Windward

Video WKchhHOqXvI Getting Games Discussion at 33:26 sentiment: positive

video_pk 91543 · mention_pk 245678

Click to watch at 33:26 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

ship navigation and notoriety race
gas giant Crestor, in the skies
storybook, adventurous

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

action_programming — plan actions ahead and execute in sequence
hand_management — manage a hand of cards to perform actions
modular_board — board setup changes with modules
pickup_and_deliver — move and deliver goods for notoriety points

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

"I'm going to be capturing the screen on my laptop here and will actually be going through the BoardGameGeek pages together as I talk"
"I'm certainly paying attention to this one"

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video za39Zwu4biE Gaming with Edo & Jessica Discussion at 2:39 sentiment: positive

video_pk 86843 · mention_pk 226195

Click to watch at 2:39 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Big box of awesome
Incredible artwork

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Wine making
Vineyard

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

competitive — This is a shared worker placement game where you are moving these different friends see some of them there some of them there on the back of the box um around a Vineyard and you're making wine together but it is competitive so you're trying to work the process and bring it to life.
shared worker placement — This is a shared worker placement game where you are moving these different friends see some of them there some of them there on the back of the box um around a Vineyard and you're making wine together but it is competitive so you're trying to work the process and bring it to life.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

hey everybody Edo here and what a 2024 it has been for pencil first games
it has been a a long time and let me start by just thanking everyone for their support penil Force games is uh here because of backers and and players and people who have been enjoying the the games that we've been making
this is the third game in the skullo M Peak line it has been some time in the making but we have multiple Guardians all new um an all new uh group of Heroes lots of fun artworks looking fantastic the game plays a blast it's just a lot of work it's Matrix against the other games it's going to work just like Mal Peak where you can play it Standalone or mix and match it
by the way we have this awesome uh holiday sale it's one of the biggest if not the the biggest we've ever done in the last 10 years it's 40% off which is sort of crazy uh for us
it's been 10 years thank you thank you thank you it's so much fun to be able to make these games and for people to enjoy them and be delighted

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video bo_-r9e9qQo Gaming with Edo & Jessica Analysis at 0:08 sentiment: positive

video_pk 86279 · mention_pk 222804

Click to watch at 0:08 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Super super fun
Fantastic component quality (SES)
Really high quality components
Awesome color and characters on components
Really great game
Happy with the game

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Wine making

Comparison games

Concordia

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

action selection — Players pick up and play cards based on their workers, with options to upgrade cards and workers.
Card Upgrades — Players can upgrade cards.
solo mode — The game includes a solo mode.
Worker Placement — Players manage the same workers throughout the vineyard for the wine-making process.
Worker Upgrades — Players can upgrade workers.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

The platforms Market games everything's changing all the time so it's it's just important as a Creator as somebody doing kick kickstarters to both understand sort of what works and what's what's what's stable and all the places where things have changed or or um opportunities for improvement or new ways of doing things Etc
Vineyard is um a shared worker placement an action selection game so it's a little bit of like uh worker placement where we're all managing the same workers throughout the Vineyard and we're all working to go through this wine making process um and it has action selection I'll Concordia where you're sort of picking up cards and playing them down but it's based on your workers and you could upgrade the cards and upgrade the workers super super fun
we're going to be participating in kickstarters pledge manager so that's um uh you know I don't know how we're not the first certainly but it's a smaller set of groups right now I don't think it's fully rolled out but we are going to be use their integrated uh uh uh pledge manager and that's different than pledge manager so we pre last campaign it was new we used pledge manager which had some integration with Kickstarter but it was like this real like oh uh our hookup just lets Kickstarter like send us their the information but it's but it's still just our own system
It's not a 20 304 you know it's a little bit more of a big box game and it'll be more expensive at retail so
the real stuff is that Kickstarter stuff all that under the hood stuff is very different the actual page I think is pretty common to what we're doing

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video HeBXotVH2-k Hungry Gamer Review at 0:11 sentiment: positive

video_pk 86262 · mention_pk 222673

Click to watch at 0:11 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Very simple to learn with a good rulebook.
The shared workers and card limitation system creates an interesting puzzle.
The game feels crunchier and heavier than its weight class.
Upgrades make subsequent plays feel different.
Player boards having different friends activate powers at different times keeps the game moving.
The cultivation puzzle is simple but works well.
The tension in deciding when to act or wait is interesting.
Pleasantly surprised by the complexity and puzzle aspects.
Cozy little wine making theme.

