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Description
Join new playable Gearloc characters Stanza and Duster as they journey down the Sibron River in search of answers in this standalone expansion/sequel to Too Many Bones!
Too Many Bones: Undertow allows for 1-2 players out of the box, but by bringing in additional Gearlocs from the original game or adding in characters like Ghillie, Nugget, and Tink, you can create an adventure for up to four players. Undertow features all new baddies, encounters, tyrants, and a double-sided battle mat. Battles take place both on land and on your raft, adding even more variety and brain-bending tactics.
Too Many Bones Family
(17 games)
Part of the Too Many Bones family — see Too Many Bones for the combined view.
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Too Many Bones
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Too Many Bones: Undertow
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Too Many Bones: Unbreakable
TOO MANY BONES: TINK EXPANSION
TOO MANY BONES: NUGGET EXPANSION
TOO MANY BONES: GHILLIE EXPANSION
TOO MANY BONES: GASKET EXPANSION
Too Many Bones: Tink Add-On Exp
Too Many Bones: 40 Days in Daelore Exp
Too Many Bones: Dart Add-On Exp
Too Many Bones: Lab Rats Add-On Exp
Too Many Bones: Rage of Tyranny Exp
Too Many Bones: Carcass Add-On Exp
Too Many Bones: Polaris Add-On Exp
Too Many Bones: Static Add-On Exp
Too Many Bones: 40 Caves in Daelore Exp
Too Many Bones: BrassMag Miniatures Exp
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 13
This page: 13
Sentiment:
pos 11 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 1 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–13 of 13
Video AO3-90H3VPc
Board Games UnLocked Playthrough at 0:16 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 113723 · mention_pk 325529
Click to watch at 0:16 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Cool monster design ('living ablation', 'blighted Guardians').
- Engaging mechanics with dice rolling and SP management.
- The lever mechanism in the final encounter was interesting.
- The achievement for killing monsters with traps was satisfying.
Cons
- Very difficult and unforgiving ('brutal', 'miserable').
- High rate of missed attacks leading to frustration.
- Complex and sometimes unclear rules, requiring frequent checks and errata.
- The game can feel tedious with repetitive missed attacks.
- The narrator wishes for more unique encounters and monsters in future installments.
Thematic elements
- A group is trying to survive a dangerous environment, possibly involving traps and a serial killer.
Comparison games
- Gloomhaven
- Oathsworn
- Sleeping Gods
- Stars of Argaros
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- character abilities — Players use SP (Skill Points) to activate character abilities and spells.
- Companion/Summoning — Players can summon companions or espers to assist them in combat.
- Conditions — Debuffs like 'paralyzed' and 'condemned' can affect characters.
- Dice Rolling — Dice rolls are used for attacks, checks, and determining outcomes.
- Encounter cards — New enemies and challenges are introduced through encounter cards.
- Loot Tokens — Players collect loot tokens which can grant gold, items, or trigger events.
- objectives — Players need to complete various objectives, such as reaching an exit or interacting with tokens.
- Resource Management — Players manage SP (Skill Points) and Stamina.
- traps — The game features various traps, including electrical energy blasts and environmental hazards.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- We operate on very narrow margins like a plus one a minus one is huge
- It's like okay so scrap him completely like a plus one like cranks up all the way up to
- The sword's [__] better than Zeke's entire build
- This is my trap I'm rolling
- Why why fiddle around and dick with our stuff because there was a lot of money to make so we really want you to touch it
- Wording and Clarity is not this game's Forte
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 0jcZStOpWAA
Rolling Dice & Taking Names News at 37:34 sentiment: positive
video_pk 98878 · mention_pk 280059
Click to watch at 37:34 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
Positive
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
- Cloudspire
- Too Many Bones
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I played Ragusa with Marty he taught me the game or rather he taught me some alternate universe version of the game
- there were so many rules mix-ups I didn't even know what was going on half the time
- I'm sorry I cannot in good conscience give out this award I'm gonna have to hang on to it
- This is one of those games that normally would have probably not been my game of the year if I would have played it
- it deserves my game of the year
- Raccoon Tycoon is from designer Glen drover from forbidden games and it is a market commodities game where you are trying to get the best prices for the commodities in the game
- Unbelievable oil paintings brought the game to life with with incredible anthropomorphic animals in Victorian dress
- it did give the game a cuddly fuzzy feel that I think makes the game a little bit more appealing to non-gamers as well as gamers
- Raccoon Tycoon that came out earlier this year and yet that was very much a contention for my my top game of the year
- it's just so well done
- 2019 was just a great year for games especially more of the the mid-level like euro type games
- we really dope into a lot of really really good two-player games in 2019
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 1HZ5Q3n056E
Rolling Dice & Taking Names Discussion at 55:04 sentiment: positive
video_pk 93499 · mention_pk 253068
Click to watch at 55:04 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Top-notch components (dice, clay chips, neoprene mats).
