Skip to main content

Alexandria

Game ID: GID0020079
Game Info
Year
2017
Players
2-4
Age
14+
Playtime
45 min
Complexity
2/5
Collection
Ratings
Creator Score
Mechanic profile
Not enough video data yet
Vibe profile
Not enough video data yet
Description

Description from the publisher:

Fire! The Great Library, the world's most complete archive of knowledge and wisdom is on fire!

As books and relics are consumed by the flames, you must make a choice over what to save - some artifacts are more valuable to you than others, and your fellow heroes may have different priorities than you - and some may even be trying to burn books!

In Alexandria, 2-4 players must use a limited supply of time to move through the burning corridors of the Great Library, looking for scrolls, items and even scholars that they can save. Each round, up to four rooms of the library will surrender to the flames, and anything in them will be lost!

Will you use your time wisely to preserve ancient knowledge, or will your opponents get the best of you? In Alexandria, every second counts, and you are running out of seconds...

Description

Description from the publisher:

Fire! The Great Library, the world's most complete archive of knowledge and wisdom is on fire!

As books and relics are consumed by the flames, you must make a choice over what to save - some artifacts are more valuable to you than others, and your fellow heroes may have different priorities than you - and some may even be trying to burn books!

In Alexandria, 2-4 players must use a limited supply of time to move through the burning corridors of the Great Library, looking for scrolls, items and even scholars that they can save. Each round, up to four rooms of the library will surrender to the flames, and anything in them will be lost!

Will you use your time wisely to preserve ancient knowledge, or will your opponents get the best of you? In Alexandria, every second counts, and you are running out of seconds...

