It is a time when the maps of the world are still being filled in. Seagoing empires expand their frontiers by sending ships to the farthest reaches of the globe in search of new lands, new alliances, and new conquests. The wealth of the newly-discovered worlds abroad is a tempting prize for those with the strength and the cunning to seize it... and to hold it!
You represent a growing empire engaged in a glorious endeavor to expand your
influence and status at home and across the great oceans of the world. Through exploration and shipping, colonization and war, you will struggle with the other great powers to control the resources and the regions that unfold before you.
The goal in Endeavor is to earn the most glory for your empire. Players earn glory by increasing their scores in Industry, Culture, Finance, and Politics, as well as by occupying cities, controlling connections between cities, and by holding certain Asset Cards and Building Tiles. Short-term goals of constructing useful buildings, gathering Trade Tokens, and obtaining Asset Cards must be balanced with the overall goal of attaining glory as you compete for control over the various regions of the world. The game only lasts seven rounds, and when it is over you want to be the one who has earned the most Glory points!
Each round every player gets to build a new building, based on their Industry track. They then obtain new population markers based on their Culture track and retrieve used markers from building based on their Finance track. During the action phase, players take turns to either activate a building using a population marker or spend trade tokens to take an action: Ship, Occupy, Attack, Payment or Draw. Some buildings and tokens allow a player to take one or both of two actions. Shipping is used to open new regions for Occupation and Drawing, and gains you Trade Tokens. Once a shipping track is full, the player with the most influence in that region gains the powerful Governor card for that region. Occupation of a city results in glory and Trade Tokens, while Attacking steals a city from an opponent! Either Occupation or Attacking can result in claiming the connection between two cities, if both connected cities are controlled by the same player. Drawing gains a card from a region up to the maximum hand limit based on the player's Politics track. A player's influence in a region determines which cards they can draw. Once all players have passed, a new round begins.
Learn to Play: Endeavor: Age of Sail
- Became a much, much bigger game.
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Endeavor became Endeavor Age of Sail, and it became a much, much bigger game.
- It did fantastically well on Kickstarter, and even better with our localization partners, like I think we had, I don't know, like 17 or something, 17 languages. Like it it was really incredible.
- Endeavor Deep Sea, which is now my number one.
- So, my number one, and number two, and number three are all Endeavor games.
References (from this video)
- Mechanically strong
- Successful Kickstarter campaign
- Incorporated themes of uprising and community success
- Refocused on ocean sustainability with no plastic
- Original theme was problematic
- Problematic historical theme, later refocused on ocean sustainability
- Uprising and pushing back against oppression
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Worker Placement — Helena mentions its mechanics are loved and used in other games.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I just didn't want to be bored playing games with my children.
- You know what the secret is, I think, is knowing your audience.
- It's like you don't have to do so much work to pitch a game to someone there.
- I think it's the best mechanism to have in a game.
- There's got to be more games in 30 plus years.
References (from this video)
- Really, really good game
- Tight gameplay
- Rewarding engine building
- Weight of choice, not rules
- Unique scoring through scenario cards
- Varied formations and conservation tiles make each game unique
- Excellent Euro game, even for non-Euro players
- Some may find the theme off-putting initially
- deep sea exploration
- Endeavor: Age of Sail
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action Point Allowance System — what you're trying to manage is is your action resource pieces so that you can activate them
- Area exploration — you're going deeper and deeper into the sea
- board development — you are developing your board
- Variable player powers — there's like 15 different factions with all different kind of crazy broken abilities which is made for everybody to have their own superp power feel
- Worker Placement — you are slowly but you're hiring different workers
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it is a bag of chips and once everyone's done this is the beauty to score
- this is what title blades is and why it's so high on my list is because it does exactly what I want in a in a in a Dungeon Crawl type game it's it's actually top tier to me
- fantastic game really really love fantastic game
- this game feels right every time like everything feels right
- I think seti is a is a perfect game I actually have played my first game where I'm like I'm not necessarily sure there's anything wrong with this game
- has some of the best dice mechanics and mechanisms in gaming in my opinion
- they did revive which was one of our fav always always a fave of mine
References (from this video)
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Quotes (from this video)
- It was fantastic. It was just there was so much stuff going on that was really enjoyable.
- Well, I think there's that one Warhammer guy that syn There's some synthesizer show synthesizer synthesizer shows that I watch that have been around for a long time.
- We must slay them.
- Thanks for nothing, Danny Nunan.