- Engaging character building and progression.
- Unique mechanics like the battle queue and back-up plan.
- Interesting narrative elements through encounter cards.
- Visually clear health tracking.
- Characters play very differently.
- Can carry characters over for campaign play.
Cons
- Learning curve due to extensive text on character and monster sheets.
- Setup time can be significant.
- The first play involves a lot of rulebook referencing.
Thematic elements
- Adventure and combat against monsters
- Fantasy world
- Encounter-driven with flavor text
Comparison games
- Too Many Bones
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Bag Building / Dice Pool — Dice are rolled from a pool determined by character stats and abilities.
- Character progression — Players spend points to upgrade character stats (attack, defense, movement, dexterity) and unlock new abilities.
- cooperative play — Players work together to defeat monsters and a final boss.
- Dice Rolling — Dice are used for combat, modifying character stats, and activating abilities.
- Health tracking — Uses chips placed beneath character/monster markers to track remaining health.
- Scenario / Encounter Deck — The game progresses through days, drawing encounter cards that present choices and challenges.
- Variable player powers — Each character has unique abilities, skills, and mechanics (e.g., Stanza the Bard uses focus and songs, Duster the Assassin uses damage and an ally).
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Marty we've been providing background noise for gamers for six years straight and we hope to do it to continue to do it for many more years
- Krispy Kreme is just a mouthful of hot lard at their best cold yeasty goop at their worst gross
- If you're a fan of overcooked you've got to try this board game and if you're not it's one of the best real time co-op games I've ever played
- The art is incredible I love the art of this game it reminds me like brass Birmingham I just like that style that look at that late 1800s Victorian age type stuff the art is great
- The rub is not the flavor text all the text with the spells and the monsters so this spell does this for me this in this monster has this option
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video imXc4vUN2JM
Box of Delights Rules Teach at 1:34 sentiment: neutral
video_pk 90940 · mention_pk 243530
Click to watch at 1:34 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
neutral
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this is too many bones expansion splice and dice i've not opened it yet
- what i'm going to do for you is play nobody's apprenticeship program i'm going to go through the box set up and play this game
- the objective of the novelist apprenticeship program is we're going to play over the course of seven days and we're going to be successful if we successfully create a tyrant who's successful in battle against the nobulus's prototyrant before the end of day seven
- the game is one of managing threats building tension getting through these threats and managing this enough that you can then divert attention to the lab
- remember we want at least one positive splice per day
- i hate this card it's horrible
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video ieaTmQ8V2mg
Neon Gorilla Review at 8:23 sentiment: positive
video_pk 88696 · mention_pk 234444
Click to watch at 8:23 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- More content for replayability
- High-quality components
- New mechanics that shake up the game
Cons
- May not feel essential if you already own Undertow or base game
- Complex setup with new cards
Thematic elements
- survival and baddie escalation
- Fantasy dungeon-crawl with expanded content
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- New baddies and encounters — Adds additional encounters and baddies to the base game
- New starting Day cards — Starting Day cards for each tyrant with new mechanics
- Terrain changes — New terrain chips and lava map interactions
- Two-sided baddies and alternate tyrants — New cards and chips with dual forms
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I'm a chip Theory Fanboy
- there's just so much content here
- the premium chips are an absolute must
- this is the base game this is a standalone version of Too Many Bones
- Too Many Bones is a fantastic, dense, premium experience
- this is unbreakable it's the base game
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video _U5JnRJ04_4
3 Minute Board Games Top List at 8:06 sentiment: positive
video_pk 87072 · mention_pk 226991
Click to watch at 8:06 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
Positive
Pros
- Satisfying clink of pearls
- Excellent drafting game
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Creepy court full of malignant figures
- Undersea Court
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Drafting — a car Drafting and set collection game
- economic — you're trying to bring onto your side to win the game
- Set Collection — a car Drafting and set collection game
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
No quotes stored for this video.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video ZvGfghKfubI
Unboxing at 0:16 sentiment: positive
video_pk 67602 · mention_pk 163752
Click to watch at 0:16 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Good organization system.
