Terraforming Mars - Shut Up & Sit Down Review

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[@IIAndersII]

4:07 "You're fired" "That's reasonable" 😂

[@Wookien]

What I love about terraforming mars is that the terraforming is secondary to the money making schemes. These are megacorps who's in this to make money - not make greenery

[@jacktorrance3522]

Fair point but then they shouldn't have called it "Terraforming" Mars. For me and many in my group it's a dud. It doesn't feel like you're terraforming a planet at all.

[@morenorristhannorris]

@@jacktorrance3522 I agree, it seems fun, but it’s not at all what I was expecting and It’s also not what I wanted out of it, so I’m bummed.

[@bradcallahan3546]

This is one of the most disfunctional and broken games ever to hit the market. Zero strategy with this hilariously unbalanced game. No thanks. I dumped my copy.

[@bradcallahan3546]

This is one of the most disfunctional and broken games ever to hit the market. Zero strategy with this hilariously unbalanced game. No thanks. I dumped my copy.

[@bradcallahan3546]

This is one of the most disfunctional and broken games ever to hit the market. Zero strategy with this hilariously unbalanced game. No thanks. I dumped my copy.

[@rocketfallen]

I have no idea why "What's for dinner, mum? CUUUUUUUUUUUUBES" cracks me up as much as it does.

[@runfatboyrun9111]

HOly fuck bud i scrolled down just to say this after i drank 13 shots of tequila and ended up on my floor laughing my ass of seeing that bit. Funniest shit ive seen all year, ill check in tomorrow to see if its as funny sober.

[@aclabonte]

Any time I see a new game that involves cube collection this line is all i can think about

[@DepressedHandsomeSpaceCop]

Still waiting on this follow up, 3 years later.

[@carlost856]

"In fact I don't think calculating efficiency is even on the party scale." This is why I love you guys. The great analysis too.

It should be on the party scale, because my rounds of pandemic legacy is all about calculating the EXACT ACTION we can end the game on. And how we can move that ever closer to the action we're currently executing. We're 5 people playing a 4 person game, as well. And trust me, everyone around that table treats that like a party.

[@harryofgo]

You've never been to one of my parties, obviously.

[@UtubeEric12345]

Pah! Of course calculating efficiency is on every good party scale! But I’ll tell you what isn’t, partying is not on any efficiency scale! /Eric Nofun, Spreadsheet Specialist and licensed accountant.

[@2dTones]

From this day forth, every time I teach this game, I will make sure to use the phrase "you've got your Mars, and you've got your Mars bars"

[@aPlateOfGrapes]

Just stumbled across your channel, and I'm really lichen this review.

[@scottshepherd2238]

Exquisite

[@nyanates]

Ha! Good one...

[@EternalDeath14]

Bruh

[@markrutherford7408]

You moss be joking.

[@harryofgo]

No swing and a moss on this one

[@timjones990]

" where we're going we dont need colons" & "You've got Mars, and you've got your Mars bars" both cracked me up.

[@jukeboxhero30]

When I first watched this review, my first thought was "Nah. Pass. Not for me. ESPECIALLY with all the math involved." Just played it yesterday, and I'm VERY grateful to be proven wrong! This was a FANTASTIC resource building game! One of the best Ive played!

[@LifeoftheParty]

I always get surprised by the people who get upset when SU&SD does a "negative" review of a game they love. SU&SD doesn't do "negative" reviews. If a game is bad they don't even give it the honor of being reviewed. The games they do review are a mixture of "yeah it's good and you might like it but...", "You'll probably like this game no matter who you are.", And "OMG go buy this game NOW!".

[@RickJaeger]

They do *occasionally* do predominantly negative reviews, but like, not more than a handful, probably

[@krzysztofwisniewski6565]

It's not aboute love. Ir's aboute screw that game. Look on movie ...they reach 12 round whant is never happen in normal game. 6..7 round abd is finished...so review is done because they screw the game and if I will play other games wrong the game will porly satysfactionate players it so simple. I love the guys is well but that no matter to that they do bad review.

