Courtisans Review with Tom Vasel

I have a great time with Courtisans and lots of my friends like it too.

The game is fine, it reminds me of coup. You just can’t take it too seriously because the scores will be all over the place but that’s in a lot of games like scout. I feel like there’s always an interesting place to put your three cards.

Nah, this game is miles better. It's a colorful filler, that you do not need to take seriously. It's light fun.

I enjoyed my first play but have grown to dislike it over subsequent plays. Takes too long for how little decision space there is.

3/10 ??? I didn't play the same game.. or probably not with the same players ;)

Pre-orderes the German version a couple of days ago. So excieted to play it. In Germany the name is Hof-Verrat (court-treason) which is based on the other word HOCHverrat (high treason). Thanks for the review as always🙌

Hugely disagree Tom, this is a super accessible game, easy to teach, has enough variation to not get boring, enjoyable by kids and adults. 7/10

Been waiting for Dice Tower to rate a game below a 7/10, but wasn't expecting it to be for this game

Disagree, we play it at least once every time we gather to play. It's accessible, fast, and fun. A beautiful, chaotic filler.

I very rarely disagree with the ratings on dice tower. But a 3 for this game is a bit harsh. It’s much better than that.

for the first time i have to disagree with dice tower

Super rare disagreement with Tom here… love how accessible and simple the game is, while still offering some interesting decisions

i thought they reviewed games in a group of 3. dont know the game, but based on other reviews 3 sounds a bit harsh.

Our groups have LOVED Courtesans! Basically a riff on Biblios and For Sale (for those who don’t like bidding/auctions).

This is the 1 Ina 100 times that I disagree with you, Tom. This is a nice quick & easy game. Little luck, little skill. Great end of night game. We usually play Guillotine or Bottle Imp to finish up. This will enter the rotation.

Interesting - our groups love it!

This game can't be a 3. Worse games that nobody buys or likes have been given a 5. It seems there was something else going on. Was he in a bad mood? Did someone give this a great review and he was trying to balance it? Seems kinda aggressively odd.

I guess this is the time when we all take in consideration that these guys do this for a living, and just like he says, have played hundreds of games like this. I assume they've been already affected by the constant play of similar games or (like most of the times) their personal preferences. The game's OK and the art is great, don't think it deserves a 3/10 though.

Really surprised by this. It’s not going to revolutionise the industry but it’s a very nice, quick, fun game with BEAUTIFUL cards.
A 6/7 seems much fairer; I’ve played many worse games

He seemed irritated that he was even doing a review for it. Zee must’ve stolen his slice of key lime pie.

Played this at Gencon and everyone in our group had a good time with it. It's not the greatest game out there but we had fun and is better than a 3

Fantastic game. Almost every time it comes out it gets played twice and just about everyone in our group has bought their own copy.

I love the game. The lack of control, bluffing, unspoken yet apparent alliances, and intrigue are great reflections of politics (royal courts of old and/or any large organization/bureaucracies), in particular the: uncertainties, the twists, and the back stabbings. You have to play the game with those considerations in mind, otherwise you'll just be disappointed.

The game is easily a top 5 of 2024. It’s punchy, quick, highly interactive, and filled with nuanced decisions underneath the zaniness. It’s a great filler game.

It sure is beautiful!

Teach this a lot in our cafe. People love it

What a lazy review. I've played this game multiple times and its way more nuanced that Tom will lead you believe. Really enjoy playing this game!

I think you’re missing the point, Tom. Maybe hand it over to Zee to look at.

Very hard disagree with this review.

I must say, based on this review... Tom, it would be more fair if you just then say if you like/dislike a game and give your rating. It doesn't make sense if you justify your rating with some reasoning. You claim you have no agency just because you don't control the cards you get on a given turn. By that logic, any game with card draw or dice chucking allows player no agency? I could understand your argument if you leaned towards heavy euros with nearly no luck element, like GWT. But it is bizarre that you mention ready, set, bet as your fave game (which is all dice chucking) and then blast this game due to randomness of card draw???

BTW, idea of the game is to manage your and other players' VP by distributing the 24+ cards one draws in a given game. So I disagree that there is no player agency.

Yeah ill go with everyone in the comment, this is game is good.

I try to understand what "I..ablbblrblbeverything a everything this game stands for" actually means.
I agree this seems to be a bit bland, like a good foundation for an actual game. Just play Oriflamme instead.

I completely disagree with this review, but I guess that's not the worst thing. It's a good reminder that reviewers' opinions can be wildly different to my own, and that I should be paying far less attention to reviews.

If I had just taken this review at face value I'd have almost certainly given the game a miss, and that would have been a huge loss for me! This had been one of the single biggest hits among my friends - it's gotten so many people that don't normally play board games completely obsessed. The game is a breeze to pick up, it has such a friendly way of letting you be mean, and the presentation immediately gets people excited and invested.

There are games I've given a miss before after seeing a dice tower video, and this helped me realise that I've probably missed some great games because of it. I just hope other people don't miss out on this wonderful game because of this video!

Feels like a review of cosmic encounter if you miss how powers make you interact and negotiate with other people.

Telling people your objective, or being misleading and tricking others is the spice here. Simple, yes, but it is there.

I don't see much of a barrier in the game to getting into it in this way. So maybe that is the difference between a clinical review and people's experiences.

I've had a lot of fun with this.

I appreciate this negative review, finally! Because I tend to agree with Tom but I find this game delightfully intriguing.

It helps me gauge where I can factor in and out various reviewers opinions. Also, I love to hear a good rant. 😂