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Game Info
Year
2016
Collection
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Description
As a Renaissance banker, you will finance kings or republics, sponsor voyages of discovery, join secret cabals, or unleash jihads and inquisitions. Your choices determine whether Europe is elevated into the bright modern era or remains festering in dark feudalism.
In Pax Renaissance, you have two actions each turn. As in other Pax games, you can acquire cards in a market, sell them out of the game, or play them into your tableau. You can also stimulate the economy by running trade fairs and trading voyages for Oriental goods. A map of Europe with trade routes from Portugal to Crimea is included, and discovering new trade routes can radically alter the importance and wealth of empires, ten of which are in the game.
Four victories determine the future course of Western Society: Will it be towards imperialism, trade globalization, religious totalitarianism, or enlightened art and science?
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 7
This page: 7
Sentiment:
pos 4 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 2
Showing 1–7 of 7
Video Kw9MD3qHA6s
Board Game Critique Analysis at 6:59 sentiment: negative
video_pk 81166 · mention_pk 200187
Click to watch at 6:59 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
negative
Pros
- Thematic and historical depth is part of the game's identity.
Cons
- Rulebook is godawful.
- Poorly organized.
- Impenetrable.
- Complexity does not excuse its issues.
- Structure to navigate information is not present.
- Front-loads context before basic flow is understood.
Thematic elements
- Historical depth embedded into mechanical layers.
- The Renaissance
Comparison games
- Pax
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Complexity — Genuinely complex game.
- Deep engagement — Rewards deep engagement and assumes an appetite for complexity.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Great games shipped with terrible rulebooks.
- The problem isn't the design, it's the documentation.
- When the gate is broken, it doesn't matter how amazing the garden behind it is.
- The rulebook is supposed to be the gate that lets you into the experience.
- This isn't getting better. We're not talking about ancient games... we're talking about high production releases from the last few years that arrived with rulebooks that simply do not work.
- That's not a learning curve, that is a wall.
- The rulebook tried as hard as it could to hide all the weird stuff.
- The cruelty of it is the context. This is a re-release.
- A reprint is supposed to be your second bite at the apple, your chance to sand down every rough edge.
- The BGG threads at launch were just flooded with rules questions, and people were asking whether later retail copies shipped with a corrected version, which is the most damning signal a rulebook can possibly send.
- The publisher rewrites the rulebook and releases the new version as a paid product.
- The irony is doing some heavy lifting there. That's almost too perfect.
- Players blame themselves first.
- And that is the real damage of a bad rulebook. It makes people feel stupid.
- There is a difference between density and dysfunction.
- A good rulebook scaffolds complexity. It layers information in the order a player needs it.
- The structure is so dense and so poorly sequenced that you consistently have to read it multiple times across multiple sessions before anything coheres.
- Community-built rule summaries became the standard learning tool, more reliable and more frequently consulted than the rulebook the game shipped with.
- More than a decade after release, the standard recommendation for new players is still to skip the rule book and watch a video tutorial first, which is a clear signal that the official documentation never became trustworthy enough to stand on its own.
- That's not an FAQ, that is a corrective supplement to a deficient primary document.
- That's what bad rule books generate, this cottage industry of third-party fixes that should never have been necessary.
- At some point, a pattern is a policy.
- The rule book was written for people who already know how to play.
- A game asking players to invest significantly in both time and money should not require that players outsource explanation to volunteer fans online.
- Simplicity is no protection.
- Writing a clear rule book is a separate skill from designing a clear game.
- When you've spent that much money and waited that long, opening the box to find a document that cannot explain how to play feels like a betrayal of the implicit contract between publisher and backer.
- Complexity is not an excuse for poor structure.
- Game designers are not naturally positioned to ask that question because they already know everything. They need editors who do not.
- Professional technical writers exist. Rule book editors exist as a dedicated specialty within the hobby now.
- Until publishers treat rule book production as a non-negotiable line item rather than an afterthought squeezed into the final weeks of production, we will keep having this conversation, and players will keep arriving at what should have been a great first session armed with a document that sets them up to fail.
- Every single game we've talked about today is worth playing.
- The rulebook failures we've documented are a reason to seek out community tutorials and third-party summaries and how to play videos before your first session. They are not a reason to avoid the games entirely.
