Warhammer Quest: Blackstone Fortress Review

Warhammer Quest: Blackstone Fortress Review
Intro (00:00); gameplay overview (01:52); final thoughts and review (29:11);
Instagram pictures of minis: / bqirewcdwjb
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[@skraal1801]

God...everytime I watch your vids it makes me wanna buy these GW Games...😭💸 Which means you always do a awsome job, by far the best reviews on youtube, not just simple unboxing...the insight you deliever is just great! Keep it up!

[@DriveThruReview]

Haha... sorry. And, thanks!

[@foyble]

Can’t wait to watch this later. I’m picking up my copy tomorrow. Your reviews are excellent

[@DriveThruReview]

Thank you :)

[@marmosetfreund8506]

One of the best reviewers ever. Always love your coverage!

[@DriveThruReview]

Thank you!

[@davidk6269]

Thank you for the very in-depth and insightful review!

[@TheDungeonDive]

This really does seem like a great game. I've got it all set up to learn this week, and will most likely be playing it on Sunday. I love how there is a solid goal to reach for. Really cool.

[@Clappincardboard]

Another great review! Was really looking forward to this review and I’m not disappointed:).

[@DriveThruReview]

Thanks Jason.

[@Spawn733]

This video has me kind of excited to try this actually :D didn't expect that!

[@rey-o]

This looks pretty cool, always wanted to get into Warhammer quest. I have the iPad game but it didn’t really scratch the itch

[@auralee2113]

Watched a bunch of reviews that just confused me with those cards you discuss first- how simple it is! Thank you for not just un boxing it.

[@ValentineCZ]

Yeah Joel! Thanks for this another great review - I am just assembling the game..hopefully will play it soon! :)

[@DriveThruReview]

Thank you!

[@steveg7000]

Those minis look great! Nice paintin'!

[@DriveThruReview]

Thanks! :)

[@meganecro]

Joel sure plays with Billy a lot :-P . Great review. Love this channel.

[@DriveThruReview]

I keep him locked in the closet with the rest of my miniatures and terrain. He has no choice really, to be fair.

[@rpcnuwm]

Awesome job on the video - very well explained and demonstrated! One question - do the different characters feel very distinct to you? Are their stats and abilities highly differentiated?

[@DriveThruReview]

They do. There's a good variety of attacks and special abilities.

[@TheOldMan-75]

I was really looking forward to a review on this. Thanks Edit: Just skimmed through the video again and I have a question because I couldn't find the answer anywhere. Are those legacy cards in specific order or randomised?

[@DriveThruReview]

They're randomized. You shuffle them every time you draw one.

[@theyobby]

really great review

[@DriveThruReview]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@leadbones]

Advanced Space Crusade is very much a 40K version of Warhammer Quest from way back in the day. It only came out in Euro markets I think though. I know I never saw it on any store shelves.

[@simonmtkwong]

Would you recommend this over Silver Tower? Or is it a case of themeing and campaign gaming. Thanks

[@DriveThruReview]

Kinds of depends. I talk about it in some detail in the review portion of the video.

[@steveballinger9643]

Great vid..I have the game and enjoying but you didn’t finish the point you were making at 13:34 ..something about if you go through the Exploration deck? I can’t see where it includes the rule about refreshing these...

[@DriveThruReview]

Once you go through all 8 cards (if you don't decide to bail out earlier), you are forced to back to Precipice.

[@steveballinger9643]

Got it. Thanks! Keep up the good work🥇

[@misomiso8228]

32:50 what else did the playtesters say? Were there lots of changes made?

[@DriveThruReview]

We didn't get into anything specific beyond the arc of the campaign and play time.

[@Syrilian]

Really want to play this game. And I have it. I've spent two weeks putting the models together. I suck at putting them together.

[@DriveThruReview]

You can definitely play as soon as you assembled the heroes you want to use and just the handful of starting enemies. Then just build the extra stuff as you add it :)

[@Syrilian]

@@DriveThruReview Thank you. That is a good idea.

[@misomiso8228]

6:50 are you sure that the hidden vaults are different? Have you opened yours yet?

[@DriveThruReview]

I've not seen physical proof myself, but someone I trust online said they had two copies and each had a different card.

