How To Play KRETA Board Game by Stefan Dorra - Undiscovered Games Episode 14: Full Tutorial & Review
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- čas přidán 5. 07. 2024
- RULES CLARIFICATIONS: If you cannot carry out the action from a card, you cannot play that card. Essentially you can never opt out of a turn by “wasting” a card. You must always do an action! Houses and forts can NEVER move; once placed, they stay forever. Adjacency does not matter when placing pieces on the board. You can place pieces ANYWHERE (obeying the 7 piece max rule per province); for example, villages need not be adjacent to each other, and you can even build multiple villages in the same province. Adjacency only matters when chaining villagers together to deliver goods, or when moving pieces one adjacent space at a time across the board. Scoring the agricultural tiles: First tile of any type is 1 point. Second tile of the SAME type is worth 2 points. Third tile of the same type is worth 3 points. Fourth tile of the same type is worth 4 points. I explained this in the video, but I feel like I could’ve explained it better. 🤷🏻♂️
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EPISODE 14 is a full tutorial & review of KRETA by Stefan Dorra (2005). This game has eluded my board game collection for too long. I finally tracked down a German copy and learned the game 2 weeks ago. I have played the game 5 times already and I love it.
Kreta is a pure and elegant area majority game that uses action selection cardplay to maneuver your pieces across the map of Crete. I refer to all these types of games as “area control,” but for the purists out there it’s technically “area majority.” There is no direct battling or conflict; you’re ultimately just trying to establish majorities in the different provinces, but you have to figure out how to get all your pieces working together for you. Each type of wooden piece counts for influence when determining majorities, but each piece also has a different role and function.
This game epitomizes the classic German board game! I adore the wooden pieces, the beautiful game board, the accessible rules, the crunchy decisions, the perfect splash of randomness and luck, the player interaction, the player-driven pace, and the fun factor! While I would consider this more of a borderline “gamer's game," it is attractive & thematic enough to bring someone into the area control genre who typically doesn't play many of these types of games.
The unpredictable & somewhat random timing of when which regions will score could turn off some hardcore gamers who like more perfect information. But it didn’t bother me at all. It makes the Kastellan card more important and brings the game to life by adding a nice tension & element of surprise. I enjoy hedging my bets and pressing my luck a little. We play games to have fun, and the game is fun!
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Timecodes:
0:00 - Intro & Overview
2:16 - Board Setup
4:00 - Brief Scoring Overview
5:26 - Intro to Action Cards
6:45 - BAUMEISTER Card
9:56 - FELDHERR Card
11:50 - ADMIRAL Card
13:43 - BAUER Card
16:00 - ABT Card
18:23 - KÖNIG Card
18:45 - KASTELLAN Card
21:20 - Detailed Scoring Example
24:08 - Other Rules
25:37 - 2-Player Rule Changes
26:13 - Rating & Review - Hry
I added this to my Want to Play list after watching this a while back.
Just played it for the first time at BGG Spring and not even halfway through, I fell in love. This game is so good, so tense, and the manipulation of the timing is chef’s kiss. Yet another Dorra game I am blown away by
That's so awesome! Thanks for sharing! This was my favorite "new to me" game in 2023, and it has firmly made its way into my Top 20 of all time. I totally agree with everything you said. It's a true gem of a game, and after 14 plays I'm still loving it just as much!
@@undiscovered_games I hear there is a reprint in the works called Sardegna, possibly available this fall!
I heard rumors of that too! This game desperately needs a reprint! Strangely, right after I released this video last year, I started hearing rumblings of a reprint. I wonder if my video had anything to do with that, or if it was purely a coincidence. 🤔
Very detailed and thorough teaching of yet another game I’ve never heard of. Thank you for taking the time to make this, the game looks fantastic.
Thank you! We are loving this one. It’s a charmer! I hope you get to try it sometime. Let me know how you like it!
Excited about Playte releasing a new edition of this game! It feels like it happens with every game you cover so they must all be great games.
Haha, I do have some crazy luck with games I cover suddenly being reprinted. Someone high up in the industry must be subscribed to my channel LOL (If they're reading this, send me some royalties! :P ) But in all seriousness, this game absolutely deserved a reprint and I am sooooo excited it's finally happening! Thanks for the comment!
I've owned this game for quite awhile now. I scored a used copy 15 years or so back and never considered moving it from my collection. It's a super interesting area majority game and the tension induced as you hope to get one more card play before someone triggers the scoring is choice!
Yes, for me this one stands alone in the world of area majority games. It really feels unique and does some things that no other games do in my collection. Just like you said, I would never consider getting rid of this game!
