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Game Info
Year
2023
Players
1-4
Age
14+
Playtime
120 min
Collection
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Description
Embark on a journey of exploration and discovery along the historic John Muir Trail through the High Sierras of California. Explore the majestic mountains and lush meadows, the picturesque waterfalls and alpine lakes. Scale the heights of Yosemite's iconic Half Dome or Sequouia's Mt. Whitney! Enjoy meandering through Evolution Valley or Tuolumne Meadows, pausing to take in the beauty of Thousand Islands Lake or cooling your feet in the Kings River. Be humbled beneath a giant and ancient Sequoia, or catch (and release) a Golden Trout, listen to the song of an Ouzel, watch Marmots at play, or spot the rare Snow Plant. Happy trails!
Trailblazer: The John Muir Trail takes place over the course of twelve days/rounds of hiking and backpacking along the John Muir Trail (JMT). You will experience daily trail encounters, choose to explore destinations along the trail, acquire and manage natural and personal resources, discover and observe the sights and sounds of your environment, adapt to ever-changing weather conditions, and move along the entire trail, all while wisely using the items in your backpack to maximize your experience.
You can earn trail points in several ways along the route, such as placing workers on your tracks, collecting sets of field guide cards, scoring instantly with destination cards, and using your backpack gear efficiently.
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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 0 ·
neu 1 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–7 of 7
Video bNT4pKZdXOE
Getting Games Discussion at 18:12
video_pk 89691 · mention_pk 238617
Click to watch at 18:12 · YouTube ↗
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 sounds really boring but essentially i built a database of all of the content that i've made over the last eight years
- it's an incredible number i was shocked to see that
- it's now publicly available to everybody you can go to johngetsgames.com/games and that'll take you right to a read-only version of it
- these are essentially passion projects that i'm working in amongst the paying work that I do
- this is essentially a 1.0 version of the junkets games database
- it's possible at some point i will upgrade this into an actual website
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video ILInMvUJ340
Meeple University Top 10 List at 3:41 sentiment: positive
video_pk 88723 · mention_pk 234601
Click to watch at 3:41 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Gorgeous art
- Tricky and complex set collection
- Timing decisions are good
- Racing element adds strategy
Cons
- Losing if you don't reach the top
- Can be tricky and complex
Thematic elements
- hiking
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Race — you don't reach the top of the track you will lose the game.
- Set Collection — and there's some things that are quite tricky like as usual worker placement means that you have to go to the place that you want to prioritize first but there are other ways of scoring that is quite tricky and complex set collection that you wanna collect since sets or gear in your backpack or you wanna keep using the same one to trigger other bonuses.
- Worker Placement — it is essentially a worker placement and there's some things that are quite tricky like as usual worker placement means that you have to go to the place that you want to prioritize first.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- and now we're here to show you our top games of April new to us that we play of course in April 2023
- so these are again these could be older games that we first came across in April were reprinted in April they could be new prototypes that have come to us that we played in April anything April Associated for us could also be a real copy could also be the game that has been commissioned to us to do either way this is all just our opinions so purely our opinions
- it's so good it's so quick it's so compact it's great for travel you should play it
- look it up it's called we play board games Melbourne at meetup.com if you are in Melbourne or if you are visiting Melbourne come and join us
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video MTZq8j04ZPg
Watch It Played Top 10 List at 18:28 sentiment: positive
video_pk 87882 · mention_pk 230354
Click to watch at 18:28 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Fun
- Lots of variability
- Simple rules
- Interesting stories to share
Cons
- Losing condition wasn't clear at the start
- Could have used information about not finishing the trail earlier
Thematic elements
- Hiking and backpacking, experiencing trail encounters, and managing resources.
- The John Muir Trail, exploring mountains, meadows, waterfalls, and lakes.
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- backpack management — wisely using the items in your backpack to maximize your experience.
- Hiking — you will experience daily Trail encounters.
- Resource Management — acquire and manage natural and personal resources.
- Set Collection — collecting sets of things put your backpack you want two of each symbol so that you can start using those resources and you've got Trail sets of cards to get.
- Weather adaptation — adapt to ever changing weather conditions.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This just jump straight to my top five games of all time.
- The sweet sweet nectar of this well design, beautifully presented, and incredibly fun game has me Hive blown away.
- Summoning evil in this family friendly game was a real treat.
- I have seen a few civilization destruction games like Empires end and many civilization building games but never both in the same game and I'm intrigued to see how this works
- This is a great card game.
- I think this game is perfect it's the best version of what it's trying to do it's fast fun laugh out loud five player Pusher look game with Space Cats of course.
- I'm so interested in this period of History it's really interesting.
- a fun game with a lot of variability but a pretty simple rule set and we had a good time hiking the trail
- void fall is amazing we can't recommend it enough
- I think side quest was just a little bit ahead of its time for it to have hit properly.
