Barrage Review - with Tom Vasel

[@rworrick8037]

"The choices here are delicious!" Man I've been watching your reviews for years and Tom I must say this was my favorite. Getting Barrage to the table tonight as long as it arrived in time.

[@bernhardw9111]

A correction to the "trio of designers": Barrage was designed by first time designer Tommaso Battista with the help of Simone Luciani. Neither Flaminia Brasini nor Virginio Gigli worked on this like they did together with Simone on Lorenzo. The third name on the box of Barrage is the artist.

[@markoreilly4433]

Martijn van der Vlag - that comment made me smile! :-)

[@losfp]

I was pleasantly surprised by just how good this game was. Ok, the components are a little underwhelming considering how much we paid in the kickstarter.. but the gameplay is just delicious. Agree with Tom that it's super stabby and depending on how you like your eurogames seasoned, that might not be your thing

[@BogartFace]

Man, this was an enthusiastic review! Sounds like a terrific game, as I love Brass!

[@lucasmohallem8136]

I was really looking forward for your review of this game. Glad that it came out. I know that this (as gaia project and brass) aren't your cup of tea. But your enthusiasm got me really pumped. I've been REALLY digging luciani lately.

[@Lacertist]

I was waiting for that shelf to collapse off the wall with Tom leaning on it so hard at the very end! xD

[@chrismusix5669]

I wish Mike had done a single player review of this! I'd be watching it right now.

[@origenward3845]

This game is Dam cool.

[@benlauson555]

I love all things Simon Luciani.

[@rabardy2992]

A great review, Tom - this is one of our most popular games at the moment, and I have to say that if we've got a few hours it tends to be my first choice... I believe Cranio are trying to put things right for backers with replacement water drops and a few other extras, but regardless of the Kickstarter issues, this game is solid, and stuffed chock-full with choices, and like you said: it's a delicious combination...

[@TheShapingSickness]

This game has a beautiful cover and the board looks nothing like it.

[@RicoCordova]

Best game of 2019. No doubt. I don't really care for player interaction, and this didn't feel very interactive. It's just about making sure you time your actions and anticipate the needs/actions of the other players. I never once thought of it as mean. It's just very, very, *very* thinky. I get that it isn't for everyone - just like quantum physics isn't a course for everyone...but those who get the opportunity to experience it, will have something with them for the rest of their life that is valuable, and very few other people get.

[@elbench]

Tom, you said that you didn’t like Food Chain Magnate because it was to brutal and with no possibility to catch up if one player is getting ahead. Well after extensively playing that game and Barrage, I must say this game is worst in that sense. If a player blocks your dams and starts harvesting water through conduit 5 lines, you are certainly in for two hours of frustration. I do like Barrage, has a lot of strategy, but in my opinion, it is one of the most brutal and mean game out there.

[@ClarkPotter]

Is there a way to see this coming and prevent or circumvent it if you're experienced?

[@PasseggiateRomane]

​@@ClarkPotterNo because when all the others players are Expert the game became too tight and in 4 1 or 2 loose from the beginning. This Is not good for a game, miss balancement..

[@kingfishergames2158]

cool looking game. just saw this game come out on BGA. could you switch to your left hand when using this angle? your right hand covers some of your demonstrations.

[@Maxlyaptsev]

Cool review, but why is Brass obtuse?

[@momojojo85]

There may be a good game here. The rule book is not very clear. Be prepared to be on the internet looking things up. Our group had so many arguments about the rules it detracted from playing the game. We were at DTC Retreat and a nice person offered to assist with the rules as an "expert - who had played the games many times", even they could not answer our questions. So, we went back to the internet to find the answers. A ton of time spend not playing and just arguing about the rules. We have played Arkwright, Brass, Kanban, Lisboa, Vinhos, and other games rated around 4.0 on BGG and found the rules for these games easier to work through. Also, as stated earlier, it is long game the first one will take a while. The player interaction is good and the idea is sound, it was just too much of struggle to get through the rules.

[@simonecolombo5928]

really curious about your questions, since i've found it more than streamlined and have never had any doubt about how to play it. Only in the solo rules there can be some doubts in my opinion.

[@truelazerlight]

So much wudder in this game! :-) Great review!

[@republikadugave420]

This and Pipeline are the tightest games i have ever played...

[@aleenasaha986]

I saw this game in the store. I wanted to play it.

[@hendrik5103]

At 13:20 Tom mentions the routing of water. Is this really possible in Barrage? I thought it only flows on the pre-printed rivers?

[@SkywalterDBZ]

Yes. When you use the water to make power it flows down those colored pipes. So you can set it up that you pull the water into a river you have more control over.

[@NorthOf60Gaming]

Great, but I don't think it is worth the 100$ Canadian for the game.

[@BayushiTawa]

Eagerly awaiting for the replacemnet wheels... Mines were completely busted and are unusable... T_T (along with dmamge on other components) Sitting there waiting to be played and ejoyed T_T

[@69robtaylor]

Fantastic game

[@dddmmm21]

This game is the epitome of the expression: "It feels like work!!!"

[@Diabolik771]

Should have used cubes for water

[@grzegorztalar]

One correction: You are converting kinetic energy of water into electric energy. You are not converting water into energy. Otherwise excelent review, I was on the fence when it was on KS but I might consider backing it if they come back.

[@yuan561]

I like take that games

[@partypao]

True to the spirit of Euros, the components and graphic design of this game are horrible

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

Ignoring the horrible components and theme (it’s strong but it’s super dull), I remember winning this game without making power and simply building my whole board as the Germans, which kind of detracted from the point. It’s just too mean though, the pseudo knockout potential of this game is off the scale. You get screwed early and it’s 3 hours of waiting for the inevitable. Lascini doesn’t seem to appeal to me in his games.

