For those wondering how many times you can replay before it gets boring, there are 13 unique endings! An average game takes 10 hours, so you can play for 130 hours and never experience the same ending
Great review. I backed SG on KS and got it a few days ago. I'm about half way through a campaign (thru the 1 18 events and about half way through the next 18). I'm playing solo and find it works great solo. And, I am enjoying the game A LOT. Been a board gamer for about 10 years and I have, and have played, a lot of games. I'm with you, this is one of the best. Easily in my top 10, probably in my top 5. Time will tell. Also, the components are top notch. The cards, and there are a lot of them, are the best of any I'll seen. They have a texture and a plastic (not stiff) feel to them. The ship I have is painted and and many of the tokens are wooden. The cardboard is thick and isn't warping. As you said, the graphics are nice and the writing is very good. The book of events, locations, story is huge and has a lot of content. I enjoy how there are decisions to make and you don't know if you made the right/best one or not. Steal and item or try to convince a person to give it to you. Take item A and return to a person or accept item B and take on a new quest. Take an entity as a passenger, or don't, because you feel a bit uncomfortable about doing so. I want to play it again just so I can made different choices and see how things turn out.
Your video had me download this through Tabletop Sim :) A LOT of pieces to keep up with, and it seems that there might be a new expansion being developed and play testable there as well. Love you Spencer
Wow! What a review. Some big calls made there. Better than G.H. Better than Pandemic Legacy S1. Number one spot on your personal board game list of all time. That's a big sell. I'll have to check this game out. Nice review. Oh; and I like your video editing. When most CZcamsrs edit, than just cut and it 'glitches' as the frames are disjointed and don't line up. You do cutaways and cut back and forth to a tighter frame and back out again every time you edit so it doesn't look disjointed. It look nice and professional. Nice job! New subscriber here. Keep up the good work.
Wow! Thanks for the kind words and the sub! I 've learned many things along the way, but I thing one of the most important is how viewers lose interest if the video doesn't change frequently enough. Thanks for watching!
First video I have seen on this channel. Fantastic is too general of a word to describe the production quality, audio, and presentation for your enthusiasm for this game. Definite buy now and subscriber!
Please compare to Near and Far. It seems like it’s focused a lot more on story and writing than game mechanics. How does the story and writing compare?
Story and writing are much better than what's in Near and Far. There's the large overarching story, but most encounters have more details and significant plot points. I would say there is a great balance between story and mechanics. In some other campaign games I've played, I would get tired of having to read some things and want to get right to the action. In this game you can't do well if you are just focused on reading the encounters. And you can't do well if you focus only on the actions in the game. Sure, I'd say the mechanisms aren't as in-depth as Near and Far. And there is definitely more story than in Near and Far. But as I mentioned above, as it pertains to this particular game, I think the story vs. mechanics balance is perfect.
@@TheLightenUpInitiative Do you feel this game has more replayability than Near & Far, since N&F has different modes of play (character, campaign)? Did characters feel more fleshed out in Sleeping Gods than Near & Far?
@@rockxhero Absolutely I do! I’d say this has at least 20 hours of gameplay if you do multiple campaigns. Which you should do to experience everything has to offer. And I do feel that the characters are more developed. They each have their own backstory and many of the encounters have options that only apply to certain characters thematically.
Wasn't a fan of this game personally. Good video despite that I disagree with your opinions. Interested in how many games you've played to make this your number one, especially over gloomhaven. Gloomhaven isnt my top cooperative campaign either but it beat out sleeping gods. Also enjoy your mission statement, not taking the industry too seriously. Keep it up.
7th Continent - They aren't very similar other than their exploration element. Very different mechanics in Sleeping Gods. Much more story too. I don't know much about Adventures of Robin Hood, but from what I can tell it looks to be something very unique.
Great video. A really good review with your recommendation based on very useful criteria. Your camera is focusing on the screens/back wall instead of your face though!
With the app. It’s been a while since I played the original version so I can’t compare. I think the reason it isn’t overwhelming to me is that you don’t have to take a turn with every single character. You just use them when you need them. Hope that helps!