- spots is just a wonderful little pushy look game that always puts a smile on my face.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video n5vuyAeUh5k
Meeple University Rules Teach
video_pk 69936 · mention_pk 166826
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
none
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Trailblazer is played in 12 rounds and each round is played in three phases
- the player who scores the most victory points will be the winner
- a player who fails to do this cannot win
- the game ends after consuming food and water in the 12th round
- these are all true landmarks along different parts of the real Trail
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video n5vuyAeUh5k
Meeple University Rules Teach at 0:00 sentiment: neutral
video_pk 69936 · mention_pk 234803
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
neutral
Pros
- Explicit 12-round structure with three phases per round
- Thematic blend of hiking and resource management
- Clear endgame objectives tied to real landmarks
Cons
Thematic elements
- hiking expedition with nature and scenic destinations
- John Muir Trail in the Sierras of California
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Arrow Head/Endgame objectives — Arrow Head tiles provide endgame scoring objectives; some are public, some are private as you gain them.
- Card evolution by color — Green, blue, and brown cards appear and replace, changing endgame scoring possibilities.
- End of round refill and discard — After all players have played, cards are discarded and the decks are refilled from the top.
- End phase scoring — End of round and end of game scoring with shields and medallions contributing points.
- Gear and backpack management — Gear icons and backpack capacity require arranging gear tokens and applying effects when completed.
- Hike action — Hiking advances the hiker along the trail; it is a dedicated action space and must be taken to progress.
- Obstacle cards — Obstacle cards function like Trail cards if you have the gear; otherwise you may discard them to gain water.
- Resource Management — Players manage natural resources (water, earth, wind, fire) and personal resources (food, water bottles, sleep, endurance) and must consume for each day.
- Trail cards — Each turn, players draw a Trail card into hand and then play one Trail card for its effect.
- Worker Placement — The daytime phase is a worker placement phase where players place a tracks token to take actions.
- worker placement phase — The daytime phase is a worker placement phase where players place a tracks token to take actions.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Trailblazer is played in 12 rounds and each round is played in three phases
- the player who scores the most victory points will be the winner
- a player who fails to do this cannot win
- the game ends after consuming food and water in the 12th round
- these are all true landmarks along different parts of the real Trail
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video xRSMeaKDLt4
Meeple University Rules Teach at 1:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 64190 · mention_pk 157665
Click to watch at 1:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Gorgeous artwork by Andrew Bossley
- Emphasis on journey and destination
- Phase-based weather and outdoor setting add depth
- Rich thematic flavor with lodge rest and scenic landmarks
Cons
- You must reach the end of the trail to avoid disqualification, which adds high risk if you miss it.
Thematic elements
- outdoor adventure and trail travel
- Hiking from Yosemite National Park along the John Muir Trail
- phase-based progression (Sunrise/Daytime/Sunset) with events and rewards
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Destination cards — Attempt to grab destination cards for points and bonuses.
- Hardship tokens — Tokens that impose penalties if accumulated by end of game.
- hiking to map steps — Move along the map by paying resource costs; there are 10 hiking steps and 12 rounds; only one hike per round.
- Movement Points — Move along the map by paying resource costs; there are 10 hiking steps and 12 rounds; only one hike per round.
- Multi-Use Cards — Attempt to grab destination cards for points and bonuses.
- Resource Management — Gain and spend resources to hike, load gear, and activate bonuses.
- round structure with day phases — A Sunrise phase reveals weather, followed by Daytime actions, then Sunset base and round transitions.
- Set Collection — Gain point and resource generating cards.
- special locations — Cozy High Sierra Lodge replenishes food and drink and allows rest.
- Worker Placement — One player at a time allocates a worker to an action space and performs its action.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Trailblazer is coming yet competitive game with Gorgeous artwork by Andrew Bossley
- you must reach the end of the trail otherwise you'll automatically lose
- the most important action is to hike
- there are 12 rounds in the game
- you can replenish your food drink catch some sleep and relax
- hopefully you enjoy both the journey and the destination
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Ipz3SpdoOdw
Board Game Dad Top List at 3:30 sentiment: positive
video_pk 42741 · mention_pk 129856
Click to watch at 3:30 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Beautiful artwork and natural theme
- Satisfying progression as patches unlock more actions
- Accessible yet with depth that rewards strategic planning
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Nature exploration, patch collection, observation as progress
- John Muir Trail through the Sierra Nevada; nature-focused trekking journey
- Narrative of progressing along a trail with patches/achievements guiding later actions
Comparison games
- Wingspan
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card Drafting — players draft cards to add to a tableau and gain patches/achievements
- Resource Management — manage multiple resources to maintain progression on the trail
- Set Collection — collect patches/achievements that later augment actions and progress
- set collection / patch augmentation — collect patches/achievements that later augment actions and progress
- Worker Placement — players place workers to perform actions along the trail path to progress
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- when I rate games I rate them on five attributes theme mechanics and complexity
- five games that are better than wingspan
- Birds of a Feather my number one recommendation for a game that is better than Wingspan
- it's called birds of a feather
- this is actually a micro version of wingspan
- an elegant adaptation of a portable version of wingspan and I had to cover it
- Earth is another Tableau building game right
- it's such a light game
- Meadow is a card drafting game and much like wingspan you're drafting cards of animals that would belong in a habitat
- Trailblazer the John Muir Trail is just so satisfying in its artistic and natural beauty
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–7 of 7