A lot of the fun variability in the asymmetric factions boils down to just having a plethora of different elder gods to choose from. I can see how having only the 4 from the basic set over and over might start to feel stale. I surmise this was a deliberate decision by the designer considering it results in them being able to sell so many different elder god expansions to people that want to spice things up. I have 9 (including the base 4) and STILL want to get the ones I don't have. Though, to be fair, I have that same irrational "if I like it, I want all of it" mentality. My biggest criticism would be how the game is so huge and over-produced I could see it not being worth the shelf space for some, considering what the game play delivers. I'm not saying the game play isn't great, but just that they could have made the same game with regular sized miniatures and board, added in a couple extra gods with the extra space they saved in making things regular sized, priced it under $100 and I am not sure any fun would be lost. The base game alone is a huge and heavy box to shelve and that assumes someone gets no other elder gods or variant maps (there are like 10 different maps or something crazy, including oversized jumbo maps, as if the game wasn't huge enough). It takes up a lot of my shelf space, but I'm already in too deep and I never internalized the sunken-cost fallacy. This game is like a luxury treat type of game. Kinda like buying a very fancy chess set. You could've just bought a $20 chess set and gotten the same game play, but having a nice polished wood board and hand carved wooden pieces, etc., is a luxury that fans of chess like to splurge on. I see this game in the same light in terms of its production value.
@BoardGameCo
3 жыл бұрын
Yep, that's where I am with it. Base game alone isn't enough, and getting more is soooo many cubbies of space.
@Trogdor_Strongbraid
3 жыл бұрын
Hey Alex, great review as always. And I like you pointed out in another video that it's leaving your collection only because you have a handful of other Area Control games that are 5/5 for you. That on top of wanting to go all in or nothing is a good move to just let it go and maybe play it when asked, perhaps when they have all the worthwhile extras, they're not all needed. Like others have said I think expanding boils down to what you think your group would want. (Our group bought into it OS3) From what I've researched best bang for buck is new Player Factions > Highpriests > Neutrals > Maps. So I decided we just needed a few Neutrals not all, got HP and 3d gates, and Yog-Sothoth, Windwalker, and Ancients (still need Sleeper and Tcho-Tcho in that order) and I have KS'd OS4 Daemon Sultan Azathoth and Cats. I'd love to get a 6+ map for us. Hoping they (PGs) figure stuff out, they're normally not great at all this then the global plague hits so ... yeah, heres hoping.
@lmoran76
3 жыл бұрын
HI Alex, Great review! Cthulhu wars is my all time favorite game, and maybe because of that, I love your review, it helped my understand some of it's disadvantages that I was struggling to verbalize. The stream lining of developing each faction is absolutely true. off course it doesn't take anything from how good the game is. A part from that, I love your channel and love your reviews ( and taste in games), and coming from Israel ' adds something else for me to hear and see you. Keep up the great work
@michaeljameskeating1348
Жыл бұрын
I recently invested heavily in this game and totally loving it. I think I found my lifestyle game and been buying up as many expansions as I can. Sure, I probably won't play half of them, but I feel happy having them
@mandorrandom117
3 жыл бұрын
Great game, but being oversized takes up so much storage space and table space. If Petersen Games collapses, I'd love for CMON to license this and do a KS with Blood Rage sized minis.
@BoardGameCo
3 жыл бұрын
Yep, it's not small.
@gabrielnorena
3 жыл бұрын
For my Kemet is the very best of the genre. Cthulhu Wars is the second. In CW, adding some faction expansions changes the strategy quite a bit as you will need to play differently depending on who is your opponent, having said that I think the only expansions that are really worth your time and Money are: Opener, Sleeper and Wind Walker, and Maybe, just maybe Azathoth for some neutral units and spellbooks (adding the neutral spellbooks changes everyone strategy as well). High Priests are fine, they change the game drastically, but they benefit some factions more than others, I prefer to play without them.