[@LifeoftheParty]

@@krzysztofwisniewski6565 They were playing with only 2 players so 12 rounds is not unlikely. This review definitely falls in the "yeah, it's good and you might like it but..." category. They literally say it's a good game at the end of the review, but it's not in their top 20 eurogames.

[@Dr.TurdFartleyBM]

I think I've had the exact opposite opinion of SUSD on every single one of their videos. Just goes to show how varied people's tastes are in the hobby. Either way, thanks for the video and your insight!

[@thomasromanelli2561]

I had forgotten how funny it was when you fired Matt. "That's reasonable" 😄😂🤣

[@Trinketorium]

Love you guys! I don't agree with the comments about no interaction though. In our last game, one guy repeatedly played cards against me, stealing my plants and heat and lowering my power. I gained the ability to block him, but waited to play it until the crucial moment when I had just played a card to give me enough plants to play a chain of cards that would give me the game - he then tried to steal them, realised I had blocked him, and I went on to win. With one of those "In your face!" / "Damn, nice move!" moments that make board games so much better than video games. Also, don't really agree about the board being a lesser feature - if you play it correctly (which you guys noted you didn't) and actually do terraform (i.e. moving the oxygen and heat), then you are constantly checking to see if you can still play ability X or if the heat is too high, or if the oxygen is too low, or if there aren't yet enough oceans - giving friendly game play suggestions to your fellow players to just, you know, pop down an ocean, and then "bam!" - I've got a swamp and stolen all that precious forest they wanted mwhaha ahem, anyway. Finally - the solo game - is fantastic. I play solo a fair bit, and this game just keeps calling me back. I've beaten it a few times, but you have to really plan out your strategy - combined with a bit of luck - and its far more "crossword" than "Sudoku" in that mode, and fast paced, which appeals. But thanks for the review, and I look forward to the next!

[@shutupandsitdown]

Quinns' favourite economy-fiddling games: Brass - www.shutupandsitdown.com/games/brass/ Caverna - www.shutupandsitdown.com/games/caverna-cave-farmers/ Concordia - www.shutupandsitdown.com/games/concordia/ Dungeon Petz - www.shutupandsitdown.com/games/dungeon-petz/ Food Chain Magnate - www.shutupandsitdown.com/games/food-chain-magnate/ Great Western Trail - www.shutupandsitdown.com/games/great-western-trail/ Istanbul - www.shutupandsitdown.com/games/istanbul-2/ Keyflower - www.shutupandsitdown.com/games/keyflower/ Lancaster - www.shutupandsitdown.com/games/lancaster/ Terra Mystica - www.shutupandsitdown.com/games/terra-mystica/ Troyes - www.shutupandsitdown.com/games/troyes/ Tzolk'in - www.shutupandsitdown.com/games/tzolkin-the-mayan-calendar/ Village - www.shutupandsitdown.com/games/village/ Vinhos Deluxe - www.shutupandsitdown.com/games/vinhos-deluxe-edition/

[@jeremyhallspence8730]

Really, Brass makes the list? I figured after that review the game designers would have banned Quinns from ever playing it again.

[@davekoehnlein4575]

You guys need to do a video review of keyflower with both of the expansions! 😎

[@sKKynet]

No Archipelago?

[@edvinvoneuler8783]

Brass got tons of praise in their review, they just stated that if you don't like games where you spend most of the game just staring at the board trying to come up with the most efficent actions you're not going to like Brass, and to be honest I think that is valid "critique" of the game and it's niche appeal is a good reason why you might not recommend it to everyone. This is all coming from someone who loves Brass and bought it because of, in my opinion, their praise of it in their review. It's not the most streamlined or thematically exciting game out there, but if you like yourself a heavy economic game , boy you're in for a real treat, and IMO, that was the take home message from their review. Visa mindre

[@shutupandsitdown]

Yes to Archipelago! I just forgot about it. - Quinns

[@koshi6505]

"If you're not into science, then Mar is a Euro game. Which means it's largely unable to support vibrant life." Low key best line of 2017.

