It's a time of regrowth in the old urban center, and the hippest and best beer crafters have gathered both hops and hopes in building the best brewery in the city. It won't be an easy task, as players compete for precious resources such as malt, yeast, fruit and spices in the local markets, all while managing and optimizing their growing bottling empires.
In Brew Crafters, players assume management of a local craft brewery, working hard to manage resources, use their workers wisely, and develop their brewing line to create the best local brews. Brew Crafters honors the tradition of classic Eurogames such as Agricola and Puerto Rico, but at its heart beats a unique brewery processing system that must be constantly improved, monitored, and manned in order to keep the beloved beverages rolling off the line. Each brewery has access to a variety of equipment upgrades, local farms, markets, and a plethora of specialty workers, ensuring a high level of replayability and strategic avenues. In addition, each player is studiously working to be first to develop several rotating gold-label specialty recipes that will earn them extra points and prestige at the end of year three when the best local brewer will be honored.
- highly meta and personally meaningful to the designer
- offers a fresh look at the publishing side of the hobby
- likely heavy or long-tail in playtime and setup; requires careful balance
- design and production of board games; manufacturing process
- board game manufacturing; Panda as the company identity
- meta, self-referential look at the industry
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- engine-building / production line dynamics — Building capacity to produce more boards and expand capabilities
- Resource management — Allocating materials and decisions to optimize throughput
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- this is the shining example that game
- Chronologic is really excellent because just how easy it is to jump into how streamlined it is and how thematic it is
- the river takes care of the math of balancing
- there's a very straight math to the game where the lowest value gem is worth one Victory point
- the aging could work in a cheese context and there are a lot of interesting aging ideas
- the game about Panda and running a board game manufacturing company
- true second editions update for modern design sensibilities and better components
References (from this video)
- strong thematic flavor
- well-aligned with the beer-production idea
- low player interaction
- older/artistic presentation
- beer industry
- beer brewing business
- thematic mid-weight euro
- Chinatown
- Lords of Vegas
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- resource/production pacing — manage ingredients and production pace
- worker placement — place workers to advance brewing operations
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a gateway game
- I like it because of the theme
- the storytelling book in War of Mine is really well-written
- I would love every video to be as entertaining as my best ones
- patreon would grow to a level where I could work with other people
References (from this video)
- Business management
- Brewery
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- worker placement — Craft beers in the hopes of being the best brewery in the city
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- We love trick taking games
- This game is so much freaking fun
- I adore GMT games, they are becoming one of my favorite game publishers
- If you remember Vast Crystal Caverns is in my top five games of all time
- We bloody love it
- We can't stop playing
- It's a blimp game not a train game
- That's just work
- I don't think I want to play it
- I'll get it eventually
References (from this video)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- This video is brought to you by the 3minut board game patrons. Keep us independent by supporting us on Patreon.
- It's to talk these games out of my collection to say goodbye to them.
- The bigger the game boxes are, the easier they are to get rid of.
- The purpose of these videos is really catharsis for me.
- Two copies of Pandemic Legacy sheltered away.
- I have to thank my patrons and everyone who watches these videos for giving me this opportunity as well.
References (from this video)
- foam-core inserts offer light, portable organization
- two identical trays allow setup near either player
- some components require careful packing to avoid jams
- requires assembly and some patience for best fit
- Folded Space
- Game Trays
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's the best looking insert that I own
- level three the pinnacle of board game organization
- there's no base to the insert to maximize space
- everything is removable in this insert so you can have it out on the table
- folded space makes inserts more affordable and portable