Cons

As a light game, the replayability relies on playing many times, especially for those who have played before.
The real fun starts when playing the players, which requires commitment to repeated plays.
Prototype production choices: cheat sheets miss key information, icons on the board lack clarity, and the truck loading area gets messy.
Requires commitment to multiple plays to get the true joy out of it.

Thematic elements

Wine making

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

action selection — Players choose action cards to determine where their workers move and what actions they take.
Card Drafting — Players draft upgrade cards and action cards.
Resource Management — Players manage grapes and hearts to create wine barrels.
Set Collection — Players collect grape tokens to fulfill requirements for wine barrels.
Tableau Building — Players build up their abilities through upgrades and action cards.
Worker Placement — Players select action cards to move shared workers around the board to take actions.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

it really makes for an interesting puzzle and a fairly unique feeling game as you're doing what is work replacement Tableau building and but it just all kind of comes together into a light game that feels different from any other games of that weight that I've played so that I think works very very well
the other thing that I think this does is it makes the game feel crunchier and heavier than it actually is because of the decisions that you're making it really adds a level of thought and puzzle and crunch to the game that you just don't usually get in light games that you can play in about an hour
I really wish there was just a little truck sideboard it space put the card there and it had drawn out five of those those little kegs or barrels whatever and as it goes there you just move it right onto that board shows you right there what's going to happen when it scores it could even have down at the bottom the little reminder you're going to get one point per barrel that has a heart on it etc etc and it would just would clean it up
I think that's really where the interest of the game is going to come and I think the lightness of the game the puzzle of the game lends itself to that but that is not something that everyone is looking for right we in our in this hobby we often take a game we play it three times we're done well I think with this again light game you're going to want to play it 10 11 times

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video Yc5M7i3fZco Gaming with Edo & Jessica Analysis at 2:32 sentiment: positive

video_pk 84570 · mention_pk 214995

Click to watch at 2:32 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Kickstarter's pledge manager was used and the team was happy with it.
FSC certified paper products

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)

And as is tradition on this channel, whenever Pencil First Games is doing a new Kickstarter, I do this video on what we did differently this time around.
The campaigning question here is our Hanafuda large format edition.
So really a very different edition but using a lot of the same card art and things like that.
our page is very typical Pencil First Games if you look at it and we'll link the link but clean layout.
We're pretty happy with the pledge management tool, the support from the Kickstarter team.
And this has been pretty successful for us. They're Kickstarter only and then we sell direct so they don't go to retail.
So they have a lot of advantages and in many cases I've used sort of simplified contracts to you know just have less overhead and upkeep to like try to create and and drive these products.
So this is the first time we're just saying all that's on sale in this Kickstarter is this.
And we're also going after part of this is taking this thing that was more expensive, making it cheaper.
So effectively when you release something and it's only $12. What you're saying is the most money that you can contribute to this Kickstarter is $12.
We're really just having a a small focus campaign.
And so in that regard, it's, you know, off the table.
We just want to do really beautiful simple card poker size edition and make it available to folks.
And so it is something that we always think about on a campaign but for this one sort of stuck to the simp stuck to the simplified version.
And most manufacturers now will bring it up to you.
And tariffs have been a huge part of that conversation and obviously are just unsettled as of making this video.
and everyone's super busy and not interested ed in small print runs and and and working with small fries
Kickstarter and direct to consumer does enable or support or allow give a little bit more flexibility when it comes to your costs or cost of goods or or or what ultimately it takes to manufacture product
So, it's an ongoing conversation. It's ongoing consideration.
Uh but for now, we look at it as part of, you know, uh uh uh it's probably the difference between this Kickstarter campaign being $12 versus 10, right?
So, you know, but that's how we're thinking about it and that's how we're thinking about today.
If you don't have never played Hanafuda, please try it.
it's such a delightful little game and I think it really is a fantastic contrast to sort of the history of of of of of poker and and and and Hana.
So like I just think it's a fascinating history. It's a fascinating product. It's a lot of fun. and I really enjoy it

