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Game Info
Year
1993
Collection
Your Tier
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Description
Also known as 'Rette Sich Wer Kann' ('Each Man for Himself') and often times referred to as 'The Lifeboat Game,' this pure negotiation game puts a different spin on the typical ocean catastrophe. There's been a boating accident, and a rag-tag group of six lifeboats is trying to make its way to one of several islands just over the horizon. However only one boat will make any forward progress in a given turn, so players try to convince everyone to vote for his particular favorite. To further complicate matters, the sailors can't seem to decide which boat they want to be in, so they're constantly jumping out of boats to swim to another one. As if all that wasn't enough, one of the boats springs a leak each turn. If the boat is at maximum occupancy when the leak occurs, then players vote to decide who to toss to the sharks!
Lifeboats Family
(2 games)
This page includes videos and mentions from the whole Lifeboats family. Drill into a specific game below.
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Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 11
This page: 11
Sentiment:
pos 9 ·
mix 2 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–11 of 11
Video jfjnv_50hvU
UndeadVikingVideos Discussion at 3:55 sentiment: positive
video_pk 87268 · mention_pk 227656
Click to watch at 3:55 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Take that is an integral part of the game.
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Take That — Pushing people back to advance oneself.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- take that is that um basically there's a mechanism there's a card there's an action whatever that you can take while you play the game that directly hurts or um diffuses the plans of your opponent
- I really enjoy having to safeguard myself against somebody doing a take that on me and I really uh don't and I really like being able to throw a wrench in somebody's gears and and and stop what they're going to do
- the take that aspect was was way too capricious
- I always thought that like being able to defend yourself against it like knowing full well that somebody could do this uh to you and then being able to have some Avenue to change or defend yourself against that was needed
- all of a sudden like somebody plays a card or does an action that completely and totally inhibits your ability to win at that point and I think that is an extreme and something that I don't like
- The interaction between the players is almost always more important than the actual game itself
- Everybody at the table just decided to go after me constantly
- because it's you're the most fun you're the most fun to listen to to playe to do whatever
- I lost the game but I still look back at that game with having a lot of fun even though I had no chance of winning because everybody was just beating me down it was a good time
- take that games but they just seem to be Vanishing they they they they don't seem to be being created
- we want to make games that everybody just kind of succeeds and and and and does well together
- for me uh you know like having a little direct competition I like having a little friction between me and the other players and I like always having to be worried about that friction
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video vuhe_iyrWkw
UndeadVikingVideos Discussion at 52:22 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 86395 · mention_pk 223304
Click to watch at 52:22 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
none
Cons
- Heave people to the sharks
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Negotiation — All about negotiation.
- Voting — Players vote and 'heave people to the sharks'.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Forest Bower has a wonderful story it's not a story he has a wonderful story not much about how how he he struck at rich
- I bought it at 11 bucks I woke up there at $72 and I thought I'd be cute I thought I'd be super cute and I was like yeah I'll hold on to this until the inauguration because surely it'll go up till then
- that son of a biscuit had to have his wife launch her own shitcoin the next day day which plummeted the value of his coin which is fantastic
- I made like 1,200 bucks or over two days which uh and like I was telling Scott like the only reason I only made 1,200 was because I didn't have more money to throw at it that very moment
- Karcassonne Power Grid was 2004 Kis was 2000 uh Ticket to Ride is 2004 Kis was 2005 Twilight Struggle 2005
- Dominion it's a good game because it's it's it's foundational right it's like how many games did did Dominion create right like just that mechanic of deck building or deck uh yeah deck building
- Lords of water deep is a good game
- Castles of Burgundy oh that's got to be in there at least in my opinion
- I should probably kick it in I got an early morning
- well next week I'll I'll be able to let it fly but I just couldn't too fresh too fresh
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video -D61CcU2XOc
Heavy Cardboard Playthrough at 113:26:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 86091 · mention_pk 222000
Click to watch at 113:26:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Fun and silly party game.
- Has brinksmanship and decision-making.
- Components are awesome and functional.
- Good house rules emerged from play.
- Can be played with players unfamiliar with the rules.
- Hilarious when things go wrong for others.
- Creates moments of tension and laughter.
Cons
- Can feel a bit long.
- Can be frustrating if one player targets another repeatedly.
- The "influence" aspect rather than pure negotiation might be a critique for some.
- The strategy can be influenced by player personality (e.g., being too nice).
Thematic elements
- Survival after a shipwreck.