- High-quality components (weighted chips, nice dice, plastic cards).
- The plastic cards do not require sleeving.
- The water theme is integrated into the playmats.
Cons
- Takes a while to understand due to a lot of reading and learning.
- Expansion does not fit in the base game's organized storage.
- Received duplicate promo items.
Thematic elements
Comparison games
- Fate Forge
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card-driven loot and abilities — The reviewer shows and describes various loot cards and ability cards.
- Character progression/upgrades — The reviewer mentions 'dexterity' and upgrading character stats on their mat, and dice unlocking.
- Chip-based health/encounter tracking — The reviewer explains the use of chips for health, encounters, and character/enemy placement on a battle map.
- Dice Rolling — The reviewer discusses various dice used for characters, attacks, defense, and other game functions.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I'm just too stupid to do so.
- This looks like something that I will be able to get behind. Very good.
- The cards feel really good. ... there's no need to sleeve them as far as I know, which is great.
- Because this is not an inexpensive game as like most games by Chip Theory are.
- This is like a pretty cool system because like the red ones I think are the health chips and these ones here are for the encounters, right?
- It's like a lot of reading and learning before your first game, right?
- Quality wise, this is amazing. This is really really good.
- This is like an organization I can really get behind.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video k-wocyc63oI
Box of Delights Unboxing at 0:18 sentiment: positive
video_pk 60219 · mention_pk 152657
Click to watch at 0:18 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Adds a water-based environment and raft mechanics
- Standalone option and compatibility with base game
- Improved map quality and clearer colors
- New characters and enemies with stitching on maps
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- aquatic exploration and combat within a scaled-down map
- Water-based environment on a raft-based adventure
Comparison games
- Too Many Bones
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Combat: Damage Based — raft integrity affects available options mid-game
- double-sided battle map with water and land encounters — two deployment zones (raft and land) and map stitching for variation
- modular/adaptable map components — can replace base game maps or be used standalone
- raft damage and repair between encounters — raft integrity affects available options mid-game
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- undertow is gonna be a scaled-down version of too many bones
- this is gonna be like a stretch goal for on their Kickstarter campaign
- look at the stitching along the side when I get the old one out and compare for you
- the colors look clearer
- these new environments and maps look neat
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video dHENFmg7ynU
Game Night Picks - Pair Of Dice Paradise Discussion at 1:10 sentiment: positive
video_pk 41588 · mention_pk 246788
Click to watch at 1:10 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- epic feel
- unique dice mechanics
- strong theme for dice lovers
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- dice-driven character development and combat
- fantasy world with creatures and dice-driven progression
- mechanics-first with cinematic flavor
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Deck Manipulation — dice-based actions to build and customize a character
- dice manipulation — dice-based actions to build and customize a character
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's one of my top five probably favorite games
- it's epic and it just feels so different with how you handle the creatures and how you manipulate dice
- felt like you were playing that movie
- we'll see you at the table
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Qh3AneNEka4
No Pun Included Review at 30:54 sentiment: positive
video_pk 37352 · mention_pk 112205
Click to watch at 30:54 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Introduces meaningful variety without overturning core systems
- Maintains high-quality components and production
- Expands strategic options and synergy opportunities with existing gear locks
Cons
- Increases overall complexity and learning curve
- Not a standalone experience; requires base game
- May be overwhelming for casual players
Thematic elements
- Further depth and tactical nuance added to the core dungeon-crawler experience
- Expanded core world with new tyrants, gear locks, and extended encounters
- Array
- Continuation and augmentation of the core narrative with more modular content and tactical depth
Comparison games
- Too Many Bones (core)
- Age of Tyranny
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- too many bones is a big box of big ideas
- training points are the main currency of the game
- the rulebook isn't great either
- undertow felt a lot more like a puzzle
- too many bones is a power fantasy; the fun lies in tinkering with your stats
