Seven Short Reviews - with Tom Vasel

[@jamesdillaman]

Thank you for mentioning how awful race to the raft looks on the table! I was beginning to think I was the only one who thought it was ugly and couldn’t figure out why no one else was mentioning it.

[@Quatchisaurusrex]

One thing I will add about Chickening out in Chicken! is that it isn't just about maxing out your points, but denying the next player that chance as well by reducing the dice.

[@jameskirk4692]

Thank you for these short reviews!

[@trashmyego]

Race to the Raft's ugliness kept me away from even considering it. It looks so terrible on the table, and every time I see it I get reminded of this and it's almost astounding to me.

[@carsons5750]

Reminds me of 8th Air Force by Fortress Games, absolutely the ugliest game map ever made and the sole reason I’ll never buy it.

[@PocketPet]

Another Chicken fan here. Don’t forget that you need to hatch any eggs on your *re-roll*, too, before they’re passed to the next player. (See BGG forum as the rulebook isn’t clear..) I do prefer the game with the “eggspansions”, but I’d still play the base game over similar fare (and I like Zombie Dice).

[@Danimal1901]

After hearing toms scathing review of Chicken and his new Podcast host’s simultaneous glowing review, I had to try it. And after, I’m not at all convinced that he is correct about the math. It is very very easy to bust if you take his advice. There are unquestionably situations where you wouldn’t reroll your dice. I definitely think there are choices involved. I wasn’t a kickstarter backer, but Tom I think you’re just wrong about Chicken. Maybe because you can’t restrain yourself in a push your luck game?

[@thedicetower]

I've won the game using my push your luck, but I honestly don't see the point in the game. I'm glad others enjoy it.

[@WizarDru]

@@thedicetower I understand why you don't, but I disagree that there are NO choices. The choice of which dice to draft is an important one, especially when you're opponents are ahead. Sometimes you might choose the safe path and sometimes you might clear the dice to make harder for your opponent, hoping on the next pass they won't chicken out so you can play the odds I think the game is considerably better with the 'eggspansion' however...the two dice add more choices to the game. Honestly, they should have include the dog and mother hen dice in the base game.

[@azizmandar]

Noobs is amazing. Almost not a game but a great communication activity. I could see people who take things too seriously getting frustrated with it but in general it's great fun.

[@scorpian223]

We have fun with chicken. No depth to it. Fun luck based game.

[@andrewp3043]

lol I don't disagree with anything Tom said about Chicken, but we (my wife and I) like it and everyone we played it with likes it. My sister and her friends love Left Right Center, and we bought Chicken for her. She looooooved it, and played it with her friends the same night we taught it to her. It's a well produced game for people who like stuff like LRC and Farkle, but not hobby gamers.

[@Hemux0]

I feel the camera is getting old or the settings are wrong? your recent videos like this are quite blurry. I did not read the comments sorry if already mentioned! Good luck and keep up the amazing work, DT, we need you!

[@Poiuytrew.Q]

My family liked Chicken! It is not a complex game and it’s intrinsically fun to “hatch” eggs. And then it’s funny when you pass a ton of dice to the next person. It gets to a point, where you risk busting - if you bust, no points. It’s a game of probabilities, it isn’t just luck or rolling dice randomly - which is literally what Tom does for fun, que random end of video segments. 😂

[@basdevries2459]

Shocked to hear you giving Race to the raft a 4.... It's a way better and fun game then you give it credit for. I know it's a matter of taste, but loving puzzly games this one knocks it out of the park and it's very enjoyable with two players.

[@CascadaaXx]

Race to the Raft's graphic design team really should have stuck to the Isle of Cats aesthetic imo. It's way too busy looking and that's what kept me from even considering it.

[@KurtDepner]

Wow. Couldn't disagree with you more about Race to the Raft. It's a great little puzzle game, as if The Crew and Isle of Cats met and fell in love. Oh well. To each their own! Still love what you do, Tom!

[@ScottMiller_Chaiftan]

Chicken looks like a less good version of Martian Dice, which my SO absolutely loves and oddly enough refers to as "Chicken Dice" on account of one side of the dice having a chicken on it. I will probably buy it for her for the novelty of it, but don't expect to like more than Martian Dice, which I already don't particularly like.

[@play-it-or-not]

We love chicken! Quick and satisfying dice game. Highly recommend it!

[@notsopunk]

I’ve played Chicken! with 3 different people and everyone loved it. 🤷‍♂️

[@Skullyweb]

At our flgs chicken is always brought out between other larger more involved games. And as a teacher my wife uses it in her class room on days when the weather won't let the kids go outside.

[@WizarDru]

At least four people from different groups immediately ran out an bought a copy after they played with us. The only mistake I think they made was not releasing the expansion to retail.