- The rulebook is supposed to be the gate that lets you into the experience. And when the gate is broken, it doesn't matter how amazing the garden behind it is.
- The Conan rule books were universally panned, and that experience cost Monolith both bad press and the additional expense of rewriting and posting replacement rule books to backers.
- That's the line that should be tattooed on every studio's wall. A game designer understands their game completely and intuitively, which is exactly why they are poorly positioned to write the document that explains it to someone with zero context.
- Until publishers treat rule book production as a non-negotiable line item rather than an afterthought squeezed into the final weeks of production, we will keep having this conversation...
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 6Y56Qy1Er_U
Neon Gorilla Interview at 1:57:33 sentiment: negative
video_pk 80661 · mention_pk 197096
Click to watch at 1:57:33 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
Negative (due to complexity)
Pros
- Potentially contains genius design elements.
Cons
- Extremely high complexity that can be overwhelming and unenjoyable.
- Requires significant time investment to understand, which may not be worth it for many players.
Thematic elements
none
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area influence — Players influence different aspects of the game, such as religious uprisings and political landscapes.
- Complex systems — The game's systems are described as difficult to understand, leading to a 'brain hurting' experience.
- Dynasty building — Players influence the dynasties of kings and queens.
- economic — Players engage with bankers and their influence on politics and dynasties.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Secret Hitler to me is essentially social deduction at its most baby. It's a baby game.
- I absolutely detest it. I think it's one of the most uh maybe the sin of our uh decade. You know, the 2020s is a decade of FOMO.
- Yeah. I hate the fact that we're that we're uh essentially manipulated into giving an interestfree loan and build as somehow saving money or getting the thing that nobody will ever be able to get. All of it feels bad.
- Zombicide to me is flavorless. like the core game is essentially like the most generic unimagin uh uninteresting kind of gameplay and then you stack things on until uh it appeals to you by some uh crossmarket appeal like you know I think there's a DC or a Marvel zombicide I can't remember which one now there's you know zombicide uh white death or white plague or something like that and you just keep stacking things on until you find something you like and then the person's like oh I like Danny Tjo let me buy Jasicide so I can play as Danny Treyo. And I'm like, it's it's just functionless or formless. There's no interest in mechanics behind it. It's just like here's product after product after product and it's like Funko Pops. It's like you're collecting Funko Pops with your goddamn board games. I'm like, I don't want to collect any more Funko Pops for this [ ] board game, you know? Like that's how I feel.
- Earth to me is like the ultimate ultimate feelgood game. Like you are going to find success in Earth no matter what you do.
- Um, and to me, uh, the feeling of progress without any kind of uh counterbalance to any kind of like feeling of uh impediments, it's ultimately hollow. It feels like there's no actual thought being put into my actions as much as there is just actions being taken for the sake of an action being taken to hit my little dopamine in my head and then I walk away feeling like, "Oh, I did something with my little [ ] Sahara Desert and I put [ ] bamboo leaves in here and now I feel good because I have this environment." There's it's it's just literally it's numbers in a spreadsheet that you're just playing with until you get an output that makes you feel good. And to me, that's not really an enjoyable experience.
- >> Phil Uckland is a [ ] idiot for some of his uh political beliefs and you know his anti- u uh uh uh climate change uh positions that man-made climate change isn't uh real I believe and also his essay on uh British imperialism that was in the first PAX uh premiere if I remember correctly. Uh those are [ ] idiotic things to say uh and I disagree with them vehemently. Um, but he's a [ ] genius when it comes to game design. Like he might be like one of the greatest minds of game design of our time.
- I I think the the thing is like I care more about people thinking about like the process of religion being created. That's what I care about. I don't care about what the end result is necessarily. Like I don't care about like the the the morality of religious doctrine. I care about how it's been implemented and created and used as a tool. You know, that's what I care about.
- It is. It's the Wikipedia of board games
- You can't be afraid to like say something that's going to make people mad.
- It's not going to be a game that you're going to be able to play with your grandpa and your like, you know, your whole family around the table after a nice Christmas dinner.
- I I don't want to collect any more Funko Pops for this board game.
- I I feel like those ones are like kind of like they're indicators of quality again, you know, like I'm like when I see an AI thumbnail, I'm like I I get like a little icky, you know?
