Tash-Kalar Gameplay Runthrough

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A video outlining gameplay for the boardgame Tash-Kalar Arena of Legends. For more game info, www.boardgamege...
Part I: Gameplay Runthrough
• Tash-Kalar Gameplay Ru...
Part II: Extended Gameplay
• Tash-Kalar Extended Ga...
Part III: Final Thoughts
• Tash-Kalar | Rahdo's F...

[@zrissl]

this game, on a tablet, with nice animations when summoning a creature. OMG

[@FMD-FullMetalDragon]

This game actually looks a lot more fun than it first looks. Thank you for sharing the video. :)

[@clumsydad7158]

It's a very interesting and unique game, I love it.

[@ashmajstic7493]

I learn best with your videos. I like how you explain rules and tips while playing the game. Thank you so much ❤

[@BoxofDelights]

p.s. at 16:27, move the piece at top-left diagonally SouthEast and you have the Unicorn shape :) Love that there are lots of options and different ways of doing things to keep your strategising alive.

[@knehren]

At 27:30 Jen could have just put down a new piece on a red square and she would have completed the 2 point objective at that time! :)

[@rahdo]

good point! i totally missed that!

[@clumsydad7158]

Rahdo, thanks, I've been watching a ton of your chavitl and feld reviews, so awesome! tash kalar seems awesome, thanks for bringing the enthusiasm, your reviews rock !

[@aarondovauo1471]

Amazing game, and your enthusiasm really comes across. I feel like this is more enjoyable, at least for my wife and I, as a 2-player game. With 3 or 4 it is just a little too chaotic for us.

[@clumsydad7158]

I've never played more than 2p and agree it's fully satisfying with 2. (-:

[@rahdo]

+Caden Laptad yeah, i just failed to notice that :)

[@cadenlaptad3247]

***** Okay, thanks! I just wasn't sure if you were required to play adjacent to your old pieces or not. :) Thanks for the prompt reply and OUTSTANDING channel. Love your passion for the hobby and wonderfully produced videos. Please keep up the great work! :D

[@BoxofDelights]

Great presentation. Just got my copy and it looks right up my street ! Really awesome design. Thanks for the rules primer :) Rick

[@eeHalcyon]

At 10:44, should Jen actually get that objective? It says you need to destroy 3 ENEMY pieces, so I don't think it should count your own pieces. At 15:20 when you're trying to work out moving the pieces, I think you can set up the Unicorn... unless there are rules preventing certain moves. Your 3 pieces are ABC. Place the Naiad above A. Now you can move A to the spot above B, which forms the pattern needed for the Unicorn to be summoned below C. Would this work? At 24:15, I think you should be able to summon the unicorn in the center red space to destroy Jen's. And then the Unicorn could combat move to the right and take out Jen's other upgraded piece.

[@rahdo]

i believe you may be right! i certainly didn't make the most optimal moves! :)

[@philandros3195]

Jen did destroy three enemy pieces. When she summoned her piece, it replaced an enemy and the bomb took two enemies, making it a total of 3. But I think that there was another mistake done that turn. The mistake being that Jen only used one action. She summoned the bomb, and that was it. He took the turn right after that, even though Jen had another action.

[@bookaddict777]

Although this game is not for my daughter and me, I have really been looking forward to seeing the game play. Mage Knight is one of my favorite games.

[@TheGobberShop]

Card art for this game is great.

[@maciejobszanski7375]

11:10 Jen played only one action (bomb).

[@rahdo]

oops, good point! note added :)

[@vojtasjedyny]

Hey Rahdo, this is how Vlaada Chvatil should be spelled: Starlit Citadel Reviews Bunny Bunny Moose Moose :D Thanks for your video, good job!

[@mikejonesnoreally]

Okay you hooked me, I'm picking it up, (Mr. Chvital is responsible for my most played game to date which will remain un-named since it makes you jumpy....) but seriously what *is* it with you guys and cliffhangers! >_

[@crushingbelial]

This game _is_ very fun. got a chance to play it at an essen day locally. play before you judge imo =)

[@DaddyVonLiebermann]

This looks fun. Thanks for sharing.

[@TyphoidBryan]

Ooh, I want to see yellow!

[@cadenlaptad3247]

Just to see if I understand... Couldn't Jen have just used her second action (at 27:19) to place a piece on either of the two open red squares to claim the left-most objective? The card says three pieces on red, two of which must be upgraded. Simply placing a common piece on red accomplishes this, yes?

[@TheNerindil]

Didn't think I'd hear an "All your base are belong to us" reference in 2020.

[@rahdo]

you are still belong to us!

[@aceraxon]

I feel like Essen had too many other games that seemed much more fun. Not really into the abstract-ness of this one. It would never get played. But thanks rahdo, this helped me decide if it would be a game I want.

