Impressions of Welcome To The Moon Adventure One

So let’s talk about the first important thing. I made a mistake in my game play. I play where I use the ‘x’ to cover up one of the negatives that you get. That isn’t right, instead, what you should be doing is spending ships, once you reach the top of the ship track, to cover those up. I possibly made it easier for myself, or I possibly made it harder for myself.

Simplicity

Let’s talk about this first adventure, though. This is a simple adventure. Everything that you do is clearly printed on the board and even with the solo mode added, it’s easy to run. And I like it for that. It is a solid way to gain an understanding of the game. And this map still provides a lot of combos for players to link together. I love a good roll and write game where I fill in something and get a bonus that chains to another part of the board, and that even can still chain more. And this first adventure does that.

On the flip side, this is a simple adventure. That means that the choices are pretty limited, even more so than I’d say Welcome To… So for a first adventure, I think it might be something that turns people away from the game. Now, I still like it a lot and I want to play it more and I am going to be play it more. But if you expect to play Welcome To Your Perfect Neighborhood with all the different elements of scoring, this first map is not going to give you that.

Campaign

But that is one of the fun things about the game. I know that the next chapter is going to be different. I haven’t looked into how it is played yet, but the map is completely different. The first chapter is about getting the rocket ready to launch. And there is a little bit of different flavor text depending on what you pick. But then the next map, from what I can tell the rockets have launched for the moon and now we need to navigate safely there.

I don’t know what the game is going to do differently. Even the Astra Corporation is going to behave differently. So I understand and appreciate that the first adventure is the first step to that. Also, there is a lot of text in the campaign. How much can the campaign vary as you go? I doubt a ton, but it’s already a better campaign for a roll and write game than Paper Dungeons had.

Upcoming Streams

So let’s just run through a reminder of the streaming schedule every week.

• Monday – Welcome to the Moon around 8 PM Central
• Wednesday – Welcome to the Moon around 9 PM Central
• Friday – Baldur’s Gate 3 Streaming around 9 PM Central

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Mistborn Solo vs Multiplayer

I won’t be doing a full review on Mistborn Deckbuilding Game yet, I need to play it more. Mainly, I want to play a couple more times solo, a time or two cooperatively, and of course some more competitive games as well. But let’s talk a little bit about it and how the cooperative/solo works.

Added Solo Mode

First off, it is more thematic for it to be a cooperative game. I found it odd that it was a competitive game to start. Kind of like Call to Adventure with the Stormlight Archives, though that one makes more sense. But with Mistborn and the characters you play, it always made sense to me that it should be a cooperative game.

The risk, of course, is that it is designed as a competitive game. So I worry about a game that has something tacked onto it. Is it still a good mode? Or is it something to get people who wouldn’t buy it to buy it? I feel like this solo mode is well thought out. As you watch the play through, I am sure you see that I was worried about if I would win or not. It wasn’t until very late in the game that I felt comfortable. And I like that about the game, it feels like an intended way to play it.

Combat

Now, I think that both ways are pretty different. The combat as a multiplayer game is part of the game. And I think in a two player game, the combat is going to be a key element to it. In higher player counts, you might lose the game because of combat, I’m not sure you win the game with combat. But the combat against the Lord Ruler is interesting mainly because he heals so much.

In fact, I feel like the game is almost split into two parts. The first part of the game is a race up the tracks to stop the Lord Ruler from healing. Next you want to deal out damage once the healing is gone. The constant part between that is that you need to heal a ton as well.

I think that it is possible to beat the Lord Ruler with just two of the tracks done. In my play, I believe I could get out damage quickly enough end game to make that work. If he is only healing ten, and not every turn I like my chances. But you definitely need to complete two of those tracks.

Variability

So is the solo mode going to be variable enough. I think there are elements that make me believe it will be. Firstly, the characters that you play are asymmetric. So Vin is different than Marsh who is different than Kel. But I think that difference is minor.

Next is the variable market. That element is going to change up the game each time you play. You might ramp slower to the big cards because of what is available. Or you might find that going up the tracks is harder because of the cards you are able to buy.

I also think those tracks provide variability to the game as well. I picked some with pretty consistent leveling up. The game is going to be different with the other ones. Some give you fewer bonuses. And things like less damage than I had, I think that would make the game a lot harder.

