[QLD] Lost Ruins of Arnak Game $49 @ Kmart, Sunnybank

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Kmart

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  AnonyL on 17/01/2023 - 20:47

  +3

  What kind of game is this OP? What would it retail for elsewhere?

  • 

    ozbs25 on 17/01/2023 - 20:48

    +1

    Post is a bit sparse. I'll add stuff now.

    • 

      AnonyL on 17/01/2023 - 20:49

      No all good, I'm just curious myself

      Don't normally need to add this detail (e.g. look at any video game deals)

      Cheers

      • 

        ozbs25 on 17/01/2023 - 20:54

        All good. ☺

        I typically write a lot and spend way too much time on my posts so this one did feel a little different. Maybe because I wasn't sure if it fit guidelines and I thought it might be removed.

  • 

    Zacle6 on 17/01/2023 - 20:50

    +2

    $65-75. Well reviewed online

  • 

    sssutanto on 17/01/2023 - 21:04

    +1

    It is a mix of worker placement, resource management..

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  Loracks on 17/01/2023 - 20:50

  +1

  https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/312484/lost-ruins-arnak

  Looks highly rated

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  PlagueistheCheap on 17/01/2023 - 20:52

  +1

  I’ve got this, love it. It’s similar to lords of water deep.

  • 

    RandomNinja on 17/01/2023 - 21:43

    Yeah, +1 from me too!

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  justtoreply on 17/01/2023 - 21:02

  Google search gives a different link, no price. Clicking through redirects to kmart homepage

  • 

    ozbs25 on 17/01/2023 - 21:05

    That's why I took a screenshot. I did the search moments before I made the post. I wasn't going to make this post with only the receipt but after I got the hit on google I thought the post may be allowed.

    • 

      justtoreply on 17/01/2023 - 21:05

      All good.

      Not sure if it's postcode based (6000) and no stock?

      • 

        ozbs25 on 17/01/2023 - 21:09

        Yeah I dunno. The whole thing was a little weird. They didn't even have a price tag on the shelf at Sunnybank. After the disappointment of missing out on the Carcassonne deal I just thought maybe something else was cheap and I just picked up this and Ticket to Ride Europe and checked the prices. Both came up as $49.

  • 

    ozbs25 on 17/01/2023 - 23:08

    In a way I can understand why they remove listings on their webpage for stuff they are trying to clear. I've been to a couple of stores recently and it would cost Kmart way more just to find the game than they would make on the actual product. Some of the toy sections are an absolute dog's breakfast. Maybe when kids start going back to school they can spend some time cleaning up the toys section. Lost cause right now.

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  ilikeblue on 17/01/2023 - 21:07

  Pros: Easy to learn for people who don't play board games, relatively short, on the cheaper side
  Cons: There's really only one "way" to win (i.e. it becomes obvious after one game which strategy you have to focus on), the main mechanics of the game are very basic

  Overall the game is solid, just not my cup of tea

  • 

    ajee123 on 17/01/2023 - 21:14

    I agree. I found the ‘combat’ pretty mundane and doesn’t really utilise deckbuilding well. Love the theme though.

    • 

      ilikeblue on 17/01/2023 - 21:18

      +1

      I think its a great game if you want to introduce new friends to board games, since it uses multiple common mechanics. Otherwise, it just feels very…basic.

  • 

    Noodles93 on 17/01/2023 - 22:23

    +1

    There's really only one "way" to win (i.e. it becomes obvious after one game which strategy you have to focus on),

    Interesting. What's your one way and what kind of scores do you get?

    I can regularly score over 90 on both sides of the base game (Bird is easier, Snake is more fun) and usually I get the glass to the top, book at worst 1-2 rungs from the top, temple tiles, 4-5 guardians defeated and a good mix of items and artifacts.

    Aka I try to score all objectives. Games where I mindlessly rush the temple track usually go poorly.

    • 

      ilikeblue on 17/01/2023 - 22:59

      I've played 3 games, once on the beginner board and twice on the harder board. Have always focus mainly on the research track.

      I almost never try to kill a lvl2 site, since its just worth more VP going the research route, plus other people being able to use the new worker placement to go to just means you're doing 100% of the work for a minor benefit.

      In comparison, if you're slower on the research track, you lose out on all the one time benefits it gives you and not getting the assitant you want. (Difference compared to killing bosses is that one is mandatory to go up, the other isn't)

      Of course I'm not saying you can ignore everything else and go up the research track, but if you lag behind on it, you're going to lose most of the time (In my experince at least).

