aka pastor guy: #71: Innovation (Mark's Top 100 2024)

Innovation

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Why It's On The List

Yes, I'll be the first to admit there can be some wild swings of luck - some card combos are unbelievable in their massive synergy - but one of the real joys of the game is discovering those, whether you get to do it yourself or watch someone else find the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. And the card-splaying mechanic is just cool.

Tips & Tricks:

One of the great temptations in Innovation is the "I need to do something IMPORTANT every turn" longing... it can talk you into cranking up a Dogma action that helps others more than it helps you. Watch out.
The game is very good with 2-3 players... if you want to play with 4, you should use the partnership rules - they're a lot of fun.

Extras

I can not recommend the first expansion (Echoes of the Past) highly enough - not only does it introduce some nifty new mechanics to the game (echoes, forecasts & bonuses) but they also finally put all of the special wonder info on the new player mat.
I like the Figures in the Sand expansion, but it makes play even more complicated.
There are new rules for how to integrate the expansion cards into the game... evidently, it is to help with upcoming expansion plans. While I didn't have any problems (except a lengthy set-up/deck shuffling issue) with the original expansion rules, these work great and reduce set-up time. (This note is primarily here for folks like me who own the earlier edition of the game.)
I've been able to play the newer expansions finally (Artifacts & Cities)... and while they're great for completionists, I don't personally need to upgrade to own them.
If you're new to the game, however, the Innovation Ultimate box is currently in production with late pledges (it was crowdfunded) likely to open in the near future.
The implementation on BGA is really solid... a great way to play if you have trouble getting this one to the table in "real life".

aka pastor guy