- I I think thumbnails are like an art of itself and I'm trying to perfect it.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 6Y56Qy1Er_U
Neon Gorilla Interview at 2:36:25 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 80661 · mention_pk 197127
Click to watch at 2:36:25 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- fantastic designs
Cons
- nightmare to play
- potential to be controversial due to designer's beliefs
Thematic elements
- Bankers, religious uprisings, politics, dynasties
Comparison games
- High Frontier
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Secret Hitler to me is essentially social deduction at its most baby. It's a baby game.
- I absolutely detest it. I think it's one of the most uh maybe the sin of our uh decade. You know, the 2020s is a decade of FOMO.
- Yeah. I hate the fact that we're that we're uh essentially manipulated into giving an interestfree loan and build as somehow saving money or getting the thing that nobody will ever be able to get. All of it feels bad.
- Zombicide to me is flavorless. like the core game is essentially like the most generic unimagin uh uninteresting kind of gameplay and then you stack things on until uh it appeals to you by some uh crossmarket appeal like you know I think there's a DC or a Marvel zombicide I can't remember which one now there's you know zombicide uh white death or white plague or something like that and you just keep stacking things on until you find something you like and then the person's like oh I like Danny Tjo let me buy Jasicide so I can play as Danny Treyo. And I'm like, it's it's just functionless or formless. There's no interest in mechanics behind it. It's just like here's product after product after product and it's like Funko Pops. It's like you're collecting Funko Pops with your goddamn board games. I'm like, I don't want to collect any more Funko Pops for this [ ] board game, you know? Like that's how I feel.
- Earth to me is like the ultimate ultimate feelgood game. Like you are going to find success in Earth no matter what you do.
- Um, and to me, uh, the feeling of progress without any kind of uh counterbalance to any kind of like feeling of uh impediments, it's ultimately hollow. It feels like there's no actual thought being put into my actions as much as there is just actions being taken for the sake of an action being taken to hit my little dopamine in my head and then I walk away feeling like, "Oh, I did something with my little [ ] Sahara Desert and I put [ ] bamboo leaves in here and now I feel good because I have this environment." There's it's it's just literally it's numbers in a spreadsheet that you're just playing with until you get an output that makes you feel good. And to me, that's not really an enjoyable experience.
- >> Phil Uckland is a [ ] idiot for some of his uh political beliefs and you know his anti- u uh uh uh climate change uh positions that man-made climate change isn't uh real I believe and also his essay on uh British imperialism that was in the first PAX uh premiere if I remember correctly. Uh those are [ ] idiotic things to say uh and I disagree with them vehemently. Um, but he's a [ ] genius when it comes to game design. Like he might be like one of the greatest minds of game design of our time.
- I I think the the thing is like I care more about people thinking about like the process of religion being created. That's what I care about. I don't care about what the end result is necessarily. Like I don't care about like the the the morality of religious doctrine. I care about how it's been implemented and created and used as a tool. You know, that's what I care about.
- It is. It's the Wikipedia of board games
- You can't be afraid to like say something that's going to make people mad.
- It's not going to be a game that you're going to be able to play with your grandpa and your like, you know, your whole family around the table after a nice Christmas dinner.
- I I don't want to collect any more Funko Pops for this board game.
- I I feel like those ones are like kind of like they're indicators of quality again, you know, like I'm like when I see an AI thumbnail, I'm like I I get like a little icky, you know?
- I I think thumbnails are like an art of itself and I'm trying to perfect it.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video eLylrFOTlJQ
The Board Gaming Doctor Discussion at 0:36 sentiment: positive
video_pk 42079 · mention_pk 229708
Click to watch at 0:36 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- rich historical thematic immersion
- compact yet deep engine
- portable map cards improve flexibility
Cons
- heavy for casual players
- steep learning curve for newcomers
Thematic elements
- Renaissance bankers influencing monarchs, voyages, and religious movements
- Renaissance Europe, political and economic maneuvering
- historical-strategic immersion with portable map components
Comparison games
- PAX Renaissance (original)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card-driven action selection — Play cards to trigger actions and steer events.
- Compound Scoring — Drive scoring through influence and strategic financing.
- economic engine / scoring — Drive scoring through influence and strategic financing.
