Command of Nature - Watch This First Before Buying!

In this video, I delve into the Command of Nature board game, a title that unfortunately left me disappointed just like its predecessor Casting Shadows. Join me as I break down the gameplay, highlight the positives and negatives, and share three rule changes to improve the experience.

What You'll Find in This Video:

How to Play Command of Nature: A step-by-step guide on how to play Command of Nature.
Positives: Discover the aspects of Command of Nature that stood out, including the Unstable Games artwork. This artwork also shined in previous games like Unstable Unicorns, Here to Slay and Casting Shadows.
Negatives: Learn about the shortcomings that impacted my enjoyment of the game. A lack of official Command of Nature solo rules certainly highlights this list.
Rule Fixes: I propose three ways to tweak the rules to make the game more enjoyable and balanced.

Join the Discussion:

Have you played Command of Nature? What were your thoughts?
Do you agree with my rule changes? Share your own suggestions in the comments!
Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more board game reviews, top 10 board games videos, board game tutorials, and other insightful content!

Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction and game overview
0:29 - How to play Command of Nature
5:21 - Command of Nature Positives - things I love
6:24 - Command of Nature Negatives - things I hate
8:52 - Rules fixes - How to improve Command of Nature gameplay
11:09 - Conclusion and final thoughts

Pros:
Artwork
Cost / Value for money
Pyramid and range attack worked well in a 2 player duelling game
Asymmetry

Cons:
Lack of tracker for action points
Faction Imbalance
4 player mode
Command of Nature solo board game mode ... or lack thereof
Length of game

Connect with Us:

This video was provided by the wonderful people at Games Australia, proud supporters of Australian board game content creators. While this game wasn't for me, maybe its perfect for you. Check out Command of Nature in your friendly local gaming store!

Hoges
The Bangers Project

#tabletopgaming #boardgames #soloboardgames

[gerrrz]

I have the kickstarter version of this game and I have a lot to say about the retail version as I tried to play it as such even before its release as I have my reservations about how Unstable Games handled its KS campaign.

KS have a lot of exclusive cards and an entire mechanic absent from retail that the retail is essentially just 70% of the KS version. KS have over 200 cards yet 60+ of those are exclusives.

Just look at the elemental and command markets, in retail both decks have 40 cards each but in KS its 56 and 85 cards so it significantly differentiates your experience of the game, especially the command market being more than double and have much more powerful cards that defending against it is almost folly.

The retail feels much more streamlined. There are fewer choices yet they feel more impactful. For example, basic elementals are better in retail because the command market is not that saturated so cards that focus on them appear more frequently compared to KS. Retail also have more emphasis on the elementals due to the command market not having powerful KS attack cards that the individual skills from you elementals are more impactful.

This is in contrast to how KS version plays because the optimized way to play it is get the best KS command cards you can get early and then it has the tendency to snowball from there. One card can essentially let your weakest elemental deal at least 8 damage which is more than most elemental can handle that most defensive options can't protect you from it. Its a slow death in many occassions unless the other player find a strong command card themselves so they can race their opponent on who can thin out the other's formation the fastest.

This changes the dynamics of the factions because the KS market makes the droplet faction one of the best faction because their early game lets them rake up gold faster than anyone else so they can buy the strongest commands early. This however leaves them at the mercy of RNG because if they cannot find the strong cards then their early game advantage goes to waste because their faction actions and elementals are the weakest.

Another thing I noticed about this game is how easy it is to optimize your starter deck. You can sell any cards you have for gold and that thins out your deck fast so you can buy their more powerful replacements from the command market, especially the KS version. It really makes you wants to just keep a 5 card deck so your later turns become consistent. All other deck builders I played before uses card effects to thin out your deck so it takes times to optimize.

If you keep a 5 card deck, this game is much more shorter that my 1.5 hour games before became less than an hour which I think applies to any board or card games.

My opinion about this game is that the retail feels more balanced to play because it has more focus on elementals for the cost of lesser replayability while the KS version have more varied gameplay because the command market cards swing the game a lot.

[CliveyInSpace]

I'm suprised you went in for this considering your thoughts on Casting Shadows.

This looked like a great battler however after the problems with CS and how there are never any independant reviews/playthroughs of the games Unstable Games are releasing, I gave this one a miss.

Side Note - having too much of a good time at PlayCon and you were busy demoing - missed coming up to say.

[amagrude]

Personally, I hope they do a 2.0 version at some point which adds some more factions. That would be a great time to address these issues.

[longchen]

nice Analyze results !! It's worth subscribing.

[janbabinski]

Hey!

Great analysis! I must admit, at first, I was very opposed to most of what you're saying, but the more I think about it, the more I realize you're right in many cases. I love a defensive play style and holding onto my instant cards, but I see how using them skillfully can prolong an already lengthy game. While I enjoy the extended gameplay, I understand that other players might expect something a bit shorter from a game of this caliber. Although I'm not a solo player, I can see how that mode could work really well—great catch on that!

I haven't played enough to comment on balance, but what you're saying is concerning. Regarding the ideas for improvement, you made a great point about not getting any rewards for kills after reaching level 8. Adding an offense-oriented incentive could help shorten the game, which would be fantastic.

However, I can't agree with the suggestion to limit playing one elemental per round. From what I've seen, buying and playing multiple elementals per round is a strategy that often backfires if your opponent knows what they're doing. Since it costs both gold and actions, you end up with a weaker deck while your opponent destroys your elementals you spend most of your reasources on.

Anyhow, great video! Thanks a lot for sharing your insights!

[FerLezz]

I just bought the game on prime day and I come after reading the rules, very good video

[FerLezz]

The mechanics of melee attacks and range by lines seem very similar to that of pixel tactics, you could take a look at that game, also very strategic

[donnakeferlis]

You're so right about those official solos that don't come with the game. I just don't get it.

[tiofiliuspransisko]

One thing I noticed after watching the official trailer of this game is that we can summon elemental warriors from different faction into our troops, is it not? I mean, if we restrict it into one faction only, Pebble is the strongest faction with their shield ability and the toughest one to break. I think it is pretty balanced if you do this instead of using only one particular faction warriors that your sage correspond to.

[flaccotuna]

the expansion Sand is OP too. i was thinking about which should i get first, Command of Nature or Casting Shadows??
ur analysis is good too. They said this game is more fun in 1v1 than 2v2/4 players. wdyt?

[ZiosNeon]

Hey great video what about the expansion do you think it helps improve the game?