Drillers: Discussion
Transcript
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Hey everyone, welcome back to Board Games Unlocked. And Brad and I are doing a discussion over Drillers. This is the new hotness by CGE and apparently was the game that uh everyone was looking to get at Gen Con from what uh Brad had told me.
Yep.
Uh luckily we didn't have to go to uh Gen Con to be able to pick up a copy. I think it's readily available on their website.
Well, I know it's sold out on their website currently. Yeah, I ordered it like during Gen Con on their website and I got a copy and it was like sold out the next day and it hasn't filled back in. It's on pre-order on a lot of lot of the local on online retailers and stuff but
nice. Okay. I think whenever I had looked after you said, "Oh, pick it up on their website." I went to their website
and I think it was available at that time. Um, which is always interesting what games end up going very uh very popular at Gen Con.
Uh, cuz it never seems to be these big games because these big games aren't even released at Gen Con anymore. Uh, they're because they're all crowdfunded.
Um, but CG always does, I mean, phenomenal work even to this day. They're I It's amazing how their card quality and their component quality has stayed consistent the entire time. I've never played a game by them.
Um so Brad, why don't you tell us a little bit about Drillers because this is actually your game. Yeah, this was one that um because I listen to a lot of podcasts and stuff and there was you know a lot of those big podcast you are like Gen Con preview and stuff and this was at the top of so many of them's list for stuff looking for and that's what got me thinking about it and then I saw CGE which was a plus um cuz there hasn't been too many CGE games that I've really like thought were complete stinkers. I mean, I know like Sanctum had promise, but it ended up failing in the end and
stuff like that. Um,
and this one, you know, it has like deck building, you know, it's got some uh interesting mechanics, you know, it just kind of looked neat on the table and everything. So, I went on ahead and abbed it and and uh you know, might be a spoiler, but it didn't disappoint. I've played it about six times now um since and haven't had a bad game of it yet. So, um it's just a it's just a fun one, you know, and and uh we'll talk about it later, of course, but I hope they kind of just do some minor little content expansions just to get more cards and stuff, but other than that, you know.
Yeah. I uh I found I got the chance to uh play your copy. Um because this probably wasn't one I was going to pick up on my own. I'm kind of at this point where I mean if it's almost not a if it's not a crowdfunded game um the game has to be really good before I just take a chance on and buy it. And uh I I would definitely agree. I think this game doesn't disappoint. One thing that sets us apart, I think, from a lot of other deck builders, besides the fact that, okay, we all start with the same deck, of course, um I think my favorite thing about the whole the whole game is every card that you can add to your deck is, you know, quote unquote OP.
Mhm.
They're all incredibly good uh for the strategy that you you are trying to do. Um, like I know the last game that we played, my entire strategy was to just rush down to the bottom of here and just sit there and just mine these resources and then just send uh drones up to um up to the top to sell,
right? However, that didn't really work because you would take all the resources before I could do that. So, I did end up just staying there, but I kept mining not resources, but these uh token tiles.
Mhm.
Um, which ended up getting me a ton of points for doing that, but it allowed me to do that. And I feel that the the difference of our decks, um, I mean, there's not a whole lot of variety within the game itself. You are just mining resources, but I don't know. I I really like the fact that all the cards are pretty powerful and you get these passive upgrade cards as well instead of cards that just go into your deck.
They're all unique, too. There's not any of the same
Yeah.
cards. So, that's another one.
Yeah. I think the other element of this game, I mean, because I can definitely see why this was the hotness at at Jedcon. Um cuz it's incredibly easy to learn. uh and easy to play. And I would probably say that most people who are going to Gen Con are lighter gamers. Like you're going to have like it's going to be that bell curve of here. You're going to have your medium weight kind of uh and they're typically going to be families. Mhm.
Um, but I don't know. Like, I mean, I don't consider myself a heavy uh gamer anymore just because I don't tend to enjoy those. But this game kept me entertained the entire time I was playing. Yeah. And that was something else I wanted to bring up because I've played it at all player counts now. Um, I ran it at four, three, two a few times and then I've played the solo mode. Um, and it actually works super well at all of them, even the solo, because you're competing against an AI uh driller.
Okay.
You know, so, and it actually works really well. Um, but because it's pretty because you're you're doing everything at the same time, you know, like um your your stuff, you know, everything just goes really quick, the other person goes, there's not much interaction. Um, so it's like
the only interaction is, you know, stealing the minerals that somebody gets out, you know, and stuff like that. You're not really screwing other people other than just taking minerals.
Um, so it's not not a combative game by any means.