- It's like, Oh, honey, I'm so sorry.
- This is the longest running weekly live stream thing held on YouTube 10 years or so in a row.
- Americans don't even like America.
- It's not like we're keeping track here yeah, who's keeping score
- Oh, really? Runner up code names.
- You don't make a podcast.
- I mean, the definition I don't even know what you're saying.
- You're just making up words.
- So defeist.
- Yeah, that gumballs.com. They suck.
- This is not a good website.
- The two eyes are swords.
- It's like, how does anybody know this guy exists?
- I'm always impressed when things like that exist.
- Oh, yeah. I guess you can. Yes, you can. But that's not the same because podcast is a different
- It's like, oh, you know, use use use non like you have didn't make this game colorblind uh friendly.
- Be excellent to one another as Bill and Ted would say.
- The fact that the dice rolls were so unlucky against me.
- I love the game, but it's when those dice rolls don't go your way.
- It's like, Oh, you know, should he fight the wolves or should he run away?
- This is the most evil, most powerful terrorist organization in the world that never wins.
- It's like, 'No, nobody's died. This is realistic.'
References (from this video)
- Heaviest game in its category
- Different class of strategy
- More thinky and longer
- Far Away
- Loot
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Strategy — Endeavor is in a different class of strategy than loot and far especially far away.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Bomb Busters has a deeper level of strategy than Flip 7 for sure.
- In flip seven, it's really just a game of statistics and probabilities that you're you're just kind of considering.
- Endeavor is a different class of game.
- Over the years, the spiel, the Kenner spiel has had an identity crisis in my opinion.
- this one was already on my radar now that it's won the Kinder Kinder Spiel I think it's even more so if and when it comes out over here.
References (from this video)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- They ended really strong in book three. It was a good ending of sorts and I really liked it.
- I don't care about it.
- They have multiple multiple uh points of view which I was fine following the one person.
- I just found it to be maybe the last book will bring everything back together, but I doubt it. I just don't care anymore.
- Look, I'm okay with characters dying and things that you need that to progress a story sometimes, but good grief. Does it have to be that bad all the time?
- The mobs are out there and the mobs are going to hunt you down and no matter what you say.
- It has definitely become a witch hunt in many ways where people like as soon as they hear the word the letters AI, they're like, 'I'm out.'
- I think the backlash is and people going and rating games one on BoardGameGeek is kind of ridiculous.
- That has nothing to do with the game. It really doesn't. That's that's just nonsensical.
- I'm kind of mind-boggled with how much people complain about prices of games.
- Yes, games are expensive. They're really expensive to make.
- You don't go yell at your gas station attendant, you shouldn't when gas goes up. That's not them who are doing it.
- It should be a friendly place to go to.
- I always try to put some monkeys in my zoo, period. Just so I can say I have some monkeys.
- I dislike the cat character a lot and I found it to be okay.
- But I will warn you, I noticed that a lot of people when they do this, they also forget about the part where they you should make money.
- Wash it in the shower?
- If I ran BoardGameGeek, if I saw someone rate a one with a comment of 'I hate what they did here.' I would just delete that rating instantly.
- I think are you kidding me? This is so nonsensical.
- I love going to bookstores.
- Any place that has unique interesting thing, a hot sauce store, a a beef jerky store, whatever.
References (from this video)
- Plays relatively quickly, even with five players.
- Takes players through the early turns without making them suffer too much.
- Becomes pretty tight and fighty later on.
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- token management — The original design was more ambitious and included token moving and management.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- But I could have won better.
- Um, I I think it's crafted magnificently.
- Endeavor competitive is like, you know what, I'll figure out if I win or not, but I'm just going to lean into the systems that I'm good at.
- Whereas cooperative, every single action matters.
- Um, and so, um, yeah, when when we settled on kind of what we found the game to be and we're like, "No, I think like this is this is worth pitching to some places."
- The jaded critic in Ratatouille sits down and eats the food that takes him back to being a kid and understanding why he loves this in the first place.
- big systems, big thematic resonance, and uh elegantly put together with interesting challenge.
References (from this video)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- But I could have won better.
- Um, I I think it's crafted magnificently.
- Endeavor competitive is like, you know what, I'll figure out if I win or not, but I'm just going to lean into the systems that I'm good at.
- Whereas cooperative, every single action matters.
- Um, and so, um, yeah, when when we settled on kind of what we found the game to be and we're like, "No, I think like this is this is worth pitching to some places."
