Smash Up: Big in Japan Review - with Tom Vasel

[@megavolt97]

If you are a part of the smash up newsletter you'd know that they are going to add titans to other factions in 2018.

[@Ehurst01]

My speculation: I hope they retroactively add Titans to the other packs. I think they would hit the table more often. These factions seem cool but the expansions with special mechanics never get played in our games. I do think it would be cool to have a Cthulhu invades Japan game and play with The Obligatory Cthulhu Expansion and Big in Japan. (said with my best Chaz Marler impression) It's also a little annoying that they are on the dividers because then the cards they should be dividing are now not properly divided and I have to figure out where in my convoluted expansion based then alphabetized location they go back to in my Big Geeky Box... but I'll learn to live with it!

[@apex2000]

yeah that is kinda shame, they should have kept the titan and the divider seperate, would also have made any retroactive addition more fare. Odds are if they did retroactively add to old sets, youd be talking about Big Geeky Box style release, with 1 faction and then all the rest of the pack with the new titans.... oh, maybe that when they'll release the Big In Japan Divider (only) cards... them crafty bastards.

[@apex2000]

Cthulu pack. Well that Cthulu & Father Dagon needed right of the bat. What about the poor factions that can't really get Titans.... like Pirates? I mean Pirate Ships only get So Large?

[@Bundeskaiser]

This would be amazing and a great chance to rebalance the game because some factions are - at least nowadays - lacking. It would be also very thematic for some older factions (like the Cthulhu stuff and the Monster deck, however I can't imagine which Titan the Vampires should have when there's already the Count). However even when this comes true (whhat I doubt) I'm quite scared about Titans for factions which are already quite overwhelming like Zombies, Robots, Greeks or the Horses.

[@OozeOfOldOaks]

As far as I know, AEG has announced that they are going to release Titans for some factions. This is supposed to help some of the weaker/difficult factions. (www.reddit.com/r/smashup/comments/7lc2cc/explorers_titan_found_in_this_months_newsletter/). You can read a bit about it in the comments, but basically they will use Titans as a tool of (as far as I understand it): - Rebalancing some of the old decks (Some of the oldest decks are a bit underwhelming, since there was a slight power surge up to, and especially in "Pretty Pretty Smash Up" (looking especially at you, Mythic Horses), but since that they have been quite good at balancing. - Make decks more balanced in how they operate, say a good 1v1 deck becomes stronger in 1v1v1v1, for instance. - Make less idle turns, since you would 'always' (following the conditions) be able to use Titans, without losing card advantage and advantage of surprise.

[@OozeOfOldOaks]

And also, titan for Vampires: Manbat

[@inhumanbookworm]

With so many daughters not knowing Sailor Moon is a bit weird :D

[@lucozademan999]

so many faqs needed here.: If you destroy a base with godzilla using "there goes tokoyo" do you get the points for that base as normal.? seems very strong just to automatically score on a base lol.

[@samfanus1416]

Mr. Vasel, couple questions about the Titans. Does this mean that every time the Titans are used they have to be removed from the Geeky box? (because it IS the divider) That seems like it could be more trouble than it is worth. Also how can the Titans from other factions be bought? Love your videos. Thanks for all you do!

[@cokercolacat5062]

The other critter coach isn’t just 1 stronger. It’s ability is a talent that can be reused after being put on the board instead of just once upon putting down.

[@apex2000]

fun fact, howl's moving castle (which is obviously what being homaged with the walking castle titan) although made famous by the anime of the same name, the source material is actually a book from Britian.

[@skidawg22]

I got to playtest with these factions and really enjoy them. I really like the new Titans mechanic. I can't fully comment on retroactively adding Titans to existing factions, but you never know. Magical Girls basically equals Sailor Moon and similar anime/manga, by the way.

[@apex2000]

I thought the Sailor Moon parallel was obvious. i like the tip of the hat to Rainbow-Brite though,

[@skidawg22]

So, about the retroactive adding of Titans to existing factions... it happened in the form of the Titans pack.

[@speedandstyletony]

Half the kaiju action card names are lyric lines from Blue Oyster Cult's song Godzilla!

[@lit_wick]

Is there any deck box that fits the card dividers as well? I don't like the standard box that comes with the game. Overly big. I'd much prefer multiple smaller deck boxes

[@bozodluffy1818]

It appears that you don’t HAVE to use the Titans am I correct in saying that?

[@godofzombi]

Cowboy hat in artwork: Cowboy faction in upcomming expansion confirmed.

[@mikem2771]

godofzombi - it is coming in the next expanison. So exited. I always thought cowboys should have been in the oringinal

[@johansvanborg5870]

I wonder, if other factions gets titans retroactively - how will they be summoned? Theese factions have 1 card to summon the titan. And even if others get titans only new factions gets abilities to manipulate titans. Reboot maybe?

[@tlk_EX]

Johan Svanborg maybe literally as these 4 titans: with their special condition to be summoned. You don't need cards that help them to be invoked at all.

[@apex2000]

exactly, like if Cthulu faction's Titan. had special condition; have X# minions & altar to cthulu action card in play, destroy the action & inflict 1 madness counter on your all minions in play, Summon Titant; Cthulu to same base as the Altar.