Finally is the Lord Rulers deck. Yes, the composition of that deck is not going to change. But when you draw cards, that is going to be an element that changes. I got lucky with the Kadra and House Lords at the end of the game. If I find an obligator or inquisitor that late, no chance that I win the game. So it is balanced on an edge there.

Upcoming Streams

Just a reminder on my streaming schedule. It’s not just all my Top 100 Games (of all time).

• Monday night, time varies, I play different small solo games, though I might be looking to start up a campaign again. And generally the streams do start between 8 and 8:30 PM central time.
• Wednesday at 9 PM central is going to continue my Top 100 Games (of all time) 2024 Edition. There is one week left, which is going to be two Wednesdays out. After that I’m planning on doing some look back and look ahead videos and smaller solo games or things like Balatro and Slay the Spire.
• Friday at 9 PM central my wife and I are streaming a playthrough of Baldur’s Gate 3. Join us for the adventure of Nina and Kaerok and see what choices we make. We will skip this Friday because of the Holidays.

The best way to know when we go live, though is to subscribe and click that notification bell. I can’t promise, and in fact it’s pretty unlikely, that I’ll have events to click on ahead of time. Though I do want to get better at it. I hope that you can join a stream and hop into the chat..

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Slay the Spire

Let’s talk a quick bit about the board game. I’ll have a full review coming later as I experience more of the game. But I want to talk about some of the differences now. I think that the game generally makes smart decisions with these differences, so not a negative, just something to note.

The big difference, and one that I talk about at the end of the video is that this isn’t a solo game anymore. It is also cooperative, so you can choose to play as a group. And each player has their own row of bad guys that they face off against. I get hit by my row, but I can help attack your row if you need. There is a cooperative element that way that keeps it from just being a solo game. And as you play and face an elite or boss, that scales.

Another thing is the scale of the game. So it is no longer, the cultist has 20 hit points or 40 hit points, or however many hit points. Everything, minus elite and bosses is pretty low. That is because all the attacks you do deal smaller amounts of damage. They scale everything so it isn’t hard to learn and play. And so that you don’t need a calculator to figure out your damage.

Finally, some artifacts are different. And when they activate is different. It is when you roll a number that they activate. Again, it simplifies the artifacts that maybe do 40 damage every 7 rounds or double your next attack every 10 attacks. Things that would be a lot to keep track of are now simpler. Now it means they are less likely to happen as you saw in my game play, at least at times.

Upcoming Streams

On Monday I play small solo game plays. The schedule is, right now, going to look like gaming every other Monday. A chance to see people in person came up for Monday and as much as I like streaming, it’s good to socialize as well. And I might do more deck construction with Star Wars Unlimited on Mondays as well or pack openings.

On Wednesdays, I play solo campaign games. I plan on playing a campaign game coming up. Right now I’m torn between two games. Well, more than that if you watched through the end of the video. And that is more of The 7th Citadel. I plan to keep playing through The Drums of Desolation for a while so join me for that.

And if you want to know when I go live, the best way is to subscribe. When you subscribe, click that notification bell and you’ll get an alert whenever I’m going to go live. Follow the link – here – to subscribe.

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Watch the previous part here.

The 7th Citadel – Not Learning From Others

I realized at the start the folly of my way when it comes to The 7th Citadel. If you want to watch another of the threats, Meet Me At the Table has a great playthrough. I’m going to be watching it. But as you watch mine or theirs, know that what they do doesn’t always match what I need to do in my game play.

And I like that about the game. It feels like there isn’t a set pattern in which it wants you to play. The 7th Continent and the different threats, they seem like they might play at separate difficulties. Or I suspect play at difficulties that vary from mission to mission. So there was a choice and a chance to push forward that I should have done.

Also, because of how I thought it was going to work, I made it harder on myself. And well, that’s not great because the game is already hard. But it is a choice that I made for myself. That is a design of a solid game, give you enough rope to do yourself in, but don’t make it so that you get frustrated while you play. I expect there are going to be challenges that are frustrating but as long as it doesn’t feel like a “got you” moment, it’ll be good.

Upcoming Streams

On Monday I play small solo game plays. The schedule is, right now, going to look like gaming every other Monday. A chance to see people in person came up for Monday and as much as I like streaming, it’s good to socialize as well. And I might do more deck construction with Star Wars Unlimited on Mondays as well or pack openings.