- The jaded critic in Ratatouille sits down and eats the food that takes him back to being a kid and understanding why he loves this in the first place.
- big systems, big thematic resonance, and uh elegantly put together with interesting challenge.
References (from this video)
- Had good feelings about the game.
- Eventually sold out.
- Did not feel immediate hype.
- Took time to sell out.
- Did not immediately pull the trigger on a reprint.
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- It's a tough It's a lot of work. It's a lot of work, a lot of uh time, you know, a lot of upfront costs uh and things like that.
- Because in my mind, crowdfunding was, hey, I'm a I'm a person and I had this dream and I want to get my game out. Not, hey, we're a successful company, but we're going to do this thing because, you know, uh we want to use your money to buy to to get our stuff and then we'll do it and you test the the waters for us.
- They'd look at me like, 'Get another job. Get another job. You're you're in the wrong business, man. This sounds like a sucky business, right?'
- I think the fact that you can market that way and you have a platform, it makes it easier.
- the only marketing that there's two that I well three con that I would stand by conventions of course, I would go to retailers uh and do demos like you know just drive around hit a bunch of retailers do demo nights and things like that and and teach the game there and then three would be free copies to retailers to put in their library and push the game.
- I just feel it really should be for the the dreamer that wants wants their game out there kind of thing.
- the paid preview stuff just doesn't do that well.
- I think we're all just kind of collectively numb to a lot of that.
- I believe everyone I mean they have an audience. So, you know, even if they had a hundred people in their audience, but if you know me sending out review copy and I can get, you know, two three people buy it because of that, I feel like I've made you know I've made my my money back psychologically.
- There's a novelty to that tactile experience of and and being around the table with other people.
- I almost wonder actually is are board games going to continue to get more and more popular the further we go into AI tech, everyone being jacked into the matrix and that will be like this this um this haven for people to actually still have real human experiences with each other next to each other.
- Dogs of War will be the the next uh big hit uh of that line.
- It is great and it's an alien. It's a game about aliens, but also different take. They're not looking to conquer or anything. They're seeking knowledge.
References (from this video)
- Offers complexity and depth with expansions like Charter Companies and Exploits.
- Variable setup with two sides of the game board for different player counts and conflict levels.
- Suggests familiarizing with the base game before adding expansions.
- Empire building and achieving success through glory
- Age of Sail (1571-1862)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Players place disks on shipping tracks and in cities to gain control of regions and potentially claim governor cards.
- Card Drafting — Players can take asset cards from stacks, provided they have the required presence in a region, and these cards provide attributes.
- Resource Management — Players manage attribute tokens and action tokens to perform various actions and build.
- Set Collection — Collecting governor cards and linking cities contributes to scoring.
- Track Advancement — Players advance on tracks for attributes, culture, wealth, and influence, which impact game phases and scoring.
- Worker Placement — Population disks are used to activate buildings by placing them in activation circles.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- how do you become the most successful Empire by having the most glory at the end of the seventh round
- Exploits are a great way to add complexity and more depth to your game of endeavor.
References (from this video)
- Offers more in the gameplay experience.
- Good gameplay.
- Terraforming Mars
- Endeavor Age of Sale
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Implied by comparison to Endeavor Age of Sail.
- economic — Implied by comparison to Endeavor Age of Sail.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- The Spiel is ours has been announced and we're here to talk about it.
- This is the big one. This is like the granddaddy of all board game awards.
- Crackleackle means scribble.
- This is the kind of game that should just be in everybody's library.
- It is, not to rehash that whole thing, it is a silly little game.
- Bombbusters is a thinkier game.
- It's like they almost want to include some games that would be in a fourth higher category.
- My pick is Far Away.
- I personally prefer Farway of those three games, but my I my guess I think is Endeavor is going to get it.
- Far Away is is so unique. Like I have never played a game like Farway before.
- I'd be very shocked if Flip Seven didn't win the spiel this year.
- The greatest card game of all time. Prove it.
