XCOM: The Board Game - Shut Up & Sit Down Review

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First published on February 6, 2015.

[@DrMcFly28]

I always pictured XCOM the boardgame as a Space Hulk-style game with cardboard houses and fields and a secret final mothership level you assemble with components hidden underneath the false box bottom.

[@EliWintercross]

That would be amazing

[@rossglenn7600]

It's seven years later, not 20, and the Android app for this game and a small flock of others is no longer supported under Android 13. FFG is sending a form letter for this and the related board game apps saying "At this time, XXX is not available on newer Android devices that only support 64-bit applications. We may support this in the future, but we currently don’t have a schedule for when we would do this. In the meantime, the app can be downloaded on older Android tablets, iOS devices, and on Steam for Windows and Mac."

[@freo2000]

Quinns: "Who would play a board game by themself?" Me: *playing pandemic legacy by myself on Tabletop Simulator* hm?

[@DireMerc]

2 years I've had Pandemic legacy season 1 and 2....2 years and we still haven't opened them...Maybe I should just play it by myself lol

[@JonatasAdoM]

I've even played chess by myself And I lost

[@themakerstoolbox9688]

@@JonatasAdoM But you also won

[@Robert399]

lol nothing wrong with that. Although in this case you'd be mad to not just play an XCOM video game.

[@holdmykidney]

watching the solo play - and having tried it myself - running around the table is definitely a thing. Is this the only game in existence that requires owning a Lazy Susan?

[@jamesderiven1843]

Scrabble.

[@Gekoman333]

Watching Paul play solo was the best.

[@guymann1660]

UFOs...have happened.

[@z-beeblebrox]

@@guymann1660 That moment where he stares at the failed dice roll and quietly turns it 90 degrees to win a plasma rifle is what I picture every 1-player board game devolving into

[@stevenoneil8563]

So at my sister's New Year's party for 2016, me and some friends played this game. And lost horribly. And then we played again. And lost horribly again. And then played again, and we won! And then we decided that we were absolutely never playing again because a 33% world-saving rate was sufficient. To be clear, this game was absolutely amazing, just stressful as all hell.

[@aarcade6676]

Wow, that joke at the beginning hits a lot harder now.

[@junker154]

why

[@benjamindavid7371]

​@@junker154 idk, but that comment is oddly fitting right now

[@hatimzeineddine8723]

@@junker154 Paul left SUSD

[@LeoStaley]

@@hatimzeineddine8723 wait, what?

[@hatimzeineddine8723]

@@LeoStaley www.shutupandsitdown.com/paul-is-moving-to-pastures-new/

[@vurrunna]

0:30 The first time I saw this, I laughed. Now, I cry.

[@andy4an]

i really like "keep talking and nobody explodes" as a real-life-slash-computer game experience. You buy the game on steam for a few dollars, and download and print out the bomb defusal manual, and then you shout at each other and often kill each other: P1 "oh god, there's 4 colored boxes and the red one is blinking and I'm almost out of time!" P2 "press the yellow button!" (bomb explodes) P2: "oh, i forgot to have you check the serial number...does it end in an odd number? hello?"

[@profsrlojohn635]

This review reflects XCOM WAY to closely. These little references are hilarious.

[@alejandrorivas4585]

GOOD MORNING COMMANDER

[@jvomkrieg]

The game is a fantastic solo experience and one of my favourite solo games. It's a unique experience, having to think quickly, act quickly and decisively and keep many concepts in your head at the same time. The key is to set all the stuff up on one side of the board. Put the tablet flat and not pick it up. And have played the game enough in a group not to have to worry about what each station does. Then, its intense and a lot of fun if you like pressure situations and crisis management.

[@madifinley7018]

Great review. The good and the bad. We met and Gen Con, briefly, and you asked me if I was one of those people who listened to the podcast and didn't watch the videos. Lol. Love the videos! Hilarious. Keep it up. Fan for life.

[@CasparLeones]

Wow, what a moment. For XCOM.

[@ihaveasticknmyi]

The end of this episode is so sad. :(

[@RobYu]

Love both the review and presentation! That bit with the 1-player 😂😂😂

[@remimaloney2028]

This game is awesome. I played it only ONCE, but it was a FAAANTASTIC thrill ride. Everybody HAS to be on their game, and you don't have the mindpower to start telling your neighbor what he should do (except perhaps in the Resolution phase). Playing as the scientist really makes it.. .. I mean, damn it man. I am bleeding out to help you guys.

