Ascension Tactics: Miniatures Deckbuilding Game

Video pYvPLhl4PWA Board Games UnLocked Review at 0:15 sentiment: mixed

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Overall sentiment (raw)

mixed

Pros

Dual purpose miniatures are smart design.
Simple AI makes the game easy to teach and play solo.
Campaign mode is the main focus and is intended to be the purest way to play.
Satisfying moment of coordinated strategy against a boss.

Cons

Felt gimmicky with the addition of miniatures.
Frustrating randomness in deck draws leads to situations where players can do nothing.
Player characters are 'squishy'.
Pacing issues where the game becomes difficult not due to player skill but mechanic aging.
Annoying healing mechanic.
Game can feel slow.
Cooperative mode doesn't feel built around teamwork.
Rulebook is not perfect and requires clarification.

Thematic elements

Deck building game with miniatures

Comparison games

Ascension
Memoir 44
Clank Legacy
Hero Realms
Star Realms

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

AI Opponent — The game utilizes a simple AI system for solo and cooperative play.
Campaign play — The game has a campaign mode which is considered the main focus and purest way to play.
cooperative play — The game can be played cooperatively, often against an AI or scenario.
Deck Building — The game uses a standard deck-building system where players acquire cards to improve their deck over time.
Drafting — Players can draft champions, allowing for customization of their approach to a scenario.
miniatures — The game features miniatures for characters and champions, which can serve dual purposes as heroes or villains.
Solo Play — The game is playable solo, with adjusted difficulty settings.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

whenever you're like tactics right like here here's tactics i want to be able to do what i want to do i want strategy to be involved and i'm not saying this game doesn't have any strategy but there were so many times where it's like oh there's literally nothing we can do
if you're going to call it a tactics game don't have everything be random that's kind of like the treasures are random your deck's random the market's random
they said that that is the purest way to play the game
i will say i do enjoy the solo version of this game better than the co-op
i think i'm gonna give it i think i'll give it a six i think it's i think it's slightly above average

References (from this video)

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Video X63DtvKczxY BoardGameCo News at 3:24

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Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I think this game is objectively bad, but I also objectively have fun playing it.
The biggest flaw of Excalibur is I don't think the first four-fifths of the game matter. I think the only thing that matters is the last two to three turns in the game.
The problem with playing so many games is you always want to keep the good ones, but then you play the better ones and you want to keep the better ones and you realize you should probably shouldn't keep the good ones. But then you play the best ones and you realize you probably shouldn't keep the better ones or the good ones. You should only keep and play the best ones.
It's the Lego of skirmish space battles.

References (from this video)

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Video X63DtvKczxY BoardGameCo News at 7:08

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Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I think this game is objectively bad, but I also objectively have fun playing it.
The biggest flaw of Excalibur is I don't think the first four-fifths of the game matter. I think the only thing that matters is the last two to three turns in the game.
The problem with playing so many games is you always want to keep the good ones, but then you play the better ones and you want to keep the better ones and you realize you should probably shouldn't keep the good ones. But then you play the best ones and you realize you probably shouldn't keep the better ones or the good ones. You should only keep and play the best ones.
It's the Lego of skirmish space battles.

References (from this video)

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Video BR4-gbGZax0 Rolling Dice & Taking Names Discussion at 1:30:54 sentiment: positive

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Overall sentiment (raw)

Positive

Pros

New expansions are exciting.
Introduction of insight mechanic with dice rolling is well-received.

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

Shards of Infinity

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Card Drafting — Players select cards from a common pool.
Deck Building — Players build a deck of cards over the course of the game.
Dice Rolling — Players roll dice to gain bonuses.
Set Collection — Collecting sets of cards or resources.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

one of the actions that I love most from dreamscape with the insight and but now he's added a dice and everybody knows how much I love my dice
my strategy didn't pay
The more I played, the more I liked it
Okay okay okay okay okay now I kind of see the appeal of it
The rules that I didn't catch and you and Joel played again because I there are some rules I hadn't caught the price time through and it definitely made a big difference to our experience
He said you don't know how much that means to a person when they and you don't know what's going on but I just wanted to thank you for just brightening up a couple minutes of my day every couple of weeks going through a rough time
You just never know how you affect people

