What's In The Box?!? - Episode 3 - "Wiz-War"

As I recounted in my very first entry, I went through a lamentable period in the late 80's / mid-90's when I considered board gaming to be a childish pursuit and, as such, I drifted away from the hobby. Mercifully, thanks to games like Magic: The Gathering, The Settlers of Catan, Shadows Over Camelot, and Zombies!!! (yes, I said Zombies!!!, fuck you) I eventually rediscovered table-top gaming and I haven't looked back since.

Unfortunately, the damage had already been done. During this period (which I now refer to as "The Dark Times") I missed out on a slew of awesome board games. This includes, but certainly isn't limited to The Fury of Dracula (1987), HeroQuest (1989), Warhammer Quest (1995) as well as the third edition of Talisman in 1994 and the fifth iteration of Wiz-War in 1995. By the time I set my sights on acquiring these Ameritrashtreasure classics, many of them were already languishing in out-of-print purgatory.

But thank Moloch for amazing companies like Fantasy Flight, who've allowed so many of these great games to rise phoenix-like from the ashes to once again captivate and entertain crusty old grognards such as myself. They've already done due diligence with sweet new editions of DungeonQuest and two other Jolly gems Cave Troll and Drakon so color me delighted when they brought back Wiz-War in 2012.

So impressed was I by this new take on the classic game that it inspired a new episode of "What's In The Box?!?".

NOTE: In addition to taking a close look at all of the components, I also include a brief capsule review of the game.

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 Looking to creatively murder your friends using such diverse spells as "Fireball", "Slow Death" and "Five Fingered Fist Blast To The Cake-Hole"? Click on the image below to learn more about Wiz-War and give this blog some much-needed Victory Points in the process! 

  

Getting Our Jolly's Part II: "Cave Troll"

The second Tom Jolly title we played on the 21'st was the fantasy-themed area-control game Cave Troll.  If you're not familiar with the game, just click on Andrew's handy "Rules" tutorial immediately below or feel free to jump right into Part One.

Cave Troll Rules

Cave Troll Part One

Round One:  Going first, I'm limited to one action, so I bring out a lowly Adventurer.  Mike follows suit but adds a Wraith to the mix with his second action.  Andrew uses the first of his three available actions to play an Adventurer (since all the cool kids seem to be doing it).  He also draws an Artifact and plays an Orc.  Chad, with a full compliment of four actions plays an early Treasure Chest and summons a Knight to guard it.   

Round Two:  I draw an Artifact, seed a Wraith in the central pit and then occupy a four-coin room using two move actions.  Mike juggles a Knight and an Adventurer to maximize his coinage.  Andrew moves his brave Adventurer deep into the maze to claim a valuable five-coin room.  He scores the room then the entire board.  Chad continues to re-enforce his Treasure Room in the north-west corner of the board.  Asterisk alert: no-one seem to notice when Chad unwittingly keeps a timely scoring card to himself and then beams a Thief right into the middle of the board!

Round Three:  I spawn an Orc in the central pit and then bring out my Knight / Dwarf tag-team.  After tabling an innocuous Adventurer, Mike Cave Troll's Chad's "Honey Pot".  Only an Adventurer suffering from swordrectile dysfunction manages to crawl away intact.  Mike also mows my gold-colored lawn with an invading Barbarian.  Andrew's "non-greedy" Dwarf finds a respectable chamber to exploit.  After doing damage control, Chad pulls an Artifact and then moves a dude into scoring position.

Round Four:  Another of my Adventurers seeks to even the odds against Mike's marauders.  Mike keeps battling me for the right to claim a four-coin chamber.  After conjuring a Thief, Andrew uses a Wand of Speed to sneak his Adventurer of Awesomeness into Fort Knox, thus triggering another well-timed scoring round.  Fearful of being insta-ganked, Chad's Dwarf tentatively hits the table while his bold Adventurer moves into Andrew's turf.  He also sends Andrew's Thief running for the latrines with his Wraith.

Round Five:  I kick Mike out of my hizzy with an Amulet of Good Riddance, stomp the shit out of Andrew's gold vault and score up a room.  Mike puts a Knight-guarded Treasure Chest into play and then horns in on Chad's industrious mining operation with his stealthy Thief.  Andrew manages to slap the hysterics out of this out footpad and send her back into danger.  Chad's Orc turns Mike's Thief into a pincushion.

Round Six:  Another Adventurer appears and my Orc suddenly goes all hate crime on Andrew's Dwarf.  Mike's Dwarf and Barbarian team up to usurp my holdings.  Andrew brings out (yet) another Adventurer and his Bionic Barbarian tries to smash through a wall.  Chad shuffles his personnel, looking to optimize coin production.                