Um, and you just can't get like, you know, you can't get too hosed by it because there's always something you can do on your turn cuz the cards have so many different multi-use things. Um, you can ditch them for fuel. You know, you can use them for their ability. Uh, they can, you know, be all the abilities that pop on for the bottom that cost the fuel. You know, there's just you always don't, you don't feel like you're hamstrung. I guess you could always spend cards to get fuel if you need to.
Yeah. I think um I think that was my other thing that I really enjoyed with this one was the fact because this game could have easily been, you know, a tight resource management game where you're constantly having to go down and, you know, struggle for fuel and then have to, you know, oh, I managed to get a red cube and then now I have to truck all the way back to sell it. Um, this gives the the kinds of uh games like this that I tend to really enjoy are the ones where it's like, hey, it's your turn. Do all your actions in any order you want. You can, you know, even in other games that aren't Euro style, you know, uh, the kind of fantasy uh, campaign games where it's like, hey, I would like to move. Okay, cool. You can break up your movement to do anything you want to do
and then continue your move. that it always just feels like it adds it's probably going to be the best picture I got. So, thank you whoever took this elium. Um, it it just allows for creative freedom. Um, and for a game to manage all that, it it does a really good job of allowing you to not get lost in all those actions. like um it's like, okay, I'm going to play this card to boost my move by three. I'm going to spend two of that movement to move down. I'm going to then play this card to let me drill three. Okay, I'm going to drill this token here, and that's going to put all these cubes down, and I'm going to play this card. You know, you just get a lot of different cool uh cool combos,
and it all, like you said, it manages to make do all that while also not taking up a ton of time.
It doesn't. Yeah, unless you're playing with certain people. But um but um the other thing that was cool is like if you look at that red player board down there in like the the lower middle, there's those options. So you can even you can take a damage to gain fuel. You can spend fuel to gain a move. You can spend fuel to gain a a drill. You know, you can you can there's a lot of ways to work around stuff. I mean, you could go a high damage build and take a bunch of damage and then work on getting rid of it later in the deal, but it could help you get more aggressive early.
Yeah.
Um, that stuff's just neat. Um, and the you can you can upgrade your fuel tanks, of course, as well to have more fuel. You can upgrade your storage because it starts pretty limited at the beginning.
Yeah. Um, the other thing I like that gives this game variability other than the deck building is you lay out those those cards that are on each level. So after you dr after you drill through the floor, then that card gets put over um to the right of the board, which is you see kind of Yeah, there's some of those right there. And that and there's a a small deck of this is one of the things I they could expand and just get more of these kind of cards just to have a little more variety. But those those deals do stuff with each level. So if you end your operations phase on a certain level, you may get to exchange something or gain a fuel or do whatever. Um there was that one that you were on that actually cost you a fuel if you stayed there.
Yeah, it was either take a damage or lose a fuel. Um, but [clears throat] I there was a I think there was a there was a benefit for it, but I'm drawing a blank on what it was. But it's Yeah,
it was it was a reason I stay there for a majority of the game. Um, but yeah, it cost me a fuel and like you said, every card you could just get rid of, you can discard to gain fuel. So, it wasn't that big of a deal. It felt like if I really mismanaged, then I was going to be punished for it. Well, not having a hand size because you you always draw three cards at the start of your turn, but you can keep one card from turn to turn for free, but you can keep you could just have a turn where you just don't spend any of your cards and you just have to pay. You get one of them for free, but every card past that that you want to keep for the next round, you have to pay a fuel. So, you could just save all three cards one time, you know, spend the two fuel and then have six cards the next round just to go bonkers with. Yeah.
Um I haven't tried that yet to see what having six or seven cards and on a turn and just just go ballistic.
You're the opposite of that guy who uh had wasn't planning his turn until it was his turn. You'd be the other guy where it's like, "Oh god, okay, here comes Brad. His his 10minute turns."
Yeah. But but it's I just like the the freedom you have and the variety and stuff. Um and which can just be amplified that much more by just simply adding some more cards. Um just just adding more of this the level cards, adding more cards for the decks because the decks are pretty small of the cards that you
Yeah.
draw from, but you don't go through them all in a game even with a four-player game. So, um it's interesting.
Yeah, because eventually I mean you're going to the game doesn't last that long. Um I'm curious because I know I I know you've played a game where a player was doing this and I was kind of doing it in the last game we played. Um, do you think that there's a potential for someone just uh speed blitzing the game and winning that way? Cuz I know like is there any reason I know these are one a they're worth more points,
but they also take more drills, which is not hard to get. Um, is it Or someone could just move one space down and then just drill drill drill drill drill drill drill drill. Okay, game's over. You could, but you're just not getting points because you're not you're not collecting resources, selling resources to gain those points. So, all your points would be just on those tiles. Yeah.