@dethkeik
3 жыл бұрын
Finally you play cthulhu wars! :D its fun
@BoardGameCo
3 жыл бұрын
Yep :)
@johnpanagos5835
3 жыл бұрын
Alex can you find and compare it with Glorantha the gods war?
@TheMartinChronicles
3 жыл бұрын
I had the same question. It doesn't seem as well known though.
@BoardGameCo
3 жыл бұрын
I own glorantha and want to play it yes.
@arthurdaffos1490
3 жыл бұрын
One thing about pathways and spellbooks, you pick your spellbooks depending on your strategy, some factions have more obvious or easier paths within their spellbooks for victories but you can always spice things up by going a different route. Also people seems to get a bit hesitant to bring up neutral expansions, those are the best, it allows you to a replayability and adds a degree of arms race to the game. All in all a great in depht board game with tons of replayability and while it seems risk like at first, it is to me more akin to a chess game in the sense of having to anticipate other players actions
@darrenhaywood7304
3 жыл бұрын
Love the game, as mentioned in other comments adding extra factions does add replayability, plus increases player count to 8 players if you also get the bigger maps. If you wanted just to add more variability to the standard factions the mercenary armies gives you that option (Azathoth and the Cosmic Terrors for instance), as they’re neutral units you can buy and alter your strategy based on the powers they give
@darrenhaywood7304
3 жыл бұрын
I love Peterson games but for most of them they really come alive with the extra content, once you’ve played the expansions the base game can feel more like a demo version rather than the full experience. Also think the high priests are a must have expansion, as they augment the gameplay so well
@pallidmask3822
3 жыл бұрын
Glad to see CW on this channel! It is (maybe, ridiculously) my #1 favorite. If you ever have the chance, try out Glorantha: The Gods War. Some prefer it to CW. Personally, I prefer CW. Thanks for the content!
@heler52
3 жыл бұрын
Loving the content. First ever kickstarter with the Witcher and stumbled upon your channel. Loving every video keep up the great work!
@thepikay4378
3 жыл бұрын
I think, it's no disadvantage that Cthulhu Wars isn't like Blood Rage because otherwise I would also need one of these games in my collection. One of the cool things in Blood Rage is the easy gameplay and that every player starts with the same settings and then build up their individual abilities. That's cool. Cthulhu Wars is more like a puzzle. You have to understand your faction and the factions of your opponents and you have to find out what to do when to find the right balance and not let your opponents get to strong. Crawling Chaos can get to a point where you can not stop it anymore so you should try to end the game before that und try to hold that faction down as long as possible. Every faction seem overpowered in some way and you have to understand how they influence each other and what to do when, if this or that faction is in play. I really like this game style. But yeah, you're not completely free in what you should do :)
@thepikay4378
3 жыл бұрын
What I wanted to say is, that I think this game would not work with more branching in teir abilities because the whole game is a good balanced puzzle that only work because every player has limited possibilities :)
@rolandbruno686
3 жыл бұрын
My #1 game but I'd love a smaller edition as it takes up too much space.
@BoardGameCo
3 жыл бұрын
They have the duel version....only helps for two of course.
@IronSalamander8
3 жыл бұрын
I really like this game after ignoring the original KS campaign, and have containers for each faction and I indeed have gone all in since OS2. It's expensive which is my biggest complaint about the game, but it's fun, the factions really feel different and as you point out, you deviate even further from each other thanks to spell books and when you toss in the independents, even more so. My second complaint is indeed transport. I have 2 huge army duffel bags to carry it, and still need to carry part of it separately! I only bring it when I know we'll be playing it. I have many plays in, every faction barring the Ancients and Tch-Tchos at least 4 times each, and indeed they all tend to play very linearly although different from each other, but that's a common complaint for many games I've found and having the other maps and independents can help. It's much easier to teach than say Vast or Root, 2 games I do love, which is nice. Edit: I've never seen anyone get stomped out in many plays. I've seen someone pull ahead far, but they usually get smacked by the others, and I've never seen anyone having to use that 'if you have no forces anywhere on the board, you can pay 1 power to recruit 1 cultist anywhere on the board', thankfully.
