Xia Review - with Tom Vasel

[@xCriticalStrikex]

Hey there, I spoke to Tom at the UK games expo 2016 about buying this game since I was on the fence about it. I hadn't seen this review or heard of the game beforehand but my friend was insistent I'd enjoy it. We did buy the game following your recommendation and played it a few hours ago. The game is absolutely awesome, its definitely my style of game. Already backing the kick starter for the first expansion. We only played a 5 point match but saw every space tile so I hope they add many more of those in the future. Thanks Tom for giving me that final push, this one will hit the table often! :D

[@osmium73]

Great review Tom as usual...your review of the Xia prototype, led me to back it in the first place. Thank You for that....the Kickstart was a wonderful experience and I absolutely love this game!! One minor correction, the "accessories" for the ships are called "OUTFITS" not "Packets".

[@HampusR]

It's not often I really want to buy a game any of my friends already have, but this game is so great! The only downside is, as mentioned in the video, that each turn can take quite a while since you can do so much stuff.

[@TRez5000]

While watching JPlay's playthrough I couldn't help but be reminded of Duel of Ages 2 (my favorite game of all time). I'm glad to hear Tom Vasel confirm that they share certain traits. This makes me want Xia pretty badly.

[@alanpaul9481]

I got this game used with Embers expansion. It is the most popular game in my groups entire collection. If you can find it, get it.

[@chanm01]

Hey Tom! Thanks for the review. I'm one of the lucky few who have already had a chance to try this, so I just watched the part of this video where you give your own thoughts. I came away with just a couple comments of my own. You mentioned that the cardboard in this game was great, but the copy I played had fairly warped exploration tiles right out of the box. That might have been a one-off issue though. Also, is there any way to affect the chances of success when trying to mine resources/illegally passing through planetary barriers? It seemed at odds with the theme that you could upgrade your ship in pretty much any way you desired, but that you'd be stuck with the same chances of success on rolling that d20 throughout the entire game.

[@Andromedax01]

That actually looks amazing but I may have to think about selling some of my games before adding this to my collection both for budgetary and space concerns.

[@adx7473]

David. It should be available for retail during December. I got my kickstarter copy last month. Both my gaming groups really enjoy it. Goodbye Firefly!

[@davidearlsjr.5745]

Thanks for the answer. I guess I'll play fire fly till then.

[@-RTC-]

I’m here 8 ish years later to tell anyone stumbling across this video that Xia is amazing! One caveat is that you need the expansion Embers of a Forsaken Star. If you have been eye balling the game because you want a sandbox experience and love space, but this (and the expansion)! I got it almost exactly a year ago and have played it with multiple different gaming groups at least 15 times. I will say though that it is best at 3 players, very good at 2 and 4, and a little too much at 5. Also, the other expansions are definitely worth it (sellsword and missions and powers). Xia is in my top 5 games of all time for sure.

[@DonVanPelican123]

Just ordered xia today with all the expansions. Thank you for justifying my decision.

[@-RTC-]

@@DonVanPelican123 I’m glad you pulled the trigger! I hope you like it, I’d recommend learning the game with the expansions integrated right away as it should be considered part of the core experience. Happy gaming!

[@DonVanPelican123]

@@-RTC- that's the plan! Got it primarily for the solo mode but hope to get it to the table with my group asap as well. Appreciate the kind words. Happy gaming to you as well!

[@javiertalay]

How do you feel about this game at the date? Do you ever play it now? Is it possible to get it? Thanks!

[@richardcastro-parker3704]

This video deserves more views as do all dice tower videos.

[@richardjones1527]

Tom - Any chance you've played the 2 expansions for Xia? Would love to know what you think of them! Also if possible could you do reviews?