[@Melvin7727]

All of your reviews are so good! You really give the best and clearest understandings of games on a wave length that really works for me. I have a question here, I'd really like to pick up one of the Warhammer Quest games between Silver Tower, Shadows Over Hammerhal, or Blackstone Fortress. I've watched all 3 of your reviews on them now. I understand ST is a co-op, SoH is a 1v4, and BF is a co-op that's sci-fi. Despite those differences, if you were someone like me who would be happy to own any one of them, but could only pick one, which is the best bang for the buck? Do any of them excel in feeling more "complete"? Or gameplay-wise are any kind of just "that much better" than the others? Going by preference, I was leaning toward Hammerhal, but someone else gave me the impression it's a little lacking in enemies compared to ST, don't know if that's true. I also get the impression that BF is the most overall polished of the bunch, but just guessing there too. I'd mostly be playing with just my wife and I, and we are (in theory) fine with any of them, even with the player configuration demanded by Hammerhal. Very hard to choose! I welcome all input.

[@DriveThruReview]

Blackstone Fortress would be my pick. It has the most complete package with its campaign. That said I enjoy them all. Really whichever one seems like it has the coolest theme to you will be your best choice.

[@Melvin7727]

@@DriveThruReview Thank you sir. It seems like that one would have more replay value and variable play from what I can gather too. They're all tempting.

[@MariosIliofotou]

Thanks for the review! How long did it take to assemble and get everything painted up?

[@DriveThruReview]

That's a good question. Call it 3-4 hours to build. Painting them all.... 20-30 hours? I kind of lost track.

[@MariosIliofotou]

That’s really good time for this quality. It would have taken me 3x the time :)

[@DriveThruReview]

Marios Iliofotou Thanks! Ya lately I’m in the habit of just knocking stuff out.

[@hubyxreds4177]

Great review! Any info on when this will be on retail?

[@DriveThruReview]

It is now. :)

[@jb_boom]

Soo neat! - hmm... so I am looking a "dungeon crawl" - full co-op(or solo) game - and I am tired of generic fantasy, I want something more Sci-fi, guns and lasers... this looks like a good option because of the space station setting but I am not familiar with anything Warhammer, would you still recommend this for me? - I appreciate all the tips/help - thanks!

[@DriveThruReview]

I would. There's enough lore tidbits in the game to get one in the mood so to speak. :)

[@jb_boom]

@@DriveThruReview yeah I like the "sample chapter" included!

[@blindlobster]

@@jb_boom You may struggle to find fellow players however "Black Crusade" is less generic fantasy than others. Basically you play the (40 k) villains trying to destroy the Imperium rather than good guys who are trying to explore/save the Imperium. You also begin as a strong/skilled character rather than a weakling (like most games). You can play as a Chaos Space Marine or a "regular" human. I hope that helps...

[@jb_boom]

@@blindlobster thanks! I'll check that one out!

[@dru288]

Didn’t the game just come out? How did you paint, play, and make a review video ? :0

[@DriveThruReview]

Dr U I got an early copy a couple of weeks ago.

[@fredmcmack]

You may have said this and I missed it, but is this your favorite Warhammer Quest? Or favorite coop in general? Thanks!

[@DriveThruReview]

Favorite Warhammer Quest. One of my favorite coops though :)

[@bobgrdnr428]

Great review, as always. Currently debating this or Sword and Sorcery for mainly solo play.

[@Gutock]

I can't speak to this, but Sword and Sorcery si the definition of average. Other than the AI system, nothing about it is really top notch. Just a 1st edition backers opinion, but this looks much more interesting on a couple levels.

[@bobgrdnr428]

Gutock Thank you for that heads up. Do you have a go to Dungeon crawl?

[@Gutock]

@@bobgrdnr428 Sadly, I'm going to go with the generic Gloomhaven answer :) I haven't really seen or played much that trumps it for us. This at least looks Ameritrashy fun and does a few things differently. Eyes on a bunch of stuff, but yeah, Gloomhaven killed a bunch of games for me.

[@Greg-sk8hp]

Sword and sorcery is absolutely excellent imo. I've got all the first game and fully backed the second game on ks which just finished. Incredibly deep strategy , much more so than most of these rollathon games. There are dice but they're used well. The AI of creatures forces a lot of thought and good decision making.