[@nonnogames2136]

Another Chicken! fan here. Everyone I've introduced it to has had a good time. It's the perfect game to throw in a bag to play at the beach, at a park, or wherever. It can accommodate a large player range and, though it doesn't have a massive decision space, it's dumb fun rolling dice that everyone-non-gamers and kids included-will be able to learn within thirty seconds. I *would* be curious to see this number crunching that suggests it never makes sense to chicken out, though. In my experience it definitely makes sense sometimes.

[@steelman774]

I KS’d Chicken! and like it despite the useless wooden extras (admittedly the wooden fence is a nice aesthetic for the middle of the board). To fix the game, simply remove the “1 re-roll” rule. We must’ve read it wrong as we have always allowed as many rolls as the current player likes until they pass or bust (like all other Press-Your-Luck games). Then a player can try to run the dice total up before passing to make the next player dump dice for a -1 before taking their run. Solid PYL game with a thin but decent theme. 👍 6/10

[@speedandstyletony]

First game made me hungry so I opened up the bag of candy corn!

[@que-tangclan]

wOOOOh! "I hate this as a ...." Get em Tom!

[@DarthPizza777]

I agree with you tom, that Race For the Raft looks bad.

[@carries8052]

I want starry night for that box haha 😍

[@gaucholaw1]

Chicken is totally fun!

[@petercsm5769]

I have an older version of Tricks and Treats and haven't played it in years. I made the mistake of playing it as a 2-player game and it was very, very boring to place cards and not have to bother much to fool the other player. Maybe one day I'll play with 4.

[@richardsaunders9214]

Wow, I completely disagree with Tom on Race To The Raft. This is probably a 9/10 solo and 8/10 cooperatively. My groups love this game and it will probably be in my top 10 cooperative games of the year. At least Mike Dilisio gave it an 8/10

[@KurtDepner]

8/10 is about right!

[@xCriticalStrikex]

Oof bit harsh on race to the raft, fair that it isn't as great as isle of cats... but it is still a fun game. I'll agree the fire is ugly I also thought that generally.

[@MarkBuschhaus]

Wow, just a 4 for Race to the Raft? Thats such a fun coop game. And an 8 for challengers? I might getting old, but comparing these two reviews feels really odd. A 4 for a nice coop puzzle game which i would rate a 7. And an 8 for a game that plays itself with nearly no decisions, which i would rate a 3. I know, tastes are different, but come on, thats really off. I still dont get how that game could beat Planet Unknown for Kennerspiel. Thats crazy.

[@Poiuytrew.Q]

Never played Race to the Raft, but the game makes my occipital lobe very sad.

[@erniesulovic4734]

I got Stary Night Sky to play with my 8yo granddaughter for when i move overseas. So cannot comment on the quality of the game yet it sounds like fun for an 8yo girl.

[@michaelterrones119]

Will there be a review for trick or treat studious Texas Chainsaw Massacre board game?

[@NerfThisBoardGames]

Love Starry Night, though the end game is a bit abrupt with 2 ppl

[@lseeley]

It's really satisfying to hear I'm not alone about Chicken. The BGG scores made me feel like such a grinch, giving it a 2.

[@BoardGameHype]

Chicken I thought was “fine”, but wasn’t a huge fan. I def am not super interested in race to the raft.

[@freeheeler00]

Tom, have you not played any of the Century games? That is Emerson Matsuuchi too. I love the design of the Golem Edition and will be on the look out for other games from him.

[@Nayr090]

He's definitely played them. Had good things to say IIRC, especially for the Golem editions.

[@benjaminspears8488]

He’s reviewed them all…even reviewing how they play when you mix them together.

[@freeheeler00]

Ok. He made it seem as if he's never played anything from this designer before, or did I mishear what he said?@@benjaminspears8488

[@freeheeler00]

Weird. I could've sworn he said he's never played anything from the guy before.@@Nayr090

[@TheClyd3Man]

@@freeheeler00 He said it was the "first game he ever played from him." Trick or Treats was originally released in 2012. Here is reviewing the reprint. The way Tom worded it, is a bit confusing.

[@olanmills64]

I don't know about the gameplay, Race for the Raft is horrible, visually. It looks like a prototype

[@TylerAndToast]

The cat game is hideous. Id try it, but id never buy it on principle

[@dbungart3044]

Unleash the kickstarter backers to defend their purchase. Please explain why Tom is wrong and you give the game a 11/10.

[@AahzmandusPervect]

Or perhaps some people just like the game? I backed Chicken and it is just fine, fun little stupid game with great looks. If I thought otherwise, I definitely wouldn't protect my $35 "investment" with lies.