/pic6398652.png)
Collection Status
Your Rating
Description
We were light years from our home, galaxies away, when we first discovered this ancient celestial body — a planet filled with intriguing, intelligent lifeforms, not too unlike our own. Some built kingdoms below the surface of the green seas, while others controlled the desert-filled plains and cliffs. Among them we found scientists, inventors, farmers, traders and fighters. While our presence has been unsettling for some, we have had very few incidents with the locals. Still, we Circadians, Earth's famed explorers, must do what we can to ensure peace. We must respect this world and its hosts. The heads of Moontide passed down orders from above. We are to open negotiations with the three clans, in hopes of gaining their favor, along with our own security while on the planet. We must also collect organic samples for the depository on Moontide. This is new ground for all of us, but we must be brave and resourceful. The future of the Circadians depends on it.
The aim of Circadians: First Light is to lead a team of researchers on the planet of Ryh. Players need to manage their crew (dice) to visit various parts of the planet for trade, farming, construction and research. Players score points for negotiating with the locals, harvesting resources for the depository, upgrading their research base, exploring the planet, and collecting gems. The game is played over eight rounds. At the end of the final round, the player with the most points wins.
—description from designer
Year Published
2019
Featured Videos
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 6
This page: 6
Sentiment:
pos 5 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–6 of 6
Video gGKpqTpHu2A
The Board Game Garden top_10_list at 16:50 sentiment: positive
video_pk 33724 · mention_pk 100279
Click to watch at 16:50 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- dice manipulation and upgrade path add depth
- strong thematic flavor with space exploration flavor
- potential for solo play
Cons
- crunchy rules could be barrier for new players
- solo mode not confirmed in the excerpt
Thematic elements
- dice-driven exploration and space industry
- Space frontier with alien factions and hidden information
- crunchy, strategic, deeply tactical
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- dice placement — players place dice on action spaces; dice values influence action strength
- dice worker placement — players place dice on action spaces; dice values influence action strength
- hidden dice values — dice are rolled behind screens and their values are concealed until revealed
- tile upgrades — tiles upgrade action spaces to mitigate dice and improve efficiency
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this is a dice worker placement game where basically it is hidden information of your dice
- I would love in the collection
- life of the amazonia is like Cascadia Plus
- galactic cruise is ginormous
- auzl duel is a two-player only game but with more strategic depth
- Explorers of Neoria has a very unique drafting-to-working mechanic
- Puerto Rico Special Edition. Fantastic
- Heaven and Ale was super fun, very strategic and satisfying
- Galileo Galilei is a fantastic game
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video CYAN56lwPPA
Circadians game_review at 0:00 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 8367 · mention_pk 90648
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Robust solo mode with evolving AI dynamics
- High planning depth and strategic payoff
- Strong replay potential through leader/upgrades and AI scaling
- AI upgrades significantly increase the AI's capabilities over time
- Leaders enable multiple playthroughs with different setups
Cons
- Long setup and takedown time compared to lighter games
- Not ideal for quick, casual play sessions
- Some players may not enjoy a solo 'beat your score' paradigm
- AI can lock spaces and cause board space to feel constrained
Thematic elements
- Resource management, exploration, and strategic planning against an evolving AI opponent
- Sci-fi future on an alien world with circadian cycles involving harvester resources and space-age infrastructure
- Strategic Euro-style with solitaire engine, emphasis on planning against an AI opponent and evolving tech
Comparison games
- Architects of the West Kingdom
- Anachrony
- Onirim
- Friday
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- AI opponent with behavior deck — A built-in autonomous adversary that uses its own actions and upgrades to challenge the player.
- board space control and interaction — The AI and player interact with shared spaces; the AI can trade and lock spaces affecting planning.
- dice placement — Roll and place dice to activate actions across various board spaces (lab, foundry, academy, farm, etc.).
- engine building — Leader abilities and upgrade cards scale your capabilities and open new strategies over rounds.
- engine-building / upgrades — Leader abilities and upgrade cards scale your capabilities and open new strategies over rounds.
- event cards each turn — An event card is revealed at the start of each turn, affecting the human player differently than the AI.
- Events — An event card is revealed at the start of each turn, affecting the human player differently than the AI.
- Resource management — Harvesters, farms, labs, foundries, and other locations produce and consume resources to build and upgrade.
