9442]

The mechanics as seen in another solo playthrough video seem fairly good (different action tokens, line of sight, combat, wound cards and the radiation). But such story-driven games are not something I particularly enjoy and I'm not a fan of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. computer game. And it's too expensive, even without the miniatures most of which you have to buy separately. And even if I would want it, I think, it has not enough replayability with 3 small campaigns with few scenarios. I think they're also going to offer an expansion box for unlimited play, but I somehow doubt it will work well enough to make it interesting. And on top of it all, I can't justify another game with several big boxes for the time being.

[@srebme2]

Sigh. We’re totally going to end up backing this but we really don’t need another campaign game in our collection. I just looks too good to say no to.

[@derekgarcia3069]

One of the benefits is it's a collection of shorter campaigns. It's actually the main reason I'm interested, as I tend to avoid most large campaign games.

[@jeroenbeelen9666]

I get a lot of This War of Mine vibes. Can't wait to get this game in my hands 😊

[@BoardGameCo]

I actually didn't love This War of mine but liked this...although thematically and narratively I agree with you.

[@derraldlosey1118]

Don’t know if I will back this. Running out of room for big games.

[@lucky6666]

I refuse to type the 14 character game name 😂. Should be 7 characters 😈.

[@didierj3836]

With 40k followers on the campaign this will be a huge success for sure, at the cost of a lot of disappointments i'm afraid once backers will effectively test this (screwed and approximative, non realistic) gameplay. I awaited this campaign more than any of other campaigns this year and it ends up that, watching the review here and there, i finally must admit that this game will not live up to my expectations. I sincerely hope that all the ones who will back without even checking a single review or without really trying to know what's behind this nice DA, will be happy with their choice.

[@BoardGameCo]

I might be better off, I don't think I had any expectations when I played it.

[@TheRancord]

I never backed any AR so far, though always intrigued. This game checks basically all my boxes, but im still a bit unsure about if gameplay is to tactical. I dont like non scripted playthrough videos, so I wanted to wait for BoardGameCo and the canadian 5 reason not to back before going in. I love everything about this game that is not the core gameplay (I am just not sure yet): - Love the theme - Love those story swap cards (seems bit like a3e archive deck) - Love more shorter campagins - Love Hub World - Love Skirmish mode

[@arthursullivan3663]

Im starting to enjoy smaller games. These big kickstarters are becoming a chore

[@BoardGameCo]

Totally respect that, I enjoy having a mix

[@garylangford6755]

There are typos and poor wording on the campaign page. Alex did they get you to proof read the page?

[@BoardGameCo]

I don't work for Awaken Realms, I work for Gamefound...there's no reason I would proof read the page.

[@nirszi]

Board game designers really need to find a new system to deal with the concept of noise.

[@garylangford6755]

I dislike how so many kickstarters are addicted to using IPs. Especially old ones. Dont want to back an ip gane when i know nothing about the ip. Sounds like the metro series would have been a bigger and newer ip for the same themed game?

[@Floating.Point.]

S.TA.L.K.E.R. is immensely more popular than Metro. The new gen S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 has been delayed but nearly there, and the franchise got a huge revival thanks to ANOMALY and real life Stalker vloggers who go around exploring Pripyat and Chernobyl.

[@BoardGameCo]

I get that. I agree that instinctively an IP has me wary; but for me it also depends on who's working with it.

[@ericlaplante1866]

Good preview! Would you say that there is more overall luck mitigation than in Assassin’s Creed. I played hours of V-Sabotage and now hesitating between this and Assassin’s Creed! Thanks for the input!👌

[@maxf.7262]

Ty for this video!

[@oxiris]

Wanted to like this one. Watched available playthroughs and found it boring. Happy to save some moneys :) Although post-apocalyptic setting and especially Stalker universe is straight at the top of my wishlist.

[@ryangilmore3678]

Should have played while wearing a gas mask.

[@BoardGameCo]

Lol, might be a drop much

[@paladinpariah325]

Why do all the heroes in non-fantasy board games look like homeless people these days? First Apex Legends and now this game.

[@Floating.Point.]

Because they’re literally homeless. They’re Stalkers and they sleep wherever they can, sometimes they get a matressless bed in the rookie village, sometimes a blowout forces them to rush into a dirt hole or an abandoned factory.

[@paladinpariah325]

@ARCADDER Yeah, I know, I played the original PC game. My point is that it's not an aesthetic that I'm interested in. I'm especially confounded by how the minis in Apex look more like Wildlings from GoT than sci-fi soldiers.

[@lexmachina8961]

I think this game is for the IP lovers. I'm not and without that connection, the game seems just meh (the visual design seems a bit old school), the mechanics seem a bit bloated and nothing stands out enough for me to be kept engaged. And the stickers on the map is a big no no.

[@BoardGameCo]

I couldn't care less about the IP and this one worked for me.

[@Towerofheaven]

I love the IP and I think this game is a bad take on it. This game is for people who love stealth games.

[@Urek968]

The second I saw the stickers I knew I wasn't going to get this game. I don't get why developers think they need legacy components.