[@Vascariz]

The theme actually sounds very interesting especially since it shines through the gameplay

[@fedexv.3451]

Well, components in this game are either great (the different shapes of every personal pieces are very good looking and also color blind friendly) or absolute trash (the water drops are IMPOSSIBLE to pick up and look like something I'd expect to see out of a Barbie game; the resources that go in the wheels are way too small and sometimes you can't really tell at first sight the difference between "bigger" and smaller ones; the wheels themselves are, at the same time, a nice gimmick that fits the theme and one of the most infuriating, fiddly and worst realized piece of board game I've ever touched.

[@fedexv.3451]

@@Vascariz yeah it's a theme that fits the game perfectly, but really it's not the most exciting thing ever....I mean, all the game builds up and up and up, and the biggest thing you get to do in a single turn, in the endgame, is to move 3 drops of water through a conduct and watch them get either stuck one level lower or disperse in the sea. That's the actual thing that stopped me from backing the ks campaign, it looks really unappealing. The main board, the player boards, the point tracks, everything looks flat and tuned down.... I mean, ffs, I'm producing bloody electricity through a really dinamic process, why can't I get some bright yellow in the point tracker? A vibrant purple for the energy? A different color for the resources that go on the wheels, instead of having grey/brown tokens on a brown-greyish wheel?

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

God those wheels, yeah the amount of times my pieces slipped underneath those spokes!! 😡 And yes the theme is strong but it's moving water through conduits and making electricity. Fun??

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

Very much so. I get to see something build up in front of me that I can go "win or lose, I built that". Animals are much more interesting then dam conduit logistics. Of course the appreciation of a theme is a subjective view but Hydro electric logistics??

[@felixfryxell7529]

I don't find highly interactive multiplayer games (with 3 or more players) intense. It's just chaotic.

[@transplatin]

Lol, one review says the theme is think as ice and the next that it's the strongest ever...

[@pilotvc]

Mean games like this take gaming to an odd place. More like squid game cut throat competition, less like sports competition

[@gert-jangybels4800]

"I feel so PUMPED" really?? :-)

[@PanikGames]

Dam!! You!!

[@TonyHulk]

2:08 Dumb question maybe...do we really need 3 levels of a dam to stop 3 "drops" of water? seems a little excessive doesn't it? lol

[@Iamwrongbut]

Hulk Gamer each drop represents one fart from Poseidon. You need a lot of dams to hold back those waves

[@jessyjkn]

🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦

[@gbdomingo]

building a dams :) but I don't give a dams :) (puns so fun)

[@BobLee-df4zh]

Good lord. The kickstarter comments page in an absolute disaster. And of course they say they are no longer responding so people have to just hope they get an email reply. Unreal. Definitely won't be supporting this company.

[@Krystianus76]

So emotional speech and obly aprov:-(. Looks great like brass.

[@EgeTunca]

Sorry but brass is a much cleaner design than this.

[@chrismurphy9932]

Hard pass, with it being so mean. I didn't find that Brass was all that mean though and I really like it. No talk about the art though? I know it's subjective, but the art looks super boring to me.

[@Metroidam11]

Weirdly enough, the cover art and board is what made me look into this game. Maybe I'm a boring guy!

[@revimfadli4666]

I mean, it's got dull colors but it's also stylistic

[@republikadugave420]

Jen?

[@Daniel-pr1rc]

Avoid this company. They have lied so many times on the Kickstarter. Hired a shipping company to deliver games with no padding and expect the customers to file individual claims to get partial refunds with the shipper. They take no responsibility for their actions

[@simonecolombo5928]

...but here they are discussing the quality game, not the company.

[@nathanielchambers8974]

​@@simonecolombo5928 the company makes the game, so it's still relevant.

[@kaladze93]

worst necktie ever. suits you a lot

[@ringostarr7080]

If I want a game of that style/intensivness I take Russian Railroads.

[@justandyisok]

Tbf Russian railroads is really hard to find. I agree, though, if you already have rr

[@ringostarr7080]

@@justandyisok you are right, I have it on my shelf and I just wanted to say that I don't need a second game of this kind although this looks very interesting.

[@justandyisok]

@@ringostarr7080 I think there is room for both. Russian Railroads really builds in a way most other games can not replicate, scoring 200 points in a single round is just so satisfying, after starting with so little. Barrage is an engine building game, but the burn is much much slower. It's also much more dependent on what others are doing. The strategy in barrage is much more malleable because of this, whereas in RR, you pick a strategy and mostly stick to it the entire game.

[@simonecolombo5928]

I strongly disagree...Russian is almost not interactive. They are totally different and give a totally different experience in my opinion.

[@revimfadli4666]

@@simonecolombo5928 I thought OP said it was intense due to interactivity

[@AlGuien82]

Hmmmm.... worker (or dice) placement, common play field, produce resources, buy point cards, point cards give you bonuses... most points wins ****YAWN**** how MANY versions do we need of this?? Splendor, Century Spice, Marco Polo, Architects (Paladins) of the West Kingdom, Targi, Puerto Rico, San Juan, Valetta, Covert, Civilization, 7 Wonders, Takenoko, Potion Explosion... STOP ! ! ! ! ! !

[@revimfadli4666]

Lol imagine thinking that Splendor, 7 Wonders, Puerto Rico, and Barrage are the same 🥱**YAWN** STOP!!!! Are you gonna complain that games contain paper components and have win/loss conditions too? STOP! ! ! ? !

[@republikadugave420]

Best that you find another hobby

[@sillymonkey725]

Splendor is to Barrage what a sling is to an atomic bomb.