I've played two campaigns so far; finished neither (died in brutal mode). All I do is thinking about when I'll play the game next. It made me remember the first time I played Baldur's Gate and Fallout in 1998 and how ecstatic I was. I only hope, the next game will include more interaction (romance, banter, fight etc.) between crew members. Sleeping Gods has become my nr. 1 exploration adventure game. Sorry, Nemo's War!
I don't often play solo games either. How do you feel this game compares to Near & Far, & Above & Below? *I sleep on a Layla & switch between my back & side. Sometimes even between Soft & Firm!
I wouldn’t necessarily compare them. This one just feels so different. Whereas the story element in those two are kind of disconnected from the game mechanisms, this one they are ingrained. You have to do the stories to make any progress in the game at all. And mechanically they are vastly different too.
Hi Spencer. Thank you for the very thorough review. My wife and I have been Red Raven fans for a long time and Near and Far is our favorite game. After receiving our copy of Sleeping Gods, we looked through some of the cards and content. Our main concern is that some of the content looked pretty dark at a glance. (Granted, it might just be that some of the enemies look particularly demonic/undead.) We are wondering what your sense of the game is-- does this game seem darker in content/theme than Near and Far? We're a bit hesitant to start a long campaign game when we don't have a decent sense of the overall content. (Like, we wouldn't want to sign up to watch a Marvel movie and then discover it had DC-level content [think The Dark Knight or Joker]!) Thanks for any feedback you can offer!
Thanks foe watching! I would say in general it is "darker" than Near and Far. It's hard to say overall without having explored everything. I don't believe that anything perceived as dark was intended to be "dark" just for the sake of being dark. Of course, what one considers dark is subjective. I will say it's not even close to as dark as Joker. I don't think I'd consider it DC level dark either. There are many light-hearted moments in the game. You're right, some of the enemies are a little creepy. But story-wise, I wouldn't have any issues playing this with my 7-year-old daughter. At least, those are my thoughts on what I've experienced so far. I hope this is helpful. Let me know if you have any more questions!
@@TheLightenUpInitiative well I tried it, and the first 4 hours were fun, of course because it was new, but I sold it later. I didn't feel like battling the monsters, a lot of the design flaws annoyed me, so it's probably just me and not the game. Maybe I'll repurchase it along with pp and ds, maybe not, haven't decided yet, I need to play pp with the old rules first (built the pnp, never played).
Nice review. I enjoyed watching that 👍 My worry with a very story-driven game is that on subsequent playthroughs, the suspense of the story is runined once you know what happens in a particular location. Take Tainted Grail for example. On my first game I took my time, explored lots of locations because I didn't know where anything was and dies in Chapter One, ran out of time. On my second playthrough I was able to make a bee-line for the locations which progressed the story arc such that I got well in to Chapter Two primarily because of knowledge gained from my first playthrough. Games like Eldritch Horror for example, you know the sort of cards that will appear in a certain location but until you draw them you still don't know what you're going to get so nothing is spoiled per se. How is this knowledge of the story arc on subsequent campaigns handled (or not) in Sleeping Gods?
Thank you! I understand what you are saying. There are two major plot points that will be the same every time. There are over 20 endings that will be determined by your actions in the campaign. Also, I suppose you just don’t visit the locations you visited previously unless you’ve learned they are essential. You’re trying to find as many of those Totems as you can, so I suppose once you know where they are, you could go after them. But it will still take you many plays to find them and explore every location. Many locations also have multiple exploration entries, so you could come back with a different status and be able to experience something different. Even still, if you know what many of the locations hold, you can always play as a “do better than last time” method. See if you can be more efficient, or see how you might adjust your actions so you get a different ending. I hope all of that helps. It’s not something I’m concerned about.
@@TheLightenUpInitiative Thanks for the quick response, I really appreciate it. I'll have to give this game some thought. However, subscribing to your channel requires no thought at all 👍
Thanks for the sub! Yes, that is the reason I sleep on both sides. I sleep on my back until I start snoring. Then my wife tells me to stop snoring so I turn to my side :D
How do you think the sequel to near and far will be? I think it is called Now or Never...curious as I enjoyed Near and Far bur not as much as I enjoy Islebound.
@@TheMattyb22 I'm not sure, honestly. I skimmed the rulebook and nothing immediately stood out to me. But I'm definitely going to give it a try. Unfortunately, I think Islebound goes unnoticed too often. I hope more people will discover it!
