by albcann
willadams33 wrote:
A big question I know, but I’ve heard such varied reviews as tompuzzl me exceedingly. To give some sort of context, I am familiar with legacy games. Games like Through the Ages, Terra Mystica or Eclipse often make their way to our gaming table - but my concerns are thus:
The rules seem an absolute mess; how on earth did this get through editing?
The games are very long, not like Pandemic where you can get through two or three moths at a time.
Will my gaming group buy in to a game that will take so long and, depending on who you listen to, isn’t even worth it?
The game is said to be unbalanced in terms of ways to score glory (although I’ve heard it argued that this is okay because sometimes achieving a milestone may take two games of planning, so they deserve the points).
Anyways: have at it...
The rules seem an absolute mess; how on earth did this get through editing?
The games are very long, not like Pandemic where you can get through two or three moths at a time.
Will my gaming group buy in to a game that will take so long and, depending on who you listen to, isn’t even worth it?
The game is said to be unbalanced in terms of ways to score glory (although I’ve heard it argued that this is okay because sometimes achieving a milestone may take two games of planning, so they deserve the points).
Anyways: have at it...
The rules aren't great ... but many people, who I am certain will weigh in here, have put themselves out there as Seafall fans and rules gurus who are very good at explaining ambiguous rules. I have taken advantage of their help many times. In addition, you will greatly benefit from the fact that this game has been out for over a year now and a lot of the rules issues have been discussed at length in the forums.
I love long and immersive games, and Seafall fits both of those criteria. You will need a group that likes such games and has the patience to see this game through 40+ hours of gaming.
The game can have runaway leader issues. But the game is more about the experience, in my opinion, and that will have a lot to do with the mentality of your gaming group. There is not a lot that can be done about the runaway leader situation. I've read, and I agree with, the reason that it is because some players are just better at figuring out games, and figure them out earlier, than others. Those players will have an advantage and will sprint out to the early lead. The other players have to band together and try to pull that leader back to the pack.
I think the game is very well worth the effort. You can also get it for around $40 if you shop around and it is certainly worth that.
Go for it!