Publisher: Stonemaier Games
Player Count: 1-6 Players
Game Length: 2-3 Hours
Complexity 2.25/5

In this narrative-driven, open-world, exploration game, players must navigate the terrain of a distant planet, choosing their own path, meeting strangers, gathering resources, gaining companions, surviving the elements and exploring the great and the small of these mysterious surrounding.

Vantage isn’t your typical structure-based, strategy game. While there are mechanics and turns, it certainly doesn’t serve up the gameplay as the main course. This is an experience where the story is the game and developing it within the very loose structure is where the appeal will lie.

While some might be quick to write this off as another “Choose Your Own Adventure”, it couldn’t be further from the truth. When it comes to world-building in the board game space, Vantage brings a richness and complexity that is entirely unparalleled. It takes you down the rabbit hole and then lets you choose between 6 additional rabbit holes… and 6 more rabbit holes and 6 more rabbit holes after that until you’re completely emersed and at the mercy of your choices.

It’s part RPG, as you’ll equip your character with items you may not know the use for yet, companions who may only serve your benefit briefly or goals you’re not quite sure how to accomplish. These resources not only benefit you for their face-value, but serve as sources of experience and knowledge to help grow and expand your character to satisfy greater and more risky challenges ahead.

This isn’t a campaign, but a series of 2–3-hour adventures that begin in a unique way and playout differently every time. Strangely, despite all these lauded aspects, I personally haven’t run across a game this divisive to the extreme in a while. So, my hope with this review is to showcase the structure of the game, the experiential mindset and construct some expectations to help you determine if Vantage is for you.

ON YOUR TURN

Players have 3 primary areas to consider: The player board which tracks your 3 attributes (health, time & morale), your card grid which displays your character and carry-a-longs and your location card.

Throughout the game, you’ll travel across multiple location cards. Each card features an intentionally illustrated look at that location and a series of 6 actions available. These actions, while expressed differently depending on the card’s context, are rooted in 6 basic game actions: Movement, Look, Engage, Help, Take or Overpower. Your character starts the game specializing in one of these categories, but you have the power to continue on that trek or mold your character as you see fix. Just because you’re one more likely to Engage doesn’t mean you can’t Overpower (fight, etc.) or Help.

You can only choose one action per card per game placing more emphasis on each choice. This means rejecting 5 options, their benefit and their storylines in exchange for the choice that best suits you in a particular moment in time.

Actions are always successful, but like choices in life, always deliver consequences. Once you choose an action, you’re directed to roll a specific number of challenge dice. These challenge dice reflect the action’s investment and effect it has on you personally. Did it wear on your morale, affect your health or take too much time? These are the survival pillars of the game and ultimately exhausting one ends your adventure.

Fortunately, travel and choices breed resources and experience in the form of cards that strengthen your ability to absorb these challenges over time. Gaining a weapon might allow you to place a die when you choose an Overpower action. Gaining a companion might help absorb specific die rolls when you’re in a certain terrain. In a sense, your player grid is an evolving tableau that can potentially pattern your player to better accomplish certain types of actions. Additionally, some cards can be upgraded to more power advantages.

As you choose these actions, you’ll be prompted with a story blurb describing the outcome of your choice. This wildly varies and I’d hate to ruin any surprises, but the outcome could be as simple as gaining credits, a new resource card, whisking you away to a new location or opening a door to a new challenge.

Vantage is very loosely structured, but each game will give you a mission objective as well as possible Destiny and Epic victory conditions. How and if these conditions can be met will be up to you. Vantage is very clear that success in the game is first and foremost dependent on how you define it.

This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to your possible experience. There are so many different things that pop up throughout the game that might serve as a side-mission or viable distraction giving you loads of freedom to see this one through as you see fit.

WHY VANTAGE IS FOR YOU?

Vantage is your scene if you love the idea of an open world with minimal constraints and structure. Are you ok with “wandering” just to get a look at what’s over the horizon? Do you enjoy the idea of not just exploring the landscape, but the items you discover and series of side quests that can be embraced without the promise of a resolution? It’s all in the spirit of discovery.

Again, this is a game where the narrative takes center stage. You’re not quite along for the ride as you have plenty to do and lots of choices to makes, but the story is the game. There isn’t anything guaranteed and the satisfaction of the game comes in the unknown and being able to interact based on past decisions or just on plain impulse. It’s a bit of a survival game, but the tone is hopeful and almost joyful. There’s a brightness (even in the darker recesses of the planet) that feels almost leisurely and stress free.

WHY VANTAGE ISN’T FOR YOU?

It probably goes without saying at this point, but If you’re hoping for a strategy game with tight parameters or standard board game mechanics, you’re probably going to be disappointed. Not to say there isn’t strategy, resource management, set collection, optimizing or calculated choices involved, but they’re baked deep inside the cake and often won’t let you control them like you would in a standard board game.

It’s difficult to optimize Vantage, especially given that you’ll want to make choices that go against the strengths of your character. The narrative can sometimes feel random and disjointed at points and that randomness can frustrate your personal objectives.

The last thing isn’t necessarily a hard no, but one to consider. The fantasy/sci-fi heavy theme could be a deal breaker for some. Are you inclined to read a fantasy/sci-fi novel? Because of the nature of the game, I can see this being a deal breaker for some.

MY PERSONAL TAKE AWAY

I love my structured, rules-y, optimization puzzles and Vantage is about a thousand miles in the other direction… but I went in with and open mind. Stonemaier has a fantastic track record and the boldness toward innovation–if anything–has to be respected.

This is one of the most innovative game experiences I’ve seen in a long time. It’s much more interactive than your typical Choose Your Own Adventure. It harkens back to the classic Sierra PC games where you arrive on the scene and interact, but it does so in a much more sophisticated way. It’s deeper and each play is so unique – but not a typical “shuffle-the-tiles”, “add-in-a-new-module” sort of way. In my mind it’s better defined as board game’s answer to video games such as Grand Theft Auto or Skyrim where it’s vastness takes on it’s own personality and can even feel overwhelming.

I’m reminded of a recent game called Mythwind that plays out like Animal Crossing with no decisive ending. You can literally play forever. Mythwind is a bit more gamified than Vantage, but the spirit of ingenuity and innovation is similar. I’m thankful that games like Vantage and Mythwind are attempting to push the boundaries of this space. They’re creating new ways to approach analog gaming and redefine what they’re potentially capable of.

My personal experience playing Vantage strangely had nothing to do with the system. I think the system is fantastic and immersive. It’s a monumental achievement and real work of art. For me, I wasn’t in love with the theme–it’s as simple as that. For the very same reason I love one movie and hate another or obsess over a book and dislike another. I love similar-themed board games, but again, I typically prefer board games where the mechanics are king and the theme can often hide. This is it’s own animal.

The events were often interesting, but circumstances surrounding those events and the characters just didn’t engage me. I understand this isn’t the type of game you can just reskin. Next, we’re getting Marvel Vantage or Cthulhu Vantage! Vantage is what the designer intended it to be. But for that reason, it’s probably not going to be something I take off the shelf too often. I don’t think the time investment is unreasonable, but the time investment combined with the heavily-narrative-driven theme doesn’t get me too excited.

