The First Tsar: Ivan the Terrible Board Game Review

0:00 hey everyone welcome back to another episode the first Zar Ivan the Terrible is an economic board game that incorporates worker placement area control and other mechanics the game is designed by Stan cinsky illustrated by olle yurov and is published by Hobby World the game can be played by two to four players the game takes place during the reign of Ivan for basovich also known as Ivan the Terrible who was a prominent ruler in Russian history he served as the grand Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1533 and later became the first Zar of old Russia in 1547 until his death in 1584 Ivan for was recognized as the first Russian Monarch to be officially crowned as AAR the game incorporates the theme and setting by allowing players to assume the roles of influential boar families competing for power and prestige in Su Century Russia over a period of four decades their goal is to accumulate wealth raise armies engage in trade strengthen cities pursue Privileges and complete Royal assignments by utilizing their influence over the Zar bribing Loyalists and employing strategic tactics players can position their families for a chance to claim the Russian throne in the future the artwork in the game was fantastic I really loved all the

1:31 different illustrations and the use of colors for all of the components in this game including the game box I particularly loved the game board the front was extremely clear and the backside had incredible artwork the iconography use on the designated components was also very well done and easy to read the components used in the game varied the cards boards and player pads were of standard quality thicker compon components would have been nicer to have however the wooden components that were used were great they looked quite appealing and had a good feel to them as well the game box included a standard insert that had lovely artwork and fed all the components Snuggly the gam playay is extremely solid the different mechanism used in this game work together seamlessly the game play is tight very engaging and there are plenty of strategies that one could devise will you try to focus on gaining the most influence on the different regions are you going for a trade and maximize completed projects or try to sneak in some points from title cards really crunchy for an economic board game the game is normal paced takes a bit of time to learn and teach plays great at all player counts and typically takes around two to 3 hours to play I honestly would love to see a deluxe edition of this game unfortunately a solo mode is not

3:02 included from the same designer who brought you endless winter and Nova Roma comes a new game called the first Zar Ivan the Terrible as soon as I learned about the designer's latest release I rushed to get myself a copy and I must say it is one of the best economic board games I have played in 2024 and for quite some time too the game incorporates worker placement area control and other mechanics and it does so excellently the theme and setting are integrated very well enhancing the overall experience the artwork in the game is fantastic I truly appreciate the various illustrations and the excellent use of colors for all of the components the components used in the game varied however the wooden components Ed are particularly great the game play is extremely solid the different mechanisms employed in this game work together seamlessly it is tight engaged Ing and offers plenty of strategic possibilities players can focus on gaining the most influence in different regions prioritize trade and maximize completed projects or even attempt to earn points through title cards the game offers a satisfying level of complexity for an economic board game very crunchy overall the first Zar IV the terrible has easily earned a spot in my top 10 board games for 2024 it is another amazing title from Hobby World a superb game highly

4:35 recommended thank you all so much for watching if you're interested in learning how to play please check out the rule book or my summarized rules in my article on Board Game Geek until next time take care peace