[@pennsylvania9665]

Glad they got a review out for it. The guys make great points. My friends and I really enjoyed it, though, despite the quirks. I think SUSD might be understating the tile placement on the map and are over-focused on the sideboard. There were plenty of turns where I got burned on putting something out on the map because I was thinking I'd have another turn or two of actions. They don't get into this, but increasing the terraforming levels also sometimes grants bonuses to your engine. So, the extra layer of timing and competition also forced me to look away from the card engine and look to see where my opponents were.

[@MrMickio1]

Exactly. And thats without mentionning the absolute rollover of points you can get on the map by getting fucky with forests and cities. I once managed to make this insane circle of cities and forests that gave the mathematical biggest amount of points and by the end of the game, i had rocketed over everyone that mainly focused on other stuff because no one stopped me. And thats without mentionning the friggin wild-west style showdowns where nobody wants to up the heat because the guy right after will steal that free water which doubles how much economy he would have gained. Everything affects everything else in that game which is really nice. Honeslty my biggest complain is there aint enough cards like the meteor that affect other players.

[@funkoxen]

I feel sorry for that plant. Its in prison.

[@ashwafc9]

Matt ahead of his time with that face mask!

[@stefanoperna231]

And that scolding of Quinns for not wearing one... Spot on

[@IsmeGenius]

Wow, that was unexpected. I play the game to this day and still love it. It's easily top 3 for me. While I do enjoy lots of other games it is very rare I would want to play a game more than a several times. But with terraforming mars I cannot get enough.

[@kyrrilcrepeele1353]

This game is a massive hit at home. With 4 of the expansions included, an extended weekend can easily see us doing this game 5 or 6 times, often twice, or three times in a row.

[@TopDesu]

Hands down this was one of the best reviews i've ever seen. Entertaining *and* highly informational at the same time. Subscribed really hard

[@connorbroderick7148]

"feels like you are doing Sudoku, you do an awful lot of arithmetic." You definitely do a lot of arithmetic in TM. If you are doing arithmetic in Sudoku's you are doing it wrong lol. There is no arithmetic involved in Sudoku.

[@koffiegast]

After 2 months I still play this regularly. Everyone's first game always turns out to be 'shit this was bad, i should have done this, what does this symbol mean, how can I...'-fest. But, in your second game you start to realize how competitive things can be: board placement, awards, milestones or simply claiming the limited number of oxygen/temp/water needs you can fulfil. Personally, I strongly suggest drafting (option of buying 1 or not buying any card each time), the extra cards and if you got a bit more time: all production at 0 except for what your corporation indicates. As for corporations, hand 2-4 out depending on the number of players and allow them to choose which one to keep after they have drafted the first 10 cards (mentioning that they should not overbuy cards if their corp has little money; this makes it a very challenging game).

[@juniorlopes3476]

I had a feeling that I was just doing maths while playing too, without making pivotal strategic decisions until.... I played with the draft mode variant, which for me, this thing changed so greatly the game for better, and was kind of a relieve, since I'm very into physics and science, so it would be a shame if I didn't find my taste in this game.

[@Nukestarmaster]

Wait the drafting is a variant? I thought that was the only way to play. /s In all seriousness, I have never playing the game without drafting, I have no idea why you wouldn't draft.

[@toukoursin]

@@Nukestarmaster The non drafting is meant for newer players who don't yet understand the cards but after and after one or two games the drafting variant becomes way faster bacouse people more or less know wich cards will benefit their strategy without reading every single card

[@ThYr0N]

Now I get why they didn't like much the game. Draft elevates the game A TON.

