Game Info
Year
2025
Players
2-4
Age
14+
Playtime
90 min
Complexity
2.9/5
Collection
Your Tier
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Description
City-building and resource management game where players lead powerful families growing prestige by building businesses across nine districts
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Images
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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 3 ·
mix 3 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–7 of 7
Video GuMIK_yakF4
The Cardboard Herald Review at 0:25 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 84845 · mention_pk 216306
Click to watch at 0:25 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- A lot of interesting systems and mechanisms.
- Gives players a lot of decisions to make on their turn.
- Cool and functional miniatures.
- Distinct components that are easy to identify.
- Could be a good midweight Euro for those unfamiliar with D&D.
- Rewarding system if players understand the game and board state well.
Cons
- The theme is pasted on and doesn't feel integral to the D&D experience.
- Unnamed attackers in districts feel like a misstep.
- Punishment for failing to protect districts is not devastating.
- Systems never quite come together cohesively.
- The board becomes cluttered quickly due to large minis.
- Low player interaction as players focus on their own tableau.
- Faction system and defense structures can feel disconnected from the core building mechanic.
- Game can be runaway-leader prone with no catch-up mechanics.
- Some starting hands can be luck-dependent and lead to early advantages.
- Frustratingly close to being a great game, but not quite there.
Thematic elements
- Real estate market
- Baldur's Gate
Comparison games
- Lords of Waterdeep
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control/Defense — Players can build fortifications to protect districts from attacks, with failure leading to negative consequences.
- Resource Management — Players exchange resources and manage income to construct buildings and take actions.
- Tableau Building — Constructed buildings go into a player's tableau, granting ongoing bonuses or actions during the income phase.
- Worker Placement — Players can send workers to special locations for unique bonuses, but workers only return under specific conditions, sometimes leading them to be 'stuck'.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the entire time I'm playing Dungeons and Dragons, you want to know what I'm just like always thinking about the real estate market.
- This is the latest D&D board game provided to us by Wiz Kids, and it's got a lot of interesting things going on despite being maybe the least interesting concept for a Dungeons and Dragons board game.
- The theme is pasted on.
- It's frustratingly close to being a great game, but it's just not quite there.
- this is going to probably end up on my shelf more frequently than it is going to end up on my table.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video j-EyFmGRXKA
Gaming Rules! Other at 1:15:56 sentiment: positive
video_pk 84782 · mention_pk 216037
Click to watch at 1:15:56 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
Positive
Pros
- Plays smoothly and relatively quickly.
- Enjoyable despite a rule misinterpretation.
- Appeals to fans of Euro games and the D&D setting.
Cons
- Had audio issues during the playthrough recording.
- Some card wording led to a rule misinterpretation.
- Does not feel like a traditional D&D adventure game.
Thematic elements
- Building structures within a Dungeons and Dragons city setting.
- Baldur's Gate
Comparison games
- Lords of Waterdeep
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Bag Building — Whenever you build on one of them, you draw a little token out of a bag to decide where you build on next.
- Hand Management — You have a hand of cards which represent the different buildings that you can build.
- Resource Management — To build them, you're going to need money, which is one of the three resources in the game.
- Set Collection — You're trying to connect them together on the board. You're trying to link as many as you can in your line. You're also trying to build across all nine districts.
- Tile Placement — When you build them, you build them onto the board on one of the plots.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is going to be a bumper issue.
- Builders of Bow's Gate, designed by Matthew Dunston, published by Whiz Kids, who have been clients of mine for many years.
- Unfortunately, some of the wording on some of the cards made us think that a certain thing worked a particular way.
- For me, not really. And Builders of Balders's Gate is in the same category.
- It actually felt quite thematic, especially with the with the boss fight at the end.
- It is still my favorite game in the genre of fantasy cooperative adventure games.
- And for me, like I've said most months, I prefer it to Gloom Haven.
- I had this game where at the point I could have ended the game and scored over a hundred, I think the next highest player was on about 40.
- So, I would say if you do play spellbook, try not to go for the rush end by just putting things on your thing.
- Let the game breathe a little bit and let everybody get a few spells because it's a it's a much more much more interesting game.
- So, as of this morning, we are on 1,182 Patreon supporters.
- Unfortunately, that means it's dropped since last month.
- And I will be absolutely honest with you here. You know that I'm a very emotional person and I take a lot of things personally.
- So, let's try and get 1,200 patron supporters.
- Please don't think this is me begging for money or trying to guilt you into supporting me or anything like that.
- So, we've made three donations to charity at £500 each.
- So huge thank you to Phil for not just providing us with the panels, but for all of the technical support that he's given us with regards to our sound issues that we've been having in the new studio.
- On screen now is a list of all of the people who started supporting me on Patreon since the last video log.
- I dread to think how long this video is.
- And there's going to be a bonus vlog as well.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video TOfFjjt2X6k
Rolling Dice & Taking Names Review at 1:01:17 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 84424 · mention_pk 214480
Click to watch at 1:01:17 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Engaging D&D theme and city-building gameplay.
