Destroyable Worker Placement Spots - Revenant Board Game Review
Transcript
Hello everyone, this is Johannes.
And this is Synva.
And you are watching Board Gaming Ramblings.
And today we are taking a look at Revenant.
We are we are in space. This is a board game. This is a review copy sent from the publisher. So thank you so much for that. And this is Synva. And today we are talking about Revenant. In this game the Revenant, which is the main big ship here, is flying. And it's trying to get away from these Voidborn. Pew pew pew pew. Which is trying to destroy it. These other ships are different houses of influence trying to complete the not complete trying to defend. That's what I was looking for. Defend the Revenant. And we are going to influence these different ships. Gain influence with the different houses to be the new controller of the new colony when the Revenant gets to the place where it's supposed to go. It is a worker placement game. We're not going to go into everything. Also these boards are not supposed to be on top of the main board.
But we can't fit it all because spoiler alert this game takes a lot of space. But haha it's a space game that's space. Maybe that was the plan all along. It is a worker placement game in its core. But the worker placement spots are basically all around the board and they can move around and stuff. Which isn't like normal worker placement. In my normal worker placement games it's not like where was that worker placement spot I just used? It's not there anymore. There are some arc ships that has like specific actions. Then you have drop ships that you can use to land on planets to do different actions that will maybe change throughout the game. You can land on fighters to fight these uh different um Voidborns. And also you can land on your little frigate which you can also then use as either a drop ship or kind of running around not running flying around. Pew pew pew pew. Shooting down the Voidborn. You will be able to play cards which you can upgrade your frigate with special abilities. You can upgrade your specific workers so that this worker is different than this worker different than this worker.
Because this is the captain that you also can upgrade to get get powers and change depending on which captain board that you have. You have bonus actions you can do every round if you are not corrupted because if your action is corrupted, you cannot use that action or the resources that you have in that resource space. There is so much stuff. You are trying basically you are trying to score points. You score most of the points in this game by having influence in these different houses, but you're also going to have hidden influence in your hand which other players don't know. That's why it's hidden. Dun dun dun. And at the end of the game you're going to see how many of the ships from each factions is out on the board or each house is out on the board and you're going to multiply that with the amount of this influence you have in that house and that's going to be victory points and then there is some final scoring and some stuff going on. There is a lot.
That is kind of the overview because we can't go any deeper because then we would be here for an hour or so, which is too long. Let's talk about this game.
Yeah. The game as you said has two core mechanisms. One is the worker placement part and the other one is the stocks or moving on these tracks, but it's basically stocks. Let's talk about the worker placement part first. It is a unique worker placement game in the essence that these ships, if they are together with too many war boards at the end of the round, they could be or will be destroyed and then suddenly this action will be no more.
Yes.
It is possible to get it out again, but it it requires another action. But also these ships as you said, they can move from from one area to another. So this is a not a very changing
No.
But but sometimes it can change in like what is available to you.
And it's kind of weird because like it's the only worker placement game I have to go, where is that action again? And and next game we play it is like, oh where is that action this time because it's going to be different from time to time. And as you said, the very interesting part about this is that you can kind of and the worker placement spots can kind of die, which I haven't seen in any board game before, which I think is one of the main interesting and unique part of this game. And the thing you said about these void borns, that means that let's say now I want the yellow ship to survive because I want to score points for it at the end of the game. Because I am moving on this influence track, then I can use it. And I can use it to move around. Let's say now in this example, there's void borns in every single zone. But let's say there weren't any up there and I had like extra movement on my cards, for example, I could use this ship, move them to the planet, do the action there, and also kind of save it from attack at the end of the round, which also means that this ship is in a big problematic spot, but it doesn't matter to me because I'm at the bottom of that track.
Maybe I would have liked those actions to be in the game, but maybe it's the last round, I don't care because I want those points or that ship to go away so I don't score points for it. And you said something very unique.
Mhm.
You said [clears throat] stocks. There is nowhere in the rules of this game, nowhere in the description of this game says that this is a stock game.
No.
But it is.
But it is.
It's a hidden stock game.
Yeah.
And stock games is always your favorite style of board games.
No, I was like realizing this when you told us the rules.
I was trying to hide it from you.
This is a stock game and but but but where you move up on the stocks,
Mhm.
I don't feel like it's a social game. I'm just choosing something. If I'm keen on doing this action, I will move up on the red track. And then if I'm starting to move on the red track, I probably will want the red ships to survive. So I feel like it's not a normal stock game.
And it's very interesting because it is like I said, it's both of the actions you do will let you will choose which stocks, I'm going to call them that because we are playing Euro gamers because we like not theme, we like to look at around the theme, look under it and see how it actually works. You can't fool us with sci-fi theme. This is a stock game. It could be any stock game.
cubes.
Yes, and it is kind of cubes and and circles and these cool things. But, you want them to survive and and it's like it's a stock game where you can kind of kill the value of the stock. And the reason it works because let's say we're playing a three-player game. In many stock games, a three-player stock game, if this happened, let's say I go up here.
Yeah.