@@TheLightenUpInitiative DId you not make joke that we boardgamers are like addicts so drug-related crimes became games-related crimes. Or did i coment under the wrong video xD.
Way to spoil the ending in the title of this video! I come to these reviews for suspense and I got NONE! Pruh! Dict! Uh! Bull! I cannot wait to write my review on Metacritic! Also: REMISS = to fail at accomplishing a goal after having already failed at accomplishing that same goal. I would think you would know this as you seem like someone who misses and remisses a lot while gaming! Ha! Board game burn! Heckle heckle! I will reluctantly admit that your THIS GAME IS LIT sticker is cute. I reserve the right to remove my Badge of Tolerance for said cuteness for a deserving reason... for example, you saying something mean about me on a live stream. Or it's Tuesday. Please refer to my personal Players' Guide for the full listing of the Badge of Tolerance rules. And the online FAQ for updates and changes. Thank you for playing!
First thing before even ask us to subscribe to your channel - Apparently that there is a full disclosure which missing :-/ A disclosure that only before the end of the video has mentioned by-the-way... (not even in its full version, With the additional of a relevant tiny sentence: "Take my words with a grain of salt") That's not a way to share a full disclosure.. And that makes all of this opinion questionable, and this all of this channel questionable... In this days, any sign for dishonesty or undecency - is a sign to watch out. Good luck with a better transparency (of the truth) - in the future.
For those wondering how many times you can replay before it gets boring, there are 13 unique endings! An average game takes 10 hours, so you can play for 130 hours and never experience the same ending
Isn't that fantastic??
Is that including ToR and dungeons?
@@kosterix123 No it doesnt include that, they are separate expansions
thank you - came here looking for what to expect out of the game 'time wise' since it's over $100 in Canada.
Did you know that Odesa is a city in Ukraine? :)
I thought the exact same thing. Interesting. Let's assume that that was actually factored in the joke.
I did! I learned that when I searched for a map of Odessa, TX. I went with Texas because I live in Dallas.
@@TheLightenUpInitiative same thing. It's in Ukrain. The texas thing must be fake.
@@kosterix123 Nope, it’s real. I’ve been there!
Oh also Florida! We have an Odessa here as well.
Great review.
I backed SG on KS and got it a few days ago. I'm about half way through a campaign (thru the 1 18 events and about half way through the next 18). I'm playing solo and find it works great solo. And, I am enjoying the game A LOT. Been a board gamer for about 10 years and I have, and have played, a lot of games. I'm with you, this is one of the best. Easily in my top 10, probably in my top 5. Time will tell.
Also, the components are top notch. The cards, and there are a lot of them, are the best of any I'll seen. They have a texture and a plastic (not stiff) feel to them. The ship I have is painted and and many of the tokens are wooden. The cardboard is thick and isn't warping. As you said, the graphics are nice and the writing is very good. The book of events, locations, story is huge and has a lot of content.
I enjoy how there are decisions to make and you don't know if you made the right/best one or not. Steal and item or try to convince a person to give it to you. Take item A and return to a person or accept item B and take on a new quest. Take an entity as a passenger, or don't, because you feel a bit uncomfortable about doing so. I want to play it again just so I can made different choices and see how things turn out.
Yes! All thoughts I've had. Thanks for watching and I'm glad you are enjoying your plays!
Your video had me download this through Tabletop Sim :) A LOT of pieces to keep up with, and it seems that there might be a new expansion being developed and play testable there as well. Love you Spencer
Woo! Let me know if you have any questions! Love you too, man.
Wow! What a review. Some big calls made there. Better than G.H. Better than Pandemic Legacy S1. Number one spot on your personal board game list of all time. That's a big sell. I'll have to check this game out. Nice review.
Oh; and I like your video editing. When most CZcamsrs edit, than just cut and it 'glitches' as the frames are disjointed and don't line up. You do cutaways and cut back and forth to a tighter frame and back out again every time you edit so it doesn't look disjointed. It look nice and professional. Nice job! New subscriber here. Keep up the good work.
Wow! Thanks for the kind words and the sub! I 've learned many things along the way, but I thing one of the most important is how viewers lose interest if the video doesn't change frequently enough. Thanks for watching!