[@aollodart]

I agree that most of the things they complained about is fixed with drafting

[@redfive3277]

Your mileage may vary. Terraforming Mars is my gaming group's new favorite game; we can't get enough of it. The theme is great, there's a decent amount of interaction (for a euro game), and it's simple to pick up but has an awful lot of strategy. It's one of those games where you don't get bored waiting for everyone else to take their turns, because you're so busy trying to figure out the perfect thing to do on your own turn. The game is very replayable, with a lot of paths to follow, and you'll probably end up using a different strategy every time. It's the perfect game for anybody who likes engine building, micro-management, and games that don't have a single 'best approach'...and people who think Mars is cool. :) Best of all, it's a really well balanced game. Every time we play, our final scores end up within a few points of one another at most, even when we've all been doing radically different things. This adds a lot of tension to the game, because you know you need to make the perfect moves, or one wasted opportunity for a point could cost you the win. PS: The drafting variant is essential. Also, I don't believe I've ever played Terraforming Mars with less than 4 people, so I can't speak to how well it holds up for 2 or 3.

[@chadkrizan9864]

Agreed, except for the drafting being essential. I very much prefer the "get what you get" game, making the best out of whatever you get. Luck of the draw has a far lesser impact than many are reporting. After about 30 games played, I've seen all sorts of card draws win and be competitive.

[@juanmvaldivia]

Drafting is the wafer to go. You get to mess with the other players actions. great fun. 3-4 players it the best.

[@benzooor]

I've played about 5 times with just two players and it's a very different game - because the number of generations will be much more, the value of long-term cards change - but we've enjoyed it every time. I wouldn't recommend for two unless you both have a good understanding of the game, though.

[@arthursimsa9005]

Played my first game today - admittedly the non draft variant. Still, we were all within ten points of each other. I was the newbie, while it was one of the favourite game of two other players. They know the cards. And yet I ended up in front of one of them. Textbooks example of what SuSd criticize as lack of meaningful decisions. This reminds me of Lors of Waterdeep. The game is easily digestible, sure. But When there’s no room for mistakes in a game, there is no challenge and therefore no reward.

[@AWonkyCarrot]

In love with that Don't Hug Me,Im Scared shirt,Matt

[@Holistic-songwriting]

I love you guys. Excellent acting there at the end, Matt!

[@phillipmele8533]

“Where we’re going, we won’t need colons” Glad we solved our waste excretion problems in the future.

[@Tomro8]

I just discovered your channel and I am impressed at how you manage to explain the general concept of the game, give a clear opinion on how you feel it as well as making me laugh in the same process. I love it !

[@fingerling1231]

I'm a big fan of this channel. I recently game across it and have somewhat binged a lot of your stuff which is unusual for me to do with a reviewing channel. The humour throughout is excellent which makes the videos entertaining to watch time after time and I appreciate that you not only mention the flaws of the games but recommend others that do certain things better. It may result in me buying fewer games but the ones I purchase will likely be played time and time again.

[@GazzyW007]

2:57 One of my all time favourite SUSD silly lines, right up there with "Six?!"

[@mindbomb9341]

You guys are the most charming personalities reviewing games out there. Subscribed.

[@lotharthestunty7941]

4 years later and this is still my favorite editing of all the videos

[@Dak3y]

Extremely articulate review. Loved the Matrix analogy. Thank you.

[@matthewmcneany]

It's three years later and that Southern rail joke still works.

[@justinreidy8729]

“Why aren’t you wearing a mask" *checks upload date*

[@donhawthorne8493]

I have the same problem with “Terraforming Mars” that I have with “Race for the Galaxy”: Both are essentially solitaire games with very little actual competitive interaction. In fact, in RftG, there’s virtually none. I very much enjoy good solitaire games, but if a bu ch of friends are over I don’t want yo play a six-hand game of Solitaire. That’s just me. 🤷‍♂️🙂

[@jamez62982]

Prelude + draft variant + dual layer player boards have elevated TM to one of my fav games for me. I love your videos guys, even when I don't fully agree with your points. You make me laugh every time! ❤

[@marcushead9985]

My god that intro was amazing, and the rest of the vid somehow managed to live up to it.