[@-roel-s]

The 'alien autopsy' vid in the background's a nice little detail ;)

[@peterfiser]

8:39 I have the same bloody alarm for sleep as android. Well played, Quince.

[@roninnr1378]

Very cool filming angles!

[@3LANCER]

Love this game, though still haven't got to play it "properly" that is on higher difficulties where time can't be paused and timelimits really matter. There's always someone new to the game whenever we play it, so far people really like it :)

[@DaBuddhaHMz]

I want you to explain every board game ever. You made me laugh many times during this.

[@blitzgamingstudios]

Great video, great content! Thanks for the detailed explanation. Hope app integration gets better in board games, that's what we're working on right now ourselves!

[@BrendanMcLeodSulcata]

Oh geez, Brendan's in this episode! I feel nostalgic.

[@BoardGameCoffee]

Being a fan of turn based strategy games, i was excited to hear about the X-Com game when it came out. But once I heard that it was timed, I instantly lost all interest. I hate that feeling of being rushed when I’m sitting down for an evening of gaming.

[@OverlordZephyros]

then... you must hate xcom 2 ... thats like the main thing

[@basedeltazero714]

​@@OverlordZephyros No, it really isn't. XCom 2 still has no turn timer.

[@Sulucion6Tone]

I actually play this game Solo quite a bit - if you have a holder for your tablet it's easy and takes a little over 30 mins after setup; although Paul's play style was entertaining. hehe

[@martinkremer412]

Great stuff you delivere. Thanks and please continue.

[@Ollgabopi]

This Guy Will never NOT be a mix between Stephen Merchant and Paul Bettany for me...

[@OccamAldanis]

It took me a long time to realize what a bit of smart design the Scientist role was. I originally thought it was kind of underbaked, that it really needed another pass to make it 'pop' the way the other roles do. Then I realized why it's there: it's the newbie role, so new players can take in all the chaos that's happening and try to make sense of it without completely torpedoing the game for everyone. (Relaxed as it may be, you still need to know what everyone's doing and why so you can prioritize what would help them the most.) It also collapses more nicely than the other roles if you don't have four players. It is, perhaps, underbaked, but I don't think they did it because of a lack of effort or a rushed release date. I think it was an entirely calculated move on the developers' part.

[@davidd.w.8681]

Indeed. I usually put the newest/most casual player on scientist. The pressure they get from the other asking for inventions is plenty for them.

[@patinho5589]

The start routine should be one of the original XCOM games ;) :p Love your channel

[@allluckyseven]

Galaxy Defenders felt more like an XCom game to me than this seems to be. Also, I felt really good for Matt... and really bad for Paul. :( Also also, where's the SU&SD Play X-Com: The Board Game?

[@Ceahorse]

Forget the game.. This review is pure wit.. well done.

[@kristoferhailes4627]

Great review, had this on my radar but after hearing your opinions and seeing how the game plays out I’m not sure if this is for me. Not really my style and I think I’d struggle to get a group together who would enjoy it as well. Shame but at least it’s one less game taking up space in my already packed shelves haha

[@OMGSwift]

Handy review man, thanks.

[@Johnsemgawl]

I wish I saw this video before I tried this game solo. My entire team died and all continents are panicked, luckily my base got destroyed before I had to contend to much with that..

[@richbouselli3339]

This is one of the best and most intense co-op games I've ever played. Love the app. They even created one for mansions of madness as well. The app plays as the GM. I love the idea of apps incorporated into games.

[@MrJustCallMeJames]

I hate the idea of apps in boardgames. If you want something electronical you can get that from video games. Also it adds a requirement of a compatible tablet to play. And its insane how they don't include a physical medium with the app. Instead relying on servers. It takes away more than it adds while adding hassle, complexity and putting a timelimit on your game of how long the app keeps getting updated and servers up. Not to mention that it brings a screen to boardgaming when surprisingly many people play boardgames to avoid half of the people being on their phones when hanging out.

