Tiny Epic Vikings Review: On The Road To Rune

[@garyfaust6769]

Play this and Galaxies with friends at Gencon. I much preferred Vikings! Lots of interaction with the drafting and area control. I agree there always is something positive to do even when you have a setback. Also you were never idol waiting for others to take their actions. Very nice components even though small.

[@fernandoberdichevsky5617]

This is one of the best in the series. Had the same feeling as Mike lately. But this one feels epic and a really well rounded game overall. It also has a solo mode with different AIs that I have yet to try. 8 for me as well!

[@SarahHadley162]

I think the solo mode is quite good, although arguably it feels even more disassociated from the scoring system. (The gods and their fury have less impact in solo, and you may never trigger their powers.) The different AIs rip you up in very different ways.

[@ObsidianKnight90]

The various A.I.s for solo mode are a terrific element in Tiny Epic Galaxies as well, glad to hear it's part of Vikings too.

[@edwardbrost331]

You can either make or buy board game clips that can help flatten boards. They work well.

[@jamessherman7797]

I haven’t tried a Tiny Epic game yet, but it looks like a great space saver and travel game. I may need to try one. Perhaps this one or one of the older versions Mike talked about. Just hope the font on the cards and board is not too small for aging players.

[@SarahHadley162]

Mike - I agree with you about so much here. Tiny Epic Quest is one of my favorites, and I quite like Vikings, too. I'm playing it solo - will you be doing a solo review? Also, have you tried simply leaving the board out for a while? I left this game out, with the various meeples on it, over a long weekend, and by the end of the weekend the board laid completely flat! I keep my house fairly warm, so maybe that did it?

[@grey729]

I got this game too and only gotten to truly play it once and that was in a 2 player game. Want to try with the expansion for sure as I think that will really make the game much more dynamic score wise. I will say as I go over the game in my head, the scoring part is the most difficult to plan around and so while the actions and all in this game are straight forward, this is seems to be a very difficult game to play tactically but still fun. I agree about the board too as mine doesn't want to lay flat. I backed all the player mats and really I think this game would of benefited well from a player mat of the board itself. The current mat you can get is only for laying out where the cards, gods and board itself rests. I hope to get to play this more and with higher player counts as it will likely be way more fun in a 4 player game.

[@juvigoat2168]

Love the sign off, DT Midwest Annex! 😂

[@petergross7235]

Nice job Mike. The sound is a lot better in this content! Keep up the good work.

[@onnileivo1011]

How about using blue tac to stick the board evenly on the table?

[@terrytoriq]

Wow. This is the most I've ever agreed with Mike on a game. The game has two problems - the board is never flat, and the scoring is boring. 😃 My group and I began to experiment with end game scoring some points for building temples, boats, and people on maps. I must say, it's not perfect yet, but it does feel much better than the rulebook scoring. Good job, Mike. I agree with you completely. 😃

[@Jaydon-du4hg]

Mr. DiLisio!?! Holy shit. I was one of your students in highschool.

[@koalabrownie]

Are you going to review One Deck Galaxy mike?

[@KMReviews]

The shaman expansion and Ragnarok expansion is pretty great. Especially with the playmats and stuff.

[@Smylesss]

Of the two expansions which one is more necessary?

[@KMReviews]

@@Smylesss it depends. The shaman expansion I believe is necessary to improve the core game. But the Ragnarok expansion has much more involved and changes the game into something else. You have more pieces, you need to kill giants for points, etc. it adds some complexity. The shaman one just improves the core game a little.

[@ruthann1964]

Hi Mike…..will you ever do a Vikings play-through solo?? (Maybe there isn’t one…but I thought there was as I have seen 1 or 2 out here) I bought this a few weeks ago….and I’m a little lost . This helps a lot of course, but I’ve not found any solo game play that is to your caliber. I’m very new to this hobby, and you’ve taught me loads…thank you!! Also, big thank you for introducing me to Final Girl….I remember those movies and the games hit the mark theme wise…love it!! Have you ever given thought to what other movies would be good for this series?

[@SarahHadley162]

Ruth Ann - can I make a suggestion? I play almost entirely solo, and for me every new Tiny Epic game has a bit of a learning curve. Usually I would recommend videos or the Dized app, but IMO those all seem to be a little off on this one. If I were you, I'd focus on learning the card "leader actions" first - what they do for you, and what they do for the AI. Then, learn about taking control of the islands and raiding villages. Maybe play a whole round or two through that way, without battles or rune actions, just to get used to all of it. Then, add battles. And finally, add rune actions. I do think at some point it will very suddenly go from "this is overwhelming" to "Oh, I get it!". That's what happened to me.

[@kristofkurti9806]

Mike, what do you think about solo mode? Thanks.

[@michaeldilisio557]

I haven’t tried it yet, sorry!

[@Andural69]

If it were called TINY EPIC RAGE, I would buy this for sure

[@mcstabba]

That would have been hilarious.

[@thegamesninja3119]

Well, Harbour is called Tiny Epic LeHavre, so...

[@Danny_DaKid]

Midwest annex? Where do you stay at now Mike?

[@thedicetower]

Near Indianapolis, Indiana.

[@adamholt5395]

I really like the idea of this game. However, that scoring can be a little screwy for the first few times.

[@1235q]

Have you tried the Ragnarok expansion?

[@michaeldilisio557]

I have not.

[@KMReviews]

I have and I like it a lot. Especially with the Playmats and stuff.

[@Wylie288]

The iconagraphy sucks. Had the same issue with tiny epic galaxies blast off. Unless you have a table of gamers, everyone is going to be confused what any of this stuff means. I had to print out a custom reference page, and still quite a lot of people take several extra minutes drafting trying to figure out what all their cards do. I really wish they would just put text on their games.

[@RebelChum]

I do enjoy tiny epic zombies. But the problem is why would I play that when I have zombicide? That being said IF I was bringing a board game on vacation for some reason. These can be great

[@1235q]

Zombicide is a big box, if I owned it I would only be able to play it at home. I visit my friends a lot and I bring my middle-sized and smaller games with me, those are more managable.

[@grantofat6438]

So, what is epic about it?

[@harryofgo]

Call me controversial, but I wish the game was not tiny. Looks great, but my older eyes could use some more readability

[@IronSalamander8]

I'm a fan of Tiny Epic Galaxies, but the rest have been only ok at best. This sounds better than most!

[@grantofat6438]

So, is it actually epic, or is that just a lie?

[@Slyfox1775]

Agree with the first post galaxies is the best the rest are subpar . They rely on tiny epic theme to much . I would rather buy a full size game that’s good !

[@Jonathan-ei7vp]

I love Tiny Epic Dinosaurs and Galaxies, but the rest is disappointing for sure!

[@primusinterpares5767]

I like quest (with expansion)

[@kumanight]

I like Dungeons a lot, the rest are okay IMO.

[@Whiskey_Games_Caffine]

Love the review Just bought my copy The rune you called “the n rune” Corresponds to H in the Latin alphabet

[@Whiskey_Games_Caffine]

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[@davetalbert8387]

Mike, you are causing me massive psychological trauma by referring to ᚺ as N, ᛈ as C, and so on. You can just say "the blue rune," "the pink rune" and what have you!!

[@thedicetower]

Sorry. I was definitely using shorthand. My ignorance is pretty glaring here.

[@jameswoodard4304]

I knew this comment would be in here somewhere, and I was not disappointed. Still, it worked for review purposes.

[@davetalbert8387]

@@jameswoodard4304 haha, totally -- but it was still unnecessary! They're colour coded!!