Here Lies

Video HltafZjAjvk Watch It Played Rules Teach at 0:14 sentiment: positive

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Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Cases can be replayed with new groups even if you know the solution.
The tutorial cases are recommended for fun, even after learning the rules.
Inquiry cards offer creative ways to gain clues.
Lively and active conversation is encouraged among investigators.
Campaign play with earned upgrades and allies is a possibility.

Cons

Lead investigator cannot directly give correct answers.
Some inquiry cards may not seem useful initially.
Lead investigator should not insinuate answers.
Ink does not come out of the cloth components.

Thematic elements

World's greatest detectives assembling to solve mysterious cases.

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Campaign play — Cases can be played in order as a campaign, with players earning upgrades and allies that carry through to future cases.
clue gathering — Players collect clues through inquiry cards and key evidence, which are then used to piece together the solution to the case.
Deduction — Players must deduce the correct answers to categories by asking questions and interpreting clues provided by the lead investigator.
Question Answering — Investigators ask questions using inquiry cards, and the lead investigator provides answers or information based on the case details.
Role-playing (Lead Investigator) — One player acts as the lead investigator, secretly knowing the case details and guiding other players through questions and clues without revealing direct answers.
Set Collection (of sorts) — Investigators draw inquiry cards and can discard/redraw them, managing their hand to best ask questions.
Time management — The game is played over a series of rounds with a limited amount of time, represented by time tokens, which are spent when playing inquiry cards.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

The world's greatest detectives have assembled and you're one of them here.
Each game will present a mysterious case you'll work together to solve.
The solution to a particular case will always be the same. But how you arrive at the solution can change dramatically with each play.
The game is fully cooperative.
It is very important that the investigators engage in lively and active conversation about the clues.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 5AWQyb-l2B4 Analysis at 26:04

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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)

Felt a little bit lackluster in terms of big releases for me.
But you know, if uh there's no one around to Does the forest still shuffle?
This is a game of managing resources, is a game of um uh territorial control and tableau building.
Dexterity games are not ball games.
IV Studios smashed it out of the park with this one.
My main point of contention with Drillers is maybe it might run long with too many players and there is a little bit of downtime in the game when you're waiting.
It's all to play for. It's only half time.
The industry is backloaded. It's like heavily weighted towards the second half of each year.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video g5h-Og3KtEM Stonemaier Games Top List at 20:32 sentiment: positive

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Click to watch at 20:32 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

brilliant detective game
clever character-based clue delivery
satisfying to piece together clues with limited communication

Cons

discussion can sometimes drag on too long without a timer

Thematic elements

detective training, murder mystery

Comparison games

Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective
Code Names

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

cooperative deduction — detectives in training trying to solve a mystery that's already been solved.
limited communication methods — clues are given through unique methods that limit clarity, such as writing with a non-dominant hand or talking with one's mouth closed.
Role-playing — Each player has character cards that dictate how clues can be given.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

This is about a game where you start out with maybe very little information and you end up solving the mystery at the end of the game.
the QR codes do some really cool things in this game. My favorite is similar to that time stories example where you get to pull up your phone and you kind of you for a location and you get to really look around that location. like as you move the phone, it it makes you feel like you were inside a room looking around.
You feel super clever whenever I find something in the newsletter that really helps us solve the mystery.
The reason in games like this that other players can't see what you see is that we all see the world through a different lens.
The one catch that I'll mention for this and many other detective and mystery solving games if you're trying to design one yourself is uh I think sometimes and some of the reason the maybe the one reason that I sometimes bounce off these types of games is when there aren't really limits to how long players are actively talking with each other.
I think it does have a little bit of a spooky carnival feel to it.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video WkoAlUv9fsM Stonemaier Games Discussion at 14:14 sentiment: positive

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Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Clever mystery-solving mechanics
Fun and whimsical communication methods
Good fit for a comedic movie theme

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Mystery solving
Limited communication

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Deduction — Players must piece together clues to solve the mystery.
Limited Communication — Players use constrained methods to convey information, such as drawing or circling letters, rather than direct statements.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

