I received this review copy from Stonemaier Games to check out. Note that this game is not a stand-alone game but rather an expansion to Viticulture that requires the base game to play. I had Viticulture and all previously released content already as the base game is among my all-time favorites. I was very interested in the Viticulture World expansion and how they were going to translate a competitive game (and a tight worker placement game at that) into a cooperative game, let’s move into the review and see how they did that.
From the Publisher:
In the Viticulture World expansion for Viticulture (a top-30 ranked game on BoardGameGeek), cooperate with members of your extended winemaking family (or play solo) in 7 asymmetric continents as you try to achieve global recognition. Balance the growth of your individual vineyard with the combined effort of your fellow players to gain influence within the region.
Disclaimer: The publisher provided the copy of Viticulture World expansion. The opinions expressed in the review are completely my own.
Review:
Initial Impression/Components:
As with all Stonemaier titles, Viticulture world features top quality components. The look and feel of each are very pleasant. My favorite component in this expansion is the meeple hats (yellow/blue)
List of Components:
1 box
1 double-sided game board (the back side includes slots for structure cards from the Tuscany expansion)
2 rulebooks (multiplayer and solo)
7 completely asymmetric, unique continent decks (110 total cards)
28 innovation tiles
20 new red and blue cards
24 yellow and blue hats
1 influence token
1 event token
20+ Automa solo components (including 19 cards)
20 card reprints (these mechanically identical cards replace their original counterparts so it’s easy to discard cards that aren’t compatible for cooperative play)
Favorite:
The difficulty of completing the game successfully as a group. I enjoy cooperative games but getting the at just the right difficulty that you won’t win or lose every time is a task in itself. Personally, I enjoy having a 40% or less chance of success in a cooperative game. Coming close, but failing to achieve win conditions in my first play of Viticulture World, felt great. Matched with this, were the completely unique continents which will dictate the flow of the game and the seasons/year. If you don’t focus on completing those objectives and unlocking bonuses, I don’t think you will succeed.
Least Favorite:
Every now and then you may have a player that just isn’t in it for the team. Though them collecting and filling wine orders will still help the group overall, it will drastically decrease your odds of success if you don’t have real cooperation. This game is intended to have you work together so you may want to factor that into your game choice depending on the crew you have along for the ride.
Mechanics:
– Contracts
– Cooperative Game
– Solo / Solitaire Game
– Turn Order: Auction
– Victory Points as a Resource
– Worker Placement
– Worker Placement, Different Worker Types
Rules:
The core rules of Viticulture remain mostly unchanged; fields and planting/harvesting, collecting grapes and making wine, aging, Summer and Winter Visitors, etc., are all the same. There are some interesting differences with turn order, bonuses between seasons, upgrading spaces on the map, group objectives, and things like that.
You can find the full rules to Viticulture and associated expansions (including Viticulture World) in the link below.
– Wake-up chart
– Continent decks for distinctively difference games
– Successfully making Viticulture cooperative
– Difficulty to meet goal
– Upgrades (workers, spaces)
– Innovation Tiles
Areas they could have improved:
– Maybe some way to share victory points if you have a commanding lead past the rest of the players on the track.
– I’d like to be able to pay even more to train a worker to make another grande
– A way to cycle cards better (vines, visitors, wine orders, etc.) sometimes you can get just bad luck that will impact you in a big way.
Interesting moment:
In the final season of the first play through, every one of us was able to create a wine and make some pretty satisfying plays using upgrades space combos and the Winter Visitor cards. It wasn’t quite enough to secure a win but it was so close! It looks like it was going to be a complete bust but the massive jump in the final moments of the game really brought everyone on board and created an excitement. It doesn’t really matter to me that we didn’t meet the goal, the time we shared was just as good as if we had.
Overall:
Though it can be a real challenge, I think the balance of being able to share your cards, work out plays together and cooperate on the placement of your workers brings the game together and allows the opportunity for an exciting finish. I really like the player order and bonuses worked out through the wake-up chart and upgrading workers to work in either season.
Final Thoughts:
I was nervous that this expansion, in its attempt at making a non-cooperative game, cooperative, would ruin one of my favorite titles. As it turns out, that worry had no grounds. Viticulture World simply opened up a new way to play and enjoy this outstanding title. Viticulture and its extra content and expansions remains a solid title and a great choice for any game night.
I’ll see you next time, back here at The Game Table,
After reading Brad’s review, if this sounds like a game for you at the time of this posting the Viticulture World Expansion is on sale in the United States for only $29. Check it out and get yours HERE.
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Check out The Viticulture World Expansion and Stonemaier Games on:
Brad Hiscock, aka “Zerility”, is a construction project manager and electrician by trade who was the owner of a 6-time award winning electrical company. His passion for board games has led him from playing hundreds of original titles to creating a design and publishing company of his own, Convivial Games. As an up and coming collaborator on many projects, he is always eager to try new games and meet new people.
