Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition - CO-OP Game Play - "Does Mars REALLY need oxygen?"

[@EmmaNovaheim]

When you have a specific round limit, the key is to really focus on anything which moves the global parameters. Anything else I mostly ignore. It's the time limit which makes this so difficult, so getting early parameter increases (and therefore early TR/MC bumps) is crucial. Loved seeing the coop mode being played 😀

[@WatchItPlayed]

Hard lessons were learned :)

[@deborahgeorgeparker9952]

Thanks! My wife and I just recently got this one, but haven’t played the co-op variant. This looks hard, but a challenge we’re going to have to try! By the way, we really enjoy you two. It’s really nice how our preference in games match so closely to y’all’s. I know it’s a lot of work, but keep the content coming. ♥️🤓👍🏼

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Aw thank you so much Deborah & George! So cool to see we have similar tastes. If you ever try the cooperative mode, we'd love to hear how your experience goes =)

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks for the kind comment Deborah and George!

[@bookaddict777]

The co-op mode was made with my husband and I in mind, I swear. It will probably take forever for us to win, but we will have a good time trying. Thanks for the playthrough, you two! Very much enjoyed it.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Always good when a co-op poses a good challenge to return to!

[@SupremeDistraction]

I found this to be a very relatable playthrough. Every so often, my wife and I come across a game and, like Monique, go, "I think we may not be very good at this game." Lol. It was fun to watch you guys try to get those last few adjustments in the end and better luck next time!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks for checking it out :)

[@danielkeim8558]

This was a great playthrough as always! I definitely want to try this as a co-op, I've been playing the solo game a lot recently and found that the last 1-2 rounds I really had to spam Production and Actions to even stand a chance, and it was always really close!

[@WatchItPlayed]

It's a tough one!

[@SFuruli]

Great playthrough guys. I really liked that you played out your turns one after another for the sake of clarity.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Really pleased to hear you're enjoying the format!

[@teejleague3838]

Great playthrough. I got this game for friends for Christmas and they've really enjoyed it. I'm not really big on outer space themes, but it was their cup of tea!

[@henriwhitehead]

Been very interested in this game. Appreciate the great play-through.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks Henri - we hoped we could give people a good sense of it. Co-op is no joke!

[@dlopez0320]

Great playthrough video. I really liked that you showcased the two-player co-op mode. I was wondering how this played vs the standard mode.

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Thanks for watching!

[@ronaldbestshirt9592]

saw your pictures added to watch it played home page - Cool😎

[@WatchItPlayed]

Nice to have been able to get the art done so we could have the gang all together there :)

[@TommiV226]

I'm still debating should I get this because I have Terraforming Mars. This looks so much smoother an experience. For your play I would say that cash is king. I'm guessing you should be making 30-40 MC each during the production phase. Then you can play better cards and pay for the standard projects. Playing solo in TM, I have found that increasing your TR through standard projects in the early game is better than playing cards. And maybe having a production phase on most rounds would be worth a try? Well, I can't really give you advice since I haven't played the game :) All I can say is: better luck next time!

[@WatchItPlayed]

If you get a chance to try the game, you'll have to put these ideas to the test!

[@GettinJiggly]

I didn't think you were able to discuss the phases openly I know the rules mentioned saying "I have a lot of heat" and missed that part that said "I'm going to choose the production phase." We missed it in our playthrough and it really does impact the game as we duplicated planning a lot, which severely slows down the engine building.

[@WatchItPlayed]

It's been a little while since this was shot - did you have a moment in the video you were referring to?

[@GettinJiggly]

@@WatchItPlayed yeah pretty much all the planning, missed in the rules where it said you could discuss and specifically gave the example that "I'm going to play Production" was OK. We played last night and kept getting duplicates because I missed that and figured that would be giving too much info. So have to try again.

[@WatchItPlayed]

​@@GettinJiggly All the best on your next attempt!

[@BillyIndiana]

I was so excited to see this video! TM is my wife's favorite game & we've been trying to decide whether this was worth adding to our collection. Seeing how the cooperative version works & knowing how much she loves co-op, I think it is a definite buy. Thanks!

[@WatchItPlayed]

So nice to know this look at the co-op was helpful Billy - I hope you both have a great time playing together :)

[@zhivik]

My copy is currently being shipped, so hopefully I will be able to crack this soon :) I am glad you chose to do the co-op mode, it’s something almost no one else is doing right now. One thing you made harder for yourself is that you could have taken the bonus action for Phase II first, i.e. draw a card first and then potentially use it to pay for another red or blue card. Anyway, it’s tough, like in the original game. I guess there is a certain amount of luck in the solo/co-op mode regarding the cards you get. I’d recommend building only major production cards (which raise production by at least two steps) and money-generating cards, and then spend the rest of your money on doing standard actions, it is usually the fastest way to bring the global parameters to the top. Also, that corporation that lets you exchange 7 rather than 8 plants for a greenery also helps a lot. The main issue with this version is that money is usually tough at the beginning, so it’s always a tough choice what to do first. Thanks again and take care!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Good tips Zhivko! Thanks for joining us for this play through, and hopefully your copy arrives soon :)

[@GKEK]

*LOL!* I am cracking up laughing through the last two rounds. You guys are hilarious. That said, now I totally WANT Ares Expedition! You guys make it look so fun and challenging. XD

[@WatchItPlayed]

I was really rooting for them to find a way, even though it was looking pretty dire :)

[@douxhc]

Yes! I was waiting for this! Thank you both, love your gameplays, my girlfriend does not like the original so I think this will be better suited for her. After the pandemic would love to see a social deduction game with all the team.

