pathief

Can't blame you, we thought same!

I tried the original Spendor and didn't enjoy it so it really turned me off the duel version :/

Unfortunately no. I'd love if there was a place where I could try a game before buying it but unfortunately the local scene is really scarce where I exist.

I do have some LGS 20-30 mins away (by car) but with a 30 euro markup I don't see the point of even going.

Pretty neat! What's your favorite co-op game so far?

Have you tried this, and what are your thoughts on it?`

I haven't tried it but I have considered getting it. My SO didn't enjoy Spirit Island and it kinda breaks my heart. I was hoping that she would enjoy a streamlined version of the game but she disliked it so much that I don't wanna force it.

Let me know your thoughts when you open your Spirit Island!

Dexterity games are usually not our thing. I tried a bunch of them but Menara was the first one that really clicked. I always enjoyed stacking things, tho :P

I finally got to try The crew: Mission deep sea. I like it, but I think I prefered the simplicity of the first one. The game is basically the same but I have to constantly remind people what the meaning of the goal cards are.

I do own the expansion, we have mixed feelings about it. I think I bought it for like 20 euros, which is a decent price. The expansion consists on several modules that you can mix, match and swap at any time.

Things I like:

• It has a deck of cards with the temple floors. Instead of "shuffling" the temple floors, you shuffle the deck of cards which makes it much more practical and less ambiguous to find which is the next temple floor to use. There's also a variant we use where we keep the top 3 temple floors cards visible and you pick whichever one you prefer

• 2 golden columns - These columns can be placed by any player in any color. The trade-off is that these columns are shorter in height, meaning you can't stack anything on them. They also cannot be moved ever. I find these are really nice for those momments where you really need a specific color but the bag is being stingy about it

• New temple floors - There are a couple of really nice temple floors

Things I do not like:

• Adding the new temple floors to the pool is a pain. Whenever you add a new temple you also need to add a couple of colored columns and easy/medium/hard construction cards. There's a table telling you exactly what colors and construction cards to add for each new temple floor. This means that if you want to try different floors you'll have to keep messing with the number of columns and cards. If you accidently lose track of which setup of columns/floors you have in the bag... Boy that's gonna be a boring setup. We found the floors we like, shuffled the construction cards and keep it that way.

• New construction plan cards. I don't think they're particularly great but they do add variety. My problem is that you're supposed to mix & match them before each game, which is a setup step I don't particularly enjoy

• Blue/Red crystal stones variant; There are some crystals placed in the temple floors and you can discard columns to collect them. It's not harmful, just didn't find it enjoyable. At least it doesn't add any work in the game setup

• Rituals variant; At the start of the game you can randomly draw one of the 13 rituals in the game. The ritual is something that will change one of the game rules. Example: you can ONLY select the light side of a temple floor. I find the game already hard enough as it is but these might be useful for those looking for an extra challenge.

Let us know how your thoughts on it!! :D

I haven't tried with kids. The game feels really tense when you get closer to the end game, not sure if kids would appreciate it...

I own Junk Art as well. I like it but it doesn't have the same tension!