Awesome review! We may or may not be featuring this one soon ourselves and may or may not be suuuper excited about that 😁
I may or may not be excited for you!
Delivery scheduled for Monday... Like I needed to be even more excited about this!!!
I'm excited for you!
Thanks for the review Spencer....I bought the game just because of how detailed your review is. Thanks!
Also...do you recommend your Casper. I need a new mattress as I sleep only on my side and my mattress is so bad that my back hurts every morning.
Woo! I hope you enjoy it!
Yes our Casper mattress is quite lovely! I recommend it to people for sure.
We just received the game in France. I check YT reviews just to have the pleasure to see people agreeing with me : this game is wonderful !
So glad to hear you love it!
First video I have seen on this channel. Fantastic is too general of a word to describe the production quality, audio, and presentation for your enthusiasm for this game. Definite buy now and subscriber!
Wow! Thanks for the sub and thank you for your very kind words!
That was a very well written review. Can't wait for my copy to arrive!
Hope it arrives soon. Thanks for watching!
Hey algorithm, throw this guy some love. Look, I commented and subbed - it must be good!
Wow! A view, comment, AND sub?! You just made my day!
This has been my second Lightenup video, I've subscribed after the first and I am to see it was a good decision.
Wow! Thanks for the kind words! And, thanks for subscribing.
@@TheLightenUpInitiative thanks for great content, it's funny without just being a skit but keeping being informative.
Slept every night in a hammock for 4 years! Eventually got married and had to change things up, but it is the best way to sleep in my opinion!
Wow! That sounds awesome! Hmmm I do have a two-person hammock. Maybe we should try that for a week or two :D
Please compare to Near and Far. It seems like it’s focused a lot more on story and writing than game mechanics. How does the story and writing compare?
Story and writing are much better than what's in Near and Far. There's the large overarching story, but most encounters have more details and significant plot points.
I would say there is a great balance between story and mechanics. In some other campaign games I've played, I would get tired of having to read some things and want to get right to the action. In this game you can't do well if you are just focused on reading the encounters. And you can't do well if you focus only on the actions in the game.
Sure, I'd say the mechanisms aren't as in-depth as Near and Far. And there is definitely more story than in Near and Far. But as I mentioned above, as it pertains to this particular game, I think the story vs. mechanics balance is perfect.
@@TheLightenUpInitiative thank you I look forward to the let’s play.
@@TheLightenUpInitiative Do you feel this game has more replayability than Near & Far, since N&F has different modes of play (character, campaign)?
Did characters feel more fleshed out in Sleeping Gods than Near & Far?
@@rockxhero Absolutely I do! I’d say this has at least 20 hours of gameplay if you do multiple campaigns. Which you should do to experience everything has to offer.
And I do feel that the characters are more developed. They each have their own backstory and many of the encounters have options that only apply to certain characters thematically.
Wasn't a fan of this game personally. Good video despite that I disagree with your opinions.
Interested in how many games you've played to make this your number one, especially over gloomhaven. Gloomhaven isnt my top cooperative campaign either but it beat out sleeping gods.
Also enjoy your mission statement, not taking the industry too seriously. Keep it up.
Thank you so much for watching and sharing your opinion. Thanks for the encouragement too!
How does it compare with The 7th Continent (Serious Poulp), or the upcoming Adventures of Robin Hood (Menzel/Kosmos)?
7th Continent - They aren't very similar other than their exploration element. Very different mechanics in Sleeping Gods. Much more story too.
I don't know much about Adventures of Robin Hood, but from what I can tell it looks to be something very unique.
Great review. Your comments were insightful and helpful.
Glad it was helpful!
@@TheLightenUpInitiative We got a chance to play this for the first time this weekend. We agreed with all your points, certainly in our Top 5!
Great video. A really good review with your recommendation based on very useful criteria. Your camera is focusing on the screens/back wall instead of your face though!
Ah yes. The constant struggle with my lens. Working on it. Though, some people may appreciate that it is not focused on my face :D
Thanks for the review. You say that you don't find it more complicated than playing Mansions of Madness - is that MoM with or without the app?
With the app. It’s been a while since I played the original version so I can’t compare. I think the reason it isn’t overwhelming to me is that you don’t have to take a turn with every single character. You just use them when you need them. Hope that helps!