Ask a Rules Question
All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 8
This page: 8
Sentiment: pos 6 · mix 1 · neu 0 · neg 0
Mentions per page
Showing 1–8 of 8
Video vjkTvWeTHpM BoardGameCo Preview at 50:40 sentiment: positive
video_pk 100013 · mention_pk 335493
BoardGameCo - Alexandria video thumbnail
Click to watch at 50:40 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • Highly asymmetric experience, with each faction feeling unique
  • Intuitive gameplay despite initial complexity in explanation
  • Interconnected actions and dynamic market interactions
  • Strategic dice drafting with choices affecting action strength
  • Meaningful endgame scoring opportunities beyond in-game points
  • Faction abilities and interactions are well-integrated into the theme (e.g., crafters refine goods from harvesters, failins handle raids)
Cons
  • Terminology may be confusing when first hearing rules described
  • Prototype copy, so rules and components are subject to change
Thematic elements
  • Asymmetric factions contributing to the development and defense of Alexandria.
  • Ancient Alexandria
  • Players embody different roles (harvesters, crafters, architects, failins) with unique goals and abilities, contributing to a shared city-building and economic narrative.
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Action activation — Players slot their drafted dice into their player boards to activate both a column action and the specific die ability.
  • Area Placement/Building — Players place buildings on a shared board, with specific areas for different factions, contributing to population and endgame scoring.
  • Asymmetric Player Powers — Each faction (harvesters, crafters, architects, failins) has unique player boards and actions specific to their role.
  • Dice Drafting — Players roll action dice each round and draft them in initiative order to determine available actions and their strengths.
  • Hand Management (Scrolls) — Players draw 'scrolls' from bags to augment actions, offering additional goods or boosting action strengths, with higher dice strength allowing more draws.
  • initiative track — Players vie for position on an initiative track, which determines dice drafting order, action activation order, and awards endgame victory points.
  • market interaction — A central board with 'baskets' allows players to buy, sell, request, and offer goods, with prices and availability changing over time.
  • resource production and conversion — Harvesters create raw goods, crafters refine them into luxury items, and all players manage goods like stone, bread, and beer.
  • Set Collection (Royal Seals) — Players work towards 'royal seals' by meeting certain victory point thresholds or other conditions, gaining endgame victory points.
  • Timeline Mechanism — Baskets, raids, and events move along a timeline, resolving at different points and influencing player actions and rewards.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • "Hey there gamers, welcome back to the Board Game Co channel."
  • "Because in Alexandria, players are going to have five rounds where they're playing as these very asymmetric factions that are all contributing to Alexandria itself."
  • "This game is a lot of game and with the terminology, it may feel confusing when you're just hearing it. That playing it is very intuitive."
  • "So your factions are really going to feel very true to the different actions that they are trying to do."
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Rov3F9LIRCY BoardGameCo Playthrough at 0:05 sentiment: positive
video_pk 99504 · mention_pk 334785
BoardGameCo - Alexandria video thumbnail
Click to watch at 0:05 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
Positive, with acknowledgment of complexity and potential for escalation.
Pros
  • Asymmetric factions offer varied gameplay.
  • Cooperative element of building the city while competing for points.
  • Dice drafting and activation provides engaging turns.
Cons
  • Prototype nature means rules/components may change.
  • Complexity can be high due to asymmetric actions and details.
Thematic elements
  • Building the economy of Alexandria
  • Ancient Alexandria
  • Players take on unique roles to contribute to the city's growth.
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • area influence — Building monuments impacts adjacent areas, providing benefits to nearby players.
  • Asymmetric Player Powers — Each player controls a faction with unique abilities and actions (Harvesters, Crafters, Architects).
  • Dice activation — Dice are used to perform actions, with different actions available based on the die and player.
  • Dice Drafting — Players draft dice from a common pool after they are rolled.
  • Resource Management — Players produce and convert various resources to fulfill needs and score points.
  • Set Collection — Collecting specific sets of resources or fulfilling objectives for points.
  • Trading — Players can buy and sell goods from each other.
  • Worker Placement — Players place workers (or dice) on action spaces to perform actions.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • we all get points through helping each other. We get points when we sell goods to each other. We get points when we buy goods from each other. We're kind of just helping the city grow. We're just trying to be the one who helps it grow the most.
  • this is a prototype. All rules and components have to change.
  • roll dice, draft dice, activate those dice.
  • Harvesters are going to be primarily producing basic resources for the economy of the city.
  • Crafters are going to be converting basic resources into more advanced resources that we need both for our luxury resources as well as for in order to go ahead and feed our people and grow our population.
  • Architects... going to be building a variety of monuments onto the board which will both get me points but also be giving points to the players who are around those monuments.
  • The detail. Okay. It's a play rate with page numbers. I'm going to hopefully not make any mistakes.
  • Mistakes are what I signed up for.
  • So, you're going to get two points for doing a buy action. Again, the game rewards uh interaction between the players.
  • players get points for offering. So Meg's really Meg's engine is to try to produce as many resources as possible and get them to play. AP's engine is to convert those resources as much as possible and then send them back onto the real players to utilize. Uh, and then my engine is build the buildings.
  • The timeline fills up, it changes a lot of the economy of the game.
  • The trickiest part is I'm in this weird spot where I need her to produce the goods, him to buy and convert the goods, and I have to buy them for you.
  • players get points for adjacencies and be next to monuments.
  • It comes down to two points.
  • It is the final round.
  • So, we're going to now go to the endgame points. So, we're going to track through this all going through each of our scorings one at a time.
  • So, Meg's going to get five points jumping from 34 to 39. Uh, I'm going to get six. 31 to 37. And then AP 24 to 31.
  • The final score of Alexandria.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video CrbHZDIAJ3k BoardGameCo Discussion at 9:41 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 99395 · mention_pk 334724
BoardGameCo - Alexandria video thumbnail
Click to watch at 9:41 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
  • Gameplay itself was fine
  • Adorable theming
  • Heavier gameplay
Cons
  • Asymmetry aspect and rules overhead did not feel rewarding
  • Wanted a bigger payoff for learning faction differences
Thematic elements
  • building a city
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • asymmetric roles — The game features different player roles with unique functions such as producing goods, crafting goods, building, and defending.
  • Euro Game — Described as an asymmetric Euro game.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • By all accounts, CMON backing out of this NFT investment, given how much uproar there was when it happened, by all accounts, this is the right move. But even this makes it seem like it's a ship without its rudder. Makes it feel like they don't really have a direction.
  • Everything he says is completely on point except for one major issue. I personally prefer a sleeved deck of cards.
  • Magic the Gathering, it's on the upswing, which is fascinating cuz this whole universe is beyond thing.
