Board Game Blog, Argent The Consortium with Maggibot

[boardgamejungle]

Unboxing videos have helped me make it till payday. :)

[PlumpyThimble]

The sleeves keep the game box together. I have been blindly hating those things and suddenly realize how useful they are. Also, I haven't played Argent yet, but will be in the near future, so thanks for the unboxing video!

[TheAngelofDiceChannel]

Oh, I like the look of Alchemist - Might be a pick up this year :)

[chanm]

Had a chance to try Argent out recently, so here are my thoughts.

The Level 99 aesthetic has never bothered me, and I'm impressed by the sheer amount of art in this game... There are a million components and they've put unique art on nearly everything.

On the other hand, I'm not entirely convinced that having a million components elevates the gameplay. 8 random rooms (each of which is double-sided) x 2+ unique spots on each room (some of which require badges to use) + 5 types of workers (each of which is double-sided) + 4 types of resources (money, mana, books, scrolls) + a new display of random spells each round x 3 potential levels on each spell + 3 items in the shop (each of which can be either consumable or can have a permanent effect) + 5 random supporters + random selection of round ending belltower cards + 12 end-game goals... etc. etc.

The end result of all this is that Trey Chambers has designed either: 1) a tactical game with a cornucopia of variability which you are able to take in stride, or 2) the most AP inducing worker placement game ever, as you sit in silence and obsess about the billion permutations of what could possibly happen during a round.

Viewed as a fun thematic tactical game, I think Argent works... kind of. The problem is that just allowing this game to unfold, turn-by-turn, feels at odds with the very tight end-game scoring. In a 3 hour game where the difference between "doing well" and winning might only be 2 points (out of a possible 12), just playing tactically and reacting to the circumstances felt a little like trying to play Animal Upon Animal while wearing a blindfold.

[chanm]

Far out dude, dutch angle board games. So radical!