On Wednesdays, I play solo campaign games. I plan on playing a campaign game coming up. Right now I’m torn between two games. Well, more than that if you watched through the end of the video. And that is more of The 7th Citadel. I plan to keep playing through The Drums of Desolation for a while so join me for that.

And if you want to know when I go live, the best way is to subscribe. When you subscribe, click that notification bell and you’ll get an alert whenever I’m going to go live. Follow the link – here – to subscribe.

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Mythwind and it’s Longevity

One question, I’d not be surprised if people have about the game is how long can you play it. And can you play it again and again without it feeling repetitive. This can be in two areas, I think, the first being, when you play through the seasons, will the story feel the same if you restart? The other being, as playing the farmer, do I just feel like I’m taking the same few actions?

Events and Adventures

For the first one, I think it’s a mixed bag. I know because of the choices in town, some things I won’t see. When I didn’t have enough culture to throw a bonfire party for one group of sprites, that made it different as to what card went into my deck of events. But a number of the events are just going to stay the same.

But, to go along with the first one, you also unlock different adventures as well. And I have a big old stack of adventures in the game. I do those even less than I do events. So that is going to be an element of the game that is a bit more random as well. But an element of the game that shows up less often, which is something to be aware of.

Characters

As for characters, I just know the farmer. But I think there is an element where it is repetitive and that’s kind of the point. I don’t need to think that much about what I’m doing when I farm. Mythwind is supposed to be a cozy game. I slowly improve my optimization and that is my goal in Mythwind. Make more money to get more plants to harvest them to get more money.

Sometimes you throw other actions in there, like clearing land or getting a building started in the building queue. But the game is meant to be a relaxing experience which means that it can’t spring much new on you. But there are things to consider. I might consider getting some bees for some passive income each season. That isn’t part of my game thus far, but it could be fun.

Upcoming Streams

On Monday I stream at 9 PM Central. That is sometimes a bit hit or miss, but that’s the goal. And I do small solo game plays. The schedule is, right now, going to look like gaming every other Monday. A chance to see people in person came up for Monday and as much as I like streaming, it’s good to socialize as well.

On Wednesdays, well, I said that I plan to play at least a few more games of Rogue Angels. This is going to continue how I play my solo campaign games on the channel. The reason for that is with how many campaign games I can play solo, I want to try more. That is at 8 PM Central time for the campaign games.

And if you want to know when I go live, the best way is to subscribe. When you subscribe, click that notification bell and you’ll get an alert whenever I’m going to go live. Follow the link – here – to subscribe.

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Heat: Pedal to the Metal Solo

So I also have my own thoughts on Heat solo. Because I like to play games solo means that it should be up my alley, but overall, I felt like it was lacking a little bit. That said, I like how simple it is to play the game solo. If I sit down and play it, I got in three games in under an hour. That is a fast game to play solo, so that works well for me. But it’s just less fun as a solo game than a multiplayer game.

Now, that isn’t fully a negative with the solo mode though. Or I should say, it isn’t a negative with the legendary drivers you can go up against. I thought they race really well. I think that I’d add in two in a three player game, probably three in a two player game. Get five cars onto the track, it allows for better jockeying for position from the racers. And there is more pressure and almost more need to push yourself around a corner because the legendary drivers can take it quickly.

I just think, for me, that a racing game works best when you are up against other people. It’s all about making smart decisions with what you’re doing and pushing at the right time. And you can try and guess what the other players will do. Well, for the legendary cars there is a bit less of that, which to me just takes away a little bit from the game. But, like I said, I think adding them into the mix could be and would be a lot of fun at those lower 2-3 player counts.

Upcoming Streams

On Monday I stream at 9 PM Central. That is sometimes a bit hit or miss, but that’s the goal. And I do small solo game plays. The schedule is, right now, going to look like gaming every other Monday. A chance to see people in person came up for Monday and as much as I like streaming, it’s good to socialize as well.

On Wednesdays, well, I said that I plan to play at least a few more games of Rogue Angels. This is going to continue how I play my solo campaign games on the channel. The reason for that is with how many campaign games I can play solo, I want to try more. That is at 8 PM Central time for the campaign games.

And if you want to know when I go live, the best way is to subscribe. When you subscribe, click that notification bell and you’ll get an alert whenever I’m going to go live. Follow the link – here – to subscribe.

