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Description
The Wolves is a pack-building strategy game for 2-5 players. It's survival of the fittest as you compete to build the largest, most dominant pack by claiming territory, recruiting lone wolves, and hunting prey. But be careful not to expand too recklessly into terrain where your rivals thrive – they may lure members of your pack away.
A clever action-selection mechanism drives your choices. Each action requires you to flip terrain tiles matching the terrain where you wish to take your action. These double-sided tiles mean the actions you take this round will set up which terrain types you can act on in the next round. As you take actions to expand your pack's control of each region, you also upgrade your pack's attributes, allowing you to take more aggressive actions as the game goes on.
In three mid-game scoring phases, power is calculated in each region. At the end of the game, players tally points based on VP tokens earned in these scoring phases and the highest VP number revealed in each of the six tracks on your player board. The player with the most VP wins!
—description from publisher
Year Published
2022
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 7
This page: 7
Sentiment:
pos 7 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–7 of 7
Video HxJMHmvWQAg
Foster The Meatball Channel general_discussion at 17:20 sentiment: positive
video_pk 13622 · mention_pk 39804
Click to watch at 17:20
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Beautiful production and thematic cohesion; visually striking
- Interesting terrain-flip mechanic and meaningful asymmetry between wolves
- Solid middleweight area-control with approachable rules for new players
Cons
- Two-player experience can feel less dynamic due to AI and limited interaction
- Requires careful tile flipping decisions; can be punishing if mismanaged
Thematic elements
- predator-prey dynamics, territory control, and pack strategy
- A wolf-pack life in a wilderness environment with moon phases and den-building
- thematic, area-control with timed scoring rounds and moon-pattern scoring
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area control with variable terrain — Players place and upgrade dens and wolves to control regions on a modular map.
- Moon-pattern scoring and timer tracking — Scoring occurs in phases tied to the lunar cycle, with a timer board guiding when scoring occurs.
- Terrain tile flipping — Players flip tundra tiles to reveal terrain; tiles back when used, enabling dynamic strategy.
- Wolves and AI interactions — Each wolf type has unique abilities; an AI wolf can disrupt or challenge player plans in 2-player games.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the perfect game for this series and it's a perfect game because we're Canadians
- it's very thematic, it plays like hockey, it is as close to a game of hockey you can get in a board game
- I freaking love this game
- this game is going to board game night this week
- I think it's a really good middleweight light middleweight area control game
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video yE3f-tRVODg
Beyond soliter interview at 1:38 sentiment: positive
video_pk 13539 · mention_pk 39595
Click to watch at 1:38
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Engaging social dynamics
- Co-design strength with well-known designers
- Strong thematic integration
Cons
- Potentially challenging learning curve
- Heavy emphasis on negotiation may slow games
Thematic elements
- Social negotiation, alliances, and deception
- Fantasy realm featuring wolf clans and guild politics
- Emergent, player-driven with social dynamics
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Hidden Information — Players have private goals or information shaping decisions.
- negotiation — Players bargain, form alliances, and influence outcomes to score points.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Deadlines are magical indeed
- Just make something, just try and see what happens
- Stop putting your game in front of designers
- Don't take yourself out of the running
- You're pitching yourself as somebody the publisher might want to work with
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video EcpzbZ9u7Yc
John gets games general_discussion at 19:09 sentiment: positive
video_pk 8553 · mention_pk 25224
Click to watch at 19:09
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- beautiful art and presentation
- sponsorship-friendly for future playthroughs
Cons
- not yet played by narrator; anticipate learning curve
Thematic elements
- territory majority in a wolves-themed setting
- Wolves and terrain control
- thematic yet abstract
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area majority — players compete for control across territories
- Tableau/hand management — hands and actions drive scoring
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this Ram was always full with all the things that need to happen
- open this is a very long preamble but I’m pretty excited about it
- this is my full-time job and I acknolwedge that
- I feel like I leveled up in a video game
- the project management software has templates built in to plan things out
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video U_JjvD0lcGc
OPG - Our Playful Group general_discussion at 40:34 sentiment: positive
video_pk 7879 · mention_pk 23248
Click to watch at 40:34
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- highly strategic
- no randomness to rely on
Cons
- can be harsh in interaction
Thematic elements
- survival/territory
- wolf-pack society
- thinky, strategic
Comparison games
- Concordia
- Root
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area control with migration — movement of units to collect food and water across zones.
- no luck / pure strategy — players build their wolf pack and dens with a countdown clock scoring system.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Stara Month is officially over.
- This is one of the most diverse and inclusive conventions we've been to. It felt like a warm hug.
- Grand Con is a family reunion.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video s2xIPNpA8RI
John Gets Games general_discussion at 16:41 sentiment: positive
video_pk 6636 · mention_pk 19723
Click to watch at 16:41
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- tight two-player experience
- punchy decisions
Cons
- limited to two players
- not ideal for larger groups
Thematic elements
- predation and strategy
- two-player micro duel with animal motif
- compact and tense two-player game
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card management / set collection — engine-building style scoring through actions and cards
- Two-Player Only — designed strictly for two players with duel-like interactions
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's not over until it's over
- this is a game that lands itself towards so many stories
- I love Tichu so much
- I make all the rules I can break those rules if I want to
- we love that game and so do our friends
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video GCsSIXGLlNY
Our Family Plays Games general_discussion at 31:54 sentiment: positive
video_pk 6676 · mention_pk 19867
Click to watch at 31:54
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- colorful, family-friendly
- engaging take-that interactions
Cons
- can scale up in complexity with players
Thematic elements
- pack-building and territorial influence
- wolf-pack themed strategy
- predatory family dynamics
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area majority — players vie for dominance in regions via influence and takeovers
- Area movement — players maneuver to gain strategic advantage on the board
- take-that — direct interactions to disrupt opponents' plans
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- we had a big blast with our live show
- we're on panels because we just want to let everybody know what's going on
- Dawn of Humankind is coming back as a reboot
- Basilica 2.0 looks really really good
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video qT9l8_KMv5w
Our Place Games general_discussion at 37:45 sentiment: positive
video_pk 5869 · mention_pk 17392
Click to watch at 37:45
Overall sentiment (raw)
highly_positive
Pros
- Low randomness, high decision quality
- Beautiful production
Cons
- Can be lengthy for some groups
Thematic elements
- Predator-prey and pack management
- Forest pack dynamics
- Tense, strategic
Comparison games
- Hanza Tanica
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card/Token based pack management — Players guide a wolf pack, making decisions to optimize movement and scoring without luck-driven swings.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- We had a fan girl moment with Beth Sobel.
- We are bad parents, but he's grown and in college now.
- I hate that Facebook algorithm, you can't talk to nobody.
- It's so satisfying to know he earned it.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–7 of 7