Then it's very stupid for me to go on that track higher if nobody else is moving on the track. Because then it would be for all the two players to just try to to position those ships. You can't do that super easily. But, position the ships trying to get the they won't help me getting those ships to survive. And the reason that this works is that you have hidden influence as I said in the overview. You are drawing these cards and depending on your level of your captain, you might draw some and keep one. So, let's say for example, I didn't have red on this, but I had like two or three red cards.
Yeah.
Now it would be more important for me to try to keep that up there. Or maybe I'm saying, "Okay, the red I could then discard it from doing other effects." If that's like something could use it for a resource and stuff like that. If I'm seeing at the game around like now it's not going to be a good color to in to to invest in. And I think it's a I think it's a very clever hidden stock game for sure.
I agree and I think that deck of cards is why the stock game works with two players.
Oh, yeah.
Because if you Yeah, yeah. Because if it wasn't there, you would be like it's only black and white. And when you're three or four players, there's much more like Yeah. dynamic that that
Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. And more people are like it's it's a more higher probability of more than one person going up on the same track.
Different so
So, I actually would say that this as you say I agree. So, we played two and three players and which of those did you enjoy the most?
I enjoyed both, but I enjoyed the three-player game more because it was more like more people to be protecting all the possibilities out on this board. It has like a kind of semi-coop flare to it, this game. It's not directly semi-coop, but if the void borns get too many and they will be getting stronger and stronger if you're not hyper jumping to another space, which is an old different
Yes. You can't do that.
Yeah, you can. But if But if you will be facing these void born anyways, so if you're not defending yourself
Like killing them.
Yeah, these action spaces not only will the tracks be crap, but these action spaces and your possibilities to get rid of those will be considered significantly reduced.
Significantly?
Reduced.
And [clears throat] also, if there's nothing to attack
Yeah.
the all the void borns on the map which don't have anything to attack will attack the revenant. And then there's going to be some special revenant cards that is a negative thing for everybody. So it's kind of like you said, like it has that semi-coop flare to it. I would say the two-player game, it seemed like we only played once with two players, it seemed like the board kind of balanced itself out because if you're not like doing all we're going to attack every time. We didn't do any attacking the first two rounds. So at the end of the second round, we had almost not no ships on the board.
What was
But it was the same for everybody. So it was kind of an interesting thing to see. I will say this is, as I always said, a big game. It is also a long game.
Yeah.
This and because there's so many possibilities. The on your turn, you have three actions, but you're also going to upgrade your your people. So like, okay, so I want to do this one, but to get the most out of this, I want to maybe do this other one first, but then I want to upgrade my captain. So I don't want to use the captain. So, maybe I use this one, but because of the special ability, I probably shouldn't do a mining action. But, I really need to do these other actions. Maybe I should use this. No, but I want to do that often.
Oh, yeah.
And and that adds AP. It also is just just to I'm I'm just going to say it's also is what makes the game good. But, I'm also just going to say that this is not a short game. In the place we have had, it has been around an hour per player.
Yeah.
I think you can get it down a bit. And of course, if you are players who play like, "Oh, it's my turn. I'm just going to do this." then it's going to be shorter, but it's also not going to be that fun of a game, I think. Not for the players that we are.
I'm an AP player. Hi.
Hello. [clears throat]
This I have problems with like doing things fast in this game.
Because I said two I said an hour per player. I mean like two hours for Suniva and then half an hour for the other players.
Uh well, um I I think that's maybe my like biggest hurdle with like seeing this game getting to the table again.
Oh, yeah.
Maybe you can Yeah, as you said, maybe you can get it down, but but I I love the decision making of the timing of like when to place these workers and how to upgrading them because I need to do this action to get the resource that I need to upgrade the worker that I did the action with.
Yeah.
With what? And you're trying to do that in the best way possible. And and that's the fun of it, but it also makes it, as you said, a very long game. I I have to say though, with the two player going back to that, it is a dummy player in the two player variant. It's very simple. It's just like flipping over one of these cards. And then the dummy player goes to the the arc ships with the corresponding house action. So, so it tightens up the board a little bit, but interaction-wise, I I like the three player game more.
I I agree with what you say about the weight of the game?
It is a pretty heavy game.
It is. Can I say one thing?
Yes.
Because I You like Voidfall.
Mhm.
You love Voidfall.
I do.
like Voidfall, but Voidfall like Voidfall is a beast, and this is also a mini beast, but Voidfall is like a a big beast. Takes 16 hours to set up, 24 hours to learn the rules, and then 5 minutes to play. No, it does take 6 hours to play. If it's it's that's What what do you call it? Like in in in What do you call it in English? Where you say Yes, that's exagg- That word. The word that we tried to say, but couldn't. I I was in the the the thinking when we got this as this was like a lighter game.
yeah. I You forgot to say that when you did like the overview because like if you're wondering what this game looks like, it looks like Voidfall because it's set in the same universe. Other than that, I don't feel like the two games have very much in common.
No, no, just in the same, but I was thinking it was going to be
and you're moving on like the like the houses are kind of the same theme as the the Voidfall game.