[@bobgrdnr428]

Gutock haha understandable. I play Gloomhaven every other Friday already. It is great, looking for a solo option for myself

[@maxmoody1773]

Do you have a favorite of the new Warhammer quest games? I see there's this, silver tower, cursed city, shadows over hammerhal, and lost relics

[@DriveThruReview]

Blackstone Fortress would be favorite of the modern games, followed by Silver Tower, but I think Silver Tower needs some of the expansions etc…

[@Ben_Mdws]

I’d be interested to know folks’ thoughts on how well this works as a solo game...

[@DriveThruReview]

It’s been a while but I thought I covered this in the review portion at the end. Maybe not. But, it works great as a solo game. Might be a BIT fiddly to manage on your first or second run through, but it gets pretty snappy, after you get the hang of it.

[@Ben_Mdws]

Drive Thru Games thank you - yes, you did cover it...my query was directed more at folk who’d had the game a while now, played it solo, and whether it was something they were still coming back to.

[@radovanmily357]

Can you compare it to shadows of brimstone?

[@DriveThruReview]

Shadows of Brimstone is designed to keep playing as an open ended "do whatever" RPG style dungeon crawl. This is a very strict sort of progression through the campaign... although it has more open-ended randomness than most traditional dungeon crawls to make it more interesting than a Descent or Imperial Assault style game. It's kind of balance of those two extremes... Descent + Shadows of Brimstone.

[@zatedford]

Joel, started watching your Warhammer quest videos and was laughing at how much you have gotten into Warhammer from the first video. First video - "yeah these are some like chaos bad guys, Tzen something or another" Second video - half the guys are painted. Third video - entire box is painted and you have a savage Ork boss on Maw Crusher sitting on the shelf behind you...😂 I feel yeah though, was never into Warhammer...underworlds brought me in ...and now I'm like, how do I design and build my 4th 2000 pt army, 🤔

[@DriveThruReview]

Haha! Ya I went and watched the Silver Tower review (where I couldn't pronounce Tzeentch), to relearn the rules a couple of months ago.. and I was like... "What a noob!" :D

[@PeachFuzz119]

Would you recommend if I’ll only be able to get the base game due to availability?

[@DriveThruReview]

I would. There's tons in that box.

[@PeachFuzz119]

@@DriveThruReview thank you!

[@misomiso8228]

Such a Fantastic game. Very deep, very innovative.

[@Papai_Pai]

Somebody somewhere has to paint the Robot Iron Man colours

[@DriveThruReview]

I didn't even notice that. Wow, looks like just like "1st generation" Iron Man suit.

[@Inkbot01]

2 years out, would you still recommend this? Thank you 😊

[@DriveThruReview]

Yes, absolutely. We actually just started another campaign over this last month or so :)

[@TheFewzz]

This or Fallout Wasteland Warfare for the solo player? Are those cards cheap btw, they all seem to be folding up

[@DriveThruReview]

The cards are fine. There was a bit of bend at that time, but I flattened them out a bit ago (just humidity differences). Right now for solo I'd say Blackstone Fortress. I've only gotten one game of Fallout in though. Hope to play more real soon though.

[@87paulsmith87]

Thanks for this video, this is really good content! You deserve more views and likes than you have. The link to various parts of the video are very helpful. I'm wondering how this compares to the Doom board game?

[@DriveThruReview]

Thank you. I appreciate it. I think they are comparable. The combat and movement tactics are in the same vein. I think this one stands ahead because of the whole Legacy/campaign/race the clock idea.

[@mikejonesnoreally]

@ 2:50 You silly nutter Joel! Those are *beautiful!* :D :D Great review as always. I've really been getting into Warhammer 40K so this looks like my next "Galaxy Defenders!" I love that game so much (another one you helped me thankfully decide to invest in) and this combines elements of that *and* 40K! How I'm workin' these guys into my Eldar/Dark Angels though will be an interesting story in itself! :)

[@DriveThruReview]

Haha. Thank you kindly. Hope you enjoy it.

[@mikejonesnoreally]

@@DriveThruReview Thanks I know I will if I can find it all in stock somewhere. Any suggestions? I'm in the U.S.

[@DriveThruReview]

@@mikejonesnoreally Online.. probably MiniatureMarket or Amazon is your best best.

