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Description
Thousands of years ago, a new era was beginning for humankind. The nomadic hunter-gatherers who had laboriously earned their place on Earth organized into small groups, differentiating social roles, building the first settlements, and initiating a great revolution. Scientists call this period "Mesolithic", and this game talks about those people.
In MESOS, you are the leader of an ancient tribe, and as such, your role is to nurture the growth of your tribe by adding new members, ensuring its sustenance, constructing buildings, and addressing unfolding events. Each round, you must place your totem pawn on the offer track, then following the pawns' order on the track, you will acquire character or building cards and add them to your tribe. Each card has specific effects and may earn prestige points (PP) as you construct specialized buildings and prepare wisely for the events you will face.
Whoever manages to bring the most prestige to their tribe wins.
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 1 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–6 of 6
Video nhX9koT8MhM
Board Games and Coffee general_discussion at 12:24 sentiment: positive
video_pk 36606 · mention_pk 109849
Click to watch at 12:24 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Accessible drafting with a familiar top/bottom dynamic
- Engaging balance and catch-up mechanics via drafting and events
- Theme is appealing and lighter than some crano titles
Cons
- Not strikingly novel compared to other drafting games
- May feel derivative to players who own similar titles (e.g., King Domino family line)
Thematic elements
- Resource gathering and card drafting for tribal growth
- Ice-Age era tribal development
- Short, approachable drafting with ongoing decisions
Comparison games
- King Domino
- Paléolithic-style drafting games
- Cascadia
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card drafting — Top row cards are new; bottom row are leftovers from previous round
- card drafting with two-row market — Top row cards are new; bottom row are leftovers from previous round
- event cards — Event cards resolve about tribe outcomes and add variability
- Events — Event cards resolve about tribe outcomes and add variability
- Turn Order: Draft — Players choose spaces to determine the order and selection of cards
- turn-order drafting — Players choose spaces to determine the order and selection of cards
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I think the replayability of the Civilization is very unique.
- the big driving idea is that you are constructing these pillars of cards that describe both the objectives and the strengths you’re going to pursue.
- I really like the problem space of how are you going to deal with the tile that you've drawn.
- I love games that have you placing dice in pairs because it gives a really nice problem solving space.
- this is a very simple game I think for families, but the artwork is charming.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video UvQv2tG1lIk
Board Gaming Doctor game_review at 0:12 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 31272 · mention_pk 92131
Click to watch at 0:12 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- straightforward rules that are easy to learn
- clear set-collection and drafting loop that players can grasp quickly
- variety in buildings and events provides some branching paths
Cons
- lacks deep strategic depth and can feel underwhelming for experienced players
- drafting order sometimes felt unintuitive (perceived bias toward going second in some rounds)
Thematic elements
- set collection, simple building/scoring engine, events as dynamic modifiers
- Pre-agricultural / ancient village with themes of hunting, gathering, building, shamans, and early inventions
- event-driven progression with changing draft choices
Comparison games
- Year of the Dragon
- Caper Europe
- Castle Combo
- Age of Civilization
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Compound Scoring — building cards and event cards influence scoring conditions and strategic priorities across the round
- Event-driven scoring — building cards and event cards influence scoring conditions and strategic priorities across the round
- set collection — players draft cards to assemble types representing activities (hunting, gathering, building, shamans, inventions) that score points when completed in sets
- top/bottom drafting — each turn you draft from either the top or bottom of a row; undrafted cards go to the bottom, influencing future choices
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- pretty straightforward
- not a lot of mechanisms here to confuse or bog down
- it's fine
- I've come to appreciate two-player head-to-head games a lot more
- this game is a head-to-head battler like Her Europe
- the aesthetics and user interface of Miso's board game Arena implementation was really neat
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video SueKLr7k_i8
Chairman of the Board top_10_list at 15:45 sentiment: positive
video_pk 12375 · mention_pk 93583
Click to watch at 15:45 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- tight drafting and set collection balance
- clear symbology and approachable drafting system
- events provide dynamic, strategic twists that keep decisions interesting
Cons
- punishing potential if you fail to meet food/worker needs
- could be perceived as dense for new players
Thematic elements
- set collection with drafting, cards representing workers and abilities
- mythic/early civilization world
- tight, tactical
Comparison games
- Floriferous
- Palopony
- Estari line
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card drafting — Players place a token along a track to access top or bottom rows of cards.
- card drafting on a track — Players place a token along a track to access top or bottom rows of cards.
- Resource management — Events every few rounds alter goals and require planning to prepare in advance.
- resource management with events — Events every few rounds alter goals and require planning to prepare in advance.
- set collection — Collect cards to maximize points via stars, inventors, hunters, foragers, and builders.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this is a card shedding game where, as you'd expect, you are racing to shed the cards from your hand quicker than the other players.
- I would not rather play this one over any of those other games I mentioned.
- Thoroughly impressed and I hope this one does well when it does come out on the crowdfunding platforms.
- Misos at number one. This is like a hybrid between Floriferous and Palopony boiled down into this one simple, clean, fun, and familiar card game that I thoroughly enjoy.
- the symbology on the cards is very clear.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video wSdbJ5F9j1E
Foster the Meeple game_review at 22:20 sentiment: positive
video_pk 10300 · mention_pk 30381
Click to watch at 22:20 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- fast, approachable yet strategic engine-building
- strong theme and streamlined rules
- promising with higher player counts
Cons
- can feel swingy at 2 players
- requires careful food/token management and planning
Thematic elements
- engine-building and artifact collection
- Ancient world tableau engine-building across eras
- tableau-driven engine construction
Comparison games
- Hunters and Gatherers
- The Way of the World
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- drafting and card play — Players select from a row of cards to take actions and assemble their tableau.
- engine-building / tableau — Draft and play cards to build a personal engine for scoring points.
- era-based progression — 10 rounds across 3 eras; game ends when the deck runs out.
- Resource management — Gaining and spending foods and tokens to enable actions and fulfill objectives.
- set collection / scoring sets — Assemble cards to complete sets for end-game scoring.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the theme really helps for sure
- it's quick at two players that's for sure
- the rules are simple enough that anybody can play
- it's freaking cute
- straight up Tableau engine builder
- not my type of game
- you probably will love this game
- it's a great little set-collection game
- this is another level of Santorini with gods and powers
- insane amount of variability
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 3G04ynIyEK4
Rodney Smith review at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 3495 · mention_pk 10365
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- popular game style
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- abstract
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- one of the best if not the best boss battler out there
- this is the must get expansion if you're only going to get one
- you've never seen dragons quite like these they are stunning
- Simone Luciani strikes again
- freaking brilliant
- one of my top three favorite Thematic settings in board games
- live the best life you can
- be the best human being you can
- probably my game of the year
- there is no way it doesn't make it into my top 10 of the year
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video OTgI6zeCFqE
Jongets Games general_discussion at 20:51 sentiment: positive
video_pk 1953 · mention_pk 5556
Click to watch at 20:51 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Two-turn lookahead provides strategic depth
- Free drafting keeps pace brisk
Cons
- Depends on player preference for drafting profits vs building
Thematic elements
- Resource-focused drafting; planning turns ahead
- Hunter-gatherer themed drafting
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- pool drafting / turn planning — Draft from a shared pool with free drafting elements and plan two turns ahead
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is the final version right here with the final art and the final components
- Jessica honestly spent a ludicrous amount of time making this game a reality
- I designed it and she actually made this a game that you can hold in your hands
- I am so proud of this game
- It's surreal to see it here at the end
- I'm Overjoyed to see people playing it as well
- Spring cleaning oriented but there are obvious reasons
- I will cherish forever
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–6 of 6