We're positively board gaming episode 60.
I'm the one more likely to get frustrated than Jamie is.
There are two of the most the top I think the top two stressful things.
I think remodeling can be as stressful, if not more so, than the actual purchase of the home.
Um I I can see how that's a a major stressor and probably not just the actual um reconstruction while it's happening but also maybe the thought that goes into it and picking.
It's such a disruption, it's such an interruption.
I'm more of a tracker than a lister and there is a distinction there.
Oh my god, I'm not a lister, I'm a tracker. Who knew? I've been living a lie for 61 years. I had no idea.
He told us he told me about a game called Seasons. Do you know this game? We're battling wizards.
Jack knows what everyone has.
You know, I used to joke this before we did a podcast together or talked and communicated all the time.
My friend Brad, or our friend Brad in in the group, who also listens to the show If you're you're listening to this or watching it, hey Brad.
I have to build a game store with Jamie. I have to design a fringe game with Jamie.
It helps you realize what's important to you as a gamer.
Lists are delightful. Lists are good.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video CCV48UaEE8I All You Can Board Discussion at 24:31 sentiment: positive

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Click to watch at 24:31 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Very clever design
Best game of its kind played so far
Quarterbacking is not an issue due to player cards
Allows for creative communication from the lead investigator
Provides enjoyable moments and replayability

Cons

Can lead to players guessing too much and theorizing without progress

Thematic elements

Crime investigation
Communicating clues through limited actions and cards to solve a case.

Comparison games

Mysterium
Dark Stories

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Card Drafting — Players are dealt cards with abilities that help them gain information from the lead investigator.
cooperative play — All players work together towards a common goal, with the lead investigator guiding the others.
Deduction — Players work together to deduce the solution to a crime based on limited clues from a lead investigator.
Hidden Information — Players are hidden investigators, and the lead investigator has secret information about the crime.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I like to think I'm the chaotic cousin of the three of us where I'm just everywhere and also my tastes are a little bit more on like the party side of the spectrum when it comes to board games.
So, I think for for me anyways the best part was just being able to play games with a bunch of people and with all of you.
Um, and so, yeah, obviously super special to just play with a bunch people that we've known almost like parasocially online.
It's like as soon as you're like, "Okay, I I I play board games in my spare time."
I feel like the the big um not secret, I don't know what the word I'm looking is, but like the big reveal at the end of all all of our quests is going to be that we don't we just don't we don't get to exactly the collection that we want.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 0yIV-Wv5TlA Stonemaier Games Top List at 22:10 sentiment: positive

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Click to watch at 22:10 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Innovative constraint-based communication
High puzzle density with clever clueing
Strong cooperative play with varied clues

Cons

Solo play optional; only truly shines with group cooperation
Some clues may feel obscure without managing all asymmetric cues

Thematic elements

limited communication and information flow
cooperative mystery solving with a dead body at the center
asymmetric information revealing and deduction

Comparison games

The Mind
Hanabi

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

asymmetric decks — each player has a unique way to learn and convey clues
creative clue expression — cards enable nonverbal or indirect ways to share information
Limited Communication — players must convey information without full clarity to solve the mystery

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

In the world of Vantage, nobody cares that I'm trans. I'm merely a passer by chatting with the Denizens, playing games, and participating in trials.
Dispatch is eight scenarios. It's a little bit like a superhero animated TV show where you are making story choices.
Inkorn is a deck builder in the style of Slay the Spire, but it adds a lot of things that aren't in Slay the Spire without overly complicating the game.
Here Lies is a cooperative mystery solving game that does a brilliant thing with limited communication and limited information where one player has all the answers.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video Q2zgR-a343Y Foster the Meeple Discussion at 30:50 sentiment: positive

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Click to watch at 30:50 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Accessible deduction mechanism
Good two-player option with potential for more players

Cons

none

Thematic elements

murder investigation
murder-mystery deduction
thematic deduction

Comparison games

Awkward Guest

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Deduction — Players deduce who the killer is through clued interactions and logical inference; supports broader player counts.
deduction / social reasoning — Players deduce who the killer is through clued interactions and logical inference; supports broader player counts.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Posture is important and these have great ergonomical backs.
This is their biggest sale of the year, so grab yours while it lasts.
If you've never been to a convention before, I recommend that you go because they're super fun and there's so many to choose from.
Let's just learn as we go.
It's a two-player exclusively for the most part.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Here Lies - How To Play

Welcome Friend

Create a New Guild