[@NGCAnderopolis]

Still play it consistently over 4 years later. Drafting makes this game so gr3at and tactical. And the expansion add so much greatness to it.

[@pranefuji]

Terraforming Mars is a game that's become a favorite in Bloomington IL game groups probably because of the interaction. It's very much a race (for the galaxy) for all the different terraforming tracks. You're fighting to get the limited amount of points from heating the planet or oceans or oxygen, etc. I kinda love the interaction of this game, way more than say, a feast for odin, where you are mostly just sniping actions from other players. It has just the right level of aggression with it's race mechanic and the cards that disrupt other player's economies. Had a really hilarious game where everyone just constantly rained nukes and comets and asteroids on my farms. Love the review and perspective, even if I felt it largely missed what I love about it (the interactions between players). The bits about the science stories and abacus counting mechanics are spot on.

[@captawesome42]

I just played this for the first time. I like science and I like shaking hands after professionally counting numbers up and down. This worked out excellently.

[@Nukestarmaster]

Fun fact: The money in Terraforming Mars is actually called Megabucks, if that doesn't cause you pain there's something wrong with you.

[@jonathanpalermo6166]

My son calls the Titanium... Vibranium

[@xicufwm]

an awful lot of arithmetic? as a mathematician, that's the part I love the most about this game. Also, my play group is formed mostly by other mathematicians so I guess that explains why this is definitely our favorite game

[@koffiegast]

I feel that you either have a total blast, or it feels like a drag. And that has largely to do with the players you play with: you are going to love it when you play with people that can actually do math, like the theme and don't overthink. It will feel like a drag if the person can't remember rules, takes extreme long turns, and so on. I feel the latter (drag) usually happens when you play without a bit more experienced player and/or people that want to do everything perfect.

[@haukionkannel]

fok I have friends with whom I would newer play this particular game... we would be old and exhausted after one game because of analyse paralyse time we would spend together! So Not for everyone. But with rigth Group... a plast!

[@patrickstar3470]

Damn i have come back to this review multiple times, you guys are so entertaining

[@76Boomer]

You guys are awesome. Not really into board games but the videos are interesting and hilarious!

[@JeffreyQProductions]

One small table bump, game completely ruined.

[@TorIverWilhelmsen]

It has created a nice third-party market for recessed player mats in wood or plastic, though.

[@mihneacateanu3808]

So not only you need to pay quite a lot for a game that's basically a board, a bucket of cubes and cards with what looks like public domain picture stock, you need to pay 30-40$ for extra components that should have been in the box.

[@jvomkrieg]

I fixed that issue with magnets.

[@TorIverWilhelmsen]

Yes, it is annoying: He should have had it made in Germany like his other games - or turn to China like his competitors do. "Made in America" is just a price increase.

[@Sammathnar]

That really makes the case for this review, doesn't it. You need to fix this game with magnets.

[@mister_mister633]

I binged you're videos while developing my own Board game

[@boardwatch1560]

Player count shouldn't really extend the game all that much, since the planet should get terraformed that much quicker with 4 or 5 engines working towards it instead of 2 or 3. I played the solo variant, which you start a little nerfed (14 credits per turn instead of 20), but 14 turns is a very reasonable time to terraform the entire planet by YOURSELF. The first game we played (4 players) ended by the 9th round.

[@haukionkannel]

Board Watch most likely you just have to wait so logging before you get your turn. There Are less turns and the total time may not increase, there just is more time waiting.

[@woehrle17]

Easily one of your best videos yet. Your only getting better!

