SeaFall Board Game - Legacy Game of Exploration and Adventure! Strategy Game for Kids & Adults, Ages 14+, 3-5 Players, 90-120 Min Playtime, Made by Plaid Hat Games

The basic plot of the game is that rival nations are exploring the seas and trying to create colonies and explore the ocean. Players engage in exploration, raiding, building, and trade (between the player and the game, not between players). The game has a "choose your own adventure" feel to it as you are given options when you succeed at exploration and some have better outcomes than others. The game balances the players between "games" by having whoever is ahead go last and those who are behind get boons based on how far behind they are. As the player who won four of five so far, I don't resent this admittedly artificial way of keeping play competitive. This game is one you really want to try to hit the player max of 5. I've been playing with 4 and it's excellent but fewer and I worry it wouldn't be worthwhile. This is my first exposure to the Legacy system and while overall something like this has one important flaw, I think the price on Amazon is worth it, considering how many hours you get out of it. After about 20 hours I *think* we're about a third of the way through. But after the first 4 hours of play I bought a couple of additional copies. The flaw is that you expend the game as you play it. I think you can mitigate some of the aspects of that flaw using card sleeves and tokens and so on, but really, the design decision to make this game expendable is probably the right one. To put the flaw in another way: If you want to play it again, you have to buy another copy. The game changes due to luck, player decisions, and what particular successes the players run into when. Different rules and events can get unlocked in different orders other copies of the game might experience. This has the effect of having graduated learning of the rules, making the game more accessible faster without feeling like you're playing a boring tutorial. The rules could use some clarification but otherwise, it's hard to talk in too much detail without spoiling some of the fun of discovering new rules and new features as you play. This might not be some peoples' cup of tea but I found it quite entertaining. If you can commit to keep playing the entire campaign, I think most people won't be disappointed with having expended the game in the process of playing it. After all, five people going to a 2 hour movie spend as much money for less than a 10th of the time in entertainment.

This is a great game ... for some. It is heavy, long, with significant downtime between turns. That latter point is obviously exacerbated with more players. The game will take you probably 30 minutes/player minimum to play and it will last about 15 games, minimum. You also need to consistently play, probably at least once a month, to keep continuity. This game has had a lot of negative press that has steered many away. If the above paragraph raises red flags, then by all means, pass. But at this price (less than $25), it is very worth it, even if you find you don't like the game. It has some very cool surprises, choose your own adventure moments, and the production quality is great. Playing it now also allows you to take advantage of the fact that the game has been out since 2016, and many of the rulebook ambiguities have been straightened out. Check out boardgamegeek to get some help if you are stuck. The spoilers are hidden so you can avoid them. There are also many suggested variants that can smooth out some of the complaints people have had with the rules as written. In the description of this game it says the game has high replay value ... and that is absolutely untrue. The completed game has, in my opinion, NO replay value. Yes, you could continue to play it ... but I haven't heard anyone doing so. And you cannot play the game from the beginning, even if you take measures to preserve the game components ... simply not possible. If they mean that you could play the campaign from scratch, multiple times, then yes, I agree. You will know major spoilers, but you can still enjoy it. I have played 3 campaigns and I would play it again.

Great game so far. Got my copy a week ago but we couldn't start until last night. After 1 game we achieved 2 minor upgrades and unlocked the first "new mechanics" box of new stuff, which is really making all of us look forward to it a bunch for next game. I know the reviews are that it starts off a bit slow, but all 4 of us enjoyed the base game as it stands: naming everything, discovering things, etc. It would be fun to play just the first game over and over again if it wasn't a legacy one. But the new mechanics are going to completely change the strategy for the next match, and while the guy who won is going to still have a slight advantage, the rest of us are definitely going to have an easier time closing the gap than if the new rules hadn't come into play. That's about as specific as I can get without giving spoilers here (there are a few spoiler youtube videos if you want to see them). So far I would definitely give this game a 10/10. But do not expect to walk into the game expecting a "super awesome pirate game", this game is about colonialism and exploring and things that just "tend to happen" while doing that, with a choose your own adventure side to it. I'd very much compare it to the video game "The Curious Expedition" for the first (few?) games, than I would to a pirate battle game. But you know, lots of content and new rules to unlock ;)

