TDG: Total Domination

[@cadjebushey6524]

I got this game back in Spring this year and its quickly grown to one of my favorites. Its easy to play and the artwork on the cards is GORGEOUS.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

@@cadjebushey6524 Glad you enjoy it.

[@carrickrichards2457]

Thanks for your usual thorough and helpful review. No UK retail yet... looking forward to this.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Happy to help. Thanks.

[@jarzynek007]

I tried it twice, once with 4 and one with 2(both without extended rules), and in my opinion it's very good for 2 players. I really like the game, after all it's WW2 in less than 2 hours. I don't have a lot of experience, but it seems to me that it is very un-historical at some points., i.e. the worst thing for Germany in 1939 is to attack Poland. Also to attack USSR with Japan seems to be a better option to "do the Pearl Harbour".

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Very ahistorical for sure. But it’s a game, not a simulation. Thanks.

[@alexisxiros8168]

As a German-Greek I am delighted to hear German music. 😀👍

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Happy to oblige.

[@ericengstrom2138]

As neat as it looks, I'm oversaturated on 'general' WW2 games (i.e. Memoir 44, Axis and Allies, War Room). Nowadays i only buy them if they focus on something more niche or interesting (like Duel in the Dark, or Black Orchestra, or Halls of Hegra..how many games focus on Norway??) Thanks for the review!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Thank you.

[@flying0possum]

Try Columbia Block Games EastFront 2nd Edition 😉 It won't disappoint

[@LordBollocks]

A bit disappointing that it hasn’t been polished more, given that it is a second edition of an older game.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Interesting. I didn't know that.

[@LordBollocks]

Indeed, the first version was called Mini WWII. One day I look forward to a Phalanx game where they haven’t managed to screw up the rulebook.

[@pjpaella]

I think it's the third iteration. The first was called mini WW2 and the next one was called Domination. You would think the rules would be cleaned by now?

[@KissellMissile]

@@pjpaella Domination was never published. They just changed the name to Total Domination. The original was from a very small Asian publisher.

[@mvpcandidate23]

Your lukewarm review might be caused, in part, by playing with just two players. I can imagine how difficult it might be when you are trying to jockey all of the factions in the proper order. That being said, I do agree that the rules are generally untidy; I've had to read them multiple times. I do think the game is very interesting though and suggest that play will become second nature after a couple sessions.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Yeah, I think it misses something with just two players. Thanks.

[@MagicMan508]

MMMMMHHHHHH 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔 interesting game, it has good ideas. But based on your explanation, it feels like it's missing something, maybe add in some dice or a better board layout

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Interesting.

[@MagicMan508]

@@TheDiscriminatingGamer I thought so

[@KissellMissile]

I don't think dice would add anything. I think it just needs more to react to than just the cards you draw.

[@alexandrospapadopoulos1474]

Easy pass for me, as i grew old i prefer to play more streamlined boardgames

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Fair enough.

[@varovaro1967]

Before I die I would like to know how to explain what an euro game is …

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Usually euros have indirect conflict, little or no “combat,” and are centered around various resources.

[@BrianMarcus-nz7cs]

Good review,, 😕👍

[@MagicMan508]

No dice, very slow, alot of them are like a race to who can get the most points fastest

[@KissellMissile]

I have a different take, as I worked for a German publisher and took lots of game pitches from Americans, so I got to see first hand the difference in design philosophy. A "Euro" game is one which envisions a board game primarily as a puzzle (with an applied setting), as opposed to a philosophy that sees games primarily as simulations of varying degrees of abstraction (which was the philosophy in the English speaking world). All of the things that people point to like indirect conflict (which was not true at one point) and low randomness are all consequences of seeing a design as a puzzle and not a simulation. We are reaching a time of a Hegelian synthesis between the two philosophies, so you get games like this that are difficult to classify, but if you compare this to older card driven wargames (Washington's War, Twilight Struggle), I think what emerges is that this is much closer in philosophy to a puzzle than a simulation.

[@BrianMarcus-nz7cs]

@@KissellMissile Ausgezeichnet

[@crokinoledk]

Hello Cody, today I discovered I had unsubed your channel 😟. I assure you it happened by mistake. I have fixed it 😊. As for the game, I have similar feelings. Stays in my collection. Cheers

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Thanks. Glad to have you back onboard.

[@Warriorking.1963]

As you said in a reply to another comment, this is a game, not a simulation, and that's very true. However, for me, sometimes there are elements of a game that are so historically inaccurate, it absolutely destroys the game for me, and such is the case with this one. That Anglo-Soviet alliance in 1939 has turned me right off Total Domination, a pity because there's a lot I do like about it. Your video is excellent as always, but I think I'll give this one a pass.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

I appreciate your comments. To each their own. Thanks.