  • The problem is, I'm not their target audience. I used to love Magic, don't play Magic anymore. They're not losing me as a customer. I wasn't a customer anyway.
  • It's so weird. My relationship with CMON is weird.
  • Should you sleeve your cards? Not necessarily, but I do think it's a good read. I think his logic holds up. It just depends on why you sleeve your cards.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 7md1yxd9vOE BoardGameCo Analysis at 6:54
video_pk 94939 · mention_pk 280658
BoardGameCo - Alexandria video thumbnail
Click to watch at 6:54 · YouTube ↗
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
none
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • Um, also special guest is Mogat who's kind of hanging out on the couch over there.
  • So, um, now we're doing this. It'll be shorter because I don't have the energy to do the exact same thing I just did.
  • For non-cat people, I know that um you know, throwing your pets into everything can sometimes be less charming, but for the cat people, they want more.
  • I debated not doing it at all, and I was like, you know what? I'm going to I'm going to do it because last week I missed my weekend review and I allow myself.
  • Nowadays, I'm give I give myself more grace.
  • My favorite things that I do on the channel are usually when I go off script and it's natural.
  • I thought Shelfie was a ridiculous concept, but I'm not here to yuck on someone's yum.
  • The thing I am here to yuck on is blind boxes in general.
  • It is very deflating to like film a video and then have to refilm it.
  • It is part of the process.
  • And as always, I hope you have a good one.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video ZctiE-BPnrM BoardGameCo Unboxing at 0:03 sentiment: positive
video_pk 93403 · mention_pk 252637
BoardGameCo - Alexandria video thumbnail
Click to watch at 0:03 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • High degree of interactivity
  • Asymmetric factions with unique benefits
  • Modular board construction
  • Component quality (e.g., 'very pretty looking' fires, 'giant tower')
  • Engaging dice drafting and activation system
  • Tableau building elements
  • Unique faction mechanics (e.g., Phalanx defending against raids)
  • Market economy with supply and demand
Cons
  • Rulebook is a 'doozy'
  • Prototype components subject to change
  • Host is only halfway through the rulebook and not fully competent yet
Thematic elements
  • City building, economic management
  • Ancient Alexandria
Comparison games
  • Castles of Burgundy
  • Old King's Crown
  • Mesopotamia
  • Byzantium
  • Terraforming Mars
  • Root
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • action selection — Players select actions based on the drafted dice and where they are placed on their player board.
  • Area Control — Implied by placing units on the board in various regions.
  • asymmetric factions — Each of the four factions has unique abilities and specialties, influencing player strategy.
  • Card Drafting — Specific to some factions (e.g., Harvesters), where players draw and select cards.
  • Dice Drafting — Players draft dice from a central pool (tower) after they are rolled. The dice sides offer different actions, which can vary depending on the player drafting them.
  • Market Economy / Supply and Demand — Involves placing goods on the board to fulfill demand or create offers, with interaction from other players.
  • Modular Board — The main city board is constructed from different pieces.
  • Raids — A specific game element involving defending against raids, particularly for the Phalanx player, with associated rewards.
  • Set Collection — Players aim to collect luxury resources as a way to score points.
  • Tableau Building — Players build up their personal player board by placing tokens and dice, which in turn activates abilities or slots.
  • track movement — Using tokens to move along pathways on the player board to activate certain actions or lines.
  • Worker Placement — Mentioned as a common Euro mechanic, but the game 'not really worker placement'.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • I know enough to just enough to be dangerous and not enough to be competent, at least not yet.
  • This is an unboxing and rambling.
  • What what really makes a Euro?
  • It's the name that I'm forgetting.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video YAjadn3vA3Y ON TABLE Board Games Rules Teach at 0:15 sentiment: positive
video_pk 93042 · mention_pk 250937
ON TABLE Board Games - Alexandria video thumbnail
Click to watch at 0:15 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • Asymmetrical factions offer unique gameplay experiences.
  • Multiple paths to victory points including initiative, unit deployment, battles, and area control.
  • Marketplace mechanism for buying and selling goods.
Cons
none
Thematic elements
  • Ancient Alexandria
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • action selection — Players use drafted dice to activate spaces on their player board, triggering actions associated with both the space and the die.
  • area majority / influence — Placing faction tokens on request baskets and adjacency to monuments contribute to scoring.
  • Asymmetric Player Powers — Four distinct factions (Phalanx, Architects, Crafters, Harvesters) have unique abilities and strategies.
  • Combat — The Phalanx faction engages in combat against 'riders' using combat tokens and strength comparison.
  • Dice Drafting — Players select dice from a common pool to determine available actions for the round.
  • Marketplace / Trading — Buying and selling resources and goods on the 'timeline' track.
  • Route Building — Forming chains of adjacent units on the map for scoring.
  • Set Collection — Collecting specific resources or combat tokens contributes to scoring or fulfilling requirements.
  • Worker Placement — Placing dice on action spaces and deploying units on the main board.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • The winner of Alexandria, the board game, is the player who has accumulated the most victory points after five rounds.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video WAvjIWlDwvs BoardGameCo Review at 18:48 sentiment: positive
video_pk 81523 · mention_pk 290774
BoardGameCo - Alexandria video thumbnail
Click to watch at 18:48 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • strong asymmetry when done well
  • appealing player dashboards
Cons
  • unclear whether the game will land for the host
Thematic elements
  • asymmetrical city-building with tableau power-up
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • asymmetry, tableau building, action economy — different factions power up their boards; cards shift to back; heavy asymmetry
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • I'm not an RPG person.
  • It's DC, Justice League, all those things are great.
  • I like Mindbug. I like Mindbug a lot.
  • The unique theme, the presentation designed by Danny Garcia, it definitely has me interested.
  • Alterra from IV Studios. Set in the world of 10.
  • I am very interested. Again, I have no idea whether this game will land for me or not.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video TvOtU8bU-Vc The Dice Tower News at 14:37 sentiment: positive
video_pk 81460 · mention_pk 287693
The Dice Tower - Alexandria video thumbnail
Click to watch at 14:37 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
  • Byzantium
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Dice Placement — Players place dice onto a grid or board.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • man, this theme and everything about this from One More Turn Games, I'm very pumped about this one. I love the I cannot wait.
  • It's a cool cover actually. It's just not very legible, but it's a life.
  • If you like gardens, that's great. You like dragons, that's great. You like them both, buy three copies.
  • This is teetering on the edge. This is almost more of a tainted grail type of a look to me.
  • I think of all the ones that we've mentioned, this is the one I'm least interested in
  • Never mind. This might be the one I'm least interested in.
  • Cuz Clank! Catacombs exists.
  • that's a really good-looking prototype.
  • This would have been my most anticipated game of the year or one of them had I known about it
  • This is one of my most anticipated games of the year now.
  • This is basically um a Star Trek version of Captain Sonar.
  • We know about this for a while. We've been very excited. We've already played it actually.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Top
Showing 1–8 of 8