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Game Info
Year
2025
Collection
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Description
In Thesauros (meaning “Treasure” in classical Greek), you take on the role of the head of a shipwreck salvage company in search of sunken treasures.
To set yourself apart from your competitors, you'll need to locate treasures lost at sea, retrieve them, and then try to sell them to the museum in order to gain profit and reputation.
To achieve this, you'll need to develop technologies (which will help you on your expeditions), equip yourself, hire workers, train some of them to become true pros of their field, collect treasure maps, charter speedboats, dive in the deep sea, confront sharks, sponsor the opening of museum exhibition halls, advertise your company and, above all, manage your various bank accounts with a firm hand (and without forgetting to stash some cash in your slush fund!).
Whoever gets the highest reputation by the end of 3 in-game years (9 rounds) wins the game!
—description from the designer
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 2
This page: 2
Sentiment:
pos 1 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 1 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–2 of 2
Video ehv76_gV76M
The Dice Tower News at 8:42 sentiment: neutral
video_pk 82204 · mention_pk 316905
Click to watch at 8:42 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
neutral
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Trick-Taking — Described as 'a trick taking game'.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I want to like this so bad.
- But I hate that board so much.
- You just completely lose me on the visuals. Like it kills it almost kills any excitement I have for this game.
- This board 100% looks like a prototype. It does not look finished.
- The name 'Heroes of the Shire: Light and Shadow' is confusing and evokes Lord of the Rings, which the game is not.
- I'm not seeing how this one is standing out from all that bloat that's already out there or on the way.
- The Old Ones El Dorado feels when I say it, it's very reminds me very much of The Quest for El Dorado.
- And after all of that, I'm like, I have no idea how to play this game.
- This is a Mindclash game through and through. It is the kind of game I will avoid at all costs.
- And it's a stunning looking game.
- I have zero I have less than zero interest in this
- This game is reading its own press.
- Botany came out some time ago.
- For all of their games, they have a super deluxe wooden box version.
- This is making almost a million dollars.
- I think that their games look fantastic.
- What they're going for, and they nail that that vibe, right? That look.
- I'm intrigued by that but it's an undertaking I don't think I'm at a point to undertake
- My pick is the same one that we started the episode with and that is the Old King's Crown.
- This looks great. This looks great.
- This is swinging for the fences. It might not pay off but I'm liking the way it looks and that they are taking that big risk.
- It is the kind of game I will avoid at all costs.
- It's a stunning looking game.
- I have zero I have less than zero interest in this.
- My pick of the day is Rematch, the I guess puzzle fighter board game.
- And I'm going to go with uh the Old Ones of El Dorado here.
- What is Hamtel? Is that Is that a compound word?
- I love that they're like this really took a left turn and they're like okay, you can use this thing.
- Look at this guys. This is uh
- This is Because you're going to pick up that kid and you're going to you're going to curl them, okay?
- Children love being flung about the room.
- My stretch goals are for $50,000 website, inventory, and marketing.
- He also needs for a vehicle. 150 Gs. He needs a vehicle.
References (from this video)
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Video _g_K885z7Zo
Board Stupid Review at 1:35 sentiment: positive
video_pk 10269 · mention_pk 30307
Click to watch at 1:35 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Deep integration of euro-style economic planning with an adventure/seafaring theme
- Rich, cascading action system where decisions affect multiple spaces
- Beautiful production and table presence, strong components
- Upgradable workers and boss mechanic giving varied bonuses
- The map/tile visibility and face-down map mechanic adds tension and choice
- Satisfying flow and planning payoff when turns align
Cons
- High complexity and steep learning curve; expert-level game
- Out-at-sea phase is fiddly and can slow the pace
- Budgeting and cash flow management can feel like a chore, especially after year one
- Large table footprint and component count; expensive
- Ethical storytelling aspect is underexplored; no moral dimension addressed
Thematic elements
- Treasure hunting and corporate competition in a nautical setting
- Deep-sea treasure salvaging and ship-building empire
- Procedural, economy-driven with cascading actions; no explicit moral commentary
Comparison games
- Galactic Cruise
- Power Grid
- Brass Birmingham
- Concordia
- Lutia
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- auction_bidding_for_turn_order — Budget-based bidding to secure turn order; includes 'slush fund' and bribery-like mechanics.
- end_game_and_score_poll — End when all treasure is sold and museum exhibitions fill; scoring through cash and exhibit points.
- map_and_tile_drafting — Stock of maps, face-down access and selection; maps determine reachable spaces.
- movement_and_timing — Out-at-sea movement with complex movement costs and equipment checks per map.
- Pattern Movement — Out-at-sea movement with complex movement costs and equipment checks per map.
- Resource Management — Allocate yearly budgets across departments; manage cash flow and penalties for reallocations.
- resource_management_and_budgeting — Allocate yearly budgets across departments; manage cash flow and penalties for reallocations.
- Tech Trees — R&D to unlock more powerful technologies for divers and equipment.
- tech_tree — R&D to unlock more powerful technologies for divers and equipment.
- Turn Order: Auction — Budget-based bidding to secure turn order; includes 'slush fund' and bribery-like mechanics.
- Worker Placement — Take actions by placing worker pieces with cascading resolutions across locations.
- worker_placement — Take actions by placing worker pieces with cascading resolutions across locations.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Not a pirate game.
- It's an economy euro game where you're managing a company.
- This is the expert section.
- The game arc felt quite static after the first year.
- If you're AP prone I don't think this is the game for you because there's a lot of decision making.
- Pimping the boat is cool.
References (from this video)
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