[@apitch85]

Pretty much my exact opinion of the game. It's good(ish). It's thematically very interesting. But never does my group sit down and want to play Terraforming Mars over Concordia, Brass Birmingham, or Great Western Trail. I'm really surprised it is ranked as high as it is on BGG. I feel it deserves a top 50 spot, but top 5? Phew, not for me.

[@paveldundr6390]

I wonder how many times they played the game. I must say after my first or second game I would agree with the review mostly! But the more you play the more you get to understand the importance of the game map and think about your positioning aswell as the positioning of the other players - which also increases the level of interactivity. I thinks it's pretty commong with strategy game that the more experienced players play it the game really shifts in the styles and even player focuses. Our group had very similar experince with Terra Mystica!

[@anthonyrivera4547]

I love these videos so much I guess ima watch em all....been watching all weekend. So now when I ask "what's for dinner?" I hope I get hit with cubes!!

[@alannash2778]

18:04 I had a minor heart attack. My play group has to use little bits of tape below our cubes to ensure things don't get bumped off track because if they do, we legitimately cannot continue due to the uncertainty.

[@advocatus360]

I really enjoy the game. I bought it at Origins Game Fair. I really like science, and algae. :) It does feel like a multiplayer game of solitaire, perhaps more than other euros. The art on the cards are an odd collection of clip art, fan donated material and some paid work, or at least that is what it seems like. I remind myself that this was a made by a pair of brothers and that allows me to find the artwork endearing. It is very costly, Probably $20 USD more than it should have been but I enjoyed my play through enough that I was happy to support the team. I do not need every game to be the best game I've ever played. I can understand completely SU&SD not recommending it, however I would suggest that if you can get into a game with a friend, a local game store or something, give it a shot. I think it's well worth your 2-3 hours. Even if you decide not to buy.

[@haydenlane-davies4649]

This review is just peak SU&SD. I love it.

[@biohazard18966]

Great ending guys!!! Hilarious stuff

[@sketchseven]

The delayed reaction from Quinn's on the algae cracked me up.

[@AldoOjeda]

I love your review, not because you are funny (you are), but because the great analysis of the game and breakdown of what works and doesn't in it.

[@graendread1704]

The issues with Terraforming Mars remind me a lot of my experience with Stone Age. At first I liked the game, but after a few plays my friends always preferred to play something else. Played it again yesterday as a 2-player game and then it struck me. There's barely any interaction. Everybody is just building his/her own little engine and you only interact by grabbing points/opportunities that someone else wanted. Personally, I can totally enjoy these games, but most of my friends don't, so it's just not the right game for the group.

[@Datavinc]

Yes, I think interaction is important. Do you have any suggestion, game that has many interaction?

[@xanadu1215]

WOW A: You guys are so cute B: Finally a review show that actually does an intelligent review. Thank You. I'm in with you! :D

[@saiyanroyalty229]

I love how you guys don't automatically stamp what everyone else says is a must have game

[@redsands1001]

so watching this review after having played the game. I definitely agree that you get your hand and know immediately what to toss and what's useful and it can be like a puzzle to place the right combo based on what you put out before.

[@Dwindamir]

Personally we love the game and yes we use the drafting game. I think the sweet spot is either using the drafting variant or the extra cards, using both does make the game deeper, but with it also increases the time. Interesting comments about the amount of numbers and concentration on that part - I think that's a lot of min maxing rather than how I play the game. Good review overall

[@hedgehogwillable]

i once played a game of terraforming mars in which we forgot about the points equalling money rule, so i had like 3 gold per turn and the whole table was amazed at one player making 10 gold per turn

[@jacktorrance3522]

It's a bad mechanic because it's a "rich get richer" problem. Worst mechanic in the game IMO.

[@munsihota1691]

You two should have your own T.V channel, super entertaining can't get enough!

[@TheBroz]

Good lord why? KZbin is better than TV.

[@poilboiler]

"Where we're going we don't need colons." Then how do you poop out new expansions sir?