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 7OiHVRfqB84 Good Time Society Discussion at 29:32 sentiment: positive

video_pk 83991 · mention_pk 212753

Click to watch at 29:32 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

More accessible than other wine games
Shared worker placement is interesting
Nice components
Beautiful art

Cons

Competing with well-established wine games like Viticulture and Venos

Thematic elements

wine-making
winery

Comparison games

Viticulture
Venos

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Engine Building — Players upgrade actions on their player board.
Resource Management — Players manage resources to upgrade actions.
Worker Placement — Uses a shared worker placement system.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

The show became three dudes and immediately became nothing but hot takes and all yelling at each other
If you don't get a 12th of the year for yourself, selfish to say.
This is an unprecedented time. Otani is unreal. Uh, to be able to provide that value and we're talking about value as in games, right?
We're all League ignorant here, but Riftbound is a pretty sweet card game.
make it so that you don't get screwed for resources. And make it so you never have to shuffle your deck.
Again, they switch seats. But the set does look incredible.
My head still hurts from that game, by the way.
You know what's funny, too? It actually has a solo game which I'm interested in because area control and solo game never really I I never would have thought
It's really cool to talk to Mike getting to know his background as a musician and as a DJ and uh how he used that um to um take him along the journey of the board game design.
it's crazy how simple of a game it is and how much it paralyzes you and it's like a hallmark of his design.
None of us were correct. That's so funny.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video BsjkVYJuGQI Rob's Tabletop World Discussion at 16:13

video_pk 83352 · mention_pk 209753

Click to watch at 16:13 · 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)

I don't go to our local game shops. I I because personally I can't stand people.
And if GW did exactly what this man is doing, okay, this game would be alive forever.
What I consider one of the greatest games of all time.
And that's the thing that keeps me going because it's not it's not you're not faceless to me, okay?
The 20s have not been very kind to me.
If you fight hard enough if you give everything that you got and you don't quit ever. You just kind of keep keep plugging along.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video gnLPSqQiP-c Review at 0:06 sentiment: negative

video_pk 79570 · mention_pk 193068

Click to watch at 0:06 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

negative

Pros

Upgrading workers can be satisfying.

Cons

Shared workers mechanic is not neat.
Rules for wine making are convoluted and difficult to teach.
Theming of adding 'love' as an ingredient is unclear.
Actions can sometimes be unsatisfying.
The game drags in many places.
Decisions are not fun.
The framework is bland and boring.

Thematic elements

Wine making

Comparison games

Viticulture

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

resource collection — It has these different mini games from the collecting the resources to the the making the wine to getting these wine in these buckets and moving them on a conveyor belt.
shared workers — You have what they call shared workers. So, that's kind of the main focus of this game is that there are different people on the board and you all can use these different people.
Worker upgrading — You also are upgrading them, which by the way is really weird thematically. And that's my favorite part of this game is like, "Ooh, I can upgrade and get these special things."

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

This is a five out of 10 for me.
And the rules in particularly how wine is made is a very convoluted process.
But that kind of pales then the game itself, the framework itself is really kind of bland and boring.
So, it's not really one that I can recommend, especially when there's other really good games about making wine, say Viticulture and things like that.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video BDZxd3bs0Xw Review at 0:05 sentiment: positive

video_pk 69327 · mention_pk 165777

Click to watch at 0:05 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Satisfying combos and exciting turns.
Strategic depth and planning opportunities.
Fun interaction with the AI opponent (Aunt Mabel).
Replayability due to varied card draws and strategies.
Thematic integration of wine making.

Cons

Aunt Mabel can be tricky and difficult to beat.