Yes. I was trying to say that. I was thinking it was supposed to be I think most people know that already, but it's it's Yes, it has the same artwork.
There you go.
I was thinking that I felt I was thinking it was going to be like a lighter game.
Yeah.
Not light, but like a medium, maybe. But I like on BGG, uh Voidfall is like a 4.68, something like that. And this is like a 4.04, which means they're a pretty big game. So, when I was facing this game, it was just like, "And then and then
And then when you do that, you're also going to do this, and then these cards and these cards and these cards." And it's like the brain like, "So, this is a big heavy game, I would say." What do you feel about the variability? If you are a person who's going to play this 60,000 times, or maybe four, or 10. Four or 10. What do you think about the variability?
I think it's good because you have so many different cards, and when you're getting cards, you're choosing what cards you want to get. So, in one game you might focus on these one-time like
Commander cards.
commander cards that gives you like an instant ability or effect, and then they're gone. Uh or you want to upgrade your frigate and use that a lot. Or in one game I just like a completely ignore that I even had a frigate.
Yes.
Uh and upgraded my captain a lot. And also you can upgrade these these cadets.
Yes.
workers basically to be pretty different. Um and also this board is different, so your captain's ability will change. And also this board is different, so your frigate like bonus things it will be different.
I agree and I think it's like a pretty high variability, and also of course since you're playing against the players, that adds to it as well. With that out of the way, are you ready to do the final thoughts?
Yes.
You want to begin?
Mhm.
Do it.
I think it is a fun game. I think it is a little long. I don't know why I expected it. I I I think I I had same impression that that you did.
And that's an us problem because we didn't know enough about the game.
Yes. Uh there is it like this is going to be a walk in the park compared to the real deal.
Yes. And this was the other game.
Yes, it it is. I love love love love War of the Fall. I think I gave it like a 10 out of 10.
it a 10 out of 10, which is high.
So, yeah. But but I would say that pretty fast my mind kind of disconnected the two games very easily because they were so different.
But I love the artworks. I think it's cool that when you like have a space theme, why not take a cool space theme? I I think I I support that. I think it's cool that I buy I'm buying the stock
Yeah.
and aspect of this game. I think it really works because of those cards. And so that makes me like this game more than I would would it be like a more straightforward stock mechanism even though it's not calling itself that but that's what it really is and also I really like trying to upgrade this workers and also my my home board and trying to just do things in the best way possible but it is a really tight game like in in you have few actions you have very few resources
[clears throat]
and you have little time to like make what you're going to make possible in its whole. I think it's a fun game. Main complaint is that it's too long for me but but I'm also part of that problem. I think you could get the play time down a bit. I'm having fun. I think it's a great game. I'm going to land this on an eight but it's a long eight.
It's a it's a long one. Yes. So whereas Waterfall was a very short game that you gave a 10 out of 10 this is a long game. I'm just I'm just
Okay I'm just saying that I like
Yes because I have to say if I'm spending this much time on a game I would rather play Waterfall but they're two different games so like they're not comparable [clears throat] other than they made me compare it because I'm using the same thing. Yes.
I'm happy it's not like a lighter version of Waterfall because most of time I don't enjoy lighter versions of games. Most of time I'm just thinking why am I playing this and like two third of the time I can play the other game. This is a completely different game and I think it's a very good game. I think that as you said like for me it is not it's one I would like to keep because I would enjoy the thinking of playing it again but I don't know if it will ever happen because both like and then like if you're going down that road of which game we're choosing to play again this would be way after we play Waterfall again because I would want to play that again. I don't know when that's going to happen. I have to say one thing we didn't even touch on at all. This is the the retail version of the game and it looks beautiful.
I have to say also the miniatures in the deluxe version looked like they would work but these are some of the coolest cardboard components I've seen like when I punched this they were like an a punchable thing here so this is pretty thin but it's like it's a it's it is a double I think it's like a triple layer and it is just super well done. I think that this is like would have liked this to be double layer but I am so used to it so I've been playing games like this. I don't I I play games without doing that because I'm good at games or
a big game like it takes so much space on the table that you can't have these areas smaller. We like struggle with the
Oh this is actually part of my final thing.
I I do enjoy this game quite a bit. I think that the stock part and the like balancing of I really want to do that action again but do I want to move more up on that track? Okay, I'm trying to kind of hide that I am high on red even though I'm not in like maybe I go one up on red to say like I'm kind of in it but I have six red cards in my hand so I'm trying to make the other players keep red alive because you are up on three and four so you are trying to keep red alive or I'm just basically cruising along and getting those points. There is a lot to take in. This is not for everyone. This is for few. This is for like the people who enjoy the heaviest games. It's Some people say this is not heavy but it is. It is a lot of stuff going on. If you don't think a lot of sort of game is heavy you won't think this is heavy but then again I don't know who you are.
Uh I I think it I agree with you. It's for me it's a great game. It's an eight as well and that means that we are at the end of the video. There's only one more thing to do. Subscribe. Thank you so much for watching. I'm Johannes and you've been watching Board Gaming Ramblings and bye-bye.
Mhm.