That being said, the accessibility is crazy in relation to the game size. The ruleset is incredibly simple and you can learn, setup and start playing in a matter of minutes. It seems very family friendly and is super flexible at 1-6 players (though I wouldn’t play more 3 or 4 for time purposes). The biggest precept is that you will need to set aside 2-3 hours to play. But if you love the concept and think this is the type of game you’ll find engaging, that won’t be time wasted. Everyone I played with who loves this game (and there are far more than not) felt the time spent just flew by.

Publisher: Seajay Games
Player Count: 3-5 Players
Game Length: 120 Minutes
Kickstarter: September 30-October 30

Click here to see the Kickstarter campaign

Era of Atlantis is a worker placement and area-control board game by Seajay Games set in a distant mythical-scifi past.

The unique twist about this game is that you control two nations at the same time and share each one with another player! The lesser valued one at game end determines your score.

You are playing a secret society seeking to expand the two powerful nations you control during the mythical antediluvian age, 12000 years ago. This includes legendary civilizations such as Atlantis, Lemuria and Hyperborea.

Cooperate and compete with your rivals to become the most successful one before the Era of Atlantis ends either in glory or in cataclysm!

In Era of Atlantis, you are a secret society seeking to expand the powerful nations you control during the mythical antediluvian age, 12000 years ago. You have two of these under your control and share each one with a rival. You also have a secondary goal trying to bring “light” or “darkness” to the world. Working with and against your rivals you must prove to be the most powerful secret society in the world before the Era of Atlantis ends either in glory or in cataclysm.

This is an area-control and worker placement game with a unique twist. You control two nations with the lower-valued one counting for your score at game end. This means you will usually try to balance the two. You also share control of each one with another player, who has the same interest in the success of that nation as you do. Switching control of a nation is also possible, but difficult.

There are ways to score a few additional points for yourself only, such as with your remaining mystical energy or by fulfilling secret objectives.

The game is played over a variable number of rounds, with each player taking a turn per round. There are two main ways to gain new areas for your nation: militarily or politically. You can also expand your abilities by constructing buildings or acquiring powerful special actions. A nation will grow more successfully the better its two controlling players can cooperate.

Era of Atlantis is the successor game to Galactic Era and plays in the same universe (chronologically the prelude). There is also a campaign game mode where you can play both games together.

Publisher: Pandasaurus Games
Player Count: 1-5 Players
Game Length: 45 Minutes
Complexity 2/5

In this homage to the Planet-of-the-Apes, you are the leader of a future-set society of evolving apes seeking to learn the newfound technology from a long-lost human civilization. Manage your tribe of apes to grow your united knowledge in a race to rise above your competitors.

After Us is a quick-playing, simultaneous-action, deck-builder where you’re gathering resources, drawing more powerful ape cards and waiting for the right moments to cash in and tally your victory points. Make choices to maximize your resource income and set off on your own path to victory.

After Us has the potential to be a huge crowd pleaser with the right audience. It ticks a lot of boxes for me, but it might not be for everyone. I’ll break down the mechanics, describe my own experience and hopefully help you determine if After Us belongs in your game library.

ON YOUR TURN

Like most deck-builders, After Us equips each player with an identical set of 8 cards. Each player simultaneously draws 4 and attempts to line them up side-by-side to form complete boxes thus gaining the resources or executing the actions inside them. Some cards already feature completed boxes, but you’re typically going to have to connect boxes by aligning cards together. You’re not going to be able to connect them all, so evaluating your needs will help direct your path.

Each card has 3 rows and each one typically provides specific benefits and you’ll have to excuse these from left to right, top to bottom. The top produces resources, the second allows you to exchange resources for points and the 3rd provides a variety of things such as allowing you to cull cards. This isn’t always the case, but it gives you an idea what kind of decisions you might have to make since the choices you make in 1 row could have direct implications on another action.

From there, players reveal 1 of 4 medallions providing that player a benefit and allowing them to upgrade their deck with more powerful apes.

Each new ape “suit” gives you more powerful box actions. With 2 levels for each ape type, you can go big or you can go even bigger.

There are opportunities to cash in energy resources for bonuses that change each game or cull cards using your rage points to drop weak cards and gain additional points.

It is a race to the finish and you’ll have to decide when to stop building and when to start grabbing as many points as possible. It isn’t a true, definitive moment since you’ll always be building your deck and you’re always scraping for points, but there will come a point when you feel the shift and you need to go all in for the goal.

SOLO MODE

Solo mode has you competing against the King of Apes as he continually gains resources and builds up his deck. Minor victories are won by drawing your resources from HIS stash, but he primarily serves as a pacer to gauge your proficiency. It’s not too complicated to set up and manage – which is a huge plus. I can tell you solo mode is tough and it’ll definitely give you a challenge.

ARTWORK & COMPONENTS

Artwork from Vincent Dutrait, one of the best in the business, shines here with a semi-cyberpunk spin on his traditional, realistic style. The graphic design is ultra-vibrant and does a fantastic job placing you in this post-apocalyptic world. As typically the case with big-game publisher, Panadasaurus, the components are quality… the value is definitely there.

PROS & CONS

Fast, simultaneous play makes the game zoom

he resource exchange machine is in full swing loading you up with gobs of tokens and providing amply opportunity to frequently use them

Powerful ape card upgrades make your deck feel strong

Easy ruleset makes this quick to teach and fairly simple to play

Quick game time flies by with almost no downtime

Satisfying actions give you the feeling of accomplishment

Great artwork and production add plenty of value to your experience

Multiplayer solitaire isn’t going to be for everyone

While there are multiple paths to victory, they’re not as distinguished as some would like

Replay ability may feel a bit monotonous over time

WHY WOULD YOU LIKE THIS GAME?

Players looking for a good gateway game that’s fast paced with very little downtown will find a lot to like here. It is incredibly easy to set up and jump into and will likely see more table time because of it. Great or groups where limited player interaction isn’t an issue.

BEST THING ABOUT THIS GAME?

The best thing about the game is the card mechanics. Connecting the boxes on the cards has been done, but it seems much more accessible here. While the number of choices may be a bit of a mirage, the excitement you get from connecting the boxes and making actions happen isn’t. The simultaneous play and race atmosphere of the game only adds to the thrill of this wild resource exchange.

FINAL THOUGHTS

After Us has been a real sensation with my gaming group. Everything from the production to actions and game-length has been a huge hit with us. We’re coming off of a 5-game stretch where we’ve played it everyday and I don’t feel any fatigue. This is a gateway game full of energy and life that’s exciting and best of all… it’s fun.

The box-matching mechanic feels right. While it could have been AP-inducing, it never feels overwhelming and never slows down the game. I guess a cynic could ask if that means the choices aren’t that deep, but After Us isn’t a heavy game and it’s never intended to challenge you in that way. There is a puzzle here and it will require some application to maximize your actions, but it’s doing so in a way that is accessible to gateway gamers. For fans of the game Hadrian’s Wall from Garphill Games, the resource system here gives off a similar, yet restrained vibe.