[@Monkeyb00y]

This looks like an amazing game. I can't wait for the expansion to come on KS, then I can possibly get the original game with the expansion :)

[@Nezbo]

This sounds a bit like the child of Merchants & Marauders and Galaxy Trucker (both games i love). The puzzle of fitting the upgrades on your limited ship sounds fun :)

[@lordcactuar]

This sounds like Elite - The Board Game. Hey... Now there's an idea.

[@ObsceneVegetableMatter]

That's what i thought when i first heard of Xia. That's why i backed it. I love it. Cody Miller is a hero.

[@adlertag262]

Phantom League came out four years ago and holds the "Elite - The Board Game" title

[@1simo93521]

Funnily enough Elite the computer game was based on the pen and paper RPG game Traveller.

[@richardcastro-parker3704]

Just got hold of this from eBay as it's pretty expansive currently (probably in part because it's out of print I think and features high quality miniatures and pieces). I can not wait to play.

[@burtonboarder503]

Just got it with the expansions for essentially $80 (trade plus a little cash), such a steal.

[@Madmatt7]

I just bought this and haven't played it yet but i have been going over the rules. it says minimum 3 players but at first glance I don't see why it can't be played by two. Having played it, i would like to hear what you say about that.

[@davidearlsjr.5745]

Yeah my game group has this and has played it without me a few times. I wanna play it bad. Tom do you know roughly when it will be in retail?

[@Molbork]

The publisher\designer, Cody, promised backers a 2 month window before retail which would of been pate December, but! That got pushed up to around Dec 1st so Cody can get in on the holiday shopping! He deserves it!

[@davidearlsjr.5745]

Yeah I'd say. Sandbox is so very interesting. Thanks for info.

[@KAM1138a]

I played this game a few times, and while I like pretty much every single thing this game presents, I found it to fall short in almost every way. We are going to play it more to try and dig down and find the fun. The basic pick up and deliver is both random and exploitable, and frankly a bit boring. It does work generally. The ship customization seems to promise a lot, but really doesn't provide interesting choices. You really can't do that much. The ships have special abilities, but again, this sort of falls short--sometimes the abilities don't matter at all. The "NPC" ships are predictable, and so far easy to avoid or exploit. The randomness isn't an issue for me, but seems like there are dice rolls, when they really aren't needed (movement). The movement is something that I don't mind too much, but it isn't particularly fun or satisfying, and the randomness just seems misplaced with movement. At almost every turn this game was "Wow, that should be cool", followed by "Meh." I am very skeptical that this game is going to be NEARLY as highly touted a year from now. That said--I think this game DOES have a fairly firm foundation--it is just that not enough is built upon it. Expansions could probably make this game a lot better.

[@seancurtin5131]

It looks absolutely brilliant. Only problem, WHERE CAN I ACTUALLY GET A COPY OF THIS GAME?????

[@timmarshall8618]

If you still don't have it, Nov 13, 2023 is the end of the pledge period for the team's new game Arydia. They give you the option to pledge for the original Xia and expansions limited reprint even if you don't want the new game. Should be delivered Q1 2024

[@krum1985]

I'm drooling over this game. I love the theme, the components look great, and the game mechanics is just up my alley. To bad I can't find a retailer in my country selling the game, so now I need to save up to include import tax if I find an online store that will ship inernationally =)

[@Kayne20]

I don't think it is being sold by retailers. You can only get it by being a kickstart backer, or get one of the 'left-overs' through amazon (for the US), and Wayland Game (for EU, at least, that was the store he used last time).

[@cdouglashall]

Frederieke Westerveld They have their official store on Amazon but I don’t think it ships internationally: www.faroffgames.com/store

[@iamoverthisusername]

Some minor gripes. Numerator + Raptor-K engine at the start can be pretty overpowered, at least if it ever gets rolling. It also annoys me a bit that only one of the Second Tier ships has an ability that's arguably useful outside of combat, unless you count Krembler. The variance in the die rolls could also be an issue for some people, but it's easy enough to adopt house rules to fix that. I still enjoy it, but there are certainly flaws.