- it's just wasteful this video is sponsored by skillshare
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 74EjieULwx0
Gaming Rules! Discussion at 30:37 sentiment: positive
video_pk 13353 · mention_pk 39177
Click to watch at 30:37 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Dense, tense, and epic
- Offers roller coaster moments
Cons
- Not ideal for beginners
- Somewhat intimidating entry point
Thematic elements
- Roll-and-write style dice engine with co-op twists
- Tense, epic dungeon-boss style arc
- Dynamic, emotional ride with ups and downs
Comparison games
- Too Many Bones
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- standalone expansion logic — Undertow adds complexity atop base Too Many Bones
- two-character solo/duo play — Two players can play the solo experience together
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- "Loving it, absolutely loving it"
- "I think Jaws of the Lion is a better all-round put together package"
- "it's one of the most complicated games out there; the learning curve is huge"
- "I rate the game I think like a 9.5 out of 10"
- "we played Star Wars Imperial Assault all day"
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video MZA7NhzkpYQ
Board Game Replay Review sentiment: positive
video_pk 1102 · mention_pk 3213
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Unique character mechanics
- Deep character progression
- Interesting song/ability system
- Expanded healing mechanics
Cons
- Complex character learning curve
- Requires significant time to understand character abilities
Thematic elements
- Dice-building RPG
- Cooperative RPG adventure
- Campaign-based
Comparison games
- Original Too Many Bones
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Character progression — Each character has unique talent trees and ability systems
- dice building — Players build and upgrade character dice with unique abilities
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Each character is its own game
- We're totally locked in to play this again
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 5to8mIqfQr8
AzureDeath | Solo Board Gaming Review at 0:17 sentiment: positive
video_pk 412 · mention_pk 1238
Click to watch at 0:17 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Standalone product that can be played without owning the base game
- Strong campaign element with additional enemy types and a two-sided board
- Excellent tactile components and storage solutions; compact box feels premium
- Two-player to three-player scalability with additional content like gasket and stanza
- Fills gaps in Undertow with fresh mechanics while preserving the core system
Cons
- Not recommended as an entry point into Too Many Bones due to learning curve
- Rulebook is dense; gear locks each require learning and can be a barrier to entry
- Some encounter cards are unclear and may require consulting BoardGameGeek FAQ
- Storage expectations may differ; some expansions are optional and not included in every setup
- Rule clarifications are sometimes missing on the cards themselves; reliance on online FAQs
Thematic elements
- gear-driven progression, boss-centric battles, and tactical dice combat
- fantasy dungeon-crawl with modular encounters and a two-sided board
- campaign-driven with standalone and base-game integration options
Comparison games
- Too Many Bones (base game)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Campaign — A linked sequence of encounters and challenges with a day-counter mechanic and escalating difficulty.
- campaign mode — A linked sequence of encounters and challenges with a day-counter mechanic and escalating difficulty.
- Difficulty Tuning via Gear Locks — Adjusting the number of gear locks modulates difficulty and campaign intensity; learning curve increases with more locks.
- Gear Locks — Modular equipment pieces that drive actions, learning curve, and strategy; each gear lock has its own rules and interactions.
- Initiative and Die Tracking — Dice are used for initiative, effects, and turn-tracking, sometimes rolled later in sequences.
- Modular Board — Undertow can be played as a standalone game or integrated with base Too Many Bones content; includes compatibility with gasket and other expansions.
- Premium Components and Storage — High-quality chips and gear locks; emphasis on tactile feel and organized storage; uses accessory organizers.
- Re-Rolling and Locking — Modular equipment pieces that drive actions, learning curve, and strategy; each gear lock has its own rules and interactions.
- Standalone/Modular Content — Undertow can be played as a standalone game or integrated with base Too Many Bones content; includes compatibility with gasket and other expansions.
- Two-Sided Board — Board surfaces flip to alternate terrain (water vs land), affecting encounter types and tactics.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I would not recommend this as an entry to Too Many Bones
- This is a standalone version
- The Campaign element was interesting
- Storage solution is pretty good and saves a lot of table space
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–13 of 13