Another major point to address is the multiplayer-solitaire angle. Interaction in this game is really limited to shouting out “I just scored 8 points” or ‘I’m trading this energy to exchange these cards”. You can snag your opponent medallion bonus by paying resources, but it’s mainly a put-your-head-down-and-play-your-game sorta experience. We embrace multiplayer solitaire games, so this was never an issue for us. You’ll have to decide if that’s a deal breaker for you.

After Us offers a fast-paced encounter that more resembles a ride than a board game experience. The choices are fast and you feel the rush of the race. The card actions are satisfying and building up your deck feels empowering. It’s not the deepest experience and I can’t guarantee it has extensively long lasting legs, but it’s a solid gateway game that we’ve fully embraced. After Us is a lot of fun and I highly recommend it for the right crowd.

Publisher: Oink Games
Player Count: 2-5 Players
Game Length: 20 Minutes
Complexity 2/5

As the newly appointed head of a circus company, your job is to put together the best group of performers. Each performer has a place, but you’ll need to scout other company’s performers to fill in the gaps and beat your opponents.

Let’s just get real right away… the theme is so lightly attached that if a subtle breeze comes along at the right time it may disappear forever. If you love circus-themed games… great, but it doesn’t really apply here. What you need to know is SCOUT is an extraordinary card game that mixes strategy and a little luck in a package that transcends board game barriers and appeals to kids young and old, seasoned and new. While that pretty much covers everyone, let’s dive into the review and see if SCOUT is a good fit for your game collection.

ON YOUR TURN

SCOUT incorporates a system of poker hands where sets and runs are played in order to trump a previously played group of cards. I’ll refer to all played cards as “sets” going forward. SCOUT features 2 key twists that make it what it is. The first twist comes in early: Cards must stay in the order they were received and sets of cards can only be played as long as they’re consecutive in your hand. The second twist is: Each card features 2 numbers (top and bottom) where only the top number is active.

On your turn you have the opportunity to play a set of cards or scout the previously played set on the table. If you can beat the current set, you’ll show your set and gain money for each card from the previously played set. If you can’t beat the set, then you’ll scout and be able to snag a single card from either the front or back of the currently played set. The player who played the scouted hand receives 1 money for each scouted card as they’re taken. The scouted card you choose can go anywhere in your hand and you have the choice to determine which side (or number) of the card is active.

Each player can use their “scout & show” option once per round allowing them to do both actions on a single turn. Play continues until 1 player empties their entire hand or a played set comes all the way back around to its original player. Points are totaled up and any cards left in your hand are subtracted. The game lasts a number of rounds based on the number of players and that’s how you play SCOUT.

ARTWORK & COMPONENTS

Despite a disjointed theme and minimal components, SCOUT brings a fun, bright and minimalistic design popular in all this publisher’s games. The hobby version comes with a handful of cardboard money and point tokens while the Target/retail version is just a deck of cards leaving it up to you to keep score.

PROS & CONS

Small game footprint makes this easy to store or travel with

Quick playtime means you always have time for a game of SCOUT

Deceptively deep strategy (for a relatively light weight game)

Easy to teach new players

Twists in the game’s mechanics (while not whole unique on their own) present a unique and satisfying game experience

Potential big turns build anticipation and excitement throughout the game

2 player variant loses some of the game’s charm – I’d just stick to 3-5 players

Theme doesn’t really make sense (yes, I’m still harping on the theme)

Luck does play a factor – whether it’s a poorly dealt hand of cards or sitting next to someone who “has all the luck”

WHY WOULD YOU LIKE THIS GAME?

Fans of smart, snappy card games that play well with at least 3 players are really going to appreciate this. It’s easy to teach and jump into, but the strategic depth and neat spins make this something special.

WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS GAME?

Not being able to rearrange your hand is the best thing about SCOUT. Other games like Bonanza and Hanabi have used this, but for entirely different reasons. This limitation creates the necessity to pursue creative solutions in your quest to build the most powerful sets. The dual-numbered cards are a close second, but everything exciting and fun about SCOUT grows from the game’s initial challenge.

FINAL THOUGHTS

There are so many fun pieces that seem to come together just perfectly in SCOUT. It’s a quick, simple play, but it was seeing the strategy unfold over my first few games that had me hooked.

I ultimately see the game more as a push-your-luck style card game. While you may be blessed by a powerful initial hand, you’re most likely going to have to build those sets by scouting at the right times. Bringing cards into your hand can make you more powerful, but the progression of the game allows for fewer and fewer opportunities to strike. While you might scout early even if it wasn’t necessary in order to move toward a potential big play, you’ll come to a point later in the game where a single play from an opponent can surprise everyone and end the round. Scoring is at a premium and losing points for cards in your hand can really weigh on you. So you’ll need to build those tough sets, but also need to know when to cut bait and play. It’s a fine line and I love to see how close I can come to it.

That being said, my 9 year-old-daughter who “isn’t into strategy games” at all enjoys SCOUT because it’s so accessible, plays fast and allows her to enjoy big turns even if she’s not the most engaged gamer. It’s ultra-portable packaging makes this an easy travel pick for your next vacation or daily trip to the office.

I’ve been thrilled to see how versatile SCOUT is when it comes to pairing with the right crowd. It’s been a hit with the family and with more hardcore, strategy gamers. This has all the characteristics of an evergreen-type game that will likely hang around my collection for the foreseeable future.

Publisher: Good Games Publishing
Player Count: 1-5 Players
Game Length: 60 Minutes
Complexity 2/5

As a competitive New York City dog walker, building an efficient business is the key to success. But when your business involves unpredictable 4-legged canines—each with their own unique preferences and personalities—you’ll often have to juggle the needs of the pets while still trying to stay on schedule in this thematically bright and family friendly board game. 

In Bark Avenue, you’ll be walking a variety of real-life dog breeds around the blocks of New York City, picking them up, giving them plenty of exercise and fun before dropping them back home. You’ll need to keep plenty of dog treats on hand and maybe a coffee or 2 to keep up with these energized pooches. Do a good job and you’ll receive great reviews as you watch your business grow and seek to become the most prestigious dog walker in NYC.

ON YOUR TURN

Bark Avenue is really about the dogs. There are 81 unique and beautifully illustrated dog breed cards in the game. While I don’t want to downplay the strategy, the real joy of the game will come from your appreciation of the dogs and their unique traits.

On your turn, you’ll be picking up dogs across the city. Each available dog has a home address where you’ll meet it. Once a dog is in your care, you’ll move across a map of New York City that’s based on real world locations.

Each dog has its own “speed” or movement available per turn as well as the length (or number of turns) it will need to be walked. Certain dogs will only get along with specific sized dogs and some dogs will want to just walk alone. There are ways to mitigate these challenges, but you’ll typically need to incorporate careful planning to ensure any dogs walked together will play nice.

While each dog will earn you a specific amount of money, garnering tips can certainly help out your cause. Owners love it when you take photos of the dogs, cater directly to the dogs needs (be it playing ball, visiting fire hydrants or splashing in water). This is also the only game I’ve ever played that rewards you for your dog taking a poop.

You’ll need to plan each dog’s journey so you’ll be able to drop it off at the right time. Miss your return appointment and you forgo tips and positive reviews.

