Reavers of Midgard - A Miami Dice Review

Tom, Zee and Sam take a look at the second installment in the Midgard series from Grey Fox Games, designed by J.B. Howell!
00:00 - Introduction
01:35 - Game overview
14:38 - Final thoughts
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[@bagookster]

I always appreciate Zee’s unapologetic honesty. Most reviewers downplay a games faults or try to justify them just because they like the theme, publisher or designer.

[@LeeroyPorkins]

Journeys in MiddleEarth *cough cough* Gloomhaven *cough cough* Batman: Gotham City Chronicles *cough cough* I can't tell you how many times I've been attacked for disliking said games popularity.

[@gregsaldi1292]

i really agree with everything he said.

[@pczplughead]

@@LeeroyPorkins Just want to clarify this... but you dislike the games or the fact they are popular? Two very different things...

[@LeeroyPorkins]

@@pczplughead I don't like how people trash other Dungeon Crawlers for essentially not being named Gloomhaven. I don't like how NPI called Heroes of Land Air and Sea "Over priced Kickstarter Bloat" but then turn around and praise Batman: Gotham City Chronicles (Which truly earns that title). Finally Tom essentially flipped the bird in his review of Journeys in MiddleEarth, due to people (like myself) not wanting to spend money on an essentially disposable box of plastic and cardboard, because it NEEDS an App.

[@pczplughead]

@@LeeroyPorkins Sorry, I'm not sure that answered my question about whether you disliked the games themselves or just the hype/inconsistencies in reviewing. I'm not being antagonistic, I promise :) I mean, I disagree re: the disposable thing (just so long as they didn't forcibly delete the app from your device once they'd stopped supporting it with additional patches etc.) but I can see why people don't like it.

[@fredcabr]

“Stolen From” & Dice Tower sticker under the box lid.... hysterical 😂

[@justanerd1138]

This is always my favorite review format. Love hearing the discussion and variations in perspective.

[@edwardrice9170]

Sit down and shut up make great reviews.

[@paulstaker8861]

*looks at thumbnail* *clicks* *skip to explanation* *looks at board* *eyes explode*

[@ErmacFellwalker]

Love the sticker on the inside of the box lid 🤣

[@ryanwilliamson7657]

This is one of the most underrated games in the last few years.

[@mrbastos]

I always enjoy these group reviews and countdowns, because you each have varying tastes and the banter that comes out due to that helps me decide if I'd like it or not (and feels organic and not paid for lol). Still on the fence on this one though, looks like I could enjoy it with the right group, but not sure I need to own it myself.

[@blaze0015]

Been looking forward to this for a while. Can't wait for it to show up. I love the engine building aspect of this one. Champions is still pretty high on my list and this looks better to me.

[@TylerAndToast]

Superfluous point chugging, that says it perfectly Zee.

[@Razorider1]

seems to hit the nail on the head

[@notmyeyeballgames7798]

Mine is on preorder and I cant wait.

[@sebastianyanez2039]

i wish to know if tom vasel preffers this one or the classic champions of midgard?

[@isaacbf]

The "follow the leader" action selection mechanism reminds me of Puerto Rico. It's strange how few games have used that idea, since it adds a lot of player interaction while cutting down on downtime.

[@redeyedghost1406]

One of my favorite mechanism in gaming.

[@exiledsonofhawaii3934]

Empires of the void 2, San Juan, rising sun and eminent domain all use it.

[@redeyedghost1406]

@@exiledsonofhawaii3934 TI4, Heroes of Land Air & Sea, New Frontiers (I like it better here than in Roll or Race) to name a few more.

[@Toothbrush_appropriate]

RedEyedGhost Also Villages of Valeria.

[@adamholt5395]

I'm surprised no one mentioned this in the video, but what was your opinion of the second ship added to the 3 player game to make this a pseudo 4 player game?

[@TheEricBooth]

I was under the understanding that the first person to go to a location got the good benefit but the other benefits come from the second in player order not the second person to take the action and so on.

[@thediceodyssey4690]

I need a full game of this, I only got a half game at GENCON. While I was enjoying what was going on, I do agree it’s a ton of stuff to take in right away. Good review guys, nice to see the disparities between everyone on how they felt about it. Said many things I completely agree with.

[@XShrike0]

Worker placement games usually are front-loaded when it comes to learning. Every action has to be explained at once.