Thematic elements

Wine making
A vineyard

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Action Card Play — Players use action cards to perform specific actions, with the option to upgrade these cards.
AI Opponent — Aunt Mabel acts as the solo opponent, using a deck of cards to determine her actions.
asymmetric scoring — The host's scoring is based on hearts on loaded wines, coins, and truck cards, while Aunt Mabel scores stars from actions and hearts on the board.
Dice Rolling — Grape tokens are drawn randomly from a bag to refill the fields.
Resource Management — Players manage coins and heart tokens.
Set Collection — Players collect grape tokens to make wines and score points.
Worker Placement — Friends are moved to different action spaces on the board to perform actions like 'cultivate', 'harvest', 'make wine', 'age wine', 'load trucks', 'greet', and 'paperwork'.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Aunt Mabel is a tricky one, but finding those awesome combos and those really great turns and making those happen is just so exciting.
Winning against her is just awesome awesome awesome.
I start off with the neatest most organized play area and then it slowly descends into chaos.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video wt7mvJZ18tU Review at 0:07 sentiment: positive

video_pk 69328 · mention_pk 165778

Click to watch at 0:07 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Easy to follow rules
Smooth gameplay
Interesting decisions every turn
Outshine friends by upgrading and combining the right worker and action into clever and exciting turns
Strategic and satisfying gameplay

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Wine making
A sun-washed valley

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

action selection — It features action selection, paired with worker placement.
Worker Placement — Vineyard is described as a shared worker placement game.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Vineyard a wine making game is the perfect pairing of shared worker placement and action selection
make your next game night one to remember with the Strategic and satisfying gameplay in Vineyard

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video tjp0Jadd1-Q Rules Teach at 0:14 sentiment: positive

video_pk 67921 · mention_pk 164201

Click to watch at 0:14 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

acrylic standees can be made crystal clear for a nice look
protective film prevents scratches during transport
components fit neatly into the insert

Cons

film can make standees not fit neatly into bases
leaving the film on does not affect gameplay

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)

Hopefully these tips and examples are helpful to you for getting your acrylic standies ready to go so you can start playing great games like Vineyard right away and enjoy them at your table.

References (from this video)

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Video 77krOuWPvGY The Dice Tower Review at 4:17 sentiment: mixed

video_pk 66251 · mention_pk 161134

Click to watch at 4:17 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

mixed

Pros

attractive, cheerful appearance
attempts an interesting shared worker mechanic

Cons

shared workers idea isn't neatly realized
wine-making rules are convoluted
game drags and lacks satisfying decisions

Thematic elements

shared workers in winemaking
wine production
cheerful aesthetic with a somewhat clinical execution

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

conveyor belt/resource processing — resources progress along a conveyor belt toward scoring
shared workers — different workers are available to all players and can be upgraded
upgrading workers — improve workers to access better actions

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Night Soil is a game about poop. That's all it is about.
This game kind of beats you down.
The cloth mat with the printing on is pretty hard to read what all the symbols do.
This is a five out of 10 for me.
The rules... is a very convoluted process.
I really dislike what Portal did with this.
There is a player aid per character. Yay.
Symbols in this game do not match what you think they might mean.
Redonkulously huge.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video bHXXw7xI3zY kovray Review at 0:19 sentiment: positive

video_pk 64111 · mention_pk 157595

Click to watch at 0:19 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Shared worker placement is a major positive aspect
Asymmetry exists via different player boards
Requires planning and timing with a responsive board state
Upgrade cards provide clear strategic choices
Theme is strongly integrated into mechanics
Solo mode exists and four-player play is highlighted as especially engaging

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Wine production and cooperation among friends
A vineyard/wine making environment

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

aging wine by moving barrels through cellar — Move barrels through cellar positions to age wine and track time.
cat follower variability — A cat follower that changes the game up when it accompanies you.
grape cultivation and harvest into a crush bin — Cultivate grapes to add hearts, harvest groups of same grapes into a crush bin.
loading trucks and end-game truck phases — Load barrels onto trucks; after three trucks, end the game or scoring occurs.
multiple scoring conditions — Scoring occurs via trucks, train cards, people interactions, and sets of hearts and coins.
paperwork to refresh or upgrade — Paperwork actions to refresh workers or upgrade components.
shared worker placement (worker pool) — Players place cards in front of workers from a shared pool; once all workers are used, you must refresh via paperwork to use them again.
solo mode — There is a solo mode variant mentioned.
upgrading cards or character abilities with coins — Spend coins to upgrade cards or unlock character upgrades; improve action cards or abilities.
wine production by completing barrel requirements — Complete barrels from a crush bin to make wine and transfer hearts from the bin to players.
worker movement to action locations — Moving a worker to a location on the main board to perform that location's ability.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

