Stamp Swap Review: Red Leather, Yellow Leather

[@JonTripp115]

Recent Stonemaier themes: Dragons! Space Bees! Postage!

[@andrewwade1598]

A beautiful looking game! The art is fantastic. Can’t wait to dive into all the different unique stamps. Looks like lots of replay ability with the different scoring strategies.

[@kevinbhieey9188]

Tom is the one who pronounced "philatelist" correctly?? Kudos!

[@marksoccer100]

This theme seemed unique and peeked my interest. The combo of drafting and I split you choose sounds great. But because of how fiddly it seems I agree with Tom. I need to try it before I get it.

[@PurpleSmurfProds]

I didn't find it fiddly at all. Nor did anyone I played with.

[@Noobwater]

fi-LA-te-list (fish last test list)

[@icymallard3]

Love the theme and the weight seems good. Yeah my only concern is the clunkiness that yall talked about, especially with the solo mode. Want to try at Unplugged.

[@PurpleSmurfProds]

I don't find it clunky at all. It's played smooth every time for me.

[@BoardGameBite]

Wondering if this game might greatly benefit from a house rule or two. Haven’t played it yet though. The differing viewpoints shared in this video are greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[@SvanMagic]

I'm with Wendy. The more I watched the review, the less interested I became in the game. And I enjoy stamps.

[@paulsalomon27]

If you like stamps, I hope you'll give it a try.

[@SvanMagic]

@@paulsalomon27 I'll definitely try it. I'm always willing to try a game once. And I hope it doesn't sound like I'm bashing the game. As a hobbyist designer, I know how tough it is to work on a game. I just don't think this design speaks to me. And that's okay. I suspect others will like it better.

[@paulsalomon27]

@@SvanMagicI think that’s very fair. :)

[@RazBaz07]

At last! A Stonemaier Games review that comes out before the game is released for pre-order! I guess SM sent them a game in time this time around. Made the decision harder tho... love SM and have great respect for the DT opinions. And I like the theme and I don't have a 'ISYC'-game in my collection. Would have really liked a unanimous praise for this game, then it would have been a insta buy. :P

[@lajeit]

The mics are better sounding but it takes away from the feeling that we are hanging out with you guys.

[@PatrickBrophy]

I honestly do not care for the "studio sound" that those Rode mics provide over the nonchalance of the lav mics. Plus yeah, it just looks so corporate video.

[@TheSneetchBelly]

I would have to respectfully disagree - I’m glad I’m not looking at peoples feet anymore and everyone looked self-conscious IMO

[@lajeit]

@user-oq8ng3jp1l they have plenty of videos without that part too. But ok. We can't agree on everything I know there's more people who agree with me. And I'm sure TDT will do as they please anyways.

[@jasonsmith1133]

Penny Black is the stamp game for me.

[@rawkyle9385]

Tussie Mussie! Great and simple I split you choose game.

[@paulsalomon27]

Have you played Hanamikoji? I played it again last night and I was just floooored by the simplicity and elegance of every part.

[@rawkyle9385]

@@paulsalomon27No but I have wanted to play that!

[@realjon4220]

You draft the pieces, followed by doing the split and group stuff? Isn't that like doing the draft phase twice? Seems like a lot of unnecessary movements.

[@paulsalomon27]

This was something Tantrum House said they like, because it mitigates randomness in a second way. You are going to get one of your piles in the swap phase, so if I had you a random chunk of stuff that you may or may not want at all and hand another player a pile they love, it will likely feel bad. However getting a chance to draft the items in your piles changes that dynamic.

[@therealBocaStudios]

It’s meant to lengthen the game time I think.

[@therealBocaStudios]

One things obvious from the outtakes of the panel..those who plan ahead enjoy the game more those who easily get overwhelmed will fail to find the game. It does seem there are more rules here..I suspect the game could benefit from a house rule along the way

[@nezukoshop]

the drafting phase shouldn't have stamps facedown, it is randomness upon randomness from the I split You choose phase.

[@PurpleSmurfProds]

It definitely should have facedown, because it's a lot of fun that way.

[@paulsalomon27]

You might be surprised by what it’s like to play the game. It feels more like choices than randomness in my experience. Playtesters felt the game got better once we added facedown stamps.

[@johnrochester1419]

It looks fun and like a good family-weight game, but then again, I am predisposed to favor Stonemeier games.

[@KidJV]

penny black is the better stamp game

[@Bleuchz]

@@KidJV how did your games of stamp swap go?

[@ClaudiaRodriguez-yq1qx]

I think so too, I watched the playthrough video from bgg, and it looks more fun and the production even more appealing. I really don't like how this game plays and looks.

[@john-qz3fu]

Yeah not feeling it. Looks a bit better than boring. No doubt a bunch will love it.

[@ianw0ng]

stamps... oh i remember seeing them in prehistoric museum.

[@rjaredhamby]

This just sounds like a clunkier , less elegant version of Penny black. Penny Black is so fun and so smooth. Maybe they're more different than this makes it seem? Anybody played both this and Penny Black? How did they compare?

[@paulsalomon27]

I love Penny Black too, but it's very very light and low on interaction. You absolutely might prefer it though.

[@PurpleSmurfProds]

No, it sounds like a more strategic, interactive game than Penny Black.

[@DiegoDeschain]

Yeah, that doesn't interest me at all. I never liked "I split you choose", it never feels good, unlike drafting, where you constantly get that good feeling of picking something that will advance your plans again and again, splitting always leaves a bad taste in my mouth, like the choices are always a compromise, and you're gaining something but also losing something. I know that technically, the drafting mechanic is "the same thing just done differently", but somehow it doesn't feel like it, so even if it's a completely psychological difference and not a technical one, it's still a difference... In fact the whole concept of having a draft before the splitting seems to be a weird way to make the splitting part feel less bad...because you can manipulate it so that it feels less bad...I don't know, just feels awkward. Plus, it feels overproduced and clunky like they said, with all the other minutiae going on.

