Hey all,
Posted on the kickstarter and BGG link but I'm kind of perplexed with the poor ergonomics of the board. I mainly play 2 player so my wife sits on the same side as me. The dreamscape is so far away that we'd both have to stand to move characters or read the content. Having the board horizontal helps solve this but now everything is side on. Seems like a big miss, surely this was an issue when testing?
One of the few times I purchased a game mat, and one of my biggest regrets in this instance. Now I have two versions of an awkward layout. I may try draping the mat across my very small table as one half and fold the board up next to it as the other half. Or I may just nix both as mentioned above. It's too bad - it really does add to the experience, but I'm spending so much time stretching and reaching and it affects my back.
Also turning it upside down works great as well
I agree, layout of the board is horrendous for solo.
I'd argue that the best solution would be a modular approach. It's not only the orientation, but the wasted space and card disposition that makes the board too cumbersome to use.
While playing the tutorial dream with my wife, we placed the Dreamscape to the side. As we were drawing secrets I realized there was no place for them on the board, so they were also put aside. Once an entity appeared, we kept its card close to be able to read it (and enjoy the art). At this point only the turn deck was sitting on the board. After we moved to the Dreamworld I placed the corresponding cards on the grid, but they were not close enough, so I brought then closer.
The Dreamworld card holder felt like a neat solution. After I stored the map tiles when saving the game, I thought there was no point on ever taking them out.
So, next session we won't use the board at all. The Dreamworld will be easy to handle thanks to the holder. Decks will be wherever they feel comfortable, and the Dreamscape will have a central spot. Things will move around the table as they are/aren't needed. As for the clock, we'll be using beads to count hours instead.
t's a pity, because the original board is pretty and sturdy. But during our gameplay it was mostly a hindrance.
If anything, we'll miss a modular grid for the Dreamscape, so we can put it aside when not being used, and a modular board to act as storage and organize active items. I'd be happy if AR offered something of the sort as an add-on.
Moving the Dreamscape part to the middle of the board in a future print of this game would be a solution.
I personally just ignore the top map space and just use the bottom for everything, keeping the map tiles in the holders
Definitely sucks for solo. Played around tonight and even if I physically move with the boars upside down to bring the dreamscape closer then either the tiles will be upside down also or they wouldn’t match the grid numbering. Could make it work but not ideal.
If they were actually two separate boards then we could configure any way we wanted.
When you play alone, it's not a personal preference though. Solo gamers can't find any use of this board. And this game is played solo A LOT. It's not a non-issue and I hope AR finds a solution (adding a horizontal layout on the other side of the play mat would be the best option). This is actively discussed on BGG and Facebook. Here is one of those places: https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2538262/article/36253163#36253163
I guess this is personal preference .
I also play with my wife but she sit opposite of me at with the board horizontal so everything on the board and every component is whel withing range for the both of us . Never played a game with 2 (like mansion of madness ,... ) sitting next to each other , feels kinda wrong :D .
Its a whole side of place u cant use .