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Description
Since the dawn of time, humanity has sought new ideas, forever developing them into still newer concepts. Their genius made them stand out from the other animals. Each invention is a veritable evolutionary step. Humans' use of tools surpasses the efforts of all others, making Homo sapiens technologists since before historical records were invented.
Inventions: Evolution of Ideas follows humanity's most noteworthy innovations and places the power of these technological developments in your hands to evolve your societies over the ages.
In Inventions, cards simulate these new concepts. Cards are the ideas that eventually become inventions. Once they are invented, these technologies can be shared with the world, and everyone involved in the process spreads the exciting news, giving credit where credit is due. Developing these inventions progresses your society, advancing its technology, economy, and culture. You can even share with other societies, boosting the inventions' efficacy even more!
Inventions is a tactical game, but you will do best by building these tactics around a long-term strategy. Each society's progress will be measured in Intellectual Property Points (IPP), and the player who has the most IPP has the strongest society and wins the game.
Year Published
2024
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 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 1
Showing 1–6 of 6
Video hNEAyACOq64
Board Gaming Doctor top_10_list at 6:17 sentiment: positive
video_pk 39437 · mention_pk 119054
Click to watch at 6:17 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- thematic approach to civilization-like progress
- very heavy and strategic for experienced players
Cons
- complex and lengthy; learning curve is substantial
Thematic elements
- invention, collaboration, and global sharing
- civilization-era innovations and invention history
- history-inspired with a cascade of innovations
Comparison games
- Lisboa
- Gaia Project
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- pillar/slot action selection — take actions that open further choices and cascade effects
- shared board with cascading combos — global board state across players shapes outcomes
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Newford is my favorite game from 2024.
- I genuinely like this game more than Black Forest.
- Castle Combo is a really quick and short Tableau building game.
- 21 actions to seemingly do the impossible.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video _SBA4-bwnbw
Board Game Garden unboxing_and_impressions at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 36818 · mention_pk 110559
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- deep, crunchy strategy with meaningful decision space
- well-designed rules and helpful player aids; per-player aids aid comprehension
- art and production are visually striking on a large, beautiful board
- innovative drafting/placeholder mechanism reduces downtime between turns
- robust solo rules and potential for future solo play sessions
Cons
- very long play time; first full game can easily extend to 4+ hours in a four-player session
- high complexity; steep learning curve for newcomers
- volume of components may require thoughtful organization to maintain flow
Thematic elements
- Invention, knowledge exchange, and societal advancement through collaboration and competition
- A world of invention and ideas evolving across cultures, with maps and continents influencing which inventions prevail.
- procedural and system-driven with emphasis on planning, sequencing, and resource management
Comparison games
- Kabon EeVE
- Bot Factory
- Now or Never
- Mythwind
- Inventors of the South Tigress
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action chaining — use link tokens to chain several actions across turns, enabling deeper multi-step strategies
- area influence / majority — achieve majority influence on connected continents to gain benefits when publishing or advancing inventions
- area majority — achieve majority influence on connected continents to gain benefits when publishing or advancing inventions
- deliberate drafting with placeholders — place color-coded placeholders that indicate future tile types, enabling planning and efficient end-of-turn choices
- knowledge prerequisites — certain tiles require workers or specialists on prerequisite knowledge to unlock or draft them
- tableau building — draft and place tiles to form a personal tableau granting ongoing abilities, endgame scoring, or placement options
- tableau-building — draft and place tiles to form a personal tableau granting ongoing abilities, endgame scoring, or placement options
- worker placement — place pillars on action spots to perform actions; self-blocking dynamics require careful positioning and planning
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- a little fun fact about me is that I hate learning rules
- it's a big game and a big time commitment
- mindblown by the depth of strategy in this game
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video s2rOVRGSWG8
Totally Tabled game_review at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 28989 · mention_pk 85184
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Deep, flexible puzzle that rewards long-term planning
- Strong solo mode well integrated with the core system
- Clear, readable icons and UI that ease onboarding
- Chaining system creates satisfying, powerful turns when executed well
Cons
- Early multiplayer can trigger analysis paralysis (AP) for some players
- Some may find it less thematic than other Lacerda titles due to the broad scope
- Not as confrontational or tight as Kanban or Koban for some groups
Thematic elements
- Innovation, invention, idea propagation across time
- A sweeping, macro-scale view of human history and the evolution of ideas
- Macro-scale, abstract progression rather than a single character arc
Comparison games
- Kanban: Automotive Revolution
- The Gallerist
- Vinhos
- On Mars
- Weather Machine
- Kronos (solo automata)
- Hephaestus (solo automata)
- Halls of Hegra
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action_chaining — Take an action and then spin a chain token to take additional actions; some actions enable further chaining while others are dead ends.