[@Solinaru]

**Quinns and Matt gets squished** And now for something different!

[@lawrencecollins7398]

All valid criticisms. I still like the game! Asteroid in yer face!

[@DensetsuVII]

*ahem* God save our lovely Queen! Queen of Scottland and Eng- land Wales and Ireland! She is a lovely catch, With her many dresses and hats, Never going to forget you now, God, you, and Queen.

[@TrevorusPrime]

You guys have the best one liners

[@Bodyknock]

One small item I disagree with them is that there are a fair number of attack cards in the game that entice you to keep track of what the other player's have on their boards. A card that drains an opponent of plants for instance won't do any good if they don't have any plants on their board to drain. Also with the rewards and milestones you absolutely need to know where you stand relative to the other players in order to gauge when to shoot for a particular one of those goals. Plus timing of climate gains is important, if you raise a gauge at the wrong time you might unintentionally be giving an opponent a chance to get a bonus for hitting one of the key markers. So while you do spend the majority of your time focusing on your own board and cards you absolutely need to pay attention to how you compare to the other players as well. I do agree with them that the art is so-so. It's not bad, but it's also not great. And I did like the game at two players but I also agree with them that it probably plays best with three because of the increase potential for player interaction. And on a personal note I definitely like this game better than Race for the Galaxy. Race for the Galaxy is ok but if I had to choose a "headliner" game to play with three people I'd go for Terraforming Mars over that every time. It's just much more fun and thematic in my opinion, Race is to me more of an abstract card game that's just not as much my style. P.S. Almost forgot, they're 100% right about the danger of the sliding playmats. If I was going to pick one component to change in this game I'd recommend slotted mats to keep things from sliding around accidentally.

[@CoreyHardt]

Funniest episode yet by far. I laughed a lot. Keep it up boys

[@jenshoppe607]

I got the game almost a year ago, and it's been played more or less every week since then in my local club. Most weeks, the game is played at least twice, sometimes we manage three games in an evening (4-5 hours total). I am up to, I dunno, about 60 multi-player games (and about the same number of solitaire games). Needless to say, I love the game. It's the best thematic euro I have played in years. As players get better at it, there's lots of interaction, and amazingly, the game keeps feeling fresh. There's lots of strategy, and once you know what to look for, it's often easy to see in hindsight what you did wrong. Personally, I love the art, and think it really suits the game to have its own distinctive art style. I shudder to think what the game would have looked like had, say, FFG published it... As for the player mat, we have yet to see a single game ruined by accidentally knocking the cubes about. Not a single game... So, regardless of how I feel about the player mat, in reality it's not much of a problem, as problems come. For me it's a 10/10. I can't wait to play my next 100 games...!

[@whommel_kpop]

I fell hard for Terreforming Mars, but my friend has a lasercut box that elevates it to such a luxurious experience so that's part of why. I've played it once without and it wasn't as fun especially fearing that I would nudge the board and have pieces flying.

[@justinlenhart4330]

How are these guys so funny. I can’t believe how much I laugh at these.

[@LaboratoryGrey]

A few times a year, "Real algee in your areas now," enters my brain.

[@cyclemadness]

5 years playing this game with the wife and friend. Just played 2 games this past weekend.

[@charlessandusky7270]

So I'm a biology grad student that researches algae. I couldn't get enough of this review. It really connected with me for some reason...

[@wospy1091]

When Quinns said he doesn't like the calculating and efficiency I knew it was the game for me.

[@DanGalarzaCyber]

My gal and I love Terraforming Mars but I totally respect SUSD's concerns, and I love that they suggest some alternatives since my girlfriend and I like economic games now that we're trying one for the first time. I like it enough that I bought the Broken Token set for the superior character trays.