- Minimal components to track.
- Strategic decision-making with building placement and worker actions.
- The 'attack' phase adds tension and semi-cooperative defense.
- Buildings provide bonuses when others build nearby.
- Encourages combo-building and synergistic play.
Cons
- Some players found certain card combinations (e.g., 'turn worker for free') to be too powerful and game-breaking.
- Worker retrieval can be a challenge, especially late game.
- Objective cards can be at the mercy of plot token randomness.
- The impact of the 'attack' phase felt somewhat out of player control.
- Some found the building aspect didn't feel 'solid'.
Thematic elements
- City building with a D&D theme, including defense against attacks.
- Baldur's Gate (Dungeons & Dragons Universe)
Comparison games
- Alisium
- Guild of Merchant Explorers
- Village Rails
- Terra Mystica
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area control / influence — Players build buildings on specific plot markers, with connected buildings and buildings in different colored zones providing points.
- Combat / Defense — Players build fortifications (watchtowers, keeps) to defend their buildings from incoming attacks.
- Engine Building — Buildings generate income and provide benefits, allowing players to build a system for generating victory points.
- Resource Management — Players manage coin, supplies, and favors to perform actions and build structures.
- Set Collection — Collecting buildings and advancing on faction tracks to meet agenda card requirements.
- Worker Placement — Players send workers to various spots on the board to perform actions like building, collecting resources, or advancing on tracks.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Rolling dice and taking names.
- This is one of those where I was like, I know those songs, but they're never given like accolades for like how good they were.
- It's one of those where I was like, I know those songs, but they're never given like accolades for like how good they were.
- The map is absolutely gorgeous. The production is topnotch.
- So, for me, the big negative, I'm old. The icons are tiny. I had the readers out.
- The concept of this is to capture the other person's leader by having some of their army surround them, your champions.
- And at the end of the game, what you're doing is you're sitting there going, 'Okay, most of the plots are going to be filled anyway.'
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video c1mINKH_9g8
Discussion at 16:54:40 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 69103 · mention_pk 165442
Click to watch at 16:54:40 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Solid game
- Euro set in Dungeons and Dragons world
- Interesting worker placement with displacement
Cons
- Thematic attacks feel disconnected
- Easy to run away with a victory
- Worker can get stranded
- Large score difference in one play
Thematic elements
- Dungeons and Dragons world
- Baldur's Gate
Comparison games
- Lords of Water Deep
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — the buildings that are all connected and you're trying to build the buildings in a way that gets you bonuses by other people building around it.
- Resource Management — managing resources
- Tableau Building — the tableau that you build using the buildings
- Worker Placement — worker placement aspect of the game where there's eight different districts. Each district has two actions that you can do by placing your worker there.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- It feels like a classic card game just in terms of like the you you're you bid the number of tricks you're going to win, but you have to be you have to be exactly right.
- Thematically I think it doesn't land like there
- It still feels satisfying to get a good engine going.
- It's just like, fun, lighthearted competition.
- Sky Team is absolutely incredible. It is so tense. It is so good.
- It's a game where you feel like you've earned your victory.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video CWBtUoEBDCQ
Watch It Played Rules Teach at 0:00
video_pk 68237 · mention_pk 164616
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
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)
- Dungeons and Dragons Builders of balder's gate players will be competing to construct the most buildings and fortifications
- this is known as your portfolio row
- the game is played over a series of turns
- earn Prestige points by the end of the game
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video uhOvPpK3aYg
The Dice Tower Top 10 List at 0:45 sentiment: positive
video_pk 35572 · mention_pk 106291
Click to watch at 0:45 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Visually striking components during play
- Engaging worker movement
- Exciting income phase
Cons
- Table presence looks messy when completed
- Rules can be dense for new players
Thematic elements
- Urban development, resource management, and worker movement
- Fantasy city-building in a Baldur's Gate-inspired setting
- Theme-forward with chaotic income phase
Comparison games
- Great Western Trail
- Mansions of Madness
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Income phase chaos — Income phase becomes highly variable and dynamic as players build.
- Worker Placement — Directs worker placement and movement to manage income and actions.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Vanish is a perfect 10 game.
- It's a dead language. Who knows? Children of the Sun.
- This is Metal Gear Solid, and it finally came out, and oh my gosh, it's so good.
- Pergola is a beautiful little game where you're making a little pergola, a garden, right?
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video MsdXkOQLfPI
Cardboard Herald Top 10 List at 6:18 sentiment: positive
video_pk 32285 · mention_pk 95425
Click to watch at 6:18 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
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 wacky deck builder is just so much pure fun.
- one of the greatest ratios of fun to rules complexity ratio I have ever seen
- I could play this for hours and hours and hours on end and never get bored.
- space age rocket launching good old time.
- The secrecy of playing cards face down and never knowing if you're winning a lane.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
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