The game plays over 17 turns, each turn introducing an event, change in the rules or modifying the available dogs. As your business rating increases, you’ll have access to bonuses such as extra dog treats or the ability to walk more dogs at once. In the end, the player with the most money is the winner.

ARTWORK & COMPONENTS

As I mentioned previously, the dog artwork is bright and cheery. The game’s 81 unique dogs are all based on real-life foster dogs across the United States. The dog illustrations are fun and really well done and will definitely appeal to dog fanatics. Additionally, the game board showcasing a stylizing layout of New York City helps further immerse you in the theme.

The game delivers what you’d expect from a high quality production. The rulebook does a fantastic job explaining the game and referencing the game’s more detailed aspects.

PROS & CONS

Vibrant, high quality artwork

Fun, friendly theme

Despite a bit of a learning curve with the iconography and some of the game’s cards, I was pleased with how easy the game was to learn.

Easy to teach

Theme matched well with the turn actions

Turns sometimes felt overly simple and little ho-hum

Efficiency puzzle where choices never felt too challenging leaving me a bit underwhelmed by the overall mechanics

WHY WOULD YOU LIKE THIS GAME?

There is no mystery here, this is a game for dog lovers. I’ve got a number of dog lovers in my family and we’ve played every dog game you can get your hands on. Taking everything into consideration, this is one of the best dog-themed implementations I’ve played. The developers certainly knew where they were going and did a great job catering to a pet-friendly audience.

WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS GAME?

I sound like a broken record, but the variety of dogs in the game is truly the best part. They’re all so bright, friendly and charming, it completely transcends the entire experience.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Bark Avenue is a rare game where the charm coming from the theme saves what could have been a somewhat lackluster experience. The actual actions of moving around the board and grabbing bonuses often felt like I was repeatedly moving in a circle. But that’s really the life of a dog walker and finding a puddle for Nova, my Teacup Pomeranian, to splash in or walking through the park to play frisbee with Nico, a Bernice Mountain Dog, brought the game to life. The colors and the dogs and location provides a really friendly and fun thematic experience even if you’re not met with the most thoughtful or engaging decisions.

That being said, I think Bark Avenue does a nice job bringing a slightly more challenging experience to a genre of board games that are typically very light and simple. To be truly effective in the game, you really need to engage the planning and it will sometimes require a little thought to make sure you’re running your dog business smoothly. It’s certainly not overly complicated for anyone over age 10, but it will require strategy. In the end, I think many are going to find a sweet spot in the game’s overall experience.

I was pleasantly surprised by Bark Avenue and the wonderful theme really won me over. It seems to be flying under the radar a bit and that may be due to so many similar themed games hitting the market, but Bark Avenue definitely has a lot of quality, standout points. This may be the best dog-themed game I’ve played.

Publisher: Pandasaurus Games
Player Count: 2-6 Players
Game Length: 25 Minutes
Complexity 2.25/5

In 2002, rapper Missy Elliott dropped a line that strangely describes Faraway when she spouted “Put your thing down, flip it and reverse it.” In Faraway, you’re going to be putting your thing down… then you’ll flip and reverse it. It’s really quite that simple.

Far from the modern music scene, players will be adventuring to a mysterious land full of strange characters, wonders and secrets… gaining fame as you seek balance in an ever shifting landscape.

In reality, you’re building a tableau of drafted tiles earning points through a variety of different combinations. The twist is after 8 tiles, you’ll reverse the entire order of tiles forcing you to score in reverse. It’s quite a trip for us linear thinking folks.

ON YOUR TURN

It’s the scoring twist that really helps Faraway standout. The game’s actions alone are fairly rudimentary: One any turn, players will simultaneously choose a tile from their hand and play it sequentially in a line in front of them. Players then draw new tiles from a community pot based on the lowest number tile played. If players played a tile larger than their previous tile, they gain a bonus card. Rinse and repeat.

I realize this is all very ambiguous, so let me briefly dive into the tiles that make the game run. Each tile in the game is unique, featuring a number, color, cool illustration and a combination of icons, scoring functions and scoring requirements. For example, a card may give you 2 points for every rock played, but you need 3 plant icons to trigger the action. On top of that, the card may have its own rock icon earning you an immediate 2 points if you’re able to meet the prerequisites. Bonus cards offer additional icons and scoring conditions to supplement your pursuits.

Enter the TWIST! 

A game consists of playing 8 tiles. Once the final tile is played, players will flip over all their tiles and reveal them one at a time in reverse order. Each tile will be scored based on what’s visible. So when you hit that tile giving you 2 points for each rock, you’ll need to have 3 plants visible as well as any rocks you hope to score. What this ultimately means is that you’ll have to rely on some pretty serious planning and a bit of luck to lock up your big time scoring ambitions.

We love to process things in linear fashion, so when a game like Faraway challenges the status quo, it can be a little jarring. Despite my best teaching efforts, Faraway is a game you have to play once to truly grasp. The idea of planning for the future so you can activate actions in reverse order will force you to look at Faraway in a different way.

ARTWORK & COMPONENTS

Each tile in Faraway is uniquely illustrated in a very stylized and vibrant look full of personality and flavor. The artwork does a nice job defining the game’s vibe. Whether the art is “your” style or not, it certainly helps Faraway stand out visually.

As far as components are concerned, you’re getting a stack of 68 tile/cards and 45 bonus cards. It’s a small box that doesn’t have a large footprint.

PROS & CONS

Unique scoring twist gives Faraway a fresh spin

Simple decisions feel weighty and challenging in the moment

Simultaneous play and simple turns make this a quick play

Card variety will force you to think on your toes and take unique paths each game

Game plays great at all player counts

Luck factor will occasional lead to a dud of a game

I often get stuck with cards that “lead nowhere”

WHY WOULD YOU LIKE THIS GAME?

This is a game for players in the market for a think-y, quick playing card game that feels fresh and different. It’s easy to teach, but the learning curve adds to the game’s mystique. Once the game’s “ah-ha’ moment hits, you’ll be singing the praises of Faraway.

WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS GAME?

The best thing the game has to offer is its spin on scoring. It’s a very simple twist, but I love how it forces you to plan and think differently. I imagine there’s a deeper metaphor about looking at life from a different angle, but for now, I’m just going to enjoy turning my cards around and scoring in reverse.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Faraway has been a huge delight and another solid, quick-playing, family-friendly game from the fine folks at Pandasaurs Games.

The game plays at a rapid pace, but the choices and turns feel deep and important. Each game, the lay of the cards will introduce some wrinkles on your standard strategy keeping you on your toes and keeping the game fresh. Every once and awhile you’ll get a dud. The tiles won’t fall just right and your luck may fail you. The upside is each game is over before you know it and you’re ready to go again.

It’s always refreshing to discover a new twist on board gaming and Faraway provided that for me. Unique in its ability to appeal to gateway gamers and more seasoned players, Faraway provides some serious mass appeal and fun. I highly recommend Faraway to any and everyone interested in board/card games.