- boss battler — Two AI opponents (Kronos and Hephaestus) provide a controlled, predictable challenge in solo play.
- Influence Points — Influence determines how many chain actions you can take; increasing influence unlocks longer, more powerful turns.
- influence_and_turn_cap — Influence determines how many chain actions you can take; increasing influence unlocks longer, more powerful turns.
- information_visualization — Icons and board text are designed to be highly readable; readability improves with experience and reduces confusion.
- invent_and_share_tiles — Inventing, innovating, and sharing concepts generates wealth tiles and progress toward goals and tech tiles.
- journey_planning — Turns are seen as journeys with multiple possible routes to reach goals; strategic planning and pivoting are central.
- pillar_action_system — Pillars restrict available actions; players plan journeys across eras, managing pillars to shape their turn sequence.
- solo_opponent_ai — Two AI opponents (Kronos and Hephaestus) provide a controlled, predictable challenge in solo play.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I absolutely love it
- solo is my preferred way to play
- this chaining system... is Central to the game for me
- I think a lot of the negative comments I was reading were probably mostly first play opinions
- the rule book is extremely well done
- the icons the graphic design everything is really visually clear
- I'm a huge fan of heavy Euro games and vital lerta heavy Euro games in particular
- there's always a way no matter what they did there was a way to make it work
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video TssvVTEgyDI
Unknown Channel playthrough at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 28790 · mention_pk 84478
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Deep engine-building with multiple viable routes to victory
- High interaction through competition for milestones and influence
- Strong solo play potential via bot scoring and accolades
- Dynamic, branching choices that reward planning and adaptability
Cons
- Steep initial learning curve for new players
- Component density and setup time can be intimidating
- Certain turns can feel lengthy or repetitive if not carefully managed
Thematic elements
- Cultural and technological progress through diplomacy, travel, and invention.
- Era-based civilization development across continents, with cultures rising and influencing milestones as technology and ideas advance.
- Abstract engine-building with era progression, diplomacy, and a mix of cooperative and competitive elements.
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Accolades ( solos scoring variant ) — An optional set of accolades providing alternative scoring routes and objectives in solo play.
- Area movement — Citizens, scholars, and traders are moved around a map-like board to locations, milestones, and actions.
- Deck building — Economic, knowledge, and wealth tiles are drafted/build for incentives and end-game bonuses.
- End-game scoring with multiple tracks — Scoring is multi-faceted, including wealth tiles, culture groups, and invention progress.
- engine building — Players advance their civilization by acquiring inventions, scholars, and influence to push the era forward and score points.
- engine-building — Players advance their civilization by acquiring inventions, scholars, and influence to push the era forward and score points.
- influence and area control — Influence markers are placed at various locations to gain majority, points, and trigger chain effects.
- Tile drafting/building — Economic, knowledge, and wealth tiles are drafted/build for incentives and end-game bonuses.
- Travel and relocation — Diplomats and travel actions allow moving across regions to unlock new actions and tiles.
- Worker/agent movement — Citizens, scholars, and traders are moved around a map-like board to locations, milestones, and actions.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- That was a great game.
- I think this is going to work I'm getting two of these and I want to take this action.