References (from this video)

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Video LcqDIFrg6uI The Dice Tower Analysis at 10:35 sentiment: positive

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Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

This was a fun one

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Light versus darkness night and day

Comparison games

Ascension

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Deck Building — Another deck building game this is set 10.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

So, because of that, I actually never got a copy of it um and haven't played it.
Um so, you drive cars around and shoot at each other. That's basically the game.
Looks like Carcassonne with Islands. That looks pretty good.
Do we need a card game version of it? And the answer to that is we really don't. Just play Camel Up.
This is a war game from Don Greenwood, Avalon Hill.
But if you like choose your own adventures type games, that's what this is.
It is a tile laying game that is about as exciting as it looks in this picture here.
So if you like Klask, um which is a fantastic two-player game, this is just a version for four.
I really like awkward guests, so why didn't I play the second one?
He gave it Seal of Approval. A seven out of 10. Well, there you go.
I think I'm going to have to go with the Bottom of it. It is a fantastic three-player trick-taking game that I like very much and think you definitely should check out.
If you really like what we're doing here at the Dice Tower, then there are different ways to support the Dice Tower. One of those ways is through Patreon.

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Video Ty01LetgVxA Rolling Dice & Taking Names Review at 4:36 sentiment: positive

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Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Art is liked more than previous series, being more 'airy'
Immediate plays with vision cards are a neat idea
New 'insight' resource is a big plus
Can be played standalone or integrated with other expansions
Good for a 'quick deck builder'

Cons

Insight tokens (egg-shaped) roll around too easily and get lost
Small font on cards, especially flavor text
Dream mechanic feels like an 'add-on' for new players
Can be 'swingy' at times, where the center row fills with monsters, making it hard to get an engine going

Thematic elements

dream

Comparison games

Imperial Settlers
51st State
Star Realms

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Card Combos — Players can devise strategies to create powerful combinations of construct cards.
deck-building — Players start with a deck of cards and acquire new cards to improve their deck and strategies throughout the game.
Insight — A new resource collected by players that is used to purchase special cards from an individual 'dreamscape deck'.
Victory Points (Honor) — Players earn 'honor' by defeating monsters and through cards in their purchased deck; the player with the most honor wins.
Vision cards — A type of dream card that offers an immediate effect, either being discarded after use or staying on the table.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

"Marty it's our anniversary month so it's going to take a lot to drag me away from you there's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do just move on to the intro you're so unromantic."
"I don't know whether people like them or not but hey you know we're gonna do a couple of them."
"I one day i will pay you back for this."
"A card laid is a card played."
"Why did you pick round tokens that just floors me I don't understand that."
"I'm an old man it's a little small on cards people i know i know you got to get it in there yada yada yada whatever but the font was kind of one of those um Ignacio odds they're intense that's what we're gonna call it now yeah the annossy fine big na SI phan which now for from here on that would be known as a small small fun yes."
"Everybody knows your gay oh dude that was pretty I was nice was that their slogan you just make that up it's actually on his business card dude."
"I cannot believe that somebody hasn't come out with one of these before now."
"You need to drop start craft on them one down man just do that just come drop that on the table and say go for it."
"It's just it's a nagging gnawing type of feeling I have but I'm going to let those that are way smarter than me to tell me whether or not I'm wrong or right after they have a whole bunch of plays in their pros at these euro games."
"I'm a blind hog and found an acorn and saw it come it just hit me a blind hog finding an acorn yeah that's a common expression blind squirrel is blind hog Google a hog a hug are you serious why would a hog find ok for squirrels find a core is it a hug Hyundai corns too but ok for this show it's a blind squirrel finding an acorn."
"Anthony was possessed devil you know anyway I try to tie it together and you messed me up but that's okay I'm good with that."
"That's only one third of a 20-ounce coke in the hotel i'm at right now."
"It was abysmal dude it was like being releasing a horror flick in the middle of summer which you picked which idea which was an idiot pic but anyway."
"Our Marty obviously did not pay attention to that very well because he has been sharing it with every other guy and not me."