@jarrod6670
3 жыл бұрын
Really love this game, and also love Petersen Games unique game designs and mechanics. I love minis, area control, basically I share the same interests. This game has great table presence, and the art is great too. Anyway, I do struggle to get others to be able to play this in physical form. I don't own everything for it, because it is massive, and was too expensive when the kickstarter ran, but should have just done it, because after market has insane prices. Hopefully can pick up some OS3 stuff.
@TheMartinChronicles
3 жыл бұрын
Have you played Glorantha: Gods War?
@Salixalba1000
3 жыл бұрын
This game is good. No doubt about it. However to answer the question concerning is CITOW and how it compares. Few games ever made can compare to Chaos. In my humble opinion there is Chaos then all other dudes on a map games. The card play makes it so incredibly unique. It has one large problem however (maybe two). You must have 4 players, the game is the perfect balance with 4. Another problem is that the board is grotesque and for some can really turn you off. If these are not limiting for your group (and you can find the game), then a better game is hard to find. Game on all.
@BoardGameCo
3 жыл бұрын
Agreed on the board :) I love it, but some do not.
@pfindlay2021
3 жыл бұрын
Looks at his all in content plus the stuff im waiting for...i feel your pain alex
@VREdward
3 жыл бұрын
I'd be cool to play if there was like, some way to get it
@BoardGameCo
3 жыл бұрын
In most cases :)
@coregoon
3 жыл бұрын
As someone who owns everything for the game, I only have two criticisms of it: 1. There aren't any official guidelines for how to pick the neutral monsters and great old ones, and how many to use. It's not a big criticism, but it's there. 2. It's an absolute pain to move the game. I don't have a car, and gaming doesn't happen at my place. It's real awkward. 😆
@BoardGameCo
3 жыл бұрын
Yep, I'm an all in kind of person... This game hurts my sense of completion
@michaeljameskeating1348
Жыл бұрын
I think the use of Neutrals is deliberately left open for individual players to set their own rules. Some players have a one IGOO or one Neural Monster limit per player. Some players have a one IGOO and one Neural Monster limit per player. Some players have no limits on what additional neutrals can be summoned. Some players have a pre-select rule on what neutrals can be summon per faction. Some players have a pre-selection of neutrals per theme (Neutrals that boost combat, neutrals that have good catch up mechanics, neutrals with high annoyance factors, etc). It's all part of the fun.
@iansutton7416
3 жыл бұрын
Conversely this is very much not my genre (to the point I'd almost certainly turn down an offer of a game). It's still interesting to read the review (and indeed the comments here) for a game which seems to have passionate supporters on one hand, plus on the other is held up by detractors as a poster boy for the plastic excesses of KS. This isn't changing my personal preferences, but I appreciate the added understanding of what people do love about it, and I hope it brings a lot of joy and memories to those who have it.
@hughroe8598
3 жыл бұрын
Great review as usual Alex. Question for you and the community: How's it compare to Chaos in The Old World? I have always liked the Cthulu theme but I struggled to justify the large invesment when I already owned a asymmetric evil gods game. I appreciate this may not be useful info to most people as CitOW is oop and expensive in itself.
@kennynguyen7331
3 жыл бұрын
For me, Cthulhu Wars wins hands down, for the following reasons: 1. The asymmetry is much more apparent. 2. Spellbook acquisition is such a satisfying and interesting mechanism. 3. More interesting social mechanisms. Cthulhu Wars has some of the most interesting and creative social abilities in any "dudes on a map" game (e.g. One of the abilities in the core game has players negotiate to spend a certain amount of power collectively, elsewhere one player gains it all. Another grants one of the players the ability to control all of the retreats in the game, meaning that they have a lot of interesting political power). 4. No blowouts due to good draws. In Chaos in the Old World, you can get off to an insane start with some factions due to some good card draws (e.g. Tzeench and the steal power card in multiples). In the same way, you can be blown out by a poor draw. Cthulhu Wars lacks that card draw element, and is highly strategic. Yes, there is variance due to battle, but in the 150+ plays of it I've had, I'd say the most skilled player wins with a reasonable amount of frequency. 5. SO MANY FACTIONS (though admittedly that does become expensive). 6. The table presence for Cthulhu Wars is absolutely insane.