      • 

        GrueHunter on 17/01/2023 - 23:39

        +1

        You might need to play more than three whole games, and maybe play with some more experienced players.

        Taking out a level 2 site nets you 5 VP for the guardian, 6 VP worth of idols, plus whatever that site was offering in terms of resources, plus the idol resource, plus the Guardian's boon. Plan well, and you can do this in a single turn for a scant handful of resources. Do this on the turn before you become first player, and you get to rock up to the new level 2 site first next turn and get double the loot, usually giving you more than enough stuff to knock over a level 1 site for free for another 5 VP. In contrast, time your visit well on the research track and you might get a whole explore token.

        11 VP on the research track requires moving both your magnifying glass and your book to level 4 (10 points), your magnifying glass to the second top level (12 points), or your book to the top level. By the time somebody has slogged all the way up there, a guardian hunter only needed to take two level 2 sites and they're sitting on 22 VP (ie, between first and second position on the very top of the research track) - an exercise that has cost you a conservative 18 valuable resources.

        The assistant you want is usually the one under the assistant that's currently displayed, or the one somebody else just took. If you really want them badly enough, and you're lucky enough to have them just lying around waiting for you, you only need enough resources to go to level 4 on the track to have both of them fully upgraded. Congrats, you've now got a couple of people you probably could have replicated with items purchased using free or cheap coins…that also give you victory points.

        Arnak is a basic game if you're basic, or if you're playing with basic people. Play with people who know what they're doing, and it's every bit as knife edge as much more complex euros.

        • 

          ilikeblue on 18/01/2023 - 00:07

          @GrueHunter: I haven't played for a long time, but quickly looking at the board, you would need 6 explore tokens, 1/2 travel tokens usually of the rarer kind (or gold), plus whatever tokens needed to kill the boss for a single tier 2 explore site.

          You also neglect to mention reaching the top of the research track alone is worth 23 points (if you're first). Furthermore, since your're spending 6 explorer tokens on a tier 2 site, the trade off is that you can't buy an artifact instead.

          Sure if you're able to time your explore/dig with you being the first to go next turn is great, but unless you're planning 5 moves ahead and can give up the immediate benefits of other stuff, then that's not going to happen everytime.

          But you've played more than me, and thus have a better understanding of the game, however saying that this game isn't basic…yeah I don't agree with that. Underwater Cities, Yokohama, Beyond the Sun are all better worker placement games that offer more in-depth gameplay and varied victory conditions.

          • 

            Noodles93 on 18/01/2023 - 16:25

            @ilikeblue:

            but unless you're planning 5 moves ahead and can give up the immediate benefits of other stuff, then that's not going to happen everytime.

            That's kind of the game. Arnak is cut-throat and unforgiving if you play with people who know the game. You need to plan ahead multiple moves and consider what everyone else is able to do, what resources they have and what resources they can generate (eg. Player 2 needs to get x resource before they can move up the temple path, but they also need to defeat their guardian with x resource and they probably need compasses to do y).

            Yes research the research/explore/buy item/artifact decision tree does appear simple but it all comes down to timing, when can vs should you do something and solving how to net the most points while denying others an advantage. The complexity is the need to be efficient and minimise resource waste.

            I'll admit I've clocked over 30 games of Arnak and with my group a winning score is 85-90+ and you can't do that with just the research track. Looking at my score sheets, the winner usually wins by 1-3 pts so the games are tight and they have scored in every area. It does take a few play throughs to really 'get it' but my group is addicted now.

            Ps. The snake side is waaaay more cut-throat and fun than the bird temple. We don't play bird anymore.

            'Better' is subjective so I won't go there but I will agree that BtS is lots of fun!

            Agree with nearly everything you've said @GrueHunter!!

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  tm32 on 18/01/2023 - 08:23

  Is this part of their seasonal every store got 3 copies of a highly rated board game inexplicable logistics exercise?

  • 

    ozbs25 on 18/01/2023 - 09:11

    They do seem to randomly have them selling for $49 every now and then.

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  darktransition on 18/01/2023 - 20:32

  There's a lot at Brandon Park in Victoria. You'll have to go to the store though because it's not online. Picked one up today

  • 

    ozbs25 on 18/01/2023 - 20:36

    Thanks for letting us know. Wish there was a better way of knowing which stores had stock.