[@alextrickier4613]

As promulgated by HM The Queen, the new official lyrics of the National Anthem of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are as follows: “God save our lovely Queen Queen of Scotland and England Wales and Irelands God, she is a lovely catch With her many dresses and hats Never going to forget you now God, you are and Queen”

[@vaalakhan559]

I think TFM is objectively a pretty solid game, the interaction is there at a high level and you're pretty invested on what your opponents are trying to do like terra mystica or Concordia. At the end I don't get the sense of accomplishing anything in the game like TM or Concordia. It feels like you're going through the motions of making the best of junk being drafted. Like they said, it's good, really solid just not rewarding enough for effort of dotting i's and crossing t's

[@jimmzik3097]

LMFAO! That was your best opening ever!

[@codedecode878]

7:23 i had to pause it on your party chart.

[@charliefingerhut8935]

Terrorism and Pet snakes xD

[@aweso]

Great review. I almost exclusively enjoy eurogames and I really didn't care for this at all. I think your review gave me more understanding of why so many people seem to love it so much and also gave some nice insights into different ways eurogames can succeed or fail. The part starting around 13:37 was particularly interesting. I think you did a good job of describing the way I feel when I say something like "there aren't many real decisions to be made" (which I've said about this game). But your use of the word "efficiency" is throwing me a bit, I feel like efficiency is an important thing to keep in mind in close to every eurogame (unless the point was just that all it is is calculating the most efficient stuff, and the key word is really "calculating" in which case I agree again). But overall it sounds like I'm pretty much with Paul on this one (and by the way of the fourteen games you list at the end, personally, I'd call seven of them great or amazing, five good, and two I've never played, so overall what I'd call a strong list).

[@Overthought7]

lmao, I love the depiction of eurogames at 6:50, including the party scale

[@MrStewbags]

Good balanced review for a game I like but am yet to love. Mars Bars however is one of your finest moments #dothmycap

[@MartinTheMartian1]

Nailed it. Well done. True lovers and players of games (over decades), only experience can reveal the good and bad nuances.

[@AonGreyFox]

Agree with the player mat, no wonder why people pumping lot of overlay. I myself feel it a little bit overprice for the component we get. The game itself is much like snowball building than engine. The start and the end is really too big for the core game. Thing start to get interesting mid game and it end just before the big bang happen. It's happen to both solo and normal mode. Most of the time, I feel like I really need one more thing to make it a satisfied ending either wining or losing. Which didn't happen with other game. Adding Prelude solve some of the problem but that piece still missing.

[@liamboyd555]

I think somehow the reference to fidget spinners somehow dates this 😅

[@defiantj975]

Very interesting! Found terraforming mars on amazon for $32 and since it was #3 on BGG I thought I would go for it. Interested to see if I like it or not. Thanks for the review!

[@spyrodragonsbane3076]

This is one of my favorite reviews ever

[@bamzerdaniel1997]

Would love a review of the new expansion pack turmoil. It adds a lot of player interaction to the game

[@michaelselvaggio4935]

Great review. Thanks for the help.

[@HITFORDCYCLE1]

There is one key strategy in this game: get those cards that increase your Me (currency) production. If you dont get lucky enough to get those cards, it will be a frustrating game. I've played it 5 times and used the drafting mechanic 3 times which helped but players were taking the cards that increased currency production.

[@timiddrake]

I've played it 12x as many times as you and you are very, very wrong. :) there is no key strategy. There are about 3-5 core strategies and about 10 complementary ones. And even those play differently every time.

[@ChimeratAlpha]

Every time you guys brought up "Race for the Galaxy" my mind went: "That's nice, but I already 'Roll for the Galaxy'." ;)

[@SH3Bstanko6]

"Chin chin! Mines a lumpy one!" Greatest line ever!

[@Martin_Z555]

good review and good bit at the end lol. by the way does anyone know if there are versions of this game where your score keeping thing is made so that if you nudge it the pieces stay in place? ive seen pictures that looked like this is the case but im not sure

[@chrisstabile3243]

DONT HUG ME I''M SCARED 10/10