Round Seven:  I send my Thief deep into the maze to find the mother-lode while a new Adventurer bolsters my defense.  Mike moves out of Chad's hood and continues to urinate in my Corn Flakes.  Andrew gets more Adventurers on the case and laments his Barbarian's distinct lack of Orc-killing prowess.   

Cave Troll Part Two & Post-Game Review     

Round Seven (continued):  Chad viciously nukes a rival-choked room.  I lose my plucky Thief and Mike's Dwarf bites the dust.  Mike takes this opportunity to kick sand in the face of Andrew's Adventurer with his Barbarian.  After using a mind-controlling Artifact to send Mike packing, he sneaks into a valuable spot with his Thief and then scores the room.

Round Eight:  I flip a room with a Treasure Chest and then score the entire board.  Mike finds an Artifact and plays an Adventurer.  Andrew brings down the hammer and I somehow manage to invent the concept of unconscious reverse psychology.  Chad's Barbarian goes on a rampage and his threat to finish the game proves accurate.

I find it difficult to decide which game I like more: this one or Drakon.  Both have a surprising amount of depth and I can't help but think that we've barely scratched the surface RE: the strategic value of the Monsters.  The beautiful components and variable powers of the figures also helps to give Cave Troll a nice thematic polish.

Five pips outta six!

Getting Our Jolly's Part I: "Drakon"

We were slated to start our Twilight Imperium campaign on the 14'th but we had to postpone when Mother Nature decided to be a King Kamehameha bee-hotch and coat the roads with a sheet of ice.

This week we found out that Prodigal Son Mike had an opportunity to come back into the fold for a night of gaming, so we proposed a couple of Tom Jolly classics that he hadn't played yet.

First up: Drakon.

DRAKON RULES & GOOFY PREAMBLE

GAME ONE

I jump out to an early coin lead, effectively pinning a bulls-eye on my back.  After breaking Wind, Andrew summons the wyrm (um, Drakon, I mean) and uses him to block Chad's coin minting factory.  Chad and Mike begin spelunking together (Awwwwwww...).  

After a brief sit n' spin I try to establish a golden loop.  Mike becomes the first dude to control Drakon, but struggles to determine who best to sic him on.  Andrew gets Blown and then proceeds to remodel the dungeon.  Chad finds the Key to efficient movement.  Andrew finally scores some not-so-phat lootz.  Chad puts a Floating Room in front of me and I set course for another Yellow Brick Road.  

After Andrew poops in Chad and Mike's path, I inexplicably undo the damage.  He punishes my temerity by drop-kicking me into an adjacent room.  I throw nobility to the wind and start robbing Chad blind.  Mike starts clocking gold coins like E.T. picking up Reece's Pieces.  After pilfering one too many times from Chad he coats me in BBQ sauce and leaves me for the dragon.

I respond with a tempting rendition of Stairway to Heaven on the harp.  Chad is lured in, but Mike manages to escape and then uses his special ability to score a brand new hand of tiles.  Mike and Andrew set themselves up with dueling Teleport tiles for the photo finish!  

GAME TWO

                 

Mike does a quick switcheroo.  Mighty Drakon appears to be Andrew's bitch, since, once again, he's the first to summon him to the table.  I use a Mind Control tile to dangle Chad in front of the dragon.  Chad sets his tile layout for M.A.S (Maximum Andrew Screwage).  Drakon is dispatched to guard a coin chamber.  

Mike isolates me in my very own section of the dungeon, where I immediately try and hatch a get-rich- quick scheme.  Mike gets windy, Andrew pays nice and I claim a coin.  After stalking Andrew, Chad puts a tile-destroying room in my path which I promptly use to devalue their golden autobahn.  

Realizing their oversight, Chad and Andrew re-construct the link between my desert island and the dungeon proper.  Chad follows up with a Key room, I use my character ability to minimize Drakonic damage and Mike sets up a line of coins that would make Mario proud.  

After I'm caught dipping into Mike's "Honey Pot" (!), Chad uses Magical Shift to screw with my plans.  He then splits from Andrew, concerned about threats of ass-beatery.  Mike keeps remodeling the dungeon and I branch off from a Key chamber to try and cut into his horde of gold.  Chad repos a Harp room to use for an evil scheme.  

Mike retaliates against my pilfering ways with a giant, green, fire-breathing attack dog.  I then proceed to waste several turns thanks to an ill-placed Floating Room.  Chad steals wantonly from Andrew, who keeps throwing caltrops in my path.  Mike makes a premature declaration and it's down to the wire for a surprise win!

I really dig Drakon.  If you're a sucker for a fantasy theme and like watching your opponents rip their collective hair out, this is a must-buy.  It's simple, easy to teach, and rife with strategic possibilities.  And, as part of Fantasy Flight's Silver Line series, it's also not gonna break the bank in these tough economic times!

Four pips outta six!