[@mikejonesnoreally]

@@DriveThruReview Thanks I'll check it out! :)

[@BGBarbarian]

Where did you get the hardcover book?

[@DriveThruReview]

Local store. Looks like it’s sold out atm. Maybe try eBay.

[@kevinalford]

It was a limited edition if I'm not mistaken. You can find it on the website in the sold out section I think.

[@DriveThruReview]

@@kevinalford Ya seems to be. The Silver Tower novel was.

[@AndyP998]

Ive been eyeing this, Silver tower (which i can get brand new) or Brimstone which maybe interest me most but would hurt my wallet in long term. Still dunno

[@Niccolo711]

Brimstone is a great game. If you like the weird west setting you should get it.

[@DriveThruReview]

Ya I also love Brimstone and still play it once in a while. Right now, there is SO much stuff for it you can't go wrong. It's an overwhelming amount of content. Hopefully this ends up being the same. GW have hinted as much in their marketing.

[@AndyP998]

Thx but Would you get this over Silver Tower? Maybe i would get both Brim and one of WHQ games. @@DriveThruReview

[@DriveThruReview]

Apollogamer Honestly I would just whichever theme appeals to you the most.

[@DieNische]

Is it really that brutal? Recent reviews mention that it is fairly easy which would be a bummer for me.

[@DriveThruReview]

How far into the campaign are those reviews? :) It can definitely be easy sometimes, but once you start doing some of the long haul missions it can get scary. The game can certainly turn on a dime for and against you though.

[@DieNische]

@@DriveThruReview I have ordered it because of your review. So I will come back if you are wrong. :P Just kidding. ;)

[@DriveThruReview]

@@DieNische Haha. :D

[@mikem4432]

50 FIGURES?? holly crap..

[@crimson49er]

I was so excited for this, but then my delivery arrived today.... i ordered from GW's website & they just tossed the game (and a couple other items) into a box without packing material so it got completely destroyed in shipping. Makes me not even want to play it now :( so warning to all, don't order from GW's webstore if you want to buy this.

[@johnmiddleton4291]

I got mine in perfect condition. Maybe talk to your FedEx guy? GW will fix it if you email them.

[@DriveThruReview]

That sucks Chris. Definitely contact their support. I’ve had good success with them in the past.

[@graememitchell3529]

GW customer services are truly amazing. I've had a few bad boxes missing bits etc. They send a new box straight away. Hope you get it sorted asap

[@DriveThruReview]

Tjerk Vandermolen That’s awesome. Thanks for reaching out.

[@cyclone8974]

nitpicking here. Kroot aren't Tau they are mercenaries that work for the Tau.

[@DriveThruReview]

Gotcha! Thanks.

[@ap315]

I’m pretty sure they aren’t fish either.

[@DriveThruReview]

I thought all Tau were fish... or "avian".

[@johnmiddleton4291]

They taste like fish or chicken.

[@DriveThruReview]

John Middleton Hahaha... well apparently the Kroc character does eat it’s foes... ... so there is that.

[@BLDTHEGAMER]

Is this a sequel to Hammerhal? Also, do the minis come painted?

[@DriveThruReview]

No and no :)

[@BLDTHEGAMER]

@@DriveThruReview thanks. Lol

[@12neef]

BLD A TRUE GAMER this is more an evolution of the mechanics of hammerhal as hammerhal was an evolution of silver tower. This game has much better mechanics than the other two iterations. But doesnt seem the best for newer players. But i have not played it yet.

[@BLDTHEGAMER]

@@12neef understood, thank you for the reply. Would it make sense to buy hammerhal or this if you have neither?

[@12neef]

BLD A TRUE GAMER it depends on how you want to play. Hammerhal is more D&D like. So there is a DM like mechanic. So you’ll need to know the rules and the backgrounds for the missions. I would go for blackstone because it has great mechanics, you and can play it solo. Also you get new models. Also, you have an official GW tutorial of how to play it. Hammerhal recycles a lot of old ones. I say this really liking the AoS aesthetic better.

[@marky437]

The legacy aspect is very misleading as it isn't a true Legacy game.

[@DriveThruReview]

Well to be fair, it's not marketed as a "Legacy" game. It's just the name of the deck. But there is a kind of permanence in character death for sure.

[@marky437]

Drive Thru Games aaaaaaah I see