Travis
Canada
Estey's Bridge
New Brunswick
Sometimes you have to roll the hard six.
I'm just an animal looking for a home - and share the same space for a minute or two - and you love me till my heart stops - love me till I'm dead
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Heisenberg's Endeavor review
Endeavor is a game where you act as the head of a European Empire trying to get the most glory by controlling Europe while expanding into colonies. Each game has a set number of rounds and each round you build buildings (to increase the number of action spaces you can later use), grow your colony (get more workers), pay your workers (get back the workers you used last turn) and take actions (place your workers). The action phase has a number of action types that you can do: Ship (increase your influence in a colony), Occupy (take control of an empty city in Europe or a colony that you have influence in), Attack (take control of a city that someone else occupies), Draw (a card) or Pay (to get your workers back, to use them again that turn). While building buildings and doing all of these actions you will be recieving different resources that will move you up four tracks allowing you to buy more expensive buildings, get more workers per turn, pay more people per turn, and hold more cards. Once the seven rounds are up you tally your points and the game is over.
Parts Quality: 3/5
I found the quality of the pieces to be good, but nothing exceptional. The "chits" and small cardboard and the cards are standard. The pieces are the standard wooden cubes and circles that you will find in most similar games.
Artwork: 4/5
I liked the artwork quite a bit, even though it was limited to cartography and the symbols displaying each colony.
Learning: 4/5
We found this very easy to learn, we learned it in about 10 minutes. Note: we are all seasoned gamers.
Replayability: 4/5
We wanted to play a second game as soon as we finished the first. I feel that the randomness of the chit placement keeps each game fresh. and there is also enough strategy involved that you feel good if you do well.
Weight:3/5
I would definitely recomend some planning when playing but you will not fall to far behind if you are not able to.
Overall: 18/25
Other things to consider:
Players:3-5
Not having a 2p option is a downside for me.
Luck: none
The chit placement changes each game but everyone has access to the exact same opporotunities. No dice rolls.
Interaction: a lot
The game is mostly played like a terratory control game. You must get in each others way to play.
Length:1-2 hours
The game says 90 minutes but we learned it and played a 4p game in 1h40m.
Theme: Strong
It is strong enough that you do feel like a colonist doing what the game is depicting. The only thing i found somewhat abstract what the "connection" rewards.
Waiting: little
The play is not simultanious, but each person makes their decicion and plays in about 5 seconds.
Price: Mid-range
German Games sells it for 37.95.
Final thoughts:
I definitely like this game a lot, again not having a 2p option is disapointing but we all had a lot of fun playing.
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Andy Andersen
United States
Newark
Delaware
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Nice quick overview. There are quite a few BGGers who say 2P is a good option, but the issue has kept me from buying. Thanks.
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Patrick R
Canada
Fredericton
New Brunswick
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I think that's a fair assessment. I'm definitely looking forward to our next play, just to see if I can learn from the last game's mistakes.
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Maarten D. de Jong
Netherlands
Zaandam
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Heisenberg wrote: Not having a 2p option is a downside for me.
There is a damn fine 2 player-option to be found here, developed and designed and tested by one of the authors himself, with feedback from a critical BGG community. How is that 'not having a 2p option'? 
Orangemoose wrote: Nice quick overview. There are quite a few BGGers who say 2P is a good option, but the issue has kept me from buying. Thanks.
What issue? There is no issue!
There is no '2' on the box because the authors did not want to publish a game where rule changes were needed for different player numbers (which is indeed the case), but the fact that a few minor changes are required in no way detracts from the very high quality of the author-endorsed/designed/developed ruleset. In a reprint, it could easily enter the rule book verbatim, and you wouldn't even think of it as a 'variant'. Truly, this is what you would want all variants for a number of players not indicated on the box to be like.
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Andy Andersen
United States
Newark
Delaware
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cymric wrote: Orangemoose wrote: Nice quick overview. There are quite a few BGGers who say 2P is a good option, but the issue has kept me from buying. Thanks. What issue? There is no issue. There is no '2' on the box because the authors did not want to publish a game where rule changes were needed for different player numbers (which is indeed the case), but the fact that a few minor changes are required in no way detracts from the very high quality of the author-endorsed/designed/developed ruleset.
With the number of variants listed in the game forum, I'd say it is an issue for some people. People want to be able to play it with 2. Or am I misreading your intent here?
edit: failed to read your entire post. But chill, man. 
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Bob Flaherty
United States
Loves Park
Illinois
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Nice review.
Once you get the flow the game, it goes much faster. My game group can play two full 5 player games in less than 2 hours, including set-up and tear down.
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Maarten D. de Jong
Netherlands
Zaandam
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Orangemoose wrote: edit: failed to read your entire post. But chill, man.
I'm as cool as liquid helium, I am.
I guess I am ... well, amazed... that some people apparently are able to miss a very obvious (very high thumb count) and useful thread, consequently denying themselves what they perceive to be a good game. You should read my previous contribution with a tone of amazement, and certainly not with a tone of condescension!
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Travis
Canada
Estey's Bridge
New Brunswick
Sometimes you have to roll the hard six.
I'm just an animal looking for a home - and share the same space for a minute or two - and you love me till my heart stops - love me till I'm dead
-
cymric wrote: There is a damn fine 2 player-option to be found
As mentioned, if it is not part of the game as sold, I did not take it into account.
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Maarten D. de Jong
Netherlands
Zaandam
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Obviously my glasses are worse than I presume them to be... but I don't see that particular bit mentioned in your review (which is quite succint, by the way).
Still, it bears repeating that while I certainly understand a more experienced gamer's hesitation towards public variants and such—I've purchased many a game because such a variant was available, only to come to the conclusion that it in fact sucked harder than <insert something creative>—or that as a reviewer you want to stick to what you get in the box ... I also think that what the authors published here truly deserves to be mentioned without reservation. The ruleset is in itself an exception to the general suckiness of public tinkering; and if people are already here at BGG reading this or a similar review, then the extra ruleset is but one mouseclick away.
That is why I am nagging so much. However, I am done nagging now, I've made my point, and it does not need to be repeated.
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Andy Andersen
United States
Newark
Delaware
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cymric wrote: Obviously my glasses are worse than I presume them to be... but I don't see that particular bit mentioned in your review (which is quite succint, by the way).
Still, it bears repeating that while I certainly understand a more experienced gamer's hesitation towards public variants and such—I've purchased many a game because such a variant was available, only to come to the conclusion that it in fact sucked harder than <insert something creative>—or that as a reviewer you want to stick to what you get in the box ... I also think that what the authors published here truly deserves to be mentioned without reservation. The ruleset is in itself an exception to the general suckiness of public tinkering; and if people are already here at BGG reading this or a similar review, then the extra ruleset is but one mouseclick away.
That is why I am nagging so much. However, I am done nagging now, I've made my point, and it does not need to be repeated.
I don't see it as nagging. Being passionate about a game, rule, variant, etc. is a good thing. After reading more reviews, I wish this was still in print.
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