Milestones, Hellas, Marracash, and Medina are all top games in my collection. So I did some searching for other Stefen Dorra games I might like and Kreta popped up on BGG and your video review. Long story short, I think we have similar likes in games so after watching a few of your vids I now own Kreta, Paris Connection and Tutankhamen. I am looking forward to more of your recommendations, keep the videos coming!
That's awesome! Dorra is such a good designer. I have never played a game of his I didn't like. I enjoy all those you mentioned, except I have not played Milestones! I will be adding that to my research list for sure. Thank you for the kind words, and I hope you enjoy all my recommendations. Come back and let me know how you like all 3 of those you mentioned. I enjoy them all for different reasons. I am working on my next video now... should be posted later in the week. Thanks for watching & commenting!
This game looks awesome! Thank you so much for reviewing this game. Your channel is the best.
Thank you for the kind words! It is definitely an awesome game. It's in the running for my favorite "new to me" game of 2023.
Thank you for this, great to see this game get a spotlight. Loving the channel so far, great stuff!
Thank you for the comment! It’s truly a hidden gem. So happy you found the channel!! 😊
Great teach! Exactly the video I was looking for, very helpful. You earned a new subscriber. I'm looking forward to checking out your other videos.
Awesome thank you! Welcome to the channel! Glad you found this helpful 😊
I got this game. Wish to play it for the first time. Nice that you cover it 🙂
I hope you like it as much as I did!
Excellent explanation. Looking forward to your next rules videos.
Thank you! I reallllllly like Kreta. It has been my favorite "new to me" game of 2023 so far. Also, my most recent episode (22) is also a full rules video for a game called Oltre Mare, which you might also enjoy. Thanks for the comment!
@@undiscovered_games Cool I'll check it out. I prefer older Euro games with generally light rules overheard. Thanks.
Same here, so many great old-school euros out there!
This is a great title that definitely deserves more coverage. Hard to believe it didn’t ever get an English printing … I like playing async games online but it absolutely does not work with Kreta. Watching opponents creep into territories, keeping tabs on how many cards a player has left and the likelihood they’ll play the Kastellan, and following the timing of everyone’s moves - this game needs to be played on the table. Great pick!
I hope you cover Hellas next time you showcase another Dorra game. Like Kreta, it never got published outside of Europe but it’s a stunner.
Thanks for the comment! I completely agree. I cannot believe this never got a mass market printing! And yeah, this definitely lends itself to in-person playing. I do plan to feature Hellas as well. That is one of the other 5 Dorra games in my collection. Every one of his games could be featured actually; they’re all so unique. Big fan of his designs!
I hope that you did not make any rule mistakes on this one this time because you convinced me to get a copy ASAP. 😜
Really enjoy your videos! You put a lot of effort in editing and presenting the game in a very prestigious way. Keep up the good work! 😀
Haha that's awesome! As far as I can tell, this is one of my cleanest tutorials! Always check the description, but I'm pretty confident I nailed it on this one. And I can confidently say if you like Lowenherz as much as you said, I realllllly think you'll like this one. Come back and let me know what you thought!
@@undiscovered_games played it last weekend. This one is quite amazing! I'm super excited to play it again! Did you end up playing Lowenherz on your end?
Thanks for the update! I am so glad you enjoyed it as much as I did. I find that Kreta keeps improving the more I play it. I have logged over 10 plays now, and I am still not tired of it. We DID get to play Lowenherz with the proper scoring, and I must say, I have a whole new appreciation for that game... all thanks to you! Many thanks for catching that scoring error. It seriously fixed all the issues I had with the scoring!!!!
Great video, I'm really enjoying all your videos recently.
For this one, surely the player who goes first on the first go has a huge advantage because they can build a fort on the first number... Is that not correct?