Ryan Laukat is KING! Can’t wait to get my copy!
I hope it gets to you soon!
bought this game while watching the video. you sold me so hard
I've played two campaigns so far; finished neither (died in brutal mode). All I do is thinking about when I'll play the game next. It made me remember the first time I played Baldur's Gate and Fallout in 1998 and how ecstatic I was. I only hope, the next game will include more interaction (romance, banter, fight etc.) between crew members. Sleeping Gods has become my nr. 1 exploration adventure game. Sorry, Nemo's War!
So glad you are enjoying it!
you probably don't want to know about the actual romance and banter...
Nice review and video, you gotta a new subscriber :-)
And Sleeping Gods is now a no-brainer for me.
Wow! Thanks for the sub! I hope that you enjoy your experience as much as I have!
I don't often play solo games either.
How do you feel this game compares to Near & Far, & Above & Below?
*I sleep on a Layla & switch between my back & side. Sometimes even between Soft & Firm!
I wouldn’t necessarily compare them. This one just feels so different. Whereas the story element in those two are kind of disconnected from the game mechanisms, this one they are ingrained. You have to do the stories to make any progress in the game at all. And mechanically they are vastly different too.
Very nice! Subscribed!
Wow! Thank you!
Hi Spencer. Thank you for the very thorough review. My wife and I have been Red Raven fans for a long time and Near and Far is our favorite game. After receiving our copy of Sleeping Gods, we looked through some of the cards and content. Our main concern is that some of the content looked pretty dark at a glance. (Granted, it might just be that some of the enemies look particularly demonic/undead.) We are wondering what your sense of the game is-- does this game seem darker in content/theme than Near and Far?
We're a bit hesitant to start a long campaign game when we don't have a decent sense of the overall content. (Like, we wouldn't want to sign up to watch a Marvel movie and then discover it had DC-level content [think The Dark Knight or Joker]!) Thanks for any feedback you can offer!
Thanks foe watching! I would say in general it is "darker" than Near and Far. It's hard to say overall without having explored everything. I don't believe that anything perceived as dark was intended to be "dark" just for the sake of being dark.
Of course, what one considers dark is subjective. I will say it's not even close to as dark as Joker. I don't think I'd consider it DC level dark either. There are many light-hearted moments in the game.
You're right, some of the enemies are a little creepy. But story-wise, I wouldn't have any issues playing this with my 7-year-old daughter.
At least, those are my thoughts on what I've experienced so far. I hope this is helpful. Let me know if you have any more questions!
The achievements seem great
Do you know if there is gonna be a retail version? If so when will it be release?
There will be a retail release, it’s available for preorder right now. The release got delayed until march/april 2021
Thanks for sharing the info, Daniel!
How long did setup/teardown take?
Probably about 10 minutes by myself
LOVE the diversity of the characters!
Yes, they did a great job with representation.
worried about table footprint now..
It does take up a lot of space. Do you have a large table?
@@TheLightenUpInitiative 900 x 1500 mm
Do you consider that large?
@@kosterix123 It’s probably average. It should fit. My table is 914 x 1524. It takes up about half of the table.
@@TheLightenUpInitiative well I tried it, and the first 4 hours were fun, of course because it was new, but I sold it later. I didn't feel like battling the monsters, a lot of the design flaws annoyed me, so it's probably just me and not the game.
Maybe I'll repurchase it along with pp and ds, maybe not, haven't decided yet, I need to play pp with the old rules first (built the pnp, never played).
Nice review. I enjoyed watching that 👍
My worry with a very story-driven game is that on subsequent playthroughs, the suspense of the story is runined once you know what happens in a particular location. Take Tainted Grail for example. On my first game I took my time, explored lots of locations because I didn't know where anything was and dies in Chapter One, ran out of time.
On my second playthrough I was able to make a bee-line for the locations which progressed the story arc such that I got well in to Chapter Two primarily because of knowledge gained from my first playthrough.
Games like Eldritch Horror for example, you know the sort of cards that will appear in a certain location but until you draw them you still don't know what you're going to get so nothing is spoiled per se.
How is this knowledge of the story arc on subsequent campaigns handled (or not) in Sleeping Gods?