Publisher: Garphill Games Games
Player Count: 1-4  Players
Game Length: 90-120 Minutes
Complexity 3.75/5

After decades in captivity to the Persian empire, King Cyrus in 539 B.C., moved by God, issued a decree to allow the Israelite exiles to return to Jerusalem to rebuild their city and re-establish the temple and sacrificial offerings.

In the game, Ezra and Nehemiah, you’ll follow 3 unique leaders, each tasked for a different purpose. Zerubbabel first returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple where God’s presence previously dwelled. Soon after, Ezra and Nehemiah return to re-institute the religious rules of the Torah and rebuild the outer city walls respectively. Players will compete to progress each of these areas, scoring points and earning bonuses along the way.

If you’re familiar with previous Garphill Games such as the West Kingdom series or more recently, the South Tigris games, you’ll definitely see some familiar mechanics. A culmination of a variety of actions, Ezra and Nehemiah is a fairly challenging euro-style game where meticulous planning is rewarded. It employs a hodgepodge of mechanics such as card management, set collection, worker placement, tech tree building and chaining. It has a fairly steep learning curve and clearly appeals to more seasoned gamers. So, the question remains: Are you up to the task of rebuilding Jerusalem or is it best to leave the heavy lifting to someone else?

ON YOUR TURN

You might recognize the game’s card system from one of Garphill’s biggest crowd pleasers: Paladins of the West Kingdom. Each player begins the game with an identical set of 10 cards. These cards are the core of E&N. They serve as the jumping off point for your primary actions, auxiliary actions and potential end of round bonuses. Each card features a set of 3 banners, The color of the banner determines the action and their number determines the strength of that action. On your turn, you’ll choose a single card to place on your player board/tableau. Then choosing one of the card’s color banners, you execute that action. Each player board features 3 available card spots and visible banners of the same color can be combined from all 3 spaces. This is a really cool concept that builds on the Paladins model creating a situation where deeper planning can lead to more powerful opportunities.

The game consists of 3 weeks and each week gives you 6 turns. Each turn allows you to play a single card (from a hand of 4), but each of the card locations can only hold 2 cards. When one is covered, that card’s banners are covered and unavailable further complicating the planning process.

The card banners are red, blue and gray and they correlate directly to each of the game’s 3 areas of play.

Red banners allow you to corporately build the temple as well as make sacrifices. Of course sacrifices need Levitical priests – so doing a red action will allow you to commit one of your workers to the priesthood for the rest of the game. The temple is an area of big points and benefits where players will strategically race to claim spots.

Blue banners give you access to the scriptures and tent camping. The scriptures play out like a tech tree where you gain access to additional tiles as players build beneath. These tiles provide exclusive player action bonuses across the board and can be a good source of direction in the game. The tent area serves as a rondel giving you bonuses as you move around the circle.

Finally gray banners allow you to clean up rubble and rebuild the broken walls of Jerusalem. The rubble consists of multiple types of rock-like resources that can be recycled for use in the temple or turned around to rebuild the wall. Another great source of end game points, rebuilding wall segments offers minor bonuses and benefits in relation to the city’s gates.

Additionally, you have access to auxiliary actions that allow you to upgrade your player board and make trades (available on the most recent card played) that are critical to planning and efficiently aligning your resources for future turns.

After 6 turns, players prepare for the Sabbath. During the Sabbath, players will feed their workers, evaluate your success offering sacrifices and earn any end-of-round scoring benefits. Players will “tuck” a card giving them that end-of-round scoring for the rest of the game, but subsequently lose that card from their rotating hand.

After 18 turns, the game ends and the player with the most points gets a high five from everyone else (because we’re really working together to return this city to its former glory, right? … right.)

ARTWORK & COMPONENTS

The artwork is provided by long-time Garphill Games collaborator Sam Phillips. His work on games like Hadrian’s Wall and Raiders of Scythia have earned him a healthy following. The art is solid and the game’s graphic design doesn’t disappoint. It will take you a minute to get up to date on the iconography since it’s not always 100% intuitive, but it’s well done and does the job soundly once you’ve acclimated yourself.

The components are what you’ve come to expect from Garphill. Quality cardboard, wooden tokens and recessed player boards all fitting snugly in a smaller-than-normal box. Playing the game as often as I did gave me plenty of practice packing away all the pieces into a box that is just slightly too small (but acceptable) for the components.

Finally, the rulebook does a fair job of communicating the information. While everything is there and available… my brain is hard on rulebooks – often struggling to process all the information clearly. As is the norm, I had to revisit the rulebook multiple times. While everything isn’t exactly where I’d like it to be, it does it’s job and will get you the answers to the questions you’re eventually going to be looking for.

PROS & CONS

Beautiful production

Ambitious theme

Great card system that will likely be stolen by other publishers

Think-y choices cater to players who enjoy deep and meticulous planning

Fair amount of replay ability

Serious onboarding time – this is a chore not to just teach, but to get a full grasp of all the game has to offer

Turns have the tendency to bog down the game with overall analysis

This leads to heavy, slow pace that drags down the game

Disconnect between the game’s 3 main sections lost some of the overall synergy

Excitement level for the game never got too high

WHY WOULD YOU LIKE THIS GAME?

I think people are going to be drawn to Ezra & Nehemiah for 2 reasons: They are likely huge fans of Garphill Games track record of snappy, think-y and satisfying mid-weigh euros or they’re drawn in by the unique, Biblical theme. It may be 1 or the other or a combination of the 2. Ultimately, I think players who enjoy dry, think-y euros are going to find the most value. The game’s combos work hard to provide added spice, but this is a game about perseverance, planning and calculating. It definitely sits on the heavy end of the Garphill library and the theme integration, while pretty well done, will only take you so far.

WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS GAME?

The best thing about the game is the individual player cards/decks. The process of cycling through 3 cards to trigger your best possible actions takes so much into consideration. While obviously pairing together the most same-colored banners gives you the strongest actions, the auxiliary trade actions on each card can be just as valuable to your success. I loved this in Paladins of the West Kingdom and it’s taken to the next level here.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Ezra & Nehemiah was one of my most anticipated games of 2024. I’m a huge fanboy of all things Garphill and this looked like a winner right from the get go. The unique theme only elevated things as I’m also a sucker for Biblical history. The game’s designers, Shem Phillips & S. J. MacDonald are 2 of the best in this niche and great designers deserve an honest review. I think it was the combination of my monumental expectations and a few misfires from the game that ultimately led to E&N falling a little flat for me.

First, the positives: This is a solid production. It looks amazing and there is a ton of value for the price point. It’s a bit of a smaller box which pleases my gaming shelf, but there is nothing small about what the game delivers.

The designers did a solid job with the theme. Installing a historical and Biblical theme is a challenging proposition and I think they did it justice. By nature, the Bible doesn’t offer much wiggle room for competitive board gaming. Creating circumstances where God’s will might fail in a game doesn’t sit well with its more devout audience. The deterministic and unchanging nature of God forces designers to be incredibly creative with their choices. I’ve had knowledgeable friends nit-pick a number of things, but I think the general idea of the time and events shines through in a healthy way. Now, that theme only carries the game for so long until you revert to moving cubes and playing cards, but that’s pretty typical with any euro game.