[@errolwilde1656]

I'm really intrigued and this game looks really fun, but I need to know is this game playable with one in two players. I'm thinking yes and given the automated movement of some of the neutral ships but if anyone knows for sure I really appreciate it

[@cdouglashall]

Errol Wilde Box and rulebook say 3-5 players but there are solo rules that may require an expansion. I’ll paste the rule book link here but I see your question is 4 years old... I’ve played a few times and it’s great but can take up to 7 hours in my experience although I think we’ve completed a game and packed up in 3.5 hours once with 4 players; that was base game only. docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/3c15b6_2d904c8d13e94e89b9eb67a8c45955fd.pdf

[@qzxerty]

Is this actually available yet? I've been trying to get hold of it for over a year.

[@cdouglashall]

qzxerty www.faroffgames.com/store

[@TheOldMan-75]

@TomVasel As a European I am curious as to what a Eurogamer is :D

[@christophersmith8316]

Someone who plays Eurogames! The usual separation of a Eurogame is that player conflict and player interaction is low or nonexistent...so you might be able to grab a resource spot first but you can't burn down his cities. Often they are light on theme and heavy on intricate mechanisms. Contrast to Amerithrash games where you bang on your opponents a lot, theme is often heavier than complex mechanics.

[@brrrmanza]

Eurogames never eliminate a player from the game. They also typically don't heavily rely on dice (but they are not excluded from the Euro category) I think Settlers of Catan is a perfect example of a Eurogame. There's dice, but it's just to determine which production hexes are harvested.

[@brrrmanza]

Kvarnholmen You make some fine points: "Eurogame - Decide winner on points collected, little randomness, mechanics for scoring the points could often have "any" theme glued on them." Very true… Euro's are a lot of the resource management games, worker placement, type… They tend to lack theme of depth (beyond whatever is pasted on). They do allow LOW levels of player conflict: IE - Thief cards in Settlers of Catan: stick one player for one resource. They don't tend to allow you to decimate one player exclusively. Also, Victory Points. You collect them, they mean nothing outside of scoreboard. I've not seen (but I'm sure they exist) a game with VP that award any inherent bonuses as they're accrued… hit a target number, declare the winner. Ameritrash - Will have plenty more randomness, probably a wider reliance on dice, and there's almost ALWAYS Miniatures included in Ameritrash games. I find myself having to say NO to lots of games even though the mini's are sick. There's also a lot more player conflict, also "Take That" style play, and of course, cutting out your opponents. You also find a deeper theme in terms of where the game takes your group in its adventure. Often times, a lot more components (cards, minis, tokens, tiles, boards, bits, etc., etc.). Titan is a great 2-Player game in that regard. You lose your Titan, you lose the game. When playing with 3+, you're looking at a sore game if there's an early elimination.

[@greyknightcaine3000]

some valid points there. Lots of euro games come from German designers and it is true that there is no hard elimination during the game, but you can set someone back so badly so he/she won't be able to catch up. Being born in Germany, I think that most games are intended to be less "violent" and less "punishing", because they still serve a pedagogic purpose in the games. In games like Hanabi you score points, which determine your success rate and in most games, there is a "second winner". Direct elimination ignites competitive thinking as where euro games with mechanics, with less interaction feels like pushing cubes and having fun in a non aggressive environment. If you reduce a game to it's core you are just comparing numbers or algorithms, which generate more numbers, but it's true that most euro game themes can be replaced without harming the mechanics. In my opinion American style games demand more dedication, Descent 2.0, card games like Netrunnger/MTG or simulate war for example. The theme is very strong, game board, cards and miniatures are very visual and appealing. More text in comparison to euros where a pictogram are used. Fluff lines to spice up the gaming experience are mostly present. Just looked at my collection and I would also agree that American designs use more dice/randomization to determine success or failure.