- resource/area influence — Influence regions and institutions to shape destinies.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- puzzling polyomino enclosure tiles and acquiring animals
- Renaissance Bankers shaping the course of Europe's Destiny through financing monarchs sponsoring voyages and influencing political and religious movements
- save threatened species and earn points by utilizing resources from their Keepers upgrading them through objectives to gain additional resources
- roll the dice get the best combination and use your cards to roll or score them
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video DSVoGVLH4Fw
The Board Gaming Doctor Discussion at 7:09 sentiment: positive
video_pk 38184 · mention_pk 228750
Click to watch at 7:09 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- high interaction and depth for a big-Euros fan
- flexibility in pursuing different victory paths
Cons
- steep learning curve
- rules complexity can be daunting for new players
Thematic elements
- merchants, politics, and control
- renaissance Europe
- historical, with strategic intrigue
Comparison games
- Hadrian's Wall
- Discordia
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — buy and play cards to influence Western/Eastern Europe, gain events and figures
- Card-driven action economy — activate one card at a time, but can chain activations via tableau
- market and region control — buy and play cards to influence Western/Eastern Europe, gain events and figures
- Multi-Use Cards — activate one card at a time, but can chain activations via tableau
- Variable victory conditions — win by meeting one of several declared conditions involving influence and cards
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This was a fun trick-taking game that wasn't too hard to learn.
- I like the predictive puzzle of not only guessing how much you will win but also where to play certain numbers.
- The game has that factor that there is a high skill level and high ceiling of play for this game.
- I would play it again if someone else brought it out.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Q4dGzqecDeE
Beyond Solitaire Interview at 10:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 4849 · mention_pk 14367
Click to watch at 10:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Rich historical context
- Elegant integration of multiple victory conditions
Cons
- Dense for newcomers
- Requires patient setup and learning
Thematic elements
- cultural, scientific, and political power struggles
- Renaissance Europe and its cultural and political dynamics
- historical, multi-threaded strategy
Comparison games
- Gandhi
- Gloomhaven
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card-driven engine — Cards drive actions and influence long-term strategy
- multi-use card/variable actions — Cards serve different purposes depending on context
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- coin games have asymmetric factions that blow my mind
- it's a great entry point to heavier coin games
- these games are fascinating and worth learning
- the playbooks are great and walk you through a turn
- i enjoyed Verdun 1916 and i’m excited to play more World War I games
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video NaaeeMk1QGA
Meet Me at the Table Playthrough at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 1380 · mention_pk 4021
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Thematic depth and strong sense of period flavor (Renaissance Italy).
- Engaging rest/travel/misson structure that creates a paced campaign feel.
- Quality production: three-dimensional terrain components and visually appealing visuals.
- Community-driven content decisions (Patreon) influencing class choices and character development.
- Rich tactical combat with notable moments of dramatic reversals.
Cons
- Steep learning curve and rule complexity that can overwhelm new players.
- Occasional rule-interpretation ambiguities (e.g., tackle interactions, token limits) that require external references.
- Loot economy can feel slow or uneven depending on session flow and luck.
Thematic elements
- political influence, cultural conquest, economic strategy
- Renaissance Italy, 15th–16th century
- historical simulation with a personal, evolving destiny track
Comparison games
- Mystic Eye Games (Doug’s commentary referenced as a peer/playthrough source)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — on-board location actions are resolved by moving and assigning resources to cities/regions, with special tokens triggering events.
- area-control / tile interaction — on-board location actions are resolved by moving and assigning resources to cities/regions, with special tokens triggering events.
- Combat: Dice — combat uses dice with symbols and economic/tactical tokens to modify outcomes, including critical hits and special effects.
- dice-based combat with tokens — combat uses dice with symbols and economic/tactical tokens to modify outcomes, including critical hits and special effects.
- Hand Management — players manage a hand of destiny/resource cards to influence events and game state.
- hand-management — players manage a hand of destiny/resource cards to influence events and game state.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the 3D terrain which really makes this game pop
- Italy is burning it is time to activate the target hero
- the market is a mute point at this time
- ships of fate move across the board and change the destiny cards
- the rest phase shapes the next chapter of the campaign
- Patreon supporters helped decide which classes our heroes would adopt
- if you finish the mission with at least three damage on your hero sheet
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
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