[@gunnarct]

Ah... finally I have definite PROOF that Tom's games DO take damage in the hammer-blows of approval. (I could never do that to my games!!) :-O

[@ktotheramer]

Yes, we need a Titan Upgrade Pack to replace all the old dividers!!!

[@Gashnaw]

Kinda wish the dividers were not the Titans. its cool and all but I use teh dividers to keep my factions separate (like they are meant to be used, If I am pulling my divider out, there goes the reason for using it in the first place (replacing my factions is currently easy, and they are alphabetical.)

[@natelinhart114]

Would play Itty Critters Go

[@godofzombi]

"Johnny"? Hmm. I wonder if the designers watched Brandon Tenold's Gamera reviews.

[@BassForever]

I'm glad that unlike the other game changing unique mechanics (cthulu and munchkin) the titan change seems easy enough to "ban" if everyone doesn't pick one, they also don't seem to be as radically game changing as madness or treasure/monsters are.

[@judgewilson2410]

BassForever you can’t “ban” one you’ll be severely cutting the power of the deck down

[@thomastighe7060]

Did he destroy the box? @11:13 Well that was a little unexpected?

[@MrCamp123]

I think he has all of Smash Up in the Big Geeky Box they sell for it. So he just throws out the expansion boxes

[@inhumanbookworm]

Not at all, check Adventure Land: King and Princess Review and you'll see it's a standard for expansion boxes :D

[@NewTrollVideos]

Nothing a little duct tape couldn't fix.

[@winnie666]

Of course. Who needs an empty box? Expansions boxes are going straight to the garbage.

[@richardshort2001]

Itty Critters might be the best pairing for Innsmouth yet, I mean it's still bad, but it could do some neat stuff.

[@apex2000]

Maybe the Mystic Knight's Titan can be the, Mort Sol Space Station

[@Gashnaw]

and we got more titans ^.^ I am not a fan of them being printed on the divider though. At least Bigger Geekier box is gonan doubel up my dividers on Big in Japan, which means i will be able to keep the tians to the side. as for my rules when we play. You can take two titan factions, but you have to select which titan you choose before we begin play, Say you choose itty creatures and Mega troopers, You choose rainbows roc as your titan, Red trooper is just a 5 power minion with no abilities. (Because you cannot put Megazord into play, it was not selected.)

[@penwheeler37]

“Giant Russian riding a bear... I do t even know what that would look like” Shirtless, bald muscular Russian looking very prideful on top of red armored mega bear.

[@Gashnaw]

Kaiju+Steampunks sounds good.

[@apex2000]

shame the titans art work is covered up by the text so much. (seems like they could have reworked the layout to suit)

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

GORGODZOLLA SMASH: EXCELLENT! - haha!!!

[@eddieb8054]

I'm glad you said Power Ra... Cause I was laughing at that the whole time.

[@rommelcarloscortes9933]

GO GO MEGA TROOPERS!!

[@hexennacht.]

Pretty sure they are magicat, not magical.

[@mircasta]

They'll probably add in titans cards for all the pre existing in another expansion or it'll be like madness for Cthulhu

[@Fuzzyfoot88]

Mira Mori that's assuming they also retcon a card from all existing factions to actually summon the titan, which might be cost prohibitive. They'd probably only sell that pack through their website.

[@tlk_EX]

Fuzzyfoot88 not sure why do you jump into that conclusion taking into account every titan has a special condition to be invoked regardless of the cards that help them to get out. The fact that these 4 particular factions work specially around their titan with those cards doesn't mean that they can't add titans to previous factions

[@Fuzzyfoot88]

But that is the point...if they don't have a summons then they are just...in your deck off to the side playable at any time. If not on the cards then the summon cost would have to be on Titan itself. I'm not opposed to either, but it is a little OP to just have titans running around.

[@tlk_EX]

Fuzzyfoot88 maybe I misunderstood Titan rules, but these 4 are also besides your deck everytime too. Cards that say "play them" mean you don't need to fulfill their printed conditions to be placed on a base. So in any case, these 4 titans would always be the easiest to play, due to cards allowing them to be played. I might be wrong though

[@tlk_EX]

Fuzzyfoot88 also, I would imagine it is a great way to balance previous factions a bit. Make the Zombie and Robots titan be really hard to summon, and make weaker factions as Innsmouth have them easy. I think they arrived at a great tool to retroactively balance the game, honestly

[@TheAntiSanta]

No, shhhhh... it's Super Sentai, not Power Rangers. If it were Power Rangers, Haim Saban would rise from his Coffin of Grave Evil and sue you.

[@robertallen7794]

The Fantastic Paul, you must be careful. These factions are NOT Sailor Moon, NOT Pokémon, NOT Godzilla and is definitely NOT Power Rangers. It would be wrong to use those names in this game. Wink, wink, wink. 😉

[@skidawg22]

It's the same idea behind the Cease and Desist set that came out last year.

[@godofzombi]

They are gonna get sued by Blue Oyster Cult anyway, for using the Godzilla lyrics on the Kaiju cards. ;-)