The Colonists

:heart:BGG FALL VFM---Yay, It's Mine!!

In the arena of logistics/resource conversion games, this is the closest contender to Ora & Labora for what I'm looking for that I've played (compared to Neuland, Roads & Boats, and Le Havre). First off, this has an almost dizzying decision tree in how wide it is with the various pathways, jumps, chaining of your three turns, etc. You can do just about anything you want and baring a couple of chokepoints (I think the CommunityHall being one), you can sort of do what you want and see how it works out. One thing that this does over R&B is it's not passive-aggressive in it's confrontation (e.g. gold isn't sitting on donkeys for ownership). In that respect, where R&B is logistics, O&L settlement spatial & resource conversions, it feels like The Colonists chooses instead to focus on the central map and connections that you want to make (in an optimized manner). Where Ora & Labora shine for me as a 3 (or, with experienced players, 4p) game due to work contracts, this seems to have a linear play time based on players and works rather well as a 1 and 2p game. One thing I do appreciate in The Colonists over O&L is the variability in when buildings come out within the era (as in O&L, you can pick up the same building on your first turn if you plan well).

That said, there are a couple things that annoy me about the game. It runs long, period. This is a game that would jump 2 points in my rating scheme if you could play a 3 era game in 3 hours or less (basically, the time frame of O&L). In 3 games, I'm still averaging a little under 90min per era when it feels like the game should realistically only consume 60 or less per. It overstays it's welcome in that regard. The era skipping feature is neat, but it almost takes as much time to skip the first era as it does to play it... Second, there isn't much driving diversification of strategy outside when buildings come out. Why would I not try and create a brewery district late in the game or skip theaters/casinos? (sure, there is a reason, but my point of "if you don't know how to leverage that, there is nothing pushing you toward finding out"). That's a by product of having such a wide open playing field, and some players who are more likely to latch onto a strategy and avoid trying something else will be disappointed. This is a game that requires "self-starter" gamers. I do think having a set of challenges (e.g. "have the most glitzy entertainment district for an additional 10pts per building" would have been neat as an alternate pathway to victory or variance). Last, the lack of interaction relegates this to a 2p game at most, it's surprising what a work contract in O&L can do to create a pleasant euro-style interaction aspect.

Overall, I'm rather happy with the game and looking forward to seeing what Puls and company do with expansions. A strong 7.

edit: weak 7. I've now played a bunch of games and I think starting in era 3 with 2p is likely the optimum one (with starting in era 4 being the alternative). It still takes like 4 hours, but it's certainly manageable then. One thing that is notable is if you start in era 3, you're playing "Setup: The Boardgame" for the first 90min as you make a bunch of decisions on what you're doing. We did conquer the ultimate summit once; 4p & 4 era game in a little under 11 hours (2 newbies). I do still like the game, and I think it has a place on the shelf as a companion piece to Ora & Labora, but it's not my preferred of the two (I think because the spatial piece here is a backseat in terms of planning focus).

Oh, and I think the existing expansions/promos aren't worth it, skip them. They pull the game in a very different direction than where I think it is interesting/entertaining.

edit2: now that we've played another ~10 games of the same opponents/starting era, and tried lots of different things for setup or strategies, I think it bumps up to a strong 7/weak 8 under those circumstances.

edit3: A bump up to a weak 8. I'm really quite impressed with it in terms of just how much planning and forethought goes into the game compared to Ora & Labora. Now I wonder just how much better I can do than 59 building points and 8 embassy points if we start in era 2 instead of 3... Second, I wonder if some of the embassies are intended for higher player counts (e.g. The Lord one) or needs to not be in play with some of the others to shine.

Resource management and engine building heavy euro. Several strategies to follow with different buildings, improvement cards and distant colonies. Best to play through all four eras, divided into two or three session.

Enjoyed this my first play, but looking back at it, it just feels like too much. Too long, too much variability, and so much choice the whole thing ends up feeling soupy. On the other hand, my score wasn't great compared to some others I've heard, so maybe I just don't get it. Either way, I've decided to trade this one.

A bit too long. like to play if have time and friends who not on AP Side best with 3

Essen 2016

I was sceptical at first - big doesn't necessarily mean good - yet I was impressed. Actions are balanced, the 4 eras give excellent progression, and it's not overly complex (don't be put off by the 4.08 weight). Lots of similarities to Uwe games: converting resources, growing your engine, ensuring you can afford to run what you've built. However ultimately, the decisions are operational not strategic. I'm glad I explored the machine but I have no draw to keep returning.

This game has some good ideas, and some nice mechanics - I liked marching your pieces across the different tiles to activate them, and one player getting an option on where to place the new tiles in the map really added some interesting choices to the game. But it is just too long for what it is - we've played the full game twice now, and shorter setups a handful of times more than that. The shorter games where you cut off entire eras just feels like you're playing an incomplete game, which is very unsatisfying. The full game has a proper game arc and a lot of strategy opened up by planning for the future - but the game just plods through it, and the pace feels awful. We're quick players, and it still dragged for us. I have no problem with long games that deliver something for that length - 1830, Here I Stand, etc. - but this just feels like a regular Euro experience you could get in a 90 minute game stretched out past the breaking point. The game's speed issues also make player count problematic. I'd say 3-4 is the most 'fun' or 'strategic' - there is more choice, more competition, etc. Yet each player adds so much to the already significant length problems, that you're left not wanting to play with the higher player counts.

Really enjoying the game, complex, but the sort of euro we like