[@thediceodyssey4690]

XShrike so true, this is why I said I want a full game soon. I liked it for the short demo I got. I can’t say much though, we’re in the middle of learning and playing Anachrony right now lol. Talk about heavy and a lot to take in. But I’m enjoying it.

[@BuckishDweeb]

In terms of the "complexity for complexity sake" piece, it's very common in modern gaming to see asymmetric gameplay encouraged, especially for 4 players. You can probably totally ignore the set collection aspect and still win. Or you can try to win by diversifying. Sure, the game might be cleaner if it was all about attacking the monsters at sea, but some players would also find that a bit dull. The point salad feel is just a consequence of having diverse strategies in a game. It's not designed to be point salad.

[@1q2w3e4r5t6yx]

I want them to do a cooperative game to this series

[@kjerins]

Tom, is that a Quacks of Quedlinburg tie you're wearing?

[@DannyvanHolten]

I like this review :) I also like that Zee just named his number on a scale to 10, Because what is a 2 thumbs up? Is that a 10? And 2 thumbs down a 1? Can't image it.

[@arlynjanssen3097]

Danny van Holten Years ago it made sense against the volume of games being produced and reviewed. It made sense to divide games into "play it if you can", "don't go out of your way to play it", and "go out of your way to avoid playing". Now there's too many games so a finer gradient is almost necessary.

[@TimGaastra]

I think I disagree... What is a 4 vs a 5 vs a 6. I prefer a simpler "I like it" ”I sorta like it" "I don't like it” dichotomy.

[@TheKenkuan]

19:23 I miss heard: the Force is strong with this one.

[@Jason-xs5ux]

Thank you!!!!!!

[@teestarbird4478]

Zee says Champions of Midgard is a 5?! Wow...I tend to enjoy the same games as Sam (Blood Rage, Zombicide, CoM) so I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy this one when I get it.

[@curtlucas4987]

Vikings for the Win! I have it preordered so hopefully I like it as much as Sam.

[@MrJacobSteed]

I really enjoy this game. Raiders of the North Sea and Champipns of Midgard are both in my top 10, so I may be biased on viking worker placement. Lol

[@kennythegreatbear]

How do you think this stacks up against either of them?

[@MrJacobSteed]

@@kennythegreatbear well the best part is that all 3 are worker placement, but completely different styles of WP. Reavers is a refreshing change, but I still like Raiders the most. We will see after more plays of Reavers though!

[@chrismusix5669]

I think I'd have preferred a black background on the board to help contrast the colorful cards and pieces. I'd be tempted to just cut off the necessary board sections and throw the rest of it out to play with.

[@mikeharman4257]

Great review as always. But you guys need to sort your audio out, far too much background cloth rubbing or heavy breathing in the mics

[@foyoGames]

Mike Harman just think of it as Miami ocean breeze

[@blarneystone38]

Good god look at that board. You'd think it was a Lacerda game

[@mrbastos]

I minimized the window during the rules portion, because wow that is a busy board and my eyes started to hurt lol

[@superomelet2897]

That board is a mess. I get the sense that it would be even more overwhelming in person.

[@cmelo4757]

Thank you.

[@BrownEagle]

I'd rather get Champions to the table over this, but I'm loving all the new Miami Dice reviews!! They are really tempting my wallet...

[@ryusorata]

Is this tapestry?

[@yrusomad6]

Sam - "I'm going to raise two backwards sails up!" (and then crash into the shore)

[@mkietzmann]

Just grabbed an unused copy of the Kickstarter version for $50. Let's reave!

[@MrMpa31]

Damn Sam, slow down, breathe. Felt like you were trying for a record speed run

[@christophervincent5720]

Summary: If you like point salad euro games with good theme and little to no down time, this game is probably for you! I backed the game, so I was already impressed with what I saw during the KS campaign. For my taste, I agree totally with Sam Healy's opinions on the game!

[@bol317]

Does anybody know the release date for this game?

[@JimmySquiky]

Kickstarter production isn't even finished yet (supposed to finish september 9th). So for retail versions of the game you'll probably have to wait a few more months.

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

I can't see this being more fun than Raiders and I only found Champions to be ok because of the high luck. That board looks so busy though and with all the point chugging I can see this one being problematic to teach people all the time! But I'm sure I'll get it to review.