Whereas whereas the majority of points in a game, now mind you, there's a lot of points to be had in those tiles.
But, um, every game I've played, the biggest chunk of points came from the minerals, uh, victory points at the end.
Um, even when I lose, like that's that's the biggest point thing. Uh Chad was the one that Chad was well Chad was the one that rushed that one game. Uh and he didn't win. Uh because I had
I had tons of I had tons of red and green cubes cuz I was going down and sniping all those and I ended up having like I don't know 50 points in reds and 40 points in greens. you know, it was just like um I I think there cuz like I said, I played it enough now that and I've had a couple people do that that it hasn't always went for the win, you know.
Okay.
Um it kind of hamstrings you because you are stuck down there and a lot of those cards you start noticing that have like the three drills or the four drills are like six fuel cards.
So, it's like you're not going to be able you're going to you have to discard stuff or go to the surface eventually to be able to have that big turn. You're not buy plus you're not buying cards. Plus you're not So your deck's going to stay weak if you just try to rush it.
Yeah. I guess at the same time Yeah. If you only did that and stuck with your um starting deck. Yeah. That you only get a you only get one I think it's Yeah. six fuel for four drills. And if you want to make it cheaper, the only way I mean there's this super heavy drill right here, but you need one of these tiles,
right? Or I guess there's one right here, but that defeats the purpose. That means you went a little further down,
right?
Um, money is an issue also, but you know, sorry. I just
I was going to say, what do you uh what do you think is the ideal player count? Cuz then two, I can kind of see an issue with um with these tokens
of, you know, meeting that bronze, whatever, gold, platinum, whatever those uh criterias. Um cuz what is that? That'd be 28 33 points if you're just taking all these um tiles and going over that threshold.
I don't know because in that four player game we did uh one person took the three biggest and one person took the smallest.
Okay.
Um Chad had had the three biggest because he was rushing the
Oh yeah.
deal. But he still did. I mean, because everybody at the table gets a gets a small nudge of a benefit whenever one of those is done.
Yeah.
So, I I think I think with this game, I think you just kind of have to
you can't focus 100% on one thing to be consistently successful. You're going to have it's going to work sometimes. It worked. I mean, because you kind of
you weren't rushing the end, but you were you were going after those piles a lot more. Um
Yeah. Uh, but you just kind of have to do a little bit of everything, but then kind of put lean a little bit in on something. Um, I was trying to get, you know, minerals, uh, in that game that you and I played and and stuff where and so you were hitting tiles. I was taking the the minerals and trying to sell those.
Um,
yeah, but I had you won, but it wasn't like crazy. Uh,
no. I thought it was blowout in the last game just by all the points I was seeing and then I think it was maybe a 20 30 point difference which sounds like a lot in almost any other game.
Um, but in this game you it's actually a high-scoring kind of game.
Yeah.
So, I mean there's there's just differences. I mean there's enough variation that I think it's I haven't seen it. I I like the four player games. Um, they take longer, of course. Uh,
two has been fine. I've played it, let's see, I played it once solo, twice two player, um, once three, and two four. Um, and, uh, I didn't really notice much on any of them to be honest with you. Uh,
and the length of time for all those pretty consistent except for that that one horrible four player experience. Yeah, I mean cuz I mean obviously since everybody's you're running a four-player game, everybody's taking a turn. It's going to be longer, but it's not it's not bonkers long. I mean,
you know, it's pretty snappy, you know, cuz like that game that first four player game I played, it was me and the and two of the other guys, our turns were like maybe a minute at most, and the other guy was like taking six, seven minute turns.
Yeah.
And stuff. So, it was like
He's dead now. They took him out back and caught it. But it was like, you know, we we if you have four people that you just kind of have an idea of what's going on and you don't just you kind of almost have to be like tunnel visioned a little bit. Don't worry about what other people are doing before worry about yourself because you start paying attention to what other people are doing. That's what draws that length of your turnout because you're like, "Oh man, they're doing this." It's like just focus on your own thing and just do it. See what happens. It's not that serious of a game, you know?
No, it's not. And I mean, you should pay a little bit of attention because I know in the last game I was like, "All right, my turn.