[@crashedfighterproductions]

I swear xcom can bring so many unwanted feels. This video alone reminded of the most recent mission I did where i was woefully underprepared and under armed and ended up losing all but two of my team. A mistake that has made it near impossible to recover. Rest in peace Alpha Squad, rest in peace.

[@OriginalPiMan]

It occurs to me that I don't know. Why does Paul live in Canada now? Family or work are about the only likely reasons I can think of.

[@duckrutt]

I don't think it's been explained so everyone should probably respect his privacy. However I'm not above some rampant speculation. Theory one: Paul ate a radioactive lime during season one so he moved to Canada to join Alpha Flight. Theory two: There is a 8000km restraining order stemming from the last time he kidnapped Vlada.

[@casperes0912]

duckrutt I’m betting on the first theory.

[@Caitlin_TheGreat]

Despite being a huge fan of the video game, I never got this and I'm glad. Maybe it was from watching the original release of this video. But I thought the video game basically was a board game already. You have the budget & research stuff with a satellite timer in the background while in the home base. But the real fun of the game is the missions. If it was missions without the home-base management that'd be fine I'd still really like the game. If it was the home-base management without the missions I doubt I'd have played it for more than a couple hours. So before this board game came out I thought the super obvious move would be to make the board game some "randomly generated" maps that you explore with 4 - 6 characters. Have the turn-based strategy combat be the star that we all know it is. You could still work in the between - missions stuff of a budget, upgrade-research, choosing scenarios, etc. You just condense that part down to a simple card game. After a mission you select a card from a shuffled deck, that then determines if there's a UFO problem or a budget crisis, or if you draw two such scenarios. And after a mission you get a slight budget that you can spend to research the aliens you killed or their weapons -- you collect on that research after the next mission. But all in all the real focus is on the combat and scurrying around a map you don't know (draw randomized map tiles). I guess the argument was "why play that board game when you can just play the video game version of it". And the answer is simple, you get to play with your friends. Especially the ones who don't own the video game or the same console as you or a PC, etc. And you can play it without electricity (or gimmicky apps).

[@Eagle3302PL]

What I'd like to see is a simplified, xcom themed Gloomhaven.

[@karlhauser893]

We played the tutorial and HOLY *&%! was that game hard. Unless we missed some rule, which was definitely possible given the lack of manual, it was ludicrously difficult. I agree with your verdict.

[@Moley1Moleo]

I've heard that the XCOM boardgame tutorial is rigged to make you lose. Probably a good thing, so that you understand the loss conditions better.

[@stumbling]

The scientist not really being involved with what's going on in the real world and just being absorbed in their own research is very real.

[@AzureIV]

You should play a few games on Easy Mode where you can pause the app during each timed section and take the time to discuss how to do things as a group. After you have played the game multiple times and everyone has seen how things work and interact with each other, THEN you do it without pausing. That way you have learned and got some experience and aren't overwhelmed right out of the gate.

[@kdolo1887]

Nice Limits of Control poster!

[@ClutchSituation]

There is no rule for one player that says that you can't set all the materials on one side of the board. ;)

[@lukemartineau490]

Hey where do you post the gameplay for these board games? I'd be interested in watching a full gameplay of this!

[@shutupandsitdown]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jKSqepeOdpyjrck

[@Mark-OutWest]

Thanks! Saved me some money I didn't have anyway.

[@Zen-rw2fz]

why play a board game that makes use of some electric elements when you could play a full videogame that makes use of those features?

[@oz_jones]

Also, why bring a screen into the mix when most of us play board games to avoid people having their faces glued to a screen when hanging out?

[@3nertia]

It's not that my board games can't involve apps because I'm worried they wont function in 20 years - my board games just need to be apocalypse proof xD

[@SStyx-qp1bg]

It's BRENDAN!!!!! What happened to him? I thought he had faked his own death and was living in Cuba.

[@acejones9074]

What size are the miniatures?

[@interghost]

Woah that looks kind of a stressful game! I was going to get this one, but after seeing the whole count down time limit idea I think I will give it a miss! ;)

[@EliWintercross]

I'm a bit late, but if you play on easy you have unlimited pause time, so you can just pause the clock and take your time. Though the real fun comes from racing against the clock and having that tense, stressful decision making.