- A shipwreck scenario where players are trying to reach islands in lifeboats.
Comparison games
- Quacks of Quedlinburg
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Negotiation — Players engage in discussion and deal-making to influence votes and strategic decisions.
- Player Elimination — While not explicitly stated as a primary goal, actions in the game can lead to players losing all their chips and being out of the round or game.
- Push Your Luck — Players draw coal from a furnace, risking busting by drawing a double token, to fulfill their wager or gain points.
- secret bidding — Players secretly wager chips at the start of each round, influencing how much they need to draw from the furnace.
- Set Collection — Players aim to collect sets of chips or fulfill specific conditions related to the number of chips drawn or their value.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- We're all going to hate each other at the end of this game.
- If you want to make yourself less of a target, jump out of...
- Justice for Ken, Justice for Ken, that's so gross.
- The devils won't let this game end seriously, this is incredible.
- You have to be willing to talk some trash, sit back, you know, and get what's coming to you.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video EzyPn3aMjbE
Watch It Played Discussion at 4:01 sentiment: positive
video_pk 83780 · mention_pk 211805
Click to watch at 4:01 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- You will literally throw your friends into the sea
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)
- I very rarely very rarely want to play the big old Euro at the full six player count.
- Power Grid is the game that's so popular, so successful, but still feels like an underdog when compared to other games.
- The auction here is very tense at six players.
- Cursed Court is a fantastic betting game that really shines at higher player counts.
- Lifeboats. H you want to play a game with six friends but you don't necessarily want six friends at the end of it.
- Zu Vardis, that's a fantastic game where everyone's trying to help each other get to the top of the board, the zoo in Zuardis. But you also want to be the person who gets to the very top the first.
- The jazzy pattern, which doesn't always make for great cognition of a board and what the heck is going on.
- It's an incredibly dark board. I think they reprinted it with a lighter board, just they already did this. It's like no one can This is very dark. No one can see what's happening.
- I did learn that if you mix red wine and white wine together, that's how you make rosé. That's fact according to Viticulture.
- the main thing that I've learned from games is that little insight into different worlds all around the world and beyond because of board games.
- I've learned that from board games. And while I can't say I've learned a bunch of hard facts, I think board games have kind of opened up the world to me a little bit from my table.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 849ui89fsmY
Discussion at 2:31:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 76974 · mention_pk 185316
Click to watch at 2:31:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
Positive
Pros
- Great fun little game of social detection and interpersonal relations
- Fantastic game
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)
- I was just like, 'Oh, my god, you really made me talk to you.'
- You're quite the horiculturist.
- My wife has explained to me that like that stuff doesn't really happen to me because I like apparently look like I'll murder somebody if like so I'm imagine my where's Waldo shirt isn't giving off that vibe.
- I don't know. Are you Evan? Are you going to Origins? No, sadly. Gotta hold on to that slap.
- This is the 10th anniversary of spring and this and this year is the 20th anniversary of the fall. Wow. Time flies, man. It's amazing. 20 years.
- I think the hand really well. Like the action cards are fun, customers are fun, flavor text is fun.
- I just don't know. I mean, you know, you it Forest gives it its it's good enough for me rating or whatever it is that you I I think if you come at it with an open mind, I think most people like that's good.
- I don't know what you guys talking about. Games are the worst.
- I was like, 'Oh, you don't have to, but you do know it's not your car.'
- This is the fifth most popular of these in the United States and is a song title by Warren.
- Codpiece. God piece. I was going to guess that. Damn it.
- It's a thing that you make make your junk look bigger. It's It's a protective garment for the fly. The piece of armor that goes over your junk.
- The name of a horse that sold for $510,000 in 1970.
- The action cards are humorous. The humor comes across, I think, pretty well.
- I think it could be great if you wanted a gateway game about stripping that had a lot of luck.
- The finished product component-wise was really really dang good.
- Yeah, no, we'll uh we'll just sell a bunch of our uh stuff on the cheap and be happy if it sells.
- Uh, it's cool. It works. I I was playing it with my 5-year-old daughter and um she wasn't being overly strategic with her choices, but she was able to play the game.
- I am so tired of games that are like and here's, you know, the name of another middle European city, you know, that just like doesn't really tell you anything.
- My brother had one cuz he had stolen it.
- Climax Minnesota more than a feeling.
- And then he left a note saying, 'I don't want to leave a mess for anyone.' and he like locked himself in his bathroom.
- I mean, that was I mean, that's just that's just morbid. Just like I read that I was like I wish I had never read that.