References (from this video)

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Video E-nJQCx66SE Rolling Dice & Taking Names Analysis at 19:19 sentiment: mixed

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Overall sentiment (raw)

mixed

Pros

Great implementation of the Dreamscape expansion on iPad.
Enjoyable to play Dreamscape by itself.

Cons

Mixing Dreamscape with too many other expansions can hinder gameplay.
Losing games to Scott King.

Thematic elements

dreams

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Deck Building — A core mechanic of the Ascension series, where players build their deck of cards during the game.
Expansion mechanics — The Dreamscape expansion introduces unique mechanics related to dreams and insight.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I think for the first time ever we are using an instrumental theme song that's right we have because I floundered gray liam coming up with a song title however this one marty is because of our five-minute initiative in this one cause of imperial the domination of it of the empire Plus this whole week they've been doing Star Wars own blows at tnt I don't know it's dynamite yeah whatever you know so I've been was another song we could use AC DC AC DC that's right but it was the fact that episodes 1 2 3 4 5 6 we're all on TNT in order each night so I would be picking up various ones you know periodically like Return of the Jedi was last night got to watch the end of it and so I was like man which ones were on all of them in order so 4 5 & 6 1 2 3 4 5 & 6 no try that again four five and six you can deny all you want to deny oh I shall deny but you played a video game Star Wars galaxy that included the Gungans therefore you cannot deny that they were part of the Star Wars lore yeah but what was the best thing about playing Star Wars Galaxies with the Gungans we got to slaughter them exactly that's right we took every mission where we had to go to the island and kill them and enjoyed every minute of it brings back a lot of memories doesn't it yeah it does fantastic game but we aren't here to talk about video games however i would like to an episode on video game sometime but not this time we have got a great show tonight because we are going to do something that we've been talking about for a little while well we're going to do in-depth analysis of three miniature games
people might be wondering why you guys will talk about miniature games and I think the main reason why Tony is cause I feel that the gap between board games and miniature games has been shrinking over time and I think there's this feeling of intrepid ation or our little nervousness about a board game are getting into miniature games and we just want to talk about how actually easy it is to get into these games because a lot of current board games actually use some mechanics for miniature games yeah and it could also be you know getting smaller because every freaking game now comes with miniatures escalating the prices way up out of our price range
well it's that time of year again where the fall TV shows start coming on and Marty I don't know what's on your radar I'm sure nothing on CBS I'll see assuming every CBS show either involves a doctor or lawyer or cop that's cool yeah yeah there you go so you had bull and all that other stuff but what are you going to watch this fall the only things that we have said we'll give a shot was a good place Ted Danson and kristen bell that's the comedy was made by some of the other people that we like we watched the first show thought it was ok we'll we'll keep trying and what's on your list we haven't really tried a lot yeah a good place i enjoyed watching that I gotta give it another chance I did watch speechless that I enjoyed I thought but I enjoy the actor who's in that and an actress who's in that and as well as the guy who plays um bow II from Big Bang he's in it that one was really fun we actually watched that one of vanessa was like who is that guy I said come on Vanessa fake and I said voice you oh yeah that's right for Big Bang yeah so what do you think of it I thought it's actually pretty good show it was a lot like I told Vanessa I was a lot like Goldberg's to me the mom and this shows a lot like the mom and Goldberg's but we'll continue to watch it i think that that was a dish and show another show that we're going to try is that ties that show for NBC timely as will be mother time travelers the teasers look good but we'll see what we'll give it a shot I've kind of gotten to the point with new shows I want to see how their ratings are over the first several weeks and if they're not bad I'm not even gonna invest in the entire met him because I know they're going to be gone right and I think for me the biggest disappointment so far but one more shot is MacGyver I had to give it a shot any reboots I'm just reluctant to give a shot too but it's a reboot on CBS I'm out
I think some of the most competitive some of the best gamers I've ever played against were miniature gamers by far I've played the heaviest of heavy euros and the amount of brain power it takes to play those to me doesn't compare when you're playing against somebody that really knows how to play these miniature games because there's just so many decisions that need to be made

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Video I6jOJarf7mE Watch It Played News at 4:24 sentiment: positive

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Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

none

Cons

The vast number of possibilities might be overwhelming or hard to grasp.