[@guksungan1267]

appreciate the breakdown. I think I like the idea of "I split you choose", but it can definitely overtune the tension without balancing the payoff.

[@JasonOshinko]

Swamp Stomp

[@TpDgreat]

if you ever accidentally bought this game, Stamp and Swap! 😉

[@aowoodworks2408]

I don’t think I’ve ever been turned away by a theme before, well outside of something grotesque like kingdom death or something. This game however just looks so boring to me with its theme. Maybe if it were original I could see a little more interest in it but there was that Penny Black game that was already this theme which for some dumb reason in my brain is enough games about this topic 🤷‍♂️

[@bornofashes]

I’ll stick with The Great Split.

[@PurpleSmurfProds]

Then you'll miss out on a great game.

[@TheBlakeWhitaker]

@@PurpleSmurfProds Just an FYI. I know how it feels when people bash a game I like on this channel and in the comments. But you running to every comment to defend it actually makes me less inclined to play it. It comes across desperate or bias. Maybe just leave 1 comment stating your difference in opinion and leave it there.

[@andysumpter1274]

I heard "Stamp Swamp"

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

This looks like a bit of a dud, but will see for myself when it's released at this end. .

[@Bleuchz]

7.5 is a good score. Why do you have this weird agenda against Stonemaier again?

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

@@Bleuchz well firstly I'm talking about my thoughts after watching this, doesn't matter what their highest score is. And also remember that 7.5 was the "highest" out of 3 people, two of which were 5 and 6. So let's round down and average, that's a 6 overall - which is still above average so not bad at all.

[@nykandrusiakmusic]

@@TheBrokenMeeple Has Dice Tower ever NOT given a seal of at least "approval" to a Stonemaier game?

[@PurpleSmurfProds]

It's actually a lot of fun.

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

@@PurpleSmurfProds good to hear!

[@camalabloom2950]

The gameplay looks moderately interesting, but I have no idea what they were thinking with this theme. Anything more dynamic could have been pasted on, but stamps? Oof. Stonemaier is usually on the pulse of what's hot and what's not, but they are way off the ball this time. I haven't played the game yet, so I could be totally wrong. But I'm not rushing out to buy a game about cancelled postage.

[@Hailtothegun]

The irony of this comment juxtaposed with the comment literally right above this saying "Love the theme." Imagine having different tastes.

[@PurpleSmurfProds]

Yeah, because birds were a super hot theme before Wingspan right? Or maybe, just maybe, the theme actually fits the gameplay very well, and a unique theme is actually a good thing...

[@camalabloom2950]

@@PurpleSmurfProds Oh my gosh, chill! You are as entitled to your opinion as I am to mine. There are games you like that others don't, and games I like that others don't. No need to spam every comment with your opinion, as though it's the only one that matters.

[@paulsalomon27]

If you want to know what I was think with the theme, I can definitely tell you. I thought stamps offered a high capacity for beautiful art, and interesting set collection plus tile-laying possibilities. Especially because stamps can be a part of different sets based on color, size, value, rarity, theme, etc. And of course nerdy collectors like boardgamers (myself included) often get into all kinds of collections. But if you just wanted to say you don't like the theme. Then that makes perfect sense.

[@nreekm]

I feel like I say it every week, I have no interest in "objectives that score by type of tiles or adjacency". Publishers are really running out of creativity.

[@LeeKenshin7]

Appreciate the review. However, I feel Tom occasionally talked over Wendy but gave more space for Joey. Maybe because of her contrarian view regarding the mash of drafting and I split, you choose. I supposed he is the face of the DT so his view should be more prominent.

[@matt7912-j9p]

Zero interest in this theme

[@christaggart5687]

Not the most engaging theme to be honest

[@PurpleSmurfProds]

Were birds the most engaging theme before Wingspan came out?

[@christaggart5687]

@@PurpleSmurfProds I would say that birds is a much more engaging theme than stamps… but I’m not a huge wingspan fan either. It’s a perfectly fine game.. just not my jam

[@ben8929]

​@@PurpleSmurfProds a lot of people enjoy birds even if they are not outright fans of them... stamps on the other hand are very niche

[@joshjenson8111]

This game looks so bad, who on earth thought this game would be a good idea?

[@PurpleSmurfProds]

What looks bad about it, exactly? It plays smoothly, and the theme fits perfectly. I love it.

[@paulsalomon27]

I can answer that. It was me. It was my idea. Also the playtesters and the publisher thought it was a good idea and really enjoyed it.

[@rgmnetid]

Tom, did you find that fedora in the trash? :P

[@ilqrd.6608]

Tramp Stamp

[@siposbalint2000]

Stonemaier Games trying to come up with the least interesting theme ever. Not many themes turn me off usually but this one was just so lame that I told myself even I'm not that much of a nerd to play a game about collecting stamps lol

[@paulsalomon27]

@@siposbalint2000 Stonemaier didn’t come up with the theme. I did.

[@keithpalmer4547]

There are games about collecting cards so stamp collecting is a legitimate theme.

[@siposbalint2000]

@@paulsalomon27 well, I stand corrected then. But still, it's really not the theme for me, but kinda fits the SM lineup

[@paulsalomon27]

@@siposbalint2000 not the theme for you makes perfect sense. Least interesting theme ever makes less sense. All good though. You’ve probably got stuff you like.

[@PurpleSmurfProds]

a board gamer calling OTHER hobbies nerdy with no sense of self-awareness. Cool.