[@birkins1]

So I’ve had an idea for a board game where you play as a space pirate exploring a post apocalyptic Galaxy where you scavenge supplies fight other player trade with space stations and explore the galaxy etc etc....... turns out I would have had a great idea just it’s about 10 years to late haha this is exactly what I was thinking and also better than what I had in my head.

[@adlertag262]

How does this compare to Phantom League and Smugglers of the Galaxy?

[@trickykid3000]

He says that about everything. Eclips was his 2011 game of the year but its not on any of his lists. I dont understand Dice tower at all.

[@thedicetower]

trickykid3000 Ah, you confuse yourself. :) Eclipse was the Dice Tower Award winner of 2011. It was not my personal favorite, but the group of us voted it in.

[@trickykid3000]

Thank you for the reply....I was double confused cause it wasnt on your top ten Euro lists either, or sam or zee's...But i guess its not technically a Euro game...or is it? I dont know....stlll confused :)

[@wfp9378]

Its like multi-player Elite. Only...super pricey, super hard to find, and ...out of print?

[@trickykid3000]

i imagine its like merchants and maruaders in space

[@tomjandrews5334]

mmm, Xia and Imperial Assault could well be in Tom's top 10 of all time (certainly of 2014). Only a month past his latest top 100 and already 2 possible major changes :)

[@Arbie812]

Yes, definitely not enough dice. Hopefully he throws in at least another set for an expansion, and maybe even two.

[@carrickrichards2457]

Reprint promised for 2021 incl expansions: Yeah!

[@ThunderstruckElectronix]

Nice. Do you know if the reprint will look the same? Or do I risk missing something cool if I buy it earlier?

[@RaffleSnaffle20]

I FINALLY GOT IT!! Ran into it last week and could not believe I was looking at what I was looking at.. bought it and have played it 3 times within less than a week of owning it. Fantastic game.

[@ThunderstruckElectronix]

@@RaffleSnaffle20 Gratz!

[@tacktful]

@@RaffleSnaffle20 my copy arrived today, plus expansions - can't wait to play it!

[@calebdesjardins616]

So it's like merchants and marauders in space

[@RuiSaltao]

looks awesome!

[@CameraMan9258]

Looks amazing. I really want it.

[@ufoniks]

This is a board game version of Faster Than Light! Looks almost exactly the same.

[@goodwithastain]

It does look eerily similar

[@Raphaelus13]

Prepainted ships in stands made me go: Oh-oh! Yup, +140$

[@vincivader]

It retails for that much?! Yikes, oh well.

[@snowren24]

vincivader no, I believe it will retail for $75.$140 is for eBay prices on the kickstarter copies.

[@meganecro]

may be when you checked the game was temporally out of stock and hence high prices. I got mine for around 80$ and just checked amazon now (as of March 2017) and it's going for 84.

[@hatchimmmmm]

Have it love it. Forsaken too 👌

[@homelessjoe]

"Your about to go out and get points" That's the moment I tuned out. The coins are nice. The pre-painted minis are nice. Everything else, especially the graphic design looks incredibly unpolished. Probably just me, but i'm not seeing the appeal.

[@DefiasBrotherhood]

This game looks really fun. But after getting burned by the "sandbox" Firefly game I am leery. Firefly gives you tons of options, but it's easy to figure out the winning formula without trying. Really reduces the options to win... Hopefully this game is a lot more open ended than that one and you do have more than one viable way to win!

[@osmium73]

Not only are there many viable options to win, but you really CAN'T just choose one and be successful. You need to modify your strategy on the fly and go with what is best for your current circumstances.

[@JayChampagne]

TundraThunder I disagree. All too often a planet will appear that sells a commodity an adjacent planet buys. If this happens, a player can easily win by just going back and forth over and over again. I think that a good variation on the rules would be to say that if this ever happens, draw a new tile and shuffle the original tile into the stack. Doing something boring should not be the dominant strategy.