Thanks for the comment! You pose an interesting question, and I see there is some discussion over on BGG about this very topic. This is a somewhat difficult question for me to tackle because the game is _so_ dependent on everyone else at the table (which is one of my favorite things about it) as well as which fort cards come out first. In my experience, there are _so_ many meaningful ways to get points throughout the course of the game that I don't know how much of an advantage it would really be in the long term. The game has you constantly weighing whether to play the short game of rushing to the known scoring areas, or to play the long game of ignoring the known scoring areas and building up a balanced presence around the map. If you always rush to the known scoring areas, you'll likely lose the game (in my experience). It might get them an early boost of points, but they would need to play the fort first, then play the castellan right away on their 2nd turn. Even then, the other players can at least jump in and tie them for majorities in the other regions by placing a fort on another dot, or a villager or an abbot in the scoring regions. If I saw someone building a fort, I would likely jump in and place a villager to tie them in one of the regions, and the other players would probably jump in and place their villagers as well. I would think that all of us are now better set up for later rounds as we've now got some villagers established on the board and can begin growing our presence around the map. Furthermore, if that first player did play a fort and then scored it right away, theoretically another player could do the exact same thing with the next scoring card revealed, as the board will not be populated enough yet to stop them. I'd have to really study your question further, but building a fort right away seems shortsighted to me.... sort of like buying a Province too soon in Dominion or something like that (just because you can, doesn't mean you should). There are clearly some areas on the board that are more valuable to build a fort, so even if those numbers aren't scoring right away, it's sometimes best to grab a more valuable fort area before you even know when it's going to score. The forts are never moving once they're built, so they might guarantee you some quick points up front, but there's no guarantee they will help you at all the rest of the game. In our 15-ish times playing this, typically I seem to see players getting their ships out early on, and getting some villagers established early on. The forts seem a bit more risky to me, but as you might have gathered, a lot of this game is based on "feelings"... which cards _might_ score next, when a player _might_ play the Castellan card, where I probably _should_ have some more presence on the board. Plus you're always reacting to your opponents. There are so many variables and so many unique ways this game plays out, it's hard to say for sure that your scenario is actually an advantage to the first player. Again, that's just my gut feeling after 15 plays or so. I would have to really study it further, and I'll certainly ponder it more next time I play this! Thanks again for posing the question! I'll try to remember to return here after I play the game again and post another response. :)
Immediately ordered :-)
Glad you could find a copy! You won't be disappointed!
This game looks so good....yes reprint now! 😅
I see one up for sale on eBay right now for about $100 with shipping....a little too pricey, so will keep an eye out for one that is less expensive. Thanks for the great tutorial!
You are correct: this one is a blast!! I am still loving it just as much after several more plays (since making this video). It is sadly very difficult to track down, as many of Dorra's games seem to be. Keep your eyes open. I have seen used copies of Kreta become available every once in awhile. :)
@@undiscovered_games hey, it's very odd... but possibly this video had an impact on the communities interest in it. Over the weekend I noticed it hit BGGs hotness list at #44. I looked to see if there was mention of a reprint/ Kickstarter for it coming out, but couldn't find any news... weird.😄
Interesting! That is weird it got so high on the hotness list. I can't imagine a small video like this would have that big of an impact but who knows? I noticed my Instagram post about this game got more views than usual. ????
@@undiscovered_games well, I just looked... it's gone now....a momentary anomaly.😅
Great review! I'm thinking to buy this game as I saw your review and there's one on sale.
Have you play Barony? Does it feel similar?
Thanks for watching! I have not played Barony, but I am vaguely familiar with how it plays. Based on the little I know about it, it seems like it would be a very different game. Still, I don't want to speak to any similarities or differences because I haven't actually played it. But I will say Kreta ended up being my favorite "new to me" game of 2023. I've played 12 times now and I still reallllly like it!! I haven't mapped out my Top 50 games yet, but I would say Kreta is in my Top 25.
@@undiscovered_games Cool, would love to see your list in the future video ha!
@@rizalpramana9868 I am currently working on my Top 50 list...I hope to put a video out sometime this year!
@@undiscovered_games I own both game and this does not play like Barony at all. Yes it's area majority but the games are super distinctive especially if you are playing Barony with the expansion which adds a lot of chrome to the game. Both excellent games.
Have you ever played San Marco? Would love to see a video on that
Whenever I can get a copy of it, I would love to feature that one. I have not played, but it’s a perfect game for my channel! I’ve had it on my radar for awhile, but I have not prioritized it, probably because I’ve been disappointed by some other Alan Moon games. Still, San Marco is definitely a game I’ve wanted to play for a long time! Hopefully one day soon I can snag a copy. Thanks for the comment!
@@undiscovered_games Speaking of Alan Moon, what about Clippers, have you played that one yet?
I have not! Thanks for the tip. I will add it to my research list. 😎
@@undiscovered_games Prior to cashing in on his Ticket to Ride franchise (who can blame the guy) Moon use to make quite interesting games. San Marco is a fantastic game of divide and choose which you typically only see in light filler games. Taking that mechanic into a medium weight strategy game is Juicy. Another divide choose that I really enjoy still is a game called Oasis.
@@IamTHoiA I really like Elfenland by Moon, and I finally got a copy of San Marco so I hope to feature that soon. My biggest issue with Oasis was I only liked it at 5p. I felt like the board was way too open otherwise. But it’s still a really cool game. I own it and still play from time to time. I love that card draw mechanism!