The card system is solid. I touched briefly on that above and look forward to future games using this cool “banner” system.

The challenges of the game hit me right from the beginning. Onboarding was a serious chore. Learning the game and teaching the game are serious hurdles. It wasn’t until I had read the rulebook 3 times and played 3 full games that I started to grasp concepts and strategies. I may be a little slow sometimes, but this really got me. Additionally, a 4-player game early on with my gaming group almost led to a riot. Players rose up in frustration as they struggled to grasp a viable strategy. At this point Ezra and Nehemiah was going to have to dig its way out of this hole.

As I continued to understand the game, the actions became less abstract and I started to realize what the game expected of me. Where I had previously railed against the idea of trading away my hard earned resources, I began to embrace the need to exchange resources for future plans. I also dove head first into the Torah actions that give you on-going benefits, which provided direction and advantages.

None of these revelations could help the game’s pacing. It often bogged down to a slow drip – especially in the 4-player game. There is so much to consider on your turn that even the least AP prone players stumbled in my experience. A lot of this was due to the extensive implications of each card, but it also didn’t help that there seems to be a disconnect between the game’s 3 main areas.

Typically, in a Garphil/Combo-driven game, you can decipher how to best chain your actions and get the most from your turns. The water was a little muddy here. I would often evaluate 2 different options based on my available cards and realize there was no distinctive difference or benefit between the 2 actions. I was going to earn the exact same points and see the same resource result either way. Perhaps that the game was too balanced or maybe it was me failing to play far enough ahead. This all resulted in some very uneventful, unexceptional turns that never let the game rise above a low roar.

Ezra & Nehemiah is a fine game. It’s a solid euro for think-y individuals who like quality productions and exotic themes tied to their games. But, be it expectations, mechanics or indescribable, inaudible subtle waves of dissatisfaction, Ezra & Nehemiah just didn’t get there for me. I’m fully aware that there is an audience out there who will likely love this and cherish it for years to come. I certainly wouldn’t dissuade anyone from trying it outside of this report. I still love Graphill Games, these designers and this artist. I’m still just as excited for their upcoming games as I ever was. But when it comes to Ezra & Nehemiah… I think I’d more likely recommend one of their many contemporary classics.

Publisher: CMYK Games
Player Count: 2  Players
Game Length: 15 Minutes
Complexity 1.5/5

The definition of Lacuna means a gap between two things and is from the latin lacus, meaning “lake or “pool.” That cleverly defines this quirky, abstract game that likely doesn’t play like any game in your collection. In this gentle, 2-player game, players are collecting different colored flowers resting on a pond. It’s a spatial puzzle where you’re measuring between objects to collect while simultaneously planning for the future. It takes just a few minutes to explain, can be grasped by kids of all ages yet still has the potential to stir your strategic hankerings. Let’s briefly dive into the tranquil pond of Lacuna and see if this strange game is right for your home.

ON YOUR TURN

Packed in a cylinder shaped container, you can tell from the start this is going to be a bit of a different gaming experience. The game itself takes place on a square piece of fabric representing a night pond. Using the container as a pitcher, you pour out the 49 colored flower tokens randomly across the space and you’re ready to play.

The game takes place over 2 distinct phases followed by scoring. It’s a quick game, but the nature of it will allow you to analyze and process the board to your heart’s content.

During the first phase, players will take turns placing their own player pawns onto the pond between two unobstructed flower tokens of the same color. These pawns can be placed anywhere between the two tokens (which is critical to the next phase), but there cannot be any additional tokens or player pawns between the two.

Once players have placed their 6 pawns, play moves to the second phase. During this phase, each remaining token will be evaluated and given to the player with the closest player pawn. The game comes with a ruler to ensure no funny business. Players divide their tokens into sets based on the 7 different token types and point is awarded to the player with the most of each type. The player with the most points at the end wins.

ARTWORK & COMPONENTS

The art direction does a nice job of complimenting the game experience. Simplified, colorful flowers dance across the packaging highlighted with gold flecks of foil spot colors embracing the abstract nature of the game, but this is a game primarily driven by the components. The wooden flower tokens and metal player pawns contrast each other and are distinct on the fabric pond player board without feeling disconnected.

Everything in the game fits in this unique cylinder container. This may excite you or it may not. I personally love the choice, but I can see it causing some trouble for certain gaming shelves. All-in-all, Lacuna looks as different as it plays and will definitely be an eye catcher at your next game night.

PROS & CONS

Gameplay will challenge players with a unique spatial puzzle not common in standard strategic, modern games

Simple ruleset can be taught in a matter of minutes and setup and clean up are a breeze

This is truly a game for all ages. Anyone can play and players can bring their own level of engagement

The game’s quick play time will have you playing multiple games at each sitting

Fun components create a unique, tactile experience

Portable container great for travel

Highly replay ability

 The game plays at a slower pace. I attribute that to the game’s old school approach

The container may not fit conveniently on all gamer’s shelves

Because it’s a spatial game where you’re measuring, it can possibly be a challenge to truly measure between objects.

WHY WOULD YOU LIKE THIS GAME?

I really want to define this more clearly, but Lacuna is a game when you’re in the mood for “something different.” It’s a bit of a conundrum since it’s a family game that only plays with 2 players. It’s light hearted and simple. It knows who it is and doesn’t try to be anything more. The choices are satisfying, challenging and relaxing all at the same time. It plays quickly and is a breeze to set up, making it a perfect filler or weekday evening right before bed.

WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS GAME?

The best thing about this game is how easy it is to get into. While most games can take a couple plays to feel comfortable, Lacuna takes a couple turns. The entire experience is simple, clean and satisfying.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Lacuna is the type of game that can win over the harshest cynic. It’s straightforward and accessible, while still being engaging and a little mysterious. It sits in that sweet spot offering simple mechanics and decently challenging choices, but it does it in a completely refreshing way.

Its abstract nature isn’t going to sit well with everyone, but it tends to cross boundaries with a satisfying level of strategy that naturally adjusts to the player’s skill level. The spatial element is a nice change of pace for someone like me who typically plays more linear, traditional board games.

Replay ability is another major positive here. The quick setup and tear down make it a breeze to get to the table or layout on the floor and the short playtime guarantees it doesn’t have to wear out its welcome. Additionally, it wasn’t rare to play 2, 3 or 4 games in a row. My kids enjoyed this just as much as my (hardcore) gaming group proving it’s perfect for any sort of family.

Lacuna is a bit more “mass-market, retail game” than hobby game, but its quirkiness will still have you talking about it and bringing it regularly to game nights, road trips and parties.

Publisher: Funko Games
Player Count: 2-5  Players
Game Length: 45-60 Minutes
Complexity 2/5

Back in 1974, 4 friends set out on a road trip across rural Texas. Along the way they stumble on what appears to be an abandoned house only to discover unspeakable horrors lie within. What started as an innocent road trip turns into a battle for survival. In this one versus many game, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Slaughterhouse allows players to relive the madness as the young trespassers or step into the shoes of the murderous Sawyer family. Play through a series of scenarios challenging you with different objectives and puzzles. But remember, in this game, there are no winners… only survivors.