[@barryb.benson2335]

This looks rather fun- I have about 80 hours in XCOM 2 and really enjoying it so far... the rest of my family doesn't really like these kinds of deep strategy board games though, lol. Everyone gets mad at me for forming alliances in RISK and I have yet to get through an entire mission of RWBY: Combat Ready with everyone else playing along. I don't play a lot of board games, but I enjoy strategy games that aren't too complicated and have a lot of strategic potential.

[@joemacleod-iredale2888]

The timer feels like a horrific mechanism- who plays board games to feel as stressed as possible?!?

[@TheBroz]

Because it’s fun

[@Zaptagious]

15:58 UF..Os...have... happened lol

[@georgfoster4680]

damn, i want that firewatch poster :(

[@iTolkiennerd]

Such a fantastic game. Hoping to see games that integrate an app to take care of mopping up math and other AI things.

[@weirdTubo]

What's the exact name of that good dice game there at 9:21?

[@shutupandsitdown]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craps

[@loomick]

the solo play is so damn hard! but still awesome

[@byronsmothers2514]

I played this game once, the die are heartless and the crisis cards are brutal, lost in 4 turns on EASY!

[@Zaptagious]

That's XCOM, baby!

[@aaronsmith6632]

Where's the Tactical part of the game?

[@chriserony]

Is there a similar game to this? Really like the co-op aspects and that there's enough going on to keep -that one friend- from telling you what to do on every turn. But I get what he means about the simplicity and lack of reward feeling.

[@monslenomer]

Pandemic is similar in that you're coordinating a response to a global crisis. But I found that one to have a limited shelf life. Spirit Island is an excellent Co-OP game that, due to the intricacies of the decisions required, arguably makes it difficult for one person to boss everyone around

[@gusblessen5915]

The playing alone joke hits different in quarantine

[@arturfoden7139]

What is the music at the start?

[@TheBroz]

The music from the video game and the board game’s app

[@s.l.r.9407]

EXCUSE ME??? I NEED THIS?????

[@StefanSochinsky]

I played XCOM solo. I thought it actually worked out pretty well.

[@user-hk5fo1nm9h]

I find this interesting still because I think he was pretty wrong about the app always being available and working. Maybe the windows one but the others will probably die before too long.

[@Gilmaris]

Not sure I have the specs to run this game.

[@agentcoriolis9208]

I highly rate this game, I keep bringing it out and introduce it to new players. Can’t get enough of it.

[@jackstone9569]

I only play as chief scientist lol

[@DanielMartinez316]

Is it posible to play the game without the app?

[@dr00ness]

not really. it's not just tracking the phases of the game but letting you know random encounters that happen (and how they happen), it lets people know how many cards they're allowed to draw or what actions they can take, it also penalises you for taking too much time on certain things, lets you know when to go to the final mission, etc.

[@DanielMartinez316]

Andrew Brown thank you

[@IsaacPiera]

I feel this game lost the opportunity of implementing Battlescapes, with terrain, movement points, taking cover, etc...

[@grzegorzkapica7930]

I am turning on X-COM. Maybe X-COM2. Lets see...

[@RylanStorm]

Look, I love Xcom, and I love board games, but no.....just no. For £55? Hell no.

[@bailey7095]

Science is a trip man. Lol

[@iserit2500]

Finally a game that lets me be the Bradford

[@pontusvongeijer1240]

But what about after the US and Chyna go to nuclear war and the world is a radioactive wasteland, internet and the powrr grid is gone, how will I play my app integrated boardgames then?!

[@tigerpjm]

*"At some stage UFOs are going to be showing up incontinents all over the world."* Really? They came hundreds or even thousands of light years just to let everyone know that I piss my pants? Aliens are dicks.

[@nozhki-busha]

I played this game before general release at a video game conference in London. I thought it was very average at best. Have played it a few times since with friends who own it and I have not changed my opinion after more games. This was a game that was crying out for a turn-based miniatures game played on grid squares taking on aliens in various randomized scenarios. So much potential and what we got was an accountancy game which fails largely to capture what was so good about the video games.

[@TheBroz]

Tabletop skirmish games are 10 a penny and the world view is such a key part of what makes the XCOM series great. I’m happy that they did something a bit different.

[@KertaDrake]

This board game has all the insane complexity and learning curve of the ORIGINAL game. Not the remake, the original!