@hughroe8598
3 жыл бұрын
@@kennynguyen7331 Thanks Kenny. My poor wallet is looking nervous again for some reason.
@duglaw
3 жыл бұрын
they have released a cheap 2-player version named cthulhu wars duel.
@BoardGameCo
3 жыл бұрын
Yes!
@cteague3
3 жыл бұрын
The branching out you are looking for is what you get when you add neutral units.
@Mandaeus
Жыл бұрын
I think they should have had at least 8 powers for each faction - so you had to make choices but I like the fact it's not a 'bamboozler' - a common thing to be these days, where a game showers you with a billion shallow decisions giving the illusion of richness, masking the huge amounts of luck in even the more popular strategy games. I hate it. That's not how eurogames were 20-30 years ago - we want any luck out in front and big decisions with big consequences, where even the AP - dreading what a player might decide to do - is tense and exciting.
@michaeljameskeating1348
9 ай бұрын
I thinks have 6 spaces for spellbooks is good, but I would like to see 8 spellbooks, and one chooses 6 as per their preferable playstyle and tactics.
@MarioAdNoman
3 жыл бұрын
I don't own it but I played this a couple times on TableTopSimulator Great gamea, great minis! But sadly too heavy to have at my table :( and expensive Wish they had thematic dice rather than normal d6
@jakesanders9834
3 жыл бұрын
They do offer thematic dice for each faction as an extra purchase.
@MarioAdNoman
3 жыл бұрын
@@jakesanders9834 Yes but its a shame it HAS to be an extra purchase :( as I live in South America, 1 dollar can be the diference between paying an extra 21% tax or not ...and that 1 dollar comes with extra shipping
@jakesanders9834
3 жыл бұрын
@@MarioAdNoman Agreed.
@realli4021
3 жыл бұрын
This game is my top1 game~~ I love this game very much.
@BoardGameCo
3 жыл бұрын
It's fun :)
@realli4021
3 жыл бұрын
@@BoardGameCo You could try Glorantha: The Gods War , this also good game~
@koonfasa
3 жыл бұрын
I want those Cthulhu monsters.
@attiladukai2121
2 ай бұрын
This game totally feels like CitOW and the makers should have kept that scale. I mean that Cthulhu "mini" is as big as a 28mm scale Warhammer Questoris knight...
@BoardGameCo
2 ай бұрын
You're not wrong..
@chrisnenzel582
3 жыл бұрын
But isn't this completely unobtanium? Don't those who don't have it have to pay ridiculous prices on eBay or pray for a new Kickstarter?
@DannyJutten
3 жыл бұрын
That, and even if they do another KS, getting into it now seems risky as the company seems to be toppling over. Each new KS pays for production of the previous KS. Shame the unavailability and business practices aren’t addressed at all in the video.
@joncarr5545
3 жыл бұрын
@@DannyJutten Availability and "business practices" have nothing to do with the game/gameplay. I see no reason for that to be a part of a review video. And the game is possible to get, just at high prices. Which is true for many games. Should he just wait until it's widely available to review it? That's also nonsensical.
@coregoon
3 жыл бұрын
@@DannyJutten The company's doing fine. The real problem is that the factories that make the figures and such are dealing with massive backlogs because of the pandemic, as well as shipping having similar problems right now.
@ImperatorZed
Жыл бұрын
It's hitting retail sometime in the coming months
@dmillar71
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the review...after doing a little research on my own I see there's a few massive red flags with Petersen Games recent kickstarters (they're holding KS games hostage until they get funding for distributer runs), lying to backers, shaky financial situations, and the game designers tweets from his personal account all mean I'm definitely passing on any PG product.