ON YOUR TURN

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is both a cooperative game and a one vs many experience. You choose the side you want to play and then embrace the storyline, objectives and mechanics uniquely related to that persona.

So yes, you’re going to have to learn 2 sets of rules, but they’re pretty straightforward and TCM is any easy game to jump into. I’d liken it to the Horrified series from Ravensburger in terms of depth and engagement. There seems like just enough rules and choices to keep you engaged without overwhelming you.

Playing as the trespassers puts you in the shoes of the uninvited guests who have just happened to wander onto the Sawyer property. The game provides a series of unique scenarios that give the trespassers different goals to keep the game fresh. In truth, they all basically culminate with the trespassers trying to not end up dead, but you get to do different things along the way.

As the trespassers, your job will be to quickly, quietly and efficiently rummage through the game’s creepy 2-story house. In the first scenario, your goal is to repair a specific vehicle, grab the gas and the keys and get out of Dodge before the Sawyer family can beat you to death. In another scenario, you’re taking photos around the property to document the murderous activities. Choices are fairly limited: you either search a location in and around the house, walk to another location or run for your life! You may uncover useful tools to escape or items to help defend yourself. But, doing things in general creates noise and noise has consequences… which leads to one of the coolest features in the game…

As you take actions, you collect noise tokens. For anyone who’s ever seen a scary movie, noise is not something you don’t want to create. These noise tokens will both conceptually and physically become the fear tokens that fuel the antics of Leatherface and the crazy Sawyer family.

Playing as the Sawyer family is more of a process pulled directly from the pages of a movie script. Key characters are revealed, plot twists exposed and tensions rise to a frenzied pace. The Sawyer family consists of 4 members, each with their own special abilities, but they’re not all available to start the game. The Sawyer family will need to progress on the chainsaw track (a cube track shaped in a cardboard chainsaw) to bring out additional family members. The Sawyer family will move around the house chasing after the intruders, but they are aided in their quest with the fear tokens. These fear tokens can be spent on additional actions to gain bonus abilities or move forward on the chainsaw track. And this is key to amping up the pressure in the game. With more baddies on the board, the Sawyer family has a tactically heightened opportunity to make life difficult for the survivors… and if the survivors last long enough for Leatherface to make an appearance, they better make haste.

Damage is randomly assigned to the survivors through confrontations and a deck of death cards. Once a trespasser is assigned 4 unique injury cards they’re no longer injured… they’re dead. And that player gets to enjoy the terrifying screams of their companions from the sidelines for the remainder of the game. Now survivors can deal damage to the Sawyer family in a number of ways and cards drawn throughout can help balance the power struggle, but in my experience, survivors are running and Sawyers are chasing.

The game ends when at least 1 survivor has met their objective and escaped or all the survivors end up on the chopping block.

ARTWORK & COMPONENTS

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Slaughterhouse is a highly thematic experience and the overall look of the production is a huge contributor toward immersing you in this twisted experience. The artwork does a fantastic job fabricating an uneasy, fear-driven environment. This is a game that truly seeks to honor its source material and it doesn’t pull any punches. It’s gritty, brutal and nasty.

While I wish the survivors were more than cardboard standees, the Sawyer family mini’s look great and are fun to move around the board. (Deep thought: Perhaps it’s the frail, cardboard nature of the survivors that made cardboards standees a must for these terrified youth characters… I’ll have to ask my therapist about that).

Overall, the production, rulebook and materials used in the game create a visceral and tactfully good time.

PROS & CONS

 Wonderful thematic experience

 Simple rule set allows you enjoy the game and not get bogged down in unnecessary rules

 Player aids supplement ease of play

 Cool noise/fear mechanic instantly creates tension

 Flexibility to play as the Sawyers or the survivors as well as multiple scenarios creates plenty of replayability.

 There is a decent amount of luck in this game and bad dice rolls can affect your enjoyment

 No one really likes to sit on the sidelines and dying early can be a bummer

WHY WOULD YOU LIKE THIS GAME?

I’d say fans of the movie franchise are going to love the vibe of this game, but that’s too easy. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a game with tons of universal appeal. While the theme is incredibly macabre, the excitement, tension and unique one vs many/cooperative angle makes this a fun experience for groups at Halloween or anytime for that matter. This is a gamer’s party game and groups looking for a good horror experience are going to love this.

WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS GAME?

The best thing is the noise/fear mechanic. I spoke about it above, but this single mechanic really elevates the entire game. Again, you collect noise tokens by taking actions. Some actions (such as running), create additional noise. At the end of the survivor’s turn, they roll a die in hopes of removing some or all of these noise tokens. Any remaining after the roll ends up in the Sawyer’s pocket and are almost guaranteed to come back and haunt you later. I love the tension of this mechanic and I can’t get enough of it.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I had a blast with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Slaughterhouse. The tone, the tension and the mechanics make this a real immersive experience and I think it’s going to surprise a lot of people. The look of the game does an amazing job putting players in an unsettling position. The semi-cooperative, one vs many setup creates an almost party-style gaming environment that, paired with the theme, will be a unique addition to many gaming libraries.

I mentioned how much I enjoyed the mechanics. There is really a nice tension in your choices and it always makes you a little unsure of how things are going to work out. It’s not terribly heavy and it’s relatively easy to jump into, but the mechanics paired with the theme give it a nice, thick feeling. For reference, this is a game that really matches up well with the hugely popular game Horrified. The weight, complexity and game length hit a lot of the same notes. It is its own game, but It also provides an equally satisfying and exciting experience.

Where TCM: Slaughterhouse might struggle is with the IP. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre the movie is a grindhouse-type film that originally marketed itself as a true story. The gritty, violent, realistic approach made it a hit with a limited audience paving the way to its cult status today. In addition, it was made almost 50 years ago. There’s been some sub-par sequels, but I imagine there are a number of potential players who have never even seen the original. Where Horrified evokes an almost campy-vibe, Slaughterhouse is edgy and dark and may not appeal to everyone.

The final point I need to address is the game’s luck factor. Yes, there are a lot of dice rolls in this game and that means a lot of luck. In fact, you can lose this one thanks to poor die rolls. Certain cards will mitigate some of that luck, but not enough to sway the outcome in my experience. This didn’t sit well with everyone who I played with. While I typically like to control my own gaming destiny, I think the luck element really lends itself to the tension of the entire experience. These classic horror films are a roll of the dice. We never know who’s going to make it out alive and the somewhat swingy nature of a die roll provides those unexpected plot twists. Sadly, it might be you who takes the brunt end of this mechanic, but all the more reason to come back again for another try.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Slaughterhouse has “hidden gem” written all over it. While players might be apprehensive to give this one a roll initially, word-of-mouth is going to catch on. This is an exciting, satisfying, tension-filled game that sets the tone early and doesn’t let go until the survivors escape or the Sawyer family gets the last laugh… just like a good horror movie. If you’re looking for the next great horror game for your gaming group, you definitely need to give Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Slaughterhouse a serious look.