- It's cool. It works. I I was playing it with my 5-year-old daughter and um she wasn't being overly strategic with her choices, but she was able to play the game.
- And they should put that quote on the box. It's cool. It works.
- And then if you take them there, it's a luck press your luck mini game.
- Like the finished product component-wise was really really dang good.
- Like I was very very impressed and I'm excited to see an expansion in the future.
- Because this just and there is a co-op version and there's a solo version and I actually played the solo version and I started to play the cooperative version and I was just like, 'No, I'm out.'
- Um, but yeah, it uh it it tackles the topic really well.
- The action cards are humorous.
- And if you were in the market for a strip club theme, and you got to know it's lighter. It's very it's much lighter.
- Literally everything in the game for the most part is luck driven.
- Uh but it it's snappy turns and uh I dug it.
- I gave it a seven and I'm excited to see what comes with it in the future.
- It definitely feels like someone's someone's baby. They put a lot of time and effort into it, too.
- Like on all the action cards like on the bottom there's this tiny text that tells you exactly when to play it and it's like oh that's so nice.
- I think there's going to be a a group of people who really really really love that game and that is like their gateway game that brings them into the hobby.
- But, uh, well, as I said at the very beginning, if you weren't paying attention, uh, Go Back Lifeboats by, uh, friend of the show, Jeff Sidekick. Uh, it's on Kickstarter. It's funded. Great fun little game of social detection and and interpersonal relations. It's fantastic game. Go check that out.
- And then he left a note saying, 'I don't want to leave a mess for anyone.' and he like locked himself in his bathroom. Um, and then basically shoved towels and socks and everything so it was airtight. And then he lit like two barbecue grills in in the in the bathroom so he would die of carbon monoxide poisoning and he just laid down in the tub.
- I was just like that's uh that was he that he he planned that out.
- I wish I had never read that.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video W99KKot8_oU
Playthrough at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 69255 · mention_pk 165677
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- A lot of fun
- Accessible rules
- Hilarious negotiation aspect
- Good for late-night convention play
- Underrated game
- Can be played with new players easily
Cons
- Can be frustrating when one person is targeted repeatedly
- Slightly too long
- Component quality may not be great in newer versions
Thematic elements
- Survival at sea
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Captain Cards — Special cards that allow players to influence outcomes or make decisions.
- Negotiation — Players negotiate and influence each other to vote or make decisions that benefit them or harm opponents.
- Player Elimination — Players can be eliminated from boats, and boats can sink, leading to potential player elimination from scoring.
- Set Collection — Players aim to get their pawns to shore to score points, implying a form of set collection or objective completion.
- Voting — Players vote on which boat springs a leak or which boat moves forward.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I tried never to be the person speaking out against someone very often
- you really are just picking on me here
- if you want to score points you need to get a red home
- it's called winning though
- you're not competing with me and Martin
- the alliance is wow you really are just picking on me here
- I literally can't wait I literally can't wait
- if yellow moves here it's 17 points for yellow Black's going to get voted
- I don't think I have to play Captain
- the strategy was to try and go on the same boats as Ken
- you have to be willing to talk some trash sit back you know and get what's coming to you
- Ken it's funny you say that because part of my strategy at the beginning of the game was to try and go on the same boats as Ken smart man
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video uz96Rv3z0dA
Rules Teach at 0:13 sentiment: positive
video_pk 69256 · mention_pk 165678
Click to watch at 0:13 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Engaging negotiation and voting mechanics.
- Tense survival theme with a clear goal.
- Interesting 'jumping ship' mechanic.
Cons
- Potential for player elimination.
- Complexity in understanding all the rules for sinking and elimination.
Thematic elements
- Survival and escape from a sinking ship in lifeboats.
- A sinking ship, the Majestic Santa.
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area control/placement — Boats are placed on a board with specific spots and Crest shapes, and players place their pawns (officers and sailors) into these boats.
- Card Play — Players use cards, including special 'Captain cards,' to influence votes and actions.
- Negotiation — Significant discussion and negotiation occur between players to reach decisions on game actions.
- Player movement — Boats move along a track towards islands, and players can 'jump ship' between boats.
- Push Your Luck — Boats can sink if they accumulate too many leaks relative to the number of people on board, adding a push-your-luck element.
- Set Collection — Reaching islands with officers and sailors earns points based on their type and the island's scoring parameters.