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Rogue Angels – The Characters

Let’s talk about the characters and how they differ in this game. It’s another area where I think the game can shine. You see me play with two characters in the game, but there are so many more. There are 16 different heroes that you can play as. And I like that variety in the game because right now I have two pretty different types of heroes.

Taria is my tank of a character. She is best at attacking and can hit from a long distance. Even her movement card that’s stronger is about her moving into range and doing damage. She also has an area affect damage that she can do which makes her better when she finds herself surrounded.

Gia on the other hand, they are more on the stealth and tactical side of the game. Yes, Gia can dish out some damage when need be, but their cloaking and their ability to interact with objects at range really sets them up to be the one who infiltrates areas.

Now, those show two of them like I said before. And right now I’m just playing with two because it makes it easier on me. In the prototype box there are a total of four characters to play. And you might see some or one of them later on. Why, because Rogue Angels is about getting attached and roll playing your characters. But survival is not guaranteed. When you die, you pick a new character. So the campaign continues just with someone new for you.

Upcoming Streams

On Monday I stream at 9 PM Central. That is sometimes a bit hit or miss, but that’s the goal. And I do small solo game plays. That is going to be interspersed with learning to paint. I am not going to be teaching you how to paint, I’m going to be learning myself. So join me on Monday for solo gaming or painting.

On Wednesdays, well, I said that I plan to play at least 10 games of Rogue Angels. This is going to continue how I play my solo campaign games on the channel. My goal, play four different campaigns 10 times each. It’s tricky, but I think that I can do it. That is at 8 PM Central time for the campaign games. The next part of Rogue Angels can be found coming up here.

And if you want to know when I go live, the best way is to subscribe. When you subscribe, click that notification bell and you’ll get an alert whenever I’m going to go live. Follow the link – here – to subscribe.

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Super Slopes

Let’s talk a little bit about this game play because the game is quite simple, especially against the AI opponent. So it has that going for it. Super Slopes is a skiing game about creating the best downhill skiing trail where you are looking to get a few things. Energy to get past the yeti and through woods, matching symbols on the trail, and crossing paths or going to lower numbers.

I like how simple a turn is, you take a card and then place it adjacent to one you already have on your slope. But it needs to be offset by one, so it can’t just be placed right on top of it. It makes more sense watching it played. It is interesting what card you can take. You need to follow the ski runs on the five cards to be drafted. Any where the run ends, you can take. The AI is the same way, it takes the lowest numbered one that it can but follows the same rules.

But as you go, there are things you can do to break the basic rules. If you get some matching symbols you can add an extra card to the run to pick from. Or you can jump over a card or force yourself to stop. It at times might incentivize you to choose a card between equally as good options. But I found that it did less of that and more just happened.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, this is a simple game. And one that I think for a solo game works pretty well. It’s easy to play the game against you. And the game, while it takes up more space than some for a small solo game, is fast and doesn’t take up that much room. Two things that I often look for in a solo game and definitely do in a Button Shy Game.

Upcoming Streams

Let’s repeat about upcoming streams. For more information on how that is working overall this year, check it out here. The big thing is that Mondays are likely going to be changing a little bit. Still plan on streaming at 9 PM Central, but I want to mix in painting minis as well as my game plays of small solo games.

Wednesday is going to stay the same. For a little bit it might start closer to 8:10-8:15 as kid has swimming lessons on Wednesday evenings. Though, now that I’m more set-up for my campaign game it might go faster. And yes, Wednesday is solo campaign game. Right now I’m going through Rogue Angels you can catch up on a game play thus far and the next one is coming up here.

And if you want to know when I go live, the best way is to subscribe. When you subscribe, click that notification bell and you’ll get an alert whenever I’m going to go live. Follow the link – here – to subscribe.

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Join me as I play Rogue Angels. I plan on playing it around 8 PM Central time every week, at least 10 weeks, over on Malts and Meeples YouTube. What story will I find, how will the characters I play progress in this prototype of Rogue Angels. Thanks to Emil Larson for sending it my way and I’m excited to show it off.

Rogue Angels

Well, I have ten weeks to talk about this, which means that I’m going to be hitting on different aspects each week. And I love Rogue Angels. I’ve played it on Table Top Simulator a few times. And now I get to play it in real life. Even though this is only a prototype, it is a game that will be in my Top 100 next year. My rule is that I need to play a game in person, or with a physical copy, and I have now.

