Weather Machine Review: A Storm Is Brewing

[@antoniovistcoatis1541]

What an interesting game.i think I may have to track this down. My group and I like some complexity, so this is right up our alley. 5hank you for the review!

[@BoardOfItReviews]

Have you played a Lacerda before? If you haven't, I would recommend starting with a different one.

[@antoniovistcoatis1541]

@@BoardOfItReviews yep own and played On Mars. We liked that one too.

[@Wonderflonium]

​@@BoardOfItReviews What would you recommend for a first Lacerda (for primarily solo play)? Great video!

[@BoardOfItReviews]

@@Wonderflonium Hard to say from a solo standpoint but would always recommend Kanban EV first.

[@paulnewsham]

Agree about how addicting this is. I've never had such a pull to play a game of this size and complexity multiple times in a row. 5 times in one morning (solo) on one occasion.

[@BoardOfItReviews]

That is a lot of games! Well done sir.

[@paulnewsham]

@@BoardOfItReviews I found less is more. I was definitely rushing (too excited!). But it makes for a much better experience to take your time.

[@corsa180]

Your review sums it up pretty well. I love Lacerda games, and love Weather Machine, too. Kanban EV is still my favorite, but I'd put WM in at least the top half. I agree that even if you like Lacerda's games, this one still might not be for you. And totally agree about the machine parts on the board in Lativ's lab. When I teach it, this will be one of the first things I point out.

[@BoardOfItReviews]

It's maybe my least favourite (although I haven't played a huge amount of his games) but the most addictive, which is quite a weird thing. Just a really engaging puzzle to try and master, a bit like the board game version of Dark Souls really.

[@stevewithington1787]

Good, balanced review. I’ve looked at the game a lot and watched playthroughs. I think this would fall towards the bottom end of my list if I was rating Lacerda games, but that’s more to do with how much I like his games than anything else. It would still be a solid 8/10 for me.

[@BoardOfItReviews]

Thank you!

[@IskandarStrategist1689]

The best board game i ever play all year! My Top 1 board game easily.

[@BoardOfItReviews]

Is that you Board Game Ramblings... ;)?

[@Smylesss]

This is my first Lacerda game and I bought it earlier today, how scared should I be? 😅

[@BoardOfItReviews]

Pretty scared I would say 😅 - Out of all the Lacerda's we have it would be the last one I would recommend as a first Lacerda game haha!

[@Swedgin23]

Thanks for the review. It looks fun and all, but personally, I just kept thinking, “This doesn’t look better than On Mars” which is one of my favorite games - full stop.

[@BoardOfItReviews]

Well I would agree with you there, although I do find Weather Machine more rewarding haha!

[@Swedgin23]

@@BoardOfItReviews interesting. I may check it out at some point, but there’s still plenty of me to “mine” from On Mars. But a great review nonetheless.

[@BoardOfItReviews]

Thanks for watching!

[@thijsschipper6406]

This is one I ultimately had to sell. I own and love Gallerist, Vinhos and On Mars but something about WM is very hard to relate to. The theme is just very abstract, and rather than it helping connect the rules together, it feels like an extra thing I just have to internalize. That makes it harder for me to learn, harder to explain and ultimately get played. Doesnt help that the solo adds on *another* bit of rules. It's a shame because I really dig the gameplay style he went for with this.

[@BoardOfItReviews]

This is a well thought out and totally relevant comment - we completely see this as much as we enjoy it

[@amnesiai]

Games like spirit island where you can adjust the difficulty and complexity are my favs now. Especially when being a new parent, the time is limited. I can't touch anything this complex anymore.

[@BoardOfItReviews]

We really need to replay Spirit Island

[@lemilfy]

Like you said, as a fan of past Lacerda, I don't know what to make of this game. Aside from the stunning cover art, there isn't really anything appealing about the game. I used to love figuring out the game's mechanics and flow but now it feels like a chore and I gravitate more towards games with weight of under 4. Martin Wallace and Luciani games really hit the spot lately and I don't really have any desire to bust out any of Lacerda games except On Mars. Maybe it's a phase but with a baby on the way, I'm afraid that these complex games will get less and less play time... Thanks for the review though!

[@BoardOfItReviews]

Yea, these type of games have a huge up front time investment. Punching the cardboard, reading the complex rules, the first game basically being a practice, etc, etc.

[@camelxhol551]

We love Meg, and think you should stop mid-filming and give her that 'needed' treat on camera, then back to us. Treat for her and treat for us. Keep your priorities straight, right?

[@BoardOfItReviews]

Hahaha noted! 😅

[@tkzubaran]

I love heavy euros (Brass and Barrage are 2 of my favorite games), but I can't stand any Lacerda game. He adds complex mechanisms for complexity sake. Moreover they all feel designed in a similar way that I do not like. Here are x sections, each does something convoluted and isolated from the other sections, and here is a mini game that lets you access each one of them.

[@BoardOfItReviews]

Have to agree to disagree ;). About Lacerda, not your other choices in heavy euros. Those are excellent :D.

[@tkzubaran]

@@BoardOfItReviews That's fair. Thanks for the reivews :) Cheers from Brazil.

[@pm71241]

I have Vinhos, and even though I did enjoy it, it did have some (IMHO) design issues. I've not really been tempted to more of this...

[@BoardOfItReviews]

We have Vinhos but it’s one we’ve only got out once or twice when we’ve played our other Lacerda’s a fair amount…not sure why 🤔

[@pm71241]

@@BoardOfItReviews I liked the bank function of the original 2010 game, but the expert=tiles felt under-developed. The 2016 game seems more solid - but doesn't have the bank :(