Thematic elements

Comparison games

Ascension
Seven Wonders

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Deck Building — Tactics seems to be the melding of the deck building and card play that I love an Ascension.
Miniatures game — Ascension Tactics is described as a deck building miniatures game.
Tactical combat — Ascension Tactics is described as a tactical miniatures game.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Every end has a beginning is the tagline it's also a statement so vague that it doesn't really say anything does it while still remaining technically correct like everything happens for a reason or matthew i don't want to marry you but it's definitely a prequel
my love for kinicia games has me looking at this thinking maybe i am the one maybe i can take the code back to the source and free everyone from the matrix if you will
I made that out to be 8 billion 468 million 125 thousand 50 possibilities but still that's a lot of possibilities you do have to concede that point
and all i want is to be a promo in viticulture jamie snakemeyer and a couple bottles of wine would be nice
my guess is that the kickstarter will be launched around the same time as the darkest dungeon sequel is released in december but either way i'm hoping this lures some more video gamers into our own dungeon the dungeon of board games which now that i say that out loud isn't as alluring as i'd hoped
it's all very technical but the result is a vote that reflects their community rather than just the opinions of one person
if you do want the opinion of just one person then play the crew it's the best game ever
I love carcassonne and my brother is some kind of carcassonne wizard who I hate so if you're like me then this book might be the thing to give you the edge that you need
not the australian german baseband though that wouldn't be the end of the world propane nightmares anyone what a banger
Oh no he's not dead sorry I admit that made him look like it no he's sorry he's just retiring my bad sorry

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Video qDQMasJFSUY The Cardboard Herald Interview at 13:59 sentiment: positive

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Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Combines deck-building with tactical miniatures combat.
Highly strategic with a lot of depth and variety.
Easy to learn for existing Ascension or deck-building players.
Features solo, co-op, and multiple scenarios.

Cons

none

Thematic elements

tactical miniatures combat with deck-building
Ascension universe

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Deck Building — Integrates deck-building mechanics into a tactical miniatures game.
Miniatures combat — Features tactical miniatures combat on a board.
scenario play — Includes a variety of scenarios for different game modes.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

the core tension around what you wanted to have access to what's in the center row, but your opponent also has access to that same set of cards and maybe they'll get the cards you want before you and you're reacting to what they're doing.
And so, the idea whereas in Dominion, what you would at the beginning of the game set up the 12 different piles of like what created the market and there was a bunch of other fixed cards for the market. And that's like once that's set up, then you're just buying things and running through that process. And Ascension took the idea that like that's very static and once I played it a bunch of kind of got a little bit boring and I said, "What if we just created more variety throughout play?"
You need to have you need to know what your core tension is. And what that means is there's one fundamental thing that ties your mechanics, your theme, your emotional impact to the player that's that differentiates you from everything that's come before.
So, for 15th, we did a 15th anniversary district campaign which launched last summer. We did of course Ascension Legends which as you mentioned is fulfilling soon and we wanted but we wanted to do something special. Something that we'd never done before. Something that would really transform what it means to play Ascension.
And so what we've done is we have created the first ever licensed Ascension game.
So, I need to be entertained. I need to care. Like I need to be excited about it. And so I will shift gears and do a lot of other stuff.
So, I think that that it's just knowing your target audience, knowing your core tension, right? What's the core mechanical and emotional tension of your game?
And then with each expansion saying, okay, what am I what twist am I providing, but still knowing that my target audience is the same, my core tension is the same, and now I'm either relieving a player pain pain point, providing another contrast to the core tension, or something that was cut from the original game, or because now I've discovered a new aspect to this I didn't see before, and now I'm going to bring that into the game, uh you know, and again it's still serving that core tension.

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Video v7cMhibJMQ8 Review at 0:24 sentiment: positive

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Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Retains the snappy feel and satisfying deck-building cycle of the original Ascension.
Adds a more engaging tactical layer with miniatures, positioning, and scenario objectives.
Excellent value with a wealth of gameplay in the base box.
High-quality and characterful miniatures (Kickstarter edition).
Treasure tokens add a fun mind-game and direct interaction element.
Strong solo and campaign modes.
Plays well at multiple player counts, especially two-player.

Cons

The standees for the retail version are simple squares, which is a minor aesthetic gripe.
The first introductory scenario can be too short and end before players get their deck going.