Where are the repair bots?" Like, "Yeah, you're like, "I just bought those." I'm like, "Oh, uh, I don't know what I I planned on buying those." Oh, that was the thing that kind of caught me up with you too is because I only had four negative points at the end and you had more because I I always try to get my deck because and that's another thing because your starting deck not not every card but most of them have negative points
at the start and when you
so there's three phases to the game. There's the operations phase, which is you spending your cards to go down and dig or move, do all that stuff. And then if you end up your turn in on the surface at the very top, then you get to do the um supply phase. So then that's when you can sell all your your minerals, you can buy cards, you get a fuel, a free fuel fill up, um you can upgrade your fuel and your storage deals on your board. Um, you can repair, you do a a repair and you can spend five coins to get rid of a card out of your deck and try to get rid of those damage cards that are negative three points.
Um, it repairing is important. I mean, if you see those cards pop up that give you the free um repairs, like that card that one you were talking about had two free repairs, so I'd play it and I could just ditch two cards out of my out of my deal. Um, and and it's interesting too with that because you can discard from your hand, from your discard pile, from your play area, or the top card of your deck because that was the other thing. Your deck faces you. Um, like you see there, so you can always see the next card coming. Um, speaking of which, I I 3D printed those little things that go on the ends that cap the ends of those so it holds them all in place, everything. So
yeah, the deck facing you when you told that to me, I thought it was going to be a way bigger deal. It really isn't all that. I mean, subconsciously, yeah, subconsciously it kind of helps cuz you can kind of see like, oh man, if I buy this card then that's going to come to my, you know, go to my deck and then I'll be able to use it um in conjunction with this card that I can clearly see. But I thought it was going to be this. I don't know what I thought, but oh, your deck facing you. That's different. And it technically is, but it it isn't the selling point of this game.
No, no, not at all. It's just another little ingredient because those damage card those damage cards that you get, they are minus three victory points, but you can spend them for two fuel.
Yeah.
Or you can spend two fuel to draw a card. So, it gives you a little bit of advantage. So, then if you have a card on the top, you know, that of your deck, you could always spend it to draw a card, you know, or something like that. It's it just gives you another option
um to do stuff with.
Um but like you said, I think the one thing that can hold this game back from being um
like I think for for me the game I had a great time playing it, but it wasn't to that next level of I I want to go out and buy this. Mhm.
Um, and like you were saying, I think this game
already could use with uh kind of what they just released for Lost Ruins of Arnack, like that shipping surprise or whatever it was called. Have you gotten that yet?
I did. I got it put in the box. I haven't played it yet, but
yeah. Well, I mean, it's literally just like 20 cards of items and 20 cards of artifacts and then I think a few new tiles. All this game really needs is I think one solid like leader expansion that they did for Lost Ruins where maybe it gives your every mech maybe not every colored mech but hey I'm going to pick a driver and that gives me a unique way of playing on top of you know a you know an extra deck of cards to throw in for each of these as well as these location cards. Mhm. just because I feel like after after playing this game a few times, it's still going to be solid, but you're gonna the game, like I said, the game isn't versatile in that wow, we're playing a completely different game, you and me. It's we're okay, we're still just picking up different colored cubes.
I'm not trying to be reductive. I'm just saying that this game could do after a few plays. All right. You know, this was this is fun, but I I I kind of am already jonesing for more.
I really think they're gonna do more stuff for it. What whatever they do. Um
because it seems like they're games that are pretty hot. Seem to get at least an expansion or so. You know, Galaxy Trucker's gotten tons. You know, there's been Arnac has gotten a bunch. Sanctum didn't didn't show up much, so they didn't get an expansion, you know. U
Yeah. which that game needed.
That game definitely needed uh constant support.
But this this one like everybody is wanting right now. And it's like
if they want to do something just simple like some cards or something just to strike while the iron's hot and stuff that would be
right
a deal, you know?
I mean, and it's CGE and they're a great company. If this was Days of Wonder, they'd release a red deck expansion and then a yellow, you know, nickel and diamond us. But I don't know. I hope they do. I think honestly that would be the selling point for me is oh the dig deeper expansion and it comes with uh hey you now have unique player powers and more cards. It's like oh okay well now that just sounds fun.
Yeah. Part of that I'm I'm kind of torn on that because you know we we talked about that a little bit when we played was like having the player special player powers. M
I'm kind I'm kind of like I kind of go back and forth on that because it's like all the stuff you're buying for your mech is kind of create making your mech its own special thing.
I mean you can make that same argument with Lost Runes of Arnac.
Yeah, I agree. I it was just kind of like you know I just don't I just wouldn't want them to mess it up because there's not there's not very many actions in this game. You know what I'm saying? There's move and there's drill.
