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Description
King Arthur is searching for a worthy heir. Together with Merlin, he tries to find the best candidate among the Knights of the Round Table.
In Merlin, players move their knights or Merlin with the help of dice around the action ring to get the most desired actions. While the knights are only moved by the corresponding player, Merlin can be moved by all players, which makes integrating Merlin in one's plan a tricky endeavor.
There are multiple ways to score victory points such as defeating barbarians, building manors in the surrounding area and increasing one's influence in the six counties. Additionally, players can fulfill task cards during their turn to get more victory points. The player who plans his actions most efficiently will ultimately have the most points and thus will be the royal successor of King Arthur.
Year Published
2017
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 7
This page: 7
Sentiment:
pos 5 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 1
Showing 1–7 of 7
Video dfCcLi9vSC0
Secret Cabal general_discussion at 10:30 sentiment: positive
video_pk 12722 · mention_pk 37117
Click to watch at 10:30
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Accessible entry point into strategic play
- Good for lighter evenings
Cons
- Some editions feel a bit bland to veterans
- Mechanics can seem repetitive over time
Thematic elements
- fantasy strategy with knightly quests
- Arthurian legend
- mythic, with whimsical elements
Comparison games
- Camelot Legends
- The Lords of Waterdeep
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card-driven action selection — Players select actions from a hand of action cards.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Artwork does have a big impact on my interest in playing the game.
- I bought games just for artwork that I've never played.
- Santorini doesn't turn me off, and Arcadia Quest doesn't turn me off exactly but I would prefer it to be more realistic in general.
- I think games with Xavier Colette his kind of artwork he did the a lot of the dixit stuff.
- I love getting up and coming down here and shooting a video and editing a podcast and developing content for the next show.
- quit drinking soda it's poison.
- Feast for Odin is a Viking-era title that rewards careful planning.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video V1mQPC3_Jqk
The Secret Cabal top_50_list at 9:49 sentiment: positive
video_pk 12100 · mention_pk 35434
Click to watch at 9:49
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- smooth action economy
- highly thematic and engaging
Cons
- may feel repetitive over time
- rondel can be less intuitive for new players
Thematic elements
- factional competition with powers and modifiers
- Arthurian legend, rondel-based action selection
- puzzle-like planning with rondel efficiency
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Rondel action selection — players move around a circular action wheel to take actions
- territory control and set collection — score via controlled areas and collected cards
- unique powers — each player has distinct abilities shaping strategy
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this game is a great two-player game
- it's Jurassic Park the board game
- I've only played it twice and I'm not sure yet, it hasn't stood the test of time
- the tongue and cheek aspect of building this dystopian world
- it's Sim City the board game
- best time you can have playing this game is when you're drunk
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 9zj9lL3qS2U
Chairman of the Board product_review at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 5944 · mention_pk 17613
Click to watch at 0:00
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Excellent storage trays and modular components that keep everything organized
- High-quality upgrades (marbleized dice, acrylic stands, castle pieces)
- Sleeved card storage with a dedicated slot, simplifying sleeved card management
- Modular expansion storage (e.g., Morgana, Knights of the Round Table) keeps expansions neat
- Faster setup and transport due to divided, labeled trays
Cons
- Setup/tear-down can be fiddly due to many separate compartments and dividers
- Not a necessity for players who don’t own all expansions or who don’t need premium storage
- Big box is expensive and bulky, requiring substantial shelf space
- Some trays lack enough cubbies for all terrain types, causing minor organization friction
Thematic elements
- Strategic development across multiple environments with knights and royal intrigues
- Arthurian legend, Camelot-themed environment
- Competitive progression with modular expansions and event-driven components
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area control / majority — Players vie for control of regions and environments to gain points and advantages.
- deck/card management — Cards are used to drive events, actions, and interactions; expansions add more cards and interactions.
- Dice-based resolution — Dice are used to resolve actions and determine outcomes within rounds.