"it's shared workers it is a worker placement game"
"it's a game of timing"
"the upgrade cards are fantastic for that"

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video CaXsJDw13AE Tabletop Tolson Review at 0:55

video_pk 35358 · mention_pk 152249

Click to watch at 0:55 · YouTube ↗

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Array
Array
Cooperative-leaning worker placement with personal specialties and deck-upgrade progression within a competitive, shared board space.
Array
Wine production process in a vineyard, covering cultivation, harvest, aging, and distribution via trucks.
Array
Array
Array
positive

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Kudos and big thumbs up to really stepping up into that 60-minute board game arena with Pencil Verse Games
Vineyard a wine making game really did surprise me
lots of praise lots of love for Vineyard
one more thing when you back it on Kickstarter you actually are going to get the mini expansion
that mini expansion is also part of the base game that you get with vineyard
the cool thing too is that players all have a unique board but they're all the same actions essentially
Kudos and big thumbs up too really stepping up into that 60-minute board game arena with Pencil Verse Games

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 7ZtjI7p94ug Might I Suggest A Game Discussion at 3:31 sentiment: positive

video_pk 12396 · mention_pk 36196

Click to watch at 3:31 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Strong production value
Designer is likely involved given the team's track record

Cons

Early impressions rely on prototype visuals

Thematic elements

exploration and crew management
Sci-fi space setting with modular minis
adventure-driven exploration

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

miniatures — Tactical movement and positioning with sci‑fi flavor

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

it's not too late to pick up a badge
I'm really looking forward to grubbing and gaming at the same time
this stuff that really gets me going
I can't wait for Tantrum Con 2022
let's get into it
this has been a minor suggested game production and I'm Alex, your board game sommelier, signing off

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video fLyAj9bJkIc Getting Games Playthrough at 0:00 sentiment: positive

video_pk 10458 · mention_pk 30804

Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Engaging and tense combat with meaningful player interaction
Dynamic wind and navigation system creates varied strategic decisions
Robust endgame race with multiple viable victory paths

Cons

Rule complexity can be intimidating for new players
Heavy bookkeeping and resource tracking may slow first-play sessions

Thematic elements

Aircraft-based strategy with resource management, territorial control, and combat resolution
Aerial battle and exploration across a sky-bound map featuring wind-driven routes, Zephyrs, and floating zones.
Emergent narrative driven by player choices, battles, and endgame tension

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Card-driven combat modifiers — Heated shots, harpoons, swivel guns, and similar cards modify combat outcomes in various ways.
Crew and mate actions — Mates and crew provide bonuses (e.g., boat speed, +die when attacking, combat modifiers) and can be processed for resources.
Dice-based combat — Airships and boats resolve battles with multiple dice, where modifiers from cards and crew affect hits.
Notoriety and endgame — Notoriety accumulates toward a game-ending threshold; achieving specific feats can end the game or trigger endgame scoring.
Resource and cargo management — Players manage morale, gas, supply cards, and loot (tooth/crestor) to fuel actions and stock their holds.
Wind-driven movement — Movement and positioning are constrained and influenced by changing wind directions; players can alter wind via generators or arrow cards.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

this is the first airship on airship combat of the game
we have now defeated this grey Crestor
the wind direction is blowing this direction
endgame state now officially ends the game
I think this is a nice flexible option

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Vineyard Review: Quick Take with Tom Vasel

Vineyard Acrylic Standee Tips

Windward Extended Playthrough - JonGetsGames

Windward

Vineyard Review: Quick Take with Tom Vasel

Vineyard Acrylic Standee Tips

Windward Extended Playthrough - JonGetsGames

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