We went wround the table 2.5 times before somebody drew a 1. The other bigger issue is if you end up with a center row with only 1’s and nobody can draw a 1 to match it. The negatives are that it still has the stupid yell rule when you have two/dos cards which happens waaaay too often. The positives are that the game can play a lot faster where you never feel out of the game. Played Dos with my family today, the sequel to Uno. The main issue in that regard is playing only once a month. I remember being very ferful of supposedly "heavy" or "hardcore" games only to play them and realize they weren't very different from the games I was already playing. In the end, if you are playing hobby boardgames like Power Grid you are more than able to play the vast majority of supposedly "heavy" games around. Still, don't be afraid of not being "hardcore enough" for other games. I haven't had any issues introducing it to groups following that. Just play with 1 production in all categories for your first game. That said, I would absolutely not play it with 5 players, for some reason it bogs down massively once you add the fifth player.ĭon't bother not adding all the cards in, there's no reason to play a worse, engine-less game that isn't as fun just to learn. I think most people will enjoy it very much (I have like 120 plays on it) but it's one of those games of the moment that won't be played in five years. Terraforming Mars is solid and fun, if unespectacular. This includes 4 fully-customized mages (the ones you created in the story) and 6 bosses. While it has a Legacy story campaign (which can also be replayed by getting a Reset Pack), about 80% of the content will be fully compatible with other AE games and be mix-and-matched normally.
There is also an Aeon's End Legacy that just finished its KS campaign worth looking into once it hits retail. I'd say prioritize the two big box games, though. Since they all offer 2 bosses each (except The Depths which has 1 but includes more mages than the others) that really help spice up the game. The 4 mini-expansions are all worth getting if you crave more Aeon's End. If you are open to expanding the game, start with vanilla Aeon's End. I'd say if you only plan on getting one box, get War Eternal. War Eternal has the same amount of content and is standalone, but is somewhat more complex and difficult than vanilla AE (not that AE is an easy game, on the contrary!). Vanilla Aeon's End has 8 characters and 4 bosses. You can mix-and-match everything in the series. The basic mechanics stay the same, but each boss will make the game feel very different. Some will have lots of little 1hp minions, some will destroy your market cards, some will have their own breaches, etc. The bosses are very varied, and they each have a hard mode modifier. You can also directly open the breach but it is expensive. However, once you focus it enough times by rotating it (depending on the initial position), it will open. If it is closed, you need to focus it first (via money) which allows you to put a spell this turn only. If a breach is open, you can just put a spell on it and cast it the next turn. More about breaches: each mage has 4 breaches (some less). Buying gems/money, relics (immediate effect cards that provide various support abilities), or damage spells (you need to attach spells to an open breach before it can be cast the next turn), charges (for a limit break-style unique ability for each mages), or focusing a breach. There are a lot of ways to spend money (aether). This allows for more tactical considerations and combo-building. Once you go through your deck, you just flip your discard pile over and draw from it.
This game is basically a boss fight or a MMO raid. If you like coop and Dominion, Aeon's End is a good pick and the rules won't be too hard to learn. Bear in mind Aeon's End only plays up to 4p. Both games are highly-rated, so it ultimately depends on whether your group feels like playing a new coop or competitive game. I only have Aeon's End, so can't speak for Terraforming Mars.