- Let's build this right here in the middle that's going to give us +1 to our influence.
- I'm going to present an idea start by presenting glass right down there that's going to take a thinker.
- Now we are going to travel to any location when we travel rather than just adjacent.
- I have a 2 3 4 and 5 era invention and this is going to complete my goal.
- This tile is giving us three points at the end of the game for every culture tile that is part of a group adjacent to the this tile.
- Beating the bot scoring would give you two accolades.
- We ended at 139 we can now just add up the points.
- I want to travel and share an invention and then travel again.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video NitC6ukS1GU
The Broken Meeple general_discussion at 21:33 sentiment: negative
video_pk 7507 · mention_pk 22300
Click to watch at 21:33 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
negative
Pros
- Well-made components
- Good graphic design
- Decent innovation mechanic with chaining system
Cons
- Theme barely exists despite inventions topic
- Does not evolve or develop any of Lacerda's design ideas
- Generic worker placement gameplay
- Anticlimactic actions and rewards
- Clunky multi-step actions
- Requires constant rule-book reference
- Long play time (2.5-3 hours)
- Significant downtime due to action chaining
- Grid placement feels pointless
- Weak incentive system and objective tiles
- Similar to Weather Machine but without its charm
Thematic elements
- Development of inventions through history
- Historical innovation
- Worker placement euro with weak theme integration
Comparison games
- Kanban
- Gallerist
- Vinhos
- Lisboa
- Weather Machine
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action chaining — Spend tokens to chain actions together
- Card development — Present, invent, and innovate idea cards
- Eras — Game progresses through multiple eras with blocked rows
- grid placement — Place objective tiles on a grid for victory points
- worker placement — Players place pieces on action spaces
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I really enjoyed it clean you just take the cards you move up the prices
- I didn't really know much about this game because I missed a Kickstarter
- I am hyped for this game hegemony has probably been my best game I've played of the year so far
- You need to temper your expectations a bit for this game
- trade show it's just it's kind of irresponsible really
- I'm getting sick of it
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 3Mvl6A2gwak
Tabletop Turtle rules teach at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 5901 · mention_pk 17489
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Clear, structured rule explanation embedded in an engaging tutorial
- Strong thematic integration with historical invention and milestones
- Diverse action economy (present, invent, share, innovate, travel) keeps plays varied
Cons
- High complexity and a long setup can be intimidating for new players
- Rulebook is dense; there is significant learning required to maximize efficiency
Thematic elements
- Human ingenuity, invention, and societal progress drive civilization forward through eras and milestones.
- An expansive historical arc spanning multiple eras, exploring how humanity's knowledge and technology accumulate over time.
- A didactic, performative explanation of rules and components delivered with a humorous in-character host and a playful historic figure.
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Chain actions — Certain main actions can be augmented by chain action tokens, enabling multiple effects in a single turn.
- Era track and Chronos/Kronos dynamics — The game progresses through six eras with Chronos driving endgame timing and scoring windows.
- Idea presentation — Players place idea cards on region displays, triggering actions that advance ingenuity and progress.
- Invent and share actions — Inventions are created and shared with others to gain benefits and move toward endgame scoring.
- Milestones and diplomats — Milestones provide prerequisites for advances; diplomats and milestones shape endgame scoring and diplomacy.
- Progress tiles and builds — Building progress tiles provides lasting or situational benefits, often requiring exhaustion of workers.
- Region map and knowledge tiles — Citizens are placed on a region map; knowledge tiles fuel actions and region development.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- you're here to learn inventions
- evolution of ideas
- this game is set up for four players
- you big dumb lazy DaVinci out
- we're gonna go through the set of steps fairly quickly here to get to the good stuff
- let's go over the main board together
- this is the era track the game takes place over six eras
- the four main actions of the game that you'll often be performing the rest is easier I promise
- I bet you think you can have bread without the knowledge of fire silly non-inventor
- oh hi there I'm Leonardo da Vinci maybe you know me I'm uh kind of a big deal
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–6 of 6