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Thanks so much! Oh goodness, a social deduction game with the team would be hilarious!

[@WatchItPlayed]

I would love to be able to get everyone together for a few game plays - we'll see!

[@douxhc]

Thanks so much for the reply, always looking forward for new content. It has been great for us staying indoors watching your shows.

[@douxhc]

@@BeforeYouPlay oh, I think a marathon of Coup, Ultimate Werewolf, Love Letter and Deception Murder in Hong Kong with Rodney as the moderator would be awesome. Would love to see the back and forth and all the witty responses.

[@nealotter11]

Love you guys, love your content. Can't wait to play my copy in 6 months when the Kickstarter ships...

[@WatchItPlayed]

Well, hopefully you get it sooner than that!

[@robertobc1396]

First, great try on that coop game mode, it didn't look easy. The only thing I would recommend is drafting your first hand to see if have a better start. Other than that you guys did a great job. Thanks for the playthrough.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Appreciate you joining us for it Roberto!

[@gbdomingo]

"i have alot of heat" - Monique out of context :)

[@WatchItPlayed]

She brings the heat!!

[@cardflopper3307]

just bought the collector version of this game today on sale. Never played TfM (original) but i tend to like the streamlined card versions of games.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Hope you have a great time playing!

[@MrTroxel]

If y'all have played original Terraforming Mars (I figure you have but just want to make sure) do you think you like Ares Expedition more as a competitive game? This looks like a more streamlined version of the original game, but I'd like to hear y'all's thoughts on the comparison.

[@WatchItPlayed]

I have heard to others wondering if it's a streamlined version. I'd say it's more that each game has it's own twist. In turns of tutorial video length, they are about the same, so not a dramatically reduced ruleset.

[@TheGiraffehead]

I saw a slight goof at 40:35-Monique placed a mega-credit into heat and then shortly after mentions that she is one credit short for a card she wanted to play.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Nice catch!

[@PetrSojnek]

Thank you for the playthrough. You are great! I love Terraforming Mars and think picking this one up, but... I only played 1 game of terraforming mars without drafting mechanic. And it was terrible game. I'm kind of worried the lack of drafting will be similar issue in this game. Have you had that feeling?

[@WatchItPlayed]

That's tough to assess for someone else. I've played a few games of Ares Expedition and didn't mind it without the draft. But your experience might be different?

[@PetrSojnek]

@@WatchItPlayed Thank you for your reaction

[@iisamu]

What is the bit holder you are using at the top of the board?

[@WatchItPlayed]

That comes with the kickstarter version of the game.

[@henrykri2067]

I am no expert, but definitely Production instead of Action in the second from last round.

[@wesbrowning5808]

There must be an alternate universe where Rodney Smith hosts the channel Before You Play and Monique and Naveen hosts the channel Watch It Played ^_^

[@WatchItPlayed]

But hey, here we have a universe where we've both appeared on each other's channels :) Check out their recent video on teaching tips!

[@anttmann6123]

My buddy and I tried the Co-op tonight lol did not happen. We weren't even as close as this game. Going to try and draft next time see if that helps.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Good luck on your next attempt!

[@anttmann6123]

@@WatchItPlayed LOL Thank you I'll definitely need the luck. I watched this thinking we must have played wrong but no we just stinked it up on that game.

[@mrnuke1]

Hey guys! Why, at 4:43, have you played 2 green cards, while the development card says you can play only one green project card? So as I read it - playing 2 green cards is illegal

[@WatchItPlayed]

Hi Alexey, you'll want to pay attention to this part, just before. Naveen is resolving the effect of the green card he had just played: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJ6td6l8ht2WrtE

[@JuneKG231]

Husband and i tried co-op 2 player.... took us like twice the amount of round allowed to finish the game. dont know how u can win this in 15 rounds >.

[@WatchItPlayed]

It's a tough one!

[@coyotemoon722]

Wait you mean to tell me that you didn't ace a co-op game your first try? This is not what I expect from a board gaming power couple such as yourselves. 😜

[@WatchItPlayed]

We like to throw a couple every now and then! ;)

[@BerZ3rker360]

You need to play a near perfect game to beat 2 player co op

[@WatchItPlayed]

It's a tricky one!

[@leejames929]

Breathing is for nerds

[@WatchItPlayed]

Who needs it?!