Publisher: Z-Man Games
Player Count: 1-5  Players
Game Length: 60 Minutes
Complexity 2/5

Star Wars meets Pandemic in this interstellar, cooperative, mash-up where players take on the role of Jedi Knights from the Clone Wars saga seeking to rid the universe of droids, Dooku’s and other dastardly dirtbags.

In this card management and dice rolling game, players will attempt to fend off the continuous onslaught of droids as they infiltrate the universe, all the while working to fulfill missions and ultimately defeat a prime Star Wars villain all before the separatist’s threat becomes too much to bear. With a lot of Star Wars games available to choose from, is Star Wars: The Clone Wars right for you? Find out in our review below!

ON YOUR TURN

It’s critical I express my love for the Pandemic game series. It’s one of the games that really showed me that board games can be a truly thematic and immersive experience. I think it’s a brilliant concept and shines as brightly today as it did when it was first released. I’m always on the lookout for new games built around this system that seek to put their own spin on the tension-inducing concept while still maintaining the engagement and excitement it evokes.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is based on the Pandemic system, but it brings its own spin adding new strategies and of course, characters we know and love.

If you’re unfamiliar with Pandemic, the original is a fully cooperative game that centers around CDC professionals skating across the globe attempting to contain and eradicate a series of viruses that have run amok. Players each have a limited number of actions each turn and must carefully use their cards (or resources) to keep the diseases from spreading—but also collect the right amount of specific cards to find a cure for each disease.

In the Clone Wars, the Separatist droids replace the 4 viruses and city cards are now Squad Cards, each equipped with different actions.

Players take on the role of 7 different Jedi masters including Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu, Anakin Skywalker, Aayla Secura, Ahsoka Tano, Luminara Unduli and of course Yoda. Each game features one villain and you can choose between Asajj Ventress, General Grievous, Darth Maul and Count Dock.

On your turn, you take 4 actions from a series of choices. Move your character from one planet to an adjacent planet, draw an additional Squad Card, attack enemies on your planet and attempt a mission.

After each turn, players activate a card from the villain deck. Each villain has its own deck and these actions move the villain across the board, cause trouble for the heroes and present various other problems.

Finally, players draw invasion cards equal to the current invasion level. These cards introduce new droid units on planets. This simulates the infection rate from Pandemic. When a planet exceeds 3 droids, the universal threat level increases. If the threat level reaches stage 7 everyone loses. If the game’s droid reserve runs dry… everyone loses. These enemy actions take place after each player’s turn in an effort to ratchet up the tension.

You can adjust the game’s difficulty by adding additional missions. Each mission requires a certain number of specific Squad Cards to achieve their goal. If multiple players are sharing the same planet where a mission is taking place, they all can contribute to the mission’s success. To attempt a mission, players must roll the 12-sided die. This die will potentially contribute additional “attacks” for the mission as well as damage to the player.

When all the missions are completed, the final battle with the villain is activated and players must track down the baddie and spend the necessary squad cards to achieve victory all before the threat level reaches the end of the line.

ARTWORK & COMPONENTS

The production is really solid. Star Wars fans are going to love the 7 Jedi and 4 villain miniatures. They’re detailed and really add a lot of fun to the game. There are an additional 36 plastic droids and blockades that bring the game board to life.

The retail cost for this is pretty expensive, but when you look and feel all the components and cardboard, you don’t really feel cheated.

It’s a Star Wars game, so you’d expect the artwork to be awesome, and it’s pretty darn good. Quality-wise, there isn’t anything negative here at all.

The rulebook is fine to get you going, but I ran into a number of minor rule issues that weren’t addressed. I did my best to manage everything, but it was a little frustrating.

PROS & CONS

 Beautiful production with nice miniatures and artwork

 Easy to teach, making this great for younger Star Wars fans

 Multiple villains change up the game creating new challenges

 Asymmetrical Jedi characters increase overall replayability

 The game doesn’t provide the tension you’d expect from a Pandemic game

 While the difficulty can be adjusted, I never felt too challenged in either my victories or defeats.

 I didn’t like the Squad Cards. They were an attempt to simplify the Pandemic card system as well as introduce a more war-like experience, but it feels flat and overpowered.

 The dice again, works to bring more chance and uncertainty hoping to introduce a battle system, but the luck-factor was more disappointing than exciting.

WHY WOULD YOU LIKE THIS GAME?

Die-hard Star Wars fans are really going to enjoy the theme. The production is really great for a retail-only release, and seeing the heroes and villains move across the board is a lot of fun. The artwork on the character cards and Squad Cards are really well done. Everything looks right for this Star Wars experience.

WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS GAME?

The best thing about the game is the production. While the game is a little on the expensive side, I feel pretty good about the cost to value ratio and think everything in the box justifies the elevated cost. You won’t be disappointed in unboxing this one.

FINAL THOUGHTS

As I mentioned above, I’m a huge Pandemic fan and I usually love everything in the Pandemic universe… USUALLY.

Despite the game’s beautiful production, Star Wars: The Clone Wars left me a little empty. The overall process felt like I was going through the motions as I attempted to accomplish missions that provided little resistance. The game does offer some decent variation and you may face additional challenges, but they typically serve as just minor diversions. I never felt like I was struggling with my choices. The objective was always clear and I went straight for it.

I felt how the game managed Squad Cards took a lot of the risk out of making decisions. I could easily exhaust a card to knock out an enemy and then refresh that card on my next turn. It felt like there was not a true cost to using these cards. You must have the same type of squad cards to attack a blockade or primary villain, but that never seemed like a problem. Maybe if there were additional card types and requirements for each mission were a little more restrictive I would have felt more tension. The dice rolling seemed tacked on and never really added any excitement either.

Speaking of tension, Pandemic is all about it. It’s almost a slow burn as you feel the diseases in the original game closing in around you. Actions become the most valuable resource and you’re biting your fingernails as the game comes down to 2 or 3 turns. That doesn’t really exist here. Throughout the first 2/3rds of the game, there is practically no tension at all. The Invasion cards don’t cycle fast enough nor are there enough revealed each turn to grab your attention. Once the final battle hits the stage things begin to get a little more interesting, but the villain doesn’t pose much more of a problem than the missions we just previously breezed through. There is a point where the invasion cards become a little more relevant, but I was usually able to outrun them for the final confrontation before they caused any real damage.

The effort to bring a battle system to this particular Pandemic game feels like a huge missed opportunity. I think I would have preferred they take the original Pandemic game and reskinned it for Star Wars. It wouldn’t be thematic by any means, but I’d still get to enjoy Pandemic with the cool new miniatures.

Each villain does have its own deck bringing their own unique gameplay to the experience. I was hoping for something more along the lines of the monsters in Horrified, where they each bring a new puzzle to solve. Having different villains to battle does provide additional replayability, but they don’t differ enough from one another to really make a difference. For me, the only major change was having a different villain miniature on the board.

This is unfortunate considering how cool the production comes together. Z-Man Games makes fantastic games, but this is not one of them. I could possibly see this working for younger Star Wars fans who are still learning to make calculated decisions. I would say that it’s a good introduction to the Pandemic series since it’s a much easier overall experience, but I think you should just go with the original Pandemic. Star Wars: The Clone Wars feels a lot like Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker… a disappointing mis-fire of style over substance.