[@TomRauhe]

That "door" in your kitchen is one of the most pointless and hilarious things I have ever seen

[@mudcrab3347]

I think this game is one of the best. I have played it 20+ times.

[@mattiaskarlsson9302]

The Xcom board game seems very similar to the video game. Which has me wondering why I wouldn't just play the video game instead.

[@kapazoglu]

where is dad?

[@OliverMillin]

Really wanted to love this game but I just cannot get my head around how to play it...I suspect it is easier than it looks but the rule book is just plain terrible! Nothing explains itself properly and it gives you no context from which to understand what is going on when using the app. The rules in the app are just reams of boring text that don't really help with a lot of those 'but what if' moments. I wouldn't recommend personally (given the other awesomeness out there) but Kudos to you guys for the review (and figuring how to play it!)

[@OliverMillin]

Valerio Di Gregorio thanks for the pointers. Been playing heaps of other games so still havent got around to trying this again yet. must get a few friends around and give it a whirl :-)

[@OliverMillin]

Valerio Di Gregorio haha yep sounds good. im used to getting annihilated in the video game so i was half expecting a high level of adversity!

[@nerowulfee9210]

First X-com still the best.

[@oz_jones]

Hell yeah. Also, I am not sure if my version of X-Com is that much better than the aliens since I usually bring autocannons with HE rounds to terror missions :p At least the aliens are dead.

[@CyberCheese392]

Only one correct way to play, unreplayable.

[@moocowp4970]

This is my favourite game ever; I disagree with the negatives they said except for the lack of paper manual (which is a bit of an annoyance, but in general you don't have time to look up rules mid game anyway). The game is perfect for people who like risk management, resource management and cooperation/communication. Quinn is incorrect when he says the individual games aren't much; you're constantly making snap decisions as to who to put where, what research to focus on, whether you should even use that unit at all considering maybe the cost is better spent by one of the other players etc. etc. I'd argue this is the top 5 best co-op games and simultaneously in the top 5 best amerithrash game. But if you want a peaceful euro game about farming/trading with lots of deep thought about how to get more out of your engine, you won't enjoy this.

[@icecold1805]

Seems like this is a singleplayer game, that was forced by an executive at Fantasy Flight to be a 4 player game just to increase sales, like they did with Rebellion. But knowing that they would get criticized for inventing stupid rules to force a game to be 4 players, they did something very clever: they made the interface of each role on a different side of the board. As such, if you play singleplayer or even 2 players, you will be constantly spinning around the table, and that's just... gonna make you think "damn, wish I had 4 players to play with". You may think that the game is meant for 4 players cuz of that, but honestly, seeing how dull and boring each individual role is, it's obvious it was meant to be a singleplayer game where you control all roles.

[@XxearthxX844]

so nowadys you need an app to see where the UFOs spawn, ok i guess a few more dice where out of budget

[@kosterix123]

you are a good sales person, but the game takes a lot of table space, uses an app and also dice? I hate hits based on dice.

[@kosterix123]

probably expensive too. and evening full

[@Khether0001]

*AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!* 😨

[@freemanedwards5663]

Ha great

[@williammcneil6730]

fuck no i dont want ipads in board game i set enough money on fire as it is. boardgames dont need this stuff

[@DragonBall_Sparking_Zero]

lol

[@jecosci]

The app kinda defeats the purpose of this as a board game

[@legisnuntius]

5:59 Breast milk?

[@alexoja2918]

Watched 2 minutes and decided it was an annoying game. Not even going to try.

[@angrylundy4862]

if your borde game needs a computer then you did it wrong

[@TheShadesOfBlack]

Hey, when you were talking about playing 1 player, did you know that they turned this board game into a video game? You can play the videogame and be all of the roles, and it’s about the same price. So ya. That’s my opinion on single player board games.

[@TheShadesOfBlack]

Well about the same price or $5 for a slightly cut down iOS version. Which I would 10/10 recommend if you have an iPad and just want more XCOM.

[@mart8675309]

Thoughts: I'm kind of board of Shut up and sit downs formulaic review style now, perhaps at this point 'Paul plays' should just completely replace any thing that resembles a formal review.

[@SzyFuj]

Solo play should have been like half the length, really. This was the first time I skipped part of your video!