Non game related stuff first - Delivery was prompt, package arrived in impeccable order, I've come to expect nothing less and wasn't disappointed. To the game - a flawed work of genius it may be but by god is it an engaging experience. If I were to be brutally honest this review should really be a four and a half stars rounded down to a four, but yet I can't bring myself to do that considering that my group is gearing up for another extended play of this beast at the weekend and I'm thoroughly looking forward to it. There are obvious flaws in this game, if you've watched/read any reviews by the professionals (SUSD or Dice Tower for example) you'll be well aware that there are fundamental flaws in this game that stop it being exceptional as a board game. Added to the mechanical flaws are the, at times, opaque rules that of course develop over the lifespan of the game which in turn adds more layers of opaqueness between the gamer and what they are actually meant to be doing. All I can say is - thank the lord for Rodney and 'Watch it played' otherwise my group would have never been able to get this game off the ground, it would have been D.O.A.. Even now, I'll admit, we're regularly arguing over specifics, the rule book is never far from someones grasp and google has been consulted on multiple occasions. To overcome problems like this it would take something exceptional, luckily for Seafall it has a trick up it's sleeve. The trick is a simple but beautiful fact, it's the fact that this isn't a game with legacy tacked on to add flavour to any replay - it's a game which holds legacy at it's core. Our play through has seen the rise and fall of nations and unexpected swift victories, players repeatedly falling foul of luck but grinding out a result, decisions of the past coming back to haunt people, terrible name choices, diplomatic ship sinking, people wanting to come second rather than win (for a respite from the suffering that can bring), incredibly hilarious name choices that never get old etc. etc. All I can say for this is that it adds up to one of the most enjoyable experiences I've ever had with a group of friends. Not one person at the table remains focused on the flaws for long, everyone is excited to come back to see where we end up next. Maybe it's just the group I've played with or maybe I'm missing something I should be more annoyed about but overall I can see no reason why you shouldn't give Seafall a try. You might hate it, in which case come back and give it two stars and mark my review as unhelpful - but you might love it, in which case you'll be like me looking forward to another lost Saturday uncovering yet another wood producing site and coaxing the locals into giving you free goodies. I've enjoyed it, maybe it's Marmite or maybe I like the taste of garbage. There is really only one way for you to find out.

This game is amazing, Pro's - engaging game that develops as you play, each session is unique (6 sessions in so far) game is well balanced session to session and gives bonuses to the players that are behind to give them a chance to catch up. Neg - can only be played through once, has to be a consistent group of players and the addition of new rules almost every session can be a little tedious. Some rules are a little confusingly written in some aspects, Youtube assistance quickly clears this up. If this suits your group its amazing. easily the best legacy game we've played to date. far more enjoyment then Gloom/Frosthaven for us.

Juego que entra dentro del formato "Legacy" que personalmente no me gusta nada, ya que no soy muy partidario de que un juego solo lo puedas pasártelo una vez. Quitando esto y que por el precio al que salió, unos 70 euros, nunca me lo hubiera comprado. Por menos de 30 euros si que merece la pena comprarlo y probar este tipo de juegos. Entretenido y te engancha la sensación de ir descubriendo cosas nuevas y abrir uno de esos seis cofres secretos de los que no sabes el contenido. Los componentes espectaculares, por 25 euros que me costó, todo un regalo. Si sigue a un precio parecido no lo dudes y pruébalo.

Muy entretenido, genial para pasar un buen rato con los amigos, retador e interesante

Was nervous at first because obviously a lot is unknown about the game and the reviews are hit or miss. Pretty new to legacy games and engine building games but this one suits us well. About 4 rounds in and can’t wait to keep playing more and learning more about the game. Super fun. Great deal