Barnes wrote: Five Tribes looks pretty promising, but it still doesn't have that "phenomenon" cache like TTR or even Battlelore had
You won't like Five Tribes. It's a very thinky, analysis paralysis Medium Weight Euro that is all about heads down play as you calculate your move. It has the Thunder Alley 7 player syndrome where you can't calculate your move until your turn arrives and then you're stuck in this several minute analysis as you think through dozens of moves to find the best one. It has an innovative chief mechanic (All Aboard The Meeple Train) but is otherwise a write-off. The theme doesn't work at all either, completely pasted on and has no meaning.
I was shocked when I saw this. However, it seems to be a logical fit for both companies. I hope (like others) that this means some of their out of print designs will come back.
Also, and I might be wrong about this...doesn't Days of Wonder only go through one specific distributor? Isn't that the reason why their games almost never go on sale and are always in the $45+ range? I thought I remember reading something about that a long time ago, but I could be waaaaay off.
I think Days of Wonder is still producing some of the nicest looking, most accessible games in the business. Cargo Noir gets a bad rap, Relic Runners is the type of game Barnes would swoon over right now....and Five Tribes looks incredible. I read in the BGG article that the person who will eventually be in charge of DoW at Asmodee had a lot to do with pushing to get Five Tribes published. Apparently, Five Tribes is one of the heaviest designs they've done in years. So perhaps it might signal a change in what they put out.