- round-based action pacing (rondel-style feel) — Action options evolve over rounds and player choices steer the board state and pacing.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- these are fantastic
- i'm really happy with these
- these game trays are really good
- it's nice that you can just pull this tray out to include Morgana expansion
- not cheap either
- if you can afford the luxury of getting this big box
- the smaller player pieces they actually slot into these grooves here on these bigger trays to stop them from moving about
- they lock into place
- there's still enough wiggle room to put other bits in here and i'm generally really happy with it
- if you can afford the luxury of getting this big box... otherwise you can pass
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video mlRT7tbHk5U
Chairman of the Board top_50_list at 5:14 sentiment: positive
video_pk 5001 · mention_pk 14873
Click to watch at 5:14
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- rich interaction through rondelle mechanics and Merlin piece
- expansion enhances depth and variety
Cons
- controversial reception due to complexity and learn curve
- some players feel mitigations aren't obvious early on
Thematic elements
- investigation and strategy with a rondelle dancer
- mythic/medieval fantasy
- thematic, tactical, slightly abstract
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Expansion-aided balance — expansions can elevate the game by adding depth and new interaction layers
- Mutual piece interaction — shared merlin piece allows clockwise/anticlockwise movement, enabling unique synergies
- Rondelle/dice-movement — dice are rolled and moved around a circular track to take actions; order can be adjustable
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- there is this more injected element of player interaction
- it's a genius twist
- the market is completely driven by the players
- money is such a tight resource in this game
- the rules overhead is very low
- a timeless design
- you can bet your funds on other people being right
- loads of things to weigh up, a complete package of the game
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Fflv2nCikrs
Adam Porter (Board Game Designer) analysis at 5:49 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 4852 · mention_pk 14394
Click to watch at 5:49
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Demonstrates cerebral use of roll and move
- Multiple ways to mitigate bad dice rolls
- Works well in complex euro context
Cons
- Removes immediacy and excitement of mechanism
- Feels like another lever in complex game rather than distinct mechanism
Thematic elements
- Sorcery and strategy
- Fantasy, magical
- complex euro
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Delayed Activation — Delay between rolling and activating dice removes immediacy
- Dice Pool Selection — Roll dice at start of round, select which to use each turn
- roll and move — Delayed dice activation in complex strategy game
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Where once randomness ruled modern games prioritized player agency designers strived to incorporate meaningful decisions into their games and role and move became a dirty word among the modern tabletop community
- I myself put out a video called dicer not the answer back in 2017 one of my most watched lamenting role and move
- In 2022 i feel like maybe just maybe we've tipped too far in the other direction thrown the baby out with the bath water
- This video is a quest for redemption
- When done well roller move is one of the most intuitive exciting mechanisms out there
- In a pure roll and move game the player rolls a die or spins a spinner and moves their playing piece according to the result
- In talisman you roll the die and then you choose to move clockwise or anticlockwise around the board that one deviation from the purest role of move games the decision to go left or right immediately put talisman head and shoulders above most board games on the market at the time
- Hero quest showcases the strength of the roller move mechanism its elegant simplicity and the excitement of a successful role outrunning an ogre
- It can be really frustrating to lose a long game which you were totally invested in purely because you rolled badly
- Spooky stairs is a great example of a game where the roll and move mechanism itself isn't tampered with but the basic race mechanism is turned on its head by incorporating a chaotic memory mechanism
- This game beautifully highlights the intuitive nature of roll and move as a mechanism
- More than any other on this list this game demonstrates how such a simple mechanism can create agonizing decisions and a hugely interactive variable board game experience I can't recommend this one enough
- Roll and move games don't have to be devoid of meaningful choices
- Formula d has a great roll and move mechanism which i haven't seen replicated in any other game
- Push your luck and roll and move complement each other nicely
- Among hobby gamers roll a move is widely considered something of an untouchable mechanism in 2022 and that's a shame
- Roll and move isn't a cursed mechanism
- Like every mechanism roller move has strengths and weaknesses
- It can be used effectively to create an exciting intuitive system or it can be used ineffectively to create a wildly random experience which feels primitive and unfair
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 3jPDOXc95SA
Chairman of the Board general_discussion at 10:41 sentiment: negative
video_pk 829 · mention_pk 2384
Click to watch at 10:41
Overall sentiment (raw)
negative
Pros
- Loved the core idea and theme
- Potentially rich with expansions
Cons
- Excessive bloating from modules and expansions
- Setup and referencing rules becomes a barrier to play
- Led to a poor experience compared to its potential
Thematic elements
- Heroic quests and threats in a dice-allocated world
- Medieval fantasy with dice-driven play
- Dice-driven ensemble with tough setup
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- dice allocation / dice drafting — Roll and assign dice to actions to advance objectives.
- threat/obstacle management — Encounter threats that require allocation and planning to mitigate.
- variable module complexity — Expansions and modules add options but complicate setup and rule referencing.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the twist on this game was that these are animals not only do they move in different ways when you landed on them on the board which means you could plan turns ahead
- Meadow is kind of this little Tableau building game as you're playing cards out in front of you
- no rules overhead in this one
- this was almost enough for me to keep this one around
- there was no real interesting decisions to be made and it became quite frustrating at times
- less is more
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 3g94C0Im4XY
Unknown Channel top_10_list at 11:51 sentiment: positive
video_pk 276 · mention_pk 847
Click to watch at 11:51
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Controlled tension with lots going on
- Beautiful components
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Roll-and-move with tactical maneuvering
- Arthurian / fantasy
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Dice-drafting / dice-muzzle engine — Roll dice and allocate to actions; balance luck with strategy
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- card drafting to the forefront of gaming mechanisms
- it's very difficult but again if you especially love the Lord of the Rings this is one to definitely sink your teeth into
- this really is a family weight game you can play this one with just about anybody
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
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