- scoring via depositories and end-game scoring — Depository cards and other scoring mechanisms determine final points, with endgame scoring tied to various cards.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- maximize your actions, equipment and powers are essential to generate a good score
- the best thing about this game solo is understanding how the AI ebbs and flows
- As this simple example shows there is a lot of planning and forethought required in circadian first light
- Circadians first light: an alien brain burner
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video K5xSPyZUxYU
Three Minute Board Games general_discussion at 2:10 sentiment: positive
video_pk 6062 · mention_pk 17964
Click to watch at 2:10 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- High interest game
- Tested and ready to review
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Worker placement
- Space exploration
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 used to call this a shelf of shame that was a pretty common thing to call it back in the day and I don't never really liked that term because I don't feel shame that I haven't got to these games
- this is mostly work like this is just a backload of things I probably should get to
- people will still be looking for it
- it doesn't matter if the game is like 20 years old people will still be looking for it
- I've painted this one and I spent a lot of time doing it
- there's no point putting them on the channel I think both of them have been out of print for like a decade
- one of the worst kickstarters by one of the worst studios in board gaming history
- Golden Bell Studios did everything wrong you could possibly think of
- purely toxic company run by incredibly terrible people
- it would be kind of a joke that I'd be able to do a three minute video of feudum
- this game has a tutorial video online that's like 40 minutes long
- The Rose explanation video feels like a parody but it's actually how the game is played
- nothing personally to me puts me off playing a game that then sitting down unboxing it and having a craft assignment
- stop making me spend hours assembling your damn games
- this is an uncontrollable mess right now
- I'm a full-time dad and I'm really doing this in the evenings
- I have a finite space and also it just puts pressure and stress on me having a whole bunch of crap there that I know I'm not going to get to
- I'm going to do a big cull
- I will be published by this company but that doesn't mean I'm going to be slavishly devoted to every single game they put out
- I am a sucker for cute animal games like I really am
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video l4w7UwOtPx4
Three Minute Board Games top_100_list at 28:34 sentiment: positive
video_pk 4879 · mention_pk 14510
Click to watch at 28:34 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- strong solo play
- clever leader interactions
Cons
- iconography can be dense
- theme may be abstract for some
Thematic elements
- Economy and exploration in a competitive space
- Space exploration with factional leadership
- tight, Euro-style systems with bold asymmetries
Comparison games
- Gaia Project
- Gaia Project (solo variants)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- dice-based action selection — Leader powers influence outcomes and timing
- worker placement — Leverage leader powers and actions to optimize turns
- Worker placement (solo and competitive variants) — Leverage leader powers and actions to optimize turns
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This top 100 is my top 100 and it doesn't really matter what your opinion is you can't really change what I think.
- We don't do paid content we don't do ads we don't do Kickstarter promos and stuff.
- it's one of the most original and Innovative games I've ever played.
- it's aliens and I'm a sucker for anything connected to that franchise.
- Spirit Island is the number one game on my list for the third year running.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video FeTAVPnP-_0
Watch It Played top_10_list at 33:18 sentiment: positive
video_pk 4807 · mention_pk 14128
Click to watch at 33:18 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Best solo mode Garphill has done
- Excellent AI opponent
- 12 distinct play styles with expansion
- Variable paths to victory
- Good dice game with options for low rolls
- Multiple ways to achieve goals
Cons
- Overlooked gem
Thematic elements
- Develop alien planet
- Planetary colony
- Engine building
Comparison games
- Anachrony
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- AI Opponent — AI places dice exactly where you don't want them
- dice placement — Place dice to take actions
- engine building — Build different engine paths
- Variable player powers — 12 different exceptionally strong characters
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I've played about 300 solo games so this represents the top of all the solo games I've played
- These are entirely my opinions based on my personal play experience
- I think this is one of the cleverest solo modes on the market
- When you win a game of Robinson Crusoe there are very few things in solo board gaming more satisfying
- The closest experience in board gaming to being the captain on a bridge in a sci-fi movie where everything is going to shit
- I'm probably a solo board gaming masochist
- I just love Thunderbirds as a solo game
- It feels like Legendary Encounters was built for the Alien theme and was built as an upgrade to the original Legendary system
- Probably the best AI opponent in all of board gaming
- Few games have that genuine sense of exploration
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 3y9NjgP2bmY
Unknown Channel game_review at 35:14 sentiment: positive
video_pk 4409 · mention_pk 109132
Click to watch at 35:14 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- rich, readable components with a strong thematic feel
- deep engine-building with meaningful decision space
- excellent asymmetry between factions and tech paths
Cons
- rules can be dense; first-time players may feel overwhelmed
- sizable decision space demands time to master
Thematic elements
- resource management, dice placement, and engine-building
- sci-fi colony-building in an alien world
- bio/tech-forward exploration with modular tech trees
Comparison games
- Terraforming Mars
- Roll for the Galaxy
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- deck of tech and converters — cards provide upgrades, converters, and synergy between actions
- dice placement — dice determine actions; players place dice on action spaces to gain benefits
- dice worker placement — dice determine actions; players place dice on action spaces to gain benefits
- multi-era progression — three eras introduce new mechanics and objectives; progression feels thematic and structured
- Multi-use cards — cards provide upgrades, converters, and synergy between actions
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is the definitive Game of Thrones game if you want to capture the feeling of the epic battles for the throne.
- The best thing about this game is winning as House Lannister.
- The dice's combat is great and I personally do not like playing with the optional tides of battle cards.
- The art as always with Red Raven Games is stunning.
- Chinatown is deeply rooted in stereotypes of Chinese businesses and families; if you find that offensive, this game won't be for you.
- Circadian's First Light is a busy game with a heck of a lot going on.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–6 of 6