References (from this video)
- deep, satisfying engine construction
- long learning curve; heavy for casual play
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Economic engine building / action selection — Similar to other Feld designs in feel, with a heavy, multi-layered decision space.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a great mix of things I like and things I don't like
- it's a very deceiving game because you are playing this pretty light child drafting game and then it's like oh you don't have stuff
- ton of fun
- one of the best narrative stories I have experienced in a game
- it's fantastic you should play it
- it's a heavy game and my brain melts when I'm playing it
References (from this video)
- fast to teach in two-player and plays well
- tight, strategic, with good balance
- some may find it a bit heavy for two players in longer sessions
- city-building, resource management, and expansion
- medieval/early-modern trading era
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Movement — move to gather resources and develop buildings
- area movement on a map — move to gather resources and develop buildings
- Engine Building — buildings provide ongoing benefits and cascade effects
- engine-building — buildings provide ongoing benefits and cascade effects
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- this is my top 50 games right now so this will change
- it's my top 50 games right now
- it's a snapshot of my mind right there
- the puzzle is amazing
- it's a beast of a game
References (from this video)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- It's like a humongous library of games that you can try and somebody will teach them to you.
- You don't even have to learn the rules, which is great.
- There are seven holes all together, all full of games and cool stuff. Just so much to see and we just barely scratched the surface.
- If you're into playing stuff, making stuff, you can find something here.
- This video is sponsored by Mandleleep.
- The stage looks pretty freaking epic.
- Remember how said he's not going to buy anything? He saw this cover and said, 'I want to buy this'.
- Welcome to Essen.
References (from this video)
- well-structured rules and a clear phase flow
- short playtime even with higher player counts
- rich mechanical interdependence between attributes, buildings, and ships
- multiple paths to scoring via attributes, cards, and regional control
- relatively heavy setup and a lot of moving parts to track
- the presence/ships/regions systems can be intricate and potentially confusing for new players
- exploits, while optional and flavorful, add additional rules to learn
- expansion, trade, political influence, and religious/cultural development across regions
- Medieval maritime empire-building in Europe with regional exploration and governance
- Eurogame-style with thematic economic and territorial progression
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card-driven effects with asset cards — asset cards grant immediate attribute boosts and ongoing bonuses; some decks interact with slavery mechanics and regional scoring
- multi-phase round structure — seven rounds with construction, growth, salary, action, and discard phases, including optional phase-combining for experienced players
- region unlocking via shipping and presence — ship and occupy actions unlock new regions by accumulating presence and placing disks on ships, fleets, and cities
- tile placement / building construction — construct buildings on personal boards with level constraints tied to industry attribute, affecting future actions and victory points
- Worker placement / action selection — players place population disks on board actions or spend blue action tokens to execute actions, enabling resource generation and region development
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- It's a very Well structured game, plays in a very short time
- This is going to be a video about the main rules of the game
- Europe has two decks of asset cards, a normal deck, and a slavery deck
References (from this video)
- Excellent game
- Friend designer
- Thoughtful theme handling
- Delayed play due to theme hesitation
- colonialism
- slavery
- exploration
- economic
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the fastest-growing boardgame community in the world
- I'm a big fan of Kitchen rush
- why isn't this an everybody toy store this should be sold alongside uno
- I think one of the best low-complexity games over the plate
- my favorite board game reviewer is a channel called alas board games
- so bloody good game
- wow this is I should have played at ages ago
- reckoners is really cool game
- this is a fabulous looking game real-time submarine warfare game
References (from this video)
- Deep, varied strategy with multiple viable play styles
- High replayability due to variable tile/card setup
- Strong visuals and thematic flavor
- Useful mechanics that intertwine building, shipping, and trade
- Long setup time and steep learning curve for newcomers
- Requires an attentive and engaged group to avoid downtime
- Asymmetric or controversial slavery theme requires discussion and house rules
- Empire-building, colonial politics, slavery and abolition
- 18th-century Europe with colonial expansion
- abstract map with region tiles and cards; not strictly geographic
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action token economy — Certain actions can be paid with tokens, trading off tokens for immediate actions versus end-game scoring.
- Building and tile placement — Players draft and place buildings that grant bonuses and end-game scoring opportunities.
- Conflict/attack options — Attacking to occupy cities is expensive and late-game warfare is risky but adds strategic depth.
- Culture track and Harbor population — Advancing on culture raises the number of workers available for actions and end-game scoring.
- Market/Resource management and card draw — Cards provide bonuses; slavery/abolition cards alter scoring and deck composition; abolition can harm end-game scoring.
- Presence and influence tokens — Occupying cities and territories yields points and permanent bonuses; control of trade routes matters.
- Shipping track and governor — Shipping tokens determine who can send colonists to cities; the governor card grants permanent bonuses.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a really fun game
- the visuals are wonderful
- it's easy to settle into kind of a single player solitaire thing
- I would add an hour for your first game because explaining it to people is longer than playing it