[@dkyzar]

Quick question. On a turn, you can put out 2 tokens and then summon. 2 turns in a row, you put out 1 token and summoned. Is it a rule that you can only put out one if you created your summoning pattern with it?

[@TheLastPhoen1x]

19:26 that look like great opportunity for angel of death thing.

[@rahdo]

good eye! :)

[@cartoon80s90s]

The game looks fun and it needs the player to really explore all options to maximize their chances. At 24:09, after you placed that unit on square 4-6, couldn't you place the unicorn on the upgraded opposing unit on the middle red square, killing that unit and then with its combat move eliminating another opposing unit? Would that work? Do the patterns work if you mirror them or can you only rotate them? If you can use mirrored patterns, I can see it being a problem for people who are not good at spacial riddles.

[@knehren]

Yes, you can freely use mirrored patterns to summon beings.

[@rahdo]

yup, mirrored makes it even more challenging! and you're right, cartoon80s90s, this game could pose problems who have difficulty with spacial puzzles, i reckon :)

[@urscion]

I believe the initial Naiad placement was wrong. The token gets place to the left of an edge. Or are you allowed to flip the card "upside-down" to get the desired placement?

[@rahdo]

sorry for the slow reply, but yes, you are allow to flip or "mirror" the patterns, in addition to rotating them :)

[@justadude5217]

Lol "someone set me up the bomb?". Was that a Zero Wing Refernce? :D

[@rahdo]

Joshua Fessenden all your base, baby!

[@justadude5217]

Haha nice one Rahdo! Bought Kalar today after watching this vid.

[@MrKeller13]

Like a lot of people said, this is really absract, but I actually like what I am seeing. But there are a few times you confused me, might just be that you ddn't see a great move that i saw. Would have to read the rules my self to fully understand it though. Also, wasn't there a objective that said to take out 3 of the opponents pieces? You did that on your last turn

[@rahdo]

believe me, I'm sure i missed a lot of really smart moves! too much going on to play as 2 people and film and talk all at the same time! :) i just went and checked and it looked liek the objectives at that moment were area control ones, not destruction ones...

[@dkyzar]

Oh I see. One of 2 things, twice on your turn. I misunderstood. Got it now.

[@LobsterSpecial]

This seems like a game BEGGING for a digital version.

[@NeilBlaiberg]

ok i get whats bugging me about this game. its just way too abstract. you summon these creatures, but once summoned they lose all special powees and become just another token - albeit upgraded. its just been abstracted to the point of losing all connection with the theme. if i want arena combat i have Krosmaster, Spartacus etc to chose from.

[@rahdo]

yup, this is definitely not a standard arena combat game (of which there are so many already). this is more akin to tournament battle chess, and i think that theme is strongly integrated, if you're willing to accept that theme :)

[@bobson_dugnutt]

You can create the unicorn pattern with the naiad like this (X are pieces, O is empty space): XXX XOO XOX XXO OXX XXO

[@Clawf1ng3r]

10:32 all your base reference???

[@steveg7000]

This game should be a lot more fun than it actually seems to be. Those tokens are just so bland.

[@NeilBlaiberg]

What a bizarre game. Can see why Mr Vassel hates it

[@lordsplodge]

Doesn't look like the kind of game I'd want to play (or own)

[@NeilBlaiberg]

I agree, although I might watch the extended play to see if there's anything I'm missing. Richard and Jen seem to love it

[@cartoon80s90s]

This game looks like it requires some serious riddle solving skills, especially with 10+ tokens in play for each player and the fact you can use the mirrored patterns, as someone above confirmed, makes the game even more challenging. So it is mostly for people who like riddles and are good at solving them. Tom doesn't strike me as one of those people. He likes player confrontation, but from what I've seen, he prefers more simple games, and not so much challenging games. I could see Ryan Metzler however playing it. His game preferences are closer to mine.

[@rahdo]

I would assume that if Tom doesn't like the game, it's not because of the puzzles (which are AWESOME) but because of the pieces (which are somewhat less than awesome). He raves about Star Wars Xwing, but if the game shipped with simple cardboard chits showing pictures of X's and O's, he would dismiss it out of hand, even though he by rights should love the gameplay. Anyway, that's my guess as to why he might not like it. Shame, because it's a really incredible game, and for someone like him who likes 'duel' games so much (IIRC a large chunk of his top 10 games are duel games), he'd really be missing out on a very special one here...

[@cartoon80s90s]

***** Are they really that bad? From the video they seem very practical and easy to see on the board. My guess is that if they were engraved or the images/swords on them were more complex, a board with 25-30 pieces would make it much more difficult to identify the patterns you want to use. So the simplicity is a benefit. At least this is my opinion about the token images. I can't talk about the game quality though since I don't know how the cards and the board feel to the touch.