[@osmium73]

Jay Champagne When we've run across a "juicy" trade route, that usually is enough incentive for the other players to by some weapons and shoot up the trader.... I haven't found those short trade routes to be an issue at all. You either need to exploit it as the trader or the pirate.

[@JayChampagne]

TundraThunder That's great if your group can coalesce behind that strategy. Unfortunately, it's just way too difficult to take down a ship without help from another player. However, that's one of the functions that I feel house rules serve: to adapt a game to your group's play style and nudge them into the most fun experience.

[@osmium73]

Jay Champagne Its not always necessary to destroy the trader's ship to make those short routes no longer worthwhile...causing enough damage to make them lose cargo Or simply to lose profits by having to pay to repair the damage is often enough. But if its still bothering you and your group...then House rule away. Xia was meant to be moddable..and if you look on the BGG forums there are already a couple variants for fluctuating markets on planets that may be a solution for you.

[@Mahuloq]

This game is just pure randomness. The dice rolls are so variable. Rolling a d20 or a d6 or a d12. You pretty much just get shafted by what you roll.

[@jward1465]

Have you played it? There are many ways to mitigate bad dice rolls built into the game.

[@Daemakon]

This is just a Space version of Merchants and Marauders...

[@kelson8149]

Sure, but there are some key differences that are made to adjust for theme and so on. I love Merchants and Marauders, one of my favorite games. But, there is definitely space for both in my collection. I don't think this replaces merchants and marauders because in M&M piracy is a very opportunistic thing and the map is basically always the same (sans goods in demand). In Xia, depending on the map, Piracy can be a way of life and a potential winning strategy. Outfitting and customizing your ship is so cool, so many different options and managing the trade offs associated with the limited cargo space is just so interesting. M&M just has a different feel. It's primarily a merchant game with opportunistic piracy, and it works amazingly well. Xia is a complete sandbox in space to me. I can be primarily a pirate with some merchant activity on the side. I can be a smuggler dealing in illegal goods and consorting with outlaw planets. It legitimately has a different feel and some nights im in a Xia mood and sometimes im in a Merchants and Marauders mood.

[@andrewhogan8492]

Yes. But this is much betterer.

[@cdouglashall]

Kelson Gent my first 6-7 games I’ve been primarily a merchant/miner/explorer but next game will be my 3rd Embers expansion game and as my son is more of a pirate, I’m going to have to step up and fly more of a battleship!

[@alcolyndus3850]

Zaebumba!

[@Mark-OutWest]

Woo hoo!

[@brandonstevens2917]

You could have fun, or you could be wishing that you would rather be chewing chalk, while playing this game. It's terribly dependent on luck, and there are no friendships while playing this game if you want to win.

[@kenobiwanobi889]

1:08 That´s not how you open a board game 0_0

[@oliveranderson9075]

Traveller the Board Game

[@brrrmanza]

"Packets" Wha-? Where? Oh, you mean Outfits…. ;)

[@beeeatsme]

Review is fine, but I sure didn't like this game. Rolling "1" movement is never fun in any game and it seemed to happen an awful lot in this one. Even if you buy into the thematic feel and give your strategies away to the vagaries of luck, what you are doing in the game is just not terribly interesting. Eclipse is a better euro/technology/combat game and Merchant of Venus is a MUCH better trading and fun luck game.

[@Fergit_]

Soooooooo expensive.

[@goodwithastain]

It is very much worth the price

[@TheAwexome]

just finished a session of Xia with my froiends and it's absolutely abysmal. The randomness is awful and really infuriating. It was so bad we just laughed and packed it back

[@danielengel4593]

Most of the ships looks like they were painted at an elementary school.

[@thedicetower]

+Daniel Engel Since they are better than what I can paint, thank you.

[@neftalibaltasarsilvaalvare8244]

Painting that scale ain't easy mate. They actually look pretty good.

[@hegemon3]

This is just ugly space version of Merchants & Marauders