- Voting — Players vote using cards to determine actions like which boat gets a leak or which boat moves.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- So we're going to be placing our boats out um in turn order and there's a black neutral boat um that Craig will place out in this spot here
- The captain cards cancel out an action
- if there's more leaks than people like pawns on board the whole boat sinks
- if you can't jump in you're dead
- everybody's swapping positions
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 7IxVe7snZDQ
Watch It Played Interview at 10:16 sentiment: positive
video_pk 64812 · mention_pk 158344
Click to watch at 10:16 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- works really well at conventions
- so Cutthroat and mean
- absolutely fantastic classic
- looks lovely
- components are really nice
- so much fun
Cons
- losers of votes are thrown overboard
Thematic elements
- Survival at sea
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Player Elimination — The Losers of those votes are gonna be thrown overboard
- Voting — lots of voting happening
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- High Society is a fantastic card game if you're trying to collect the different cards that get you points something multiplier points however some of them have your points or some of them are negative points
- all of a sudden everyone is not bidding to take the card everyone's bidding not to take the card I love those twists in games
- Cursed Court is just marvelous
- it's quick like fun fast but one of the best kind of like bidding deduction games almost in a way a lot of bluffing that goes on
- I'm not the biggest lover of mean games with the caveat being if it's a small light fun fast game then yeah mean is fine because the experience is short but if it's a long big game I struggle with like a big long Euro game that's mean
- the biggest way to deal with mean board games for me is the expectation going in
- hey just so you know this is a really mean game and I want you to play as mean as possible and I'll do the same because that sets up the expectation for the evening
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video fiEeGFVZK84
No Rolls Barred Discussion at 0:25 sentiment: positive
video_pk 11874 · mention_pk 34789
Click to watch at 0:25 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Strong cooperative tension and communication cues
- Appeals to players who enjoy mechanism-based cooperation
Cons
- Can be lengthy if discussions stall
Thematic elements
- Resource allocation under crisis, teamwork, and decision-making under pressure.
- Cooperative survival scenario aboard lifeboats that must be allocated efficiently.
- Crisis-driven, with emphasis on collective problem-solving.
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- resource allocation — Players allocate scarce resources to ensure survival of the crew.
- Team coordination — Group decisions shape the outcome, rewarding effective communication.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this is the board game league six
- they're going to earn different numbers of victory points
- our finale Cosmic Encounter
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video bJ5RjGXJsrs
BoardGameBollocks Discussion at 1:59 sentiment: positive
video_pk 6388 · mention_pk 18863
Click to watch at 1:59 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- fun social interaction
- clever voting mechanism
Cons
- can be ruthless depending on players
Thematic elements
- leadership, sacrifice, and rescue decisions
- maritime survival with votes and social dynamics
- social deduction-lite with voting tension
Comparison games
- The Resistance
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Player Elimination — players vote to push others overboard; balance strategy and compatibility
- vote/auction for elimination — players vote to push others overboard; balance strategy and compatibility
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- probably the greatest party game of all time
- it's a betting racing game
- this is basically one huge massive rondell of a game
- I hate painted miniatures
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video dzNM4yXf7b0
No Rolls Barred Playthrough at 0:48 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 2792 · mention_pk 8136
Click to watch at 0:48 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- highly social and interactive
- funly chaotic; strong table dynamics
- short rounds with escalating tension and dramatic reveals
Cons
- can become mean-spirited or spiteful
- tie-breaks and captain's hat usage can feel unfair
- depends on active player engagement; can stall if players disengage
Thematic elements
- survival, negotiation, and betrayal under pressure
- sea survival after a shipwreck; boats leaking and people being thrown overboard
- humorous, tense banter with sharp social play
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- captain's hats — each player has three captain's hats; playing one can instantly win a vote if alone, but multiple hats cancel each other out
- Hidden Information — cards are played face down and revealed to determine the vote outcome
- negotiation/deals — players negotiate deals to influence votes, though deals are not binding
- risk of sinking — a boat sinks if leaks exceed sailors at end of phase, eliminating all on board
- variable voting weights — sailors, mates, and officers have different voting weights affecting outcomes
- Voting — rounds include multiple votes to determine which boat springs a leak, which sailor is thrown overboard, and which boat moves forward
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a very mean game so I just before we start I want to make sure that we're all friends
- the leaks might happen in which case people might have to be thrown overboard
- we're going to start with determining a first player
- Captain's hats... if only one is played during a vote then the player who played it instantly wins
- there's just no more room on this floating door
- the game rides on this
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–11 of 11