Thank you! I understand what you are saying. There are two major plot points that will be the same every time. There are over 20 endings that will be determined by your actions in the campaign. Also, I suppose you just don’t visit the locations you visited previously unless you’ve learned they are essential. You’re trying to find as many of those Totems as you can, so I suppose once you know where they are, you could go after them. But it will still take you many plays to find them and explore every location. Many locations also have multiple exploration entries, so you could come back with a different status and be able to experience something different.
Even still, if you know what many of the locations hold, you can always play as a “do better than last time” method. See if you can be more efficient, or see how you might adjust your actions so you get a different ending. I hope all of that helps. It’s not something I’m concerned about.
@@TheLightenUpInitiative Thanks for the quick response, I really appreciate it. I'll have to give this game some thought. However, subscribing to your channel requires no thought at all 👍
Thank you so much!
Hey thanks for the review. Do you know Ryan Laukat personally ? I mean more than Meeting the most excellent dude at a convention. :)
Thanks for watching! I have made several videos for him so I know him in a business sense.
Nice review! Just found your channel today & subscribed👍 I sleep on my side (otherwise I snore 🤣).
Thanks for the sub! Yes, that is the reason I sleep on both sides. I sleep on my back until I start snoring. Then my wife tells me to stop snoring so I turn to my side :D
@@TheLightenUpInitiative Ha Ha! My wife sleeps very soundly, but when I am on my back and start snoring, I wake myself up! Happy Gaming!
What about Islebound? Is that now your number 2?
It is!
@@TheLightenUpInitiative wow. I take this very seriously, Islebound has been your number one for a long time, as well as mine.
@@TheMattyb22 Yep, ever since the first time I played it almost five years ago!
How do you think the sequel to near and far will be? I think it is called Now or Never...curious as I enjoyed Near and Far bur not as much as I enjoy Islebound.
@@TheMattyb22 I'm not sure, honestly. I skimmed the rulebook and nothing immediately stood out to me. But I'm definitely going to give it a try. Unfortunately, I think Islebound goes unnoticed too often. I hope more people will discover it!
Great Review!!
Thank you Eric!
I sooooo want to play this game. Looks fantastic. :-)
I certainly think it is :)
Nice review.
Thank you! And thanks for watching!
Fantastic review. I agree this game is GREAT
Stomach sleeper
Thank you for concurring!
Nice Review :)
Thanks for watching, Matthew!
Do you know Odessa is a city in Ukraine?
Better than Gloomhaven?? Wow, this must be good!! Thanks for the review.
And thank you for watching!
Odessa is als a town in Ukrain:)
I sleep hanging upside down. Like a bat.
Do you get dizzy? :)
This Boardgamers and they games-related crimes.
Huh?
@@TheLightenUpInitiative DId you not make joke that we boardgamers are like addicts so drug-related crimes became games-related crimes. Or did i coment under the wrong video xD.
@@Raistlin2k Lol, I don't believe I made that joke. Whoops!
The character artwork put me off immediately
Oh no! Sorry to hear that!
Way to spoil the ending in the title of this video! I come to these reviews for suspense and I got NONE! Pruh! Dict! Uh! Bull! I cannot wait to write my review on Metacritic!
Also: REMISS = to fail at accomplishing a goal after having already failed at accomplishing that same goal. I would think you would know this as you seem like someone who misses and remisses a lot while gaming! Ha! Board game burn! Heckle heckle!
I will reluctantly admit that your THIS GAME IS LIT sticker is cute. I reserve the right to remove my Badge of Tolerance for said cuteness for a deserving reason... for example, you saying something mean about me on a live stream. Or it's Tuesday. Please refer to my personal Players' Guide for the full listing of the Badge of Tolerance rules. And the online FAQ for updates and changes. Thank you for playing!
.........😐
First thing before even ask us to subscribe to your channel -
Apparently that there is a full disclosure which missing :-/
A disclosure that only before the end of the video has mentioned by-the-way... (not even in its full version,
With the additional of a relevant tiny sentence: "Take my words with a grain of salt")
That's not a way to share a full disclosure..
And that makes all of this opinion questionable, and this all of this channel questionable...
In this days, any sign for dishonesty or undecency - is a sign to watch out.
Good luck with a better transparency (of the truth) - in the future.
Thank you! Good luck to you as well!