So let’s preview some of what is going to be coming up that I’ll talk about over the next handful of weeks.

• Character Stories
• Campaign Story
• Card Play System
• Enemy AI System
• Maps and Set-up System
• And More

Today I want to start by talking about the campaign story. I know, it likely would make more sense to do characters first, because that is the one I had at the top. But I want to explore that more with you as I play, the campaign story, I’ve seen more of.

Campaign Story

I think how Emil handles the story is an interesting way. I know the first time that I played with him and talked with him, one of the big things was how the story was meant to be interspersed like cut scenes. So it isn’t a big block of text and then some third person dialog at you. It’s just dialog with a little bit of description thrown in so you know the setting. But the setting and all of that, that is mainly on the board.

Compared this to other games, let’s go with Gloomhaven and Frosthaven, when you go on a mission, get into a scenario there, it’s a lot of text up front. Frosthaven does a better job of mixing in more story throughout, but most of the heavy lifting is information up front. Rogue Angels it’s just dialog. You see what you need to see because of the scenario.

What does this do for the game? Well, I think that it helps keep you immersed in the game and setting. Both do in their own way, but Rogue Angels is more about that action, that interaction. And you see that with a lot of faction specific stuff. When you interact with talking to people and making decisions off of groups that it going to determine things like your favor more so.

Is one better than the other, I’m not sure. I like how both do it, but I think that it’s worth talking about how Rogue Angels is different. And it plays into the type of game that it is or I expect it to be. I already have come across character choices and more personal choices on who you like, than in Gloomhaven. So it’s probably more like Role Player Adventures that way.

Upcoming Streams

It’ll be tomorrow where I breakdown what is going to be happening on Mondays. To checkout the article that comes out there. But I do plan to keep streaming at 9 PM Central time. And most of it is going to be playing solo games that are one offs, or opening cards like it has been.

On Wednesdays, well, I said that I plan to play at least 10 games of Rogue Angels. This is going to continue how I play my solo campaign games on the channel. We’ll see if I am able to get four different campaigns played at least 10 games this year. It’s tricky, but I think that I can do it. That is at 8 PM Central time for the campaign games. The next part of Rogue Angels can be found coming up here.

And if you want to know when I go live, the best way is to subscribe. When you subscribe, click that notification bell and you’ll get an alert whenever I’m going to go live. Follow the link – here – to subscribe.

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Fishing Lessons

This was a fun and fast game to play yesterday, though you can see my break it down a bit at the end. The question I keep on having about the game is, what is it’s longevity? Because this is a small Button Shy Game, as all of them are, it is limited on the number of cards that you can have. You always have the same seven water cards, though their order changes. You also play with the same lessons, but their order changes.

The main thing that changes up the game, or isn’t as static, is the fact that you have a different person fishing. So one character might want to get two fish of one type and three of another. And your job is to solve the puzzle so only cards that are scoring are facing upright. This is also done from the lesson cards. And the game does give you varying levels of difficulty. Easy is, I’ll say, pretty easy. But I also was able to win, I believe, on medium one time without much issue.

For me the big question I have about the game is how engaging it’ll be long term? Is this a game where now that I’ve solved the puzzle three times that I’m going to be drawn to trying to solve it again? Or will it be a game where the puzzle feels similar each time? Though, now that I’m thinking about it, how much luck is there? I beat it easily and quickly twice. I’m not sure that is a great sign for the game, if it’s too lucky that way.

Upcoming Streams

Let’s run through the stream structure like I normally do. You might already know the schedule but in case you don’t. Wednesday at 8 PM Central I stream either a campaign game, or with this time of year it’s my Top 100 Games (of all time) 2023 Edition. And join me next Wednesday for games 60 through 51, so hitting the half way point. It goes so fast, and now I have so many games that I want to play.

Then on Monday I stream at 9 PM Central time. It’s generally a solo game. Though I’ll also do pack openings for things as well. But normally it’s a solo game and a one off for the game like a roll and write, or sometimes a game like Under Falling Skies which was on the list today.

But the best way, if you want to know when I go live or a new video goes up (it’s basically always live), please consider subscribing. You can do that here. And click that notification bell on the channel and you’ll always know when I go live.

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