Thematic elements

Deck-building miniatures game

Comparison games

Ascension
Dominion
Warhammer Underworlds
Magic: The Gathering

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Constructs — Cards that can be bought and attached to champions to provide stat boosts and special abilities.
Deck Building — Similar to the original Ascension, players use runes to buy new cards to add to their deck and power to activate characters. The starting deck is identical to Ascension.
Miniatures combat — Players activate characters (champions) to move them around a hex map, engage in combat, and interact with terrain and objectives.
Modular Board — The game uses a hex map where terrain tiles and objectives are placed, with a double-sided board offering a pre-printed starter scenario.
scenario-based gameplay — The game features numerous scenarios with different objectives and rules, including a branching campaign mode.
Solo/Co-op play — The game includes a solo mode with a villain deck and a campaign, and these scenarios can also be played co-operatively.
Treasure tokens — Players can pick up face-down treasure tokens that provide various bonuses (movement, attack, defense) or trigger effects, adding an element of surprise and decision-making.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

The deck building part of it is a lot like ascension like it's almost identical
I'd rather play this if you said you'd rather play ascension or this nine times out of ten or eight times out of ten I'd rather play this
this is great because there's so much in the box just a one box purchase
The sculpts are very unique they're very full of character
it's just a much more satisfying you know experience for me

References (from this video)

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Video Am3yIKLEQ64 Rolling Dice & Taking Names Interview at 54:42 sentiment: positive

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Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Strong blend of deck-building and tactical miniatures design
Wide variety of scenarios and play modes
Solid cross-compatibility with Ascension legacy and expansions
Tabletop Simulator support enabling online play

Cons

Can be dense for new players due to multi-layered mechanics
Crowdfunding-centric pricing and delivery expectations may vary by backer tier

Thematic elements

hybrid strategy and tactics combining deck-building with tactical control of units
fantasy/mechanical battlegrounds with modular miniatures and a deck-building framework
design-centric, future-facing integration of board and card systems; emphasis on core tension between deck and minis

Comparison games

Ascension base game
World of Warcraft Miniatures Game

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Ambush — A one-off immediate effect triggered by buying a card from the center, altering turn dynamics.
Center-row interaction (Dreamscape) — A rotating set of available cards that creates a shifting tactical choice each turn.
deck-building — Players acquire new cards from a center/center-row to upgrade their abilities and miniature capabilities.
Multiplayer modes (PvP and PvE variants) — Options to play competitively or cooperatively, including boss-style or challenge modes.
Power-based miniature command — Power is spent to activate and move/boost miniatures on the board.
Scenarios and terrain variety — Multiple scenarios with distinct victory conditions and modular terrain pieces to vary play.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Ascension tactics… live on Kickstarter
the core tension of your game… every expansion has to add to that tension
we brought in the best of deck-building and the best of tactical miniatures
the snowball effect in miniatures games… we fixed that with territory control and points
Kickstarter is about co-creating happiness with players

References (from this video)

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Video AWGJxG8Asd4 Quackalope Top List at 15:09 sentiment: positive

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Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Clean, accessible deck-building with tactical flavor
Gateway to more complex Ascension products

Cons

Less depth than core deck-builder, some may prefer full strategy games

Thematic elements

Heroic fantasy clashes with tactical board play
Fantasy squad-based tactical combat using a deck system
Tactical skirmishes with streamlined story-integration

Comparison games

Ascension (base game)
Marvel Champions

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Deck-building and drafting — Hands of cards act as both actions and resources
Tactical miniature combat — Turn-based skirmishes on a grid-like board

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

my number ten game is one of my oldest one of my deepest loves talisman
the board develops as you play—it's a novel instead of a book
the mythos deck heavy in the hp lovecraft theme
the drafting in this is the funnest part
it's a beautiful game, it's lovely, gorgeous
you really create your own clank based on your memories

References (from this video)

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Episode 90 - Africa - West of Africa and Ascension Dreamscape Reviews and Flying Squirrels

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Ascension Tactics: Miniatures Deckbuilding Game

Episode 90 - Africa - West of Africa and Ascension Dreamscape Reviews and Flying Squirrels

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