@BoardGameCo
3 жыл бұрын
All totally fair reasons to shy away.
@AlamarianJ
3 жыл бұрын
"holding KS games hostage until they get funding for distributer runs" might be over-simplified, if what Petersen Games is saying is true. According to various posts from Arthur Petersen, they could get some or most of their KS games printed and immediately go bankrupt or wait on funding for distributor runs. Not being privy to their finances, I assume that's a true statement. That being said, they have serious issues as a business. Their KS campaigns have always been fulfilled but they are generally (always?) late. They clearly extended themselves beyond their capital. I think Arthur Petersen should probably be kept away from the community side of things, he just doesn't have thick enough skin to handle it without getting a little prickly (though given how unGodly unreasonable some people are, I can understand). I hope they take a long look at their business and change a bunch of things. I'm not that ticked that my $400 KS order isn't delivered yet, because I knew their reputation for delivering late, but I understand that most people would be pissed.
@RicksPoker
2 жыл бұрын
Hi D. Millar. Post from the future here. KS shipped, everything arrived. Late tho. A really fun game that can be played in a reasonable time. :-D Warm regards, Rick.
@liesureleeminis8268
3 жыл бұрын
I want this game so bad
@BoardGameCo
3 жыл бұрын
It's good...although I prefer others in the genre.
@liesureleeminis8268
3 жыл бұрын
@@BoardGameCo yeah, but the minis alone look like they'd be worth the cost just to paint and display.
@DannyJutten
3 жыл бұрын
@@liesureleeminis8268 Really? They are low detail, typical PVC board game minis. There are a lot of better looking miniatures out there, from KD:M to even the new Descent. And of course anything produced by Games Workshop.
@liesureleeminis8268
3 жыл бұрын
@@DannyJutten I got a soft spot for anything Cthulhu 🤷
@Exozik
2 жыл бұрын
To me Chtulhu Wars is better than Blood Rage.
@BoardGameCo
2 жыл бұрын
I hear... different strokes
@Exozik
2 жыл бұрын
@@BoardGameCo The problem with Blood Rage for me is that there is few tactical opportunities to manipulate the board. The game is simple in that aspect. Blood Rage is complex in other places like the balance of cards you need to go for, the different strategies you can utilize to score points and the combo you can pull off but I prefer my area control games more tactical on the board. I like looking at the board and finding the best move others probably didn't even consider and get rewarded for that. That's why I love Chess and Five Tribes so much. I heard Ankh is also great for that but I didn't had the opportunity to try it yet. I agree with you that in order to make Chtulhu Wars greater, every factions should get access to more spell book powers to give more chooses in-faction. My preferred way of achieving that would be having every factions with 8 spell books instead of 6 so 2 of them would not be obtainable each game.
@david_hodarispiele
3 жыл бұрын
Simply love it! ^^
@joshmcilroy603
3 жыл бұрын
I've just got the base game, three faction expansions, one extra mechanic expansio (high priests), one map pack and battle dice for each faction..... I'm VERY GLAD you said this was a 4 out of 5 😅🤣 haha if it had of been a 3 or 2 I would of been feeling the heat from my girlfriend 😳 haha
@edwinperez7391
3 жыл бұрын
Alex said not an hour but then goes on to say 60 min lol. I think 1 hour = 60 min 🤔
@r.l.jeffries1091
3 жыл бұрын
No. He says "fifty minutes to an hour minutes" but because people don't say "an hour minutes" he corrected himself to just "fifty to sixty minutes".
@edwinperez7391
3 жыл бұрын
@@r.l.jeffries1091 lol I was just making a joke. I always comment on his videos haha 🤣
@BoardGameCo
3 жыл бұрын
:)
@raortiz73
3 жыл бұрын
Those are huge minis.
@BoardGameCo
3 жыл бұрын
Yep :)
@jasong1610
3 жыл бұрын
Petersen Games is screwing their kickstarter backers at the moment.
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