Yeah,
to be honest. I mean, so I don't know what they would do with special powers to make him make
That's true.
Like, so,
but I mean, yeah.
Yeah, it is a lot more humble than base Lost Ruins as well. So,
um I mean, even if they don't do the individual player powers, a deck expansion,
Oh, for sure.
would be would be huge.
Um, but with that being said, Brad, on a scale of 1 to 10, what are you giving Drillers? right now. I mean, like I said, I put it through its paces um at all player counts and stuff, and I'm sitting at a nine right now.
Damn.
Um I really like it. And the solo mode is fun, you know, going against stuff. It's
it's just a it's I just enjoy the hell out of this game. It's it's I just fun, snappy,
you know, it's it's easy to teach, you know. It's just kind of a it's one that everybody I've showed it to has has liked it, you know. So, um, and even though it's I these guys have never designed anything. I think we looked when we when we looked them up. So,
yeah, I can't remember if they did
or or it was like one game or something like it was something. It was either zero or like one game or
Raman is one guy or one game and Adam. Oh, Project L. That's right.
Oh, that's right. I remember. Okay. I remember you saying that now. Um, which I haven't played that to know. But uh
but um yeah, I mean this is one I I got my 3D uh printer to print a cool insert for it. It looks it's sitting in there nice and just ready to ready to go and I'm really enjoying it so far.
Nice. Um, yeah, it is really interesting because I did have my, you know, a good time with it, but I don't know if it would, you know, this feels like one of those games if CGE did not support it. If you asked me about this game next year, I'd probably I have a feeling I'd go, "What game?" Oh, the game about drilling. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I mean, same thing if you ask me that. I mean, if they don't do anything in it for a year, year and a half on this, it's going to fall off because,
right,
you know, but I mean, as of right now with the way it's going and planning on there being more stuff, then then yeah, that's where I'm sitting.
Yeah, it is a good time. It did. If this game was like 30 minutes longer, I would have soured on it already. So, it has a really good uh pace to it. Um, I like the freedom of turns. I like the fact that you're not starved for the entire time. Um, yeah, you know, I'm going to give it an eight. Yeah, I was toss I was torn between like a 7.5 and eight. May I could see a seven originally, you know, with my ranking of, oh, this is good. Um, but it does a lot of things really well. Um, and you know, you got to give credit where credits, too. It's it's an original game. I like the art on it as well. Um, so yeah, no, I I I did have have a great time, but like I said that it feels like there's a little asterisk next to that that number. It's an eight right now,
right? Like
I like if I owned it, it would probably be on the shelf of I might sell this if I don't ever if it doesn't get any support, which is a shame, you know.
Right. Right. I will say that one issue that came across when one of my games was um the cubes like it's this is not a color friendly game a color a color blind friendly game uh
oh yeah I forget
because because Chad and you know is and and even even not colorb blind like the green and the yellow are really close and it depends on what they're sitting on because if the green is sitting on something like yellow on the board it looks like a yellow cuz you you even thought that was yellow
like I'm going to grab this green you're like yeah that's [clears throat] That's not green.
Yeah. So, so that's just something that to pay attention to if you get it. I mean, you know, it's not colorblind friendly at all.
Well, you you heard it here first. Uh first, uh Roman and Adam hate colorblind people. That's what Brad's saying.
I'm not saying that. I'm just saying, you know, some of the best games out there don't fit for colorblind people, but
Oh, I know. But, um but yeah, just something to pay attention to if you're, you know, because they're translucent, too. So it's it's not even even for for fully color spectrum vision to people. It's it still gets tricked up sometimes just because of the um the color aspects, you know.
Oh, did that have a different design?
That clear one. That clear one's actually a smoky gray.
Oh, well this almost looks like a prototype cuz
it does cuz that's purple. That's purple and a dark Yeah. I don't
Well, this this background art, it reminds me of um there's a a rogike called Robo I think Robo Quest.
Um and that art remind me of that for a sec. So, um but anyway, yeah, this one's this one's a I think it's kind of a sleeper. I mean, it would be a sleeper for sure if it didn't release at Gen Con. Yeah, I think if they just kind of released it out of nowhere on CGE, it'd probably fly under the radar. Yeah, I'll be spending the 40 bucks for the metal coins when that
I mean I have to notify. Yeah, I have cardboard coins like a poor person.
All right. Well, you have anything else on Drillers? I don't think so. All right. Well, that's it everyone. That's our thoughts on Drillers. Let us know what you think of the game in the comments below. Other than that, like, comment, share, and subscribe, and have a wonderful whatever time of day it is for you.