Endeavor

[Brel]

Endeavor

No. of players: 3-5
Ages: 12+
Playing time: 90 minutes

Designed by Carl De Visser and Jarratt Gray

It is a time when the maps of the world are still being filled in. Seagoing empires expand their frontiers by sending ships to the farthest reaches of the globe in search of new lands, new alliances, and new conquests. The wealth of the newly-discovered worlds abroad is a tempting prize for those with the strength and the cunning to seize it... and to hold it!

You represent a growing empire engaged in a glorious endeavor to expand your influence and status at home and across the great oceans of the world. Through exploration and shipping, colonization and war, you will struggle with the other great powers to control the resources and the regions that unfold before you. You must strike a balance between cultural, political, industrial and financial gains, making all of the right decisions to ensure your empire’s eventual dominance. The paths you take, the battles you wage, and the choices you make will determine the ultimate shape of the new world...

Source: www.zmangames.com

[Brel]

Video Review of Tom Vasel

Anybody tried this game before?  How was it?

[ChineezPnoy]

For those who r curious.
I tried this a couple of times (even more, IIRC) w/ Marqz's copy in d past & I can say its interesting.

I didn't even notice 1.5 hours have even passed!

[maskmanjoe]

The power of the empire stats board is big in Endeavor. Upping all your stats is an absolute must not only to give you elbow room to expand your empire but more importantly--imo--to win the game! Owning cities and trade routes provide only so much and can easily be lost (especially if there is a warmonger among you :p) so empire stats are more secure, albeit less thrilling. High level buildings are great for final few turn, game breaking actions. "Player interaction" takes the form of swaying opponents from taking that Culture token on the Asia track or that Ship/Trade token over one of the cities in the North America. And of course, invasions Its the most expensive action (you loose population whenever you invade) but seems the most fulfilling :p

Love the simple and well integrated mechanics, the empire boards and the fiddly bits.

[Brel]

Would probably want to try this out first.  I am not a fan of the design of the board as it looks a little abstract for me... but the game seems interesting alright.  Thanks for the tip!

[maskmanjoe]

Would probably want to try this out first.  I am not a fan of the design of the board as it looks a little abstract for me... but the game seems interesting alright.  Thanks for the tip!

When can we game? Its easy to learn! I personally feel it plays best with the full contingent as a 3-player game can lead to a very tight board (especially if there is a warmonger among you ).

[Talismanic (Mark)]

Great game! Arnold is spot on in his comments. Though, I feel the path to victory is a ix of increasing the key stats first, culture and industry, then getting your finance and politics up. The board is always interesting as it provides the opportunities and possible developmental paths you can take. I feel the game has enough screw you actions in the form of blocking and "military" actions to make it lively and not feel like solitaire. The game's mechanics lean towards building an engine, and that is always fun, but t the same time there are many tactical considerations. I think we got through 2 games at around an hour or less per game, so the game doesn't outstay its welcome.

For a Euro, it has everything- Build an engine, military actions, slavery, opening up new frontiers, and VPs to boot. Almost perfect for me as a fast but medium weight Euro. 9/10- I really like this game and expect to play it more often. 

[Earl]

I had this game and let it go as I found the strategy to be too simple.

Just go for the cards as much as you can and you'll win most of the time. By upgrading cards, you do not only boost your stats but also prevent the others from taking the better ones as the one you discard goes on top.

You also have to 'ride' the exploration of other people ant time it so you can get the governor cards.

Doing these two strats well almost always will guarantee a win over other strats.

[Talismanic (Mark)]

I had this game and let it go as I found the strategy to be too simple.

Just go for the cards as much as you can and you'll win most of the time. By upgrading cards, you do not only boost your stats but also prevent the others from taking the better ones as the one you discard goes on top.

You also have to 'ride' the exploration of other people ant time it so you can get the governor cards.

Doing these two strats well almost always will guarantee a win over other strats.

Interesting, I'll have to see if this holds true in future plays. In any case, Endeavor is not that heavy, it's true, and actually I like that, as it allows me to play with a more varied set of people and in a short span of time. 

[dyeyk2000]

I didn't expect to like this as much as I did. Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's the second coming of Agricola but I was impressed by how "clean" it was. It's more abstract cube pusher along the lines of Hansa Teutonica than a thematic civilization game like.. um..  Civilization? (Truth be told, I just realized I haven't played a "civilization" game yet. What a travesty. Must correct that soon.)

The board looks uninspired to say the least. But the last such board I played (*cough* Dominant Species *cough*) ended up being a game I really really loved. Sometimes, boring just works because it translates into cleaner gameplay.

So yeah. Endeavor. Good game. Pleasantly surprised.

[Talismanic (Mark)]

The board looks uninspired to say the least. But the last such board I played (*cough* Dominant Species *cough*) ended up being a game I really really loved. Sometimes, boring just works because it translates into cleaner gameplay.

So yeah. Endeavor. Good game. Pleasantly surprised.

Another "Ayun Lang" moment brought to you by Jake!