[@TheShapingSickness]

I can already feel my throat raspy after thinking on explaining the rules

[@Garethadvertiser]

That is an incredibly busy board. Difficult to look at for a sustained period of time

[@Bodyknock]

I like how Sam has been handling the gameplay overviews recently. My one suggestion from this video is, when talking about parts of a card or small component, it's worthwhile doing a close-up of it. Otherwise it's very hard to actually see what Sam is describing on that card/token/etc. It could either be like Tom does it, where he simply holds the card or component very close to the camera, or it could be putting the card on a small tray under a second zoomed in camera similar to how the gang does close-ups in live plays. Or it could be done in post where an image of the component is overlayed in the corner while Sam is describing it. Overall it's a minor thing though, but I was having enough trouble seeing what Sam was describing here in some sections that I thought it might be worth considering. Keep up the great work guys!

[@Subcomandante73]

The board looks very busy. Going to give this a miss and see what the next game in the series is like. I have enough Euro games that will scratch the same itch.

[@69robtaylor]

Super simple game to get into. My 11 and 10 year old got it immediately. My 10 year old son with 229 points. Really impressed with this compared to COM.

[@BeyondTheLineProductions]

This or champions?

[@ericdollarhyde3296]

Both?

[@TheClootie]

Leave the Feld alone!

[@RicoCordova]

This game looks to be a far cry better for my tastes than pretty much any game featured on Miami Dice, any other game in this series/universe, and...well, pretty much every game these guys tend to like. Finally a game us euro gamers can get excited about! Usually I watch these while I work (background noise). A great change of pace!!!

[@Dusty-Zafu]

VALHALLA! 😂

[@wsiegel9539]

The graphical element of the board with all components is such a turn off. I thought I was going to have a seizure just looking at it. Now maybe if I merged Carpe Deim with this I could tone this down and bump up Carpe Deim. It might be a good game, but will never hit my table. I will stick with Champions with the expansions.

[@miistercrayon]

The more I see the less I think I’ll play the game.

[@ianoble]

Feeling the same way. I regret backing it.

[@magdielescobar50]

Completely agree. Hard pass.

[@ryanwilliamson7657]

Dude ignore this review. I got it at Gencon and I have played it 4 times. Every single person that has played it with me has loved it.

[@LeeroyPorkins]

Same

[@miistercrayon]

Ryan Williamson I don’t think it’s bad I just feel like it plays more complicated, and therefore trickier to explain, the more I see. Maybe it’ll be different once it’s in front of me.

[@TylerAndToast]

I watched the live play. Seemed like point salad. Too much going on for other players on the active players turn (honestly, watching you guys i coulsnt tell whos turn it was). And the set collection and point system didn't seem thematic.

[@Ogreskull]

Viking salads are made of points. Really?

[@TheEpinema]

10 minutes explaining the worker placement locations. This looks like an atrocity compared to the simplicity and slickness of Champions.

[@Appofeoz]

Жду локализацию от Лавки Игр.

[@MrJadude]

Wow surprise surprise ... sam gives a viking game 2 thumbs .... its the same as 90% of euros he would hate

[@SamHealey6]

Nope...sorry. 90% of euros that I've played do not even come close to feeling thematic as this one does to me.

[@1q2w3e4r5t6yx]

@Sam = You made a good point on the low downtime (organic) nature of the game. That's a fair comparison to other euros

[@dannydoesright]

Sam trying to justify liking the game for various reasons when we all know the reason.... c'mon man!

[@foyoGames]

dannydoesright mini soda

[@felixfryxell7529]

Raiding village theme makes me feel awkward.

[@Crs9072]

This game feels so generic, middle of the road, forgettable that I don't really know why I should be interested in this. Too many games are being released so games need to be really good for stand out.

[@TheMrE]

Hard pass.

[@3z5p935]

EXACTLY ZEE! Champions of Midgard was supposed to be this unique non-euro worker placement game, but the designers caved to everyone's demands by putting out an expansion that stirs it back to your normal regular Euro game. If you use the Valhalla expansion, the game will lose any meaning to it's dice roll, tension or theme (most of the time you WANT your warriors to die!). They could've made expansions that further solidifies the game as THE non euro wp game, but nooooooooooo. It's one of my least favourite expansions to date. Unfortunately I bought it in that big Jarl box because of all the rave, so it came with it. However, I only use the Dark mountains expansion to play the game.

[@foyoGames]

That's a great point, they should make a more punishing Anti-Valhalla/non-compatible with Valhalla expansion ....I'd buy it

[@BeyondTheLineProductions]

Thats sillyo

[@evergreen_monster]

Well, glad I made the right choice and dodged this bullet: the game does look like a hot, hot mess. And god is that board ugly as all get-out.