Final Evolution: "King of Tokyo: Godzilla"

My obsession with Godzilla and kaiju in general is well on record, witness here, here and here for reference. Back in 2011, when King of Tokyo was first released, there really weren't very many "gargantuans-beat-ass" themed games, so I jumped on it right away.  

To my slight confusion, what I got was essentially "giant monster Yahtzee." What's worse: the serial-numbers-filed-off / cartoon-y / infantile character design, lack of distinguishing monster traits and shallow game play soon inspired me to sell it for the crunchier (but also problematic) King of New York, which I also hope to review soon.

Well, it only took fifteen effin' years for publisher Iello to finally bit the bullet and secured that sweet, sweet Toho licence, which finally evolved the game into it's proper final form: King of Tokyo Godzilla.  

Here's the game's Raymond Burr-style eye-witness account, right from the brave reporters at Iello: 

"The true King of Monsters is finally here!

"Toho’s legendary Kaijus clash in an epic battle to decide who will be the definitive King of Tokyo. Play as Godzilla, King Ghidorah, Hedorah, Rodan, Mothra, and Mechagodzilla.

"For those familiar with the original game, discover a new mechanic: 'Event cards' that affect all monsters. And for fans, yes, evolution cards are included!

"King of Tokyo: Godzilla is a family game with dice, cards, and smashes, inspired by the yams system.

"In King of Tokyo Godzilla, you play the legendary Toho's monsters of whom are destroying Tokyo and whacking each other in order to become the one and only King of Tokyo.

"At the start of each turn, you roll six dice, which show the following six symbols: 1, 2, or 3 Victory Points, Energy, Heal, and Attack. Over three successive throws, choose whether to keep or discard each die in order to win victory points, gain energy, restore health, or attack other players into understanding that Tokyo is YOUR territory.

"The fiercest player will occupy Tokyo, and earn extra victory points, but that player can't heal and must face all the other monsters alone!

"Top this off with special cards purchased with energy that have a permanent or temporary effect, such as the growing of a second head which grants you an additional die, body armor, nova death ray, and more.... and it's one of the most explosive games of the year!

"In order to win the game, one must either destroy Tokyo by accumulating 20 victory points, or be the only surviving monster once the fighting has ended."

Looking to do all the research required to build a fully functional Super X flying tank armed with Maser Cannons and Oxygen Destroyer bombs? Then click on the link to digest the full technical specs! 

***

GAME PLAYTHROUGH

ROUND ONE

Godzilla's Turn 

(1) Roll Dice

The King of the Monsters leads with his starting Permanent Evolution: "Heat Ray" which will deliver one extra damage on Claw attacks. (NOTE: I use "Claw" and "Smash" interchangeably here.) 

First Roll: a "3" , 2 x "2's", two Hearts and a Claw. Keeps the "2's"

Second Roll: produces 2 x "2", a "3" and a Claw. Keeps the "2's."

Third Roll: gets another "2" and a "1."

(2) Resolve Dice

With 5 x "2", he scores four points!

(3) Enter Tokyo

 (NOTE: In older versions of the game, a Monster had to roll a Claw to enter unoccupied Tokyo City at the very start of the game. Now, if no one is in Tokyo, you must enter Tokyo City and the Bay in that order of priority. In other words, the first player's standee will be placed on Tokyo City during Step Three.) 

He moves into Tokyo City...scoring another point for a total of five Veeps.

(4) Buy Power Cards or Gain one Energy

Gains one Energy.

(5) End Turn

King Ghidorah's Turn

(1) Roll Dice 

First Roll: a "1", a "2", two Energy and two Hearts. He sets aside the "2" and two Energy.

Second Roll: gets a Claw, a "1" and a "2."

Third Roll: re-rolls the last three results and scores two "1's" and a Heart. 

(2) Resolve Dice

Ghidorah collects two Energy.

(3) Enter Tokyo

Enters Tokyo Bay, gaining one Veep.

(4) Buy Power Cards or Gain one Energy

Gains one Energy for a total of three.

(5) End Turn

Hedorah's Turn

Plays "Pollution Spray", a Permanent Evolution.

(1) Roll Dice

First Roll: 2 x "1", a "2" and 2 x "3" plus one Heart. Keeps the two "3's."

Second Roll: gets 2 x "2", an Energy and a '1." 

Third Roll: re-rolls everything from the last throw and gets one each of "3", "2" and '1" and an Energy. 

(2) Resolve Dice

Three Veeps from the 3 x "3" and one Energy.

(3) Enter Tokyo

N/A

(4) Buy Power Cards or Gain one Energy

Gets one Energy for a total of two.

(5) End Turn

Rodan's Turn

(1) Roll Dice

First roll: 2 x "1", a "2", a "3" and two Hearts. Retains the two "1's."

Second roll: gets a "1", a "2", a Claw and a Heart. Keeps the one "1" and the Claw. 

Third roll: Get's a "1" and a "3."    

(2) Resolve Dice

Gets two Veeps from the three "1's" plus the spare and deals one damage to Godzilla and Ghidorah, who both stay put. 

(3) Enter Tokyo

N/A

(4) Buy Power Cards or Gain one Energy

Gets one Energy.

(5) End Turn

Mothra's Turn 

Plays "Caterpillar Form", a Permanent Evolution.

(1) Roll Dice

First Roll: gets a "1", 2 x "2", a Claw and two Hearts. Locks in the "2's" and the Claw.

Second Roll: gets two "1's" and a "3."

Third roll: chucks everything except for the 2 x "2" and gets 2 x "3" and two Energy. 

(2) Resolve Dice

Picks up two Energy.

(3) Enter Tokyo

N/A

(4) Buy Power Cards or Gain one Energy

Gets one bonus Energy for a total of three.

(5) End Turn

Mechagodzilla's Turn

Plays the "Twin Mazers" Permanent Evolution.

(1) Roll Dice

First roll: 2 x "1", a "3", a Claw and two Hearts. Holds on to the 2 x "1" and the Claw. 

Second Roll: Gets 2 x "1" and a "3." Keeps the "1's."

Third roll: Re-rolls the "3" and gets an Energy.  

(2) Resolve Dice

Two Veeps from the 3 x "1" and the bonus. Gains an Energy then deals a point a damage to both Godzilla and King Ghidorah. Again both remain in place.

(3) Enter Tokyo

N/A

(4) Buy Power Cards or Gain one Energy

Collect one Energy for a total of two. 

(5) End Turn

Two classic arch-rivals square off for control of Tokyo!

ROUND TWO

Godzilla's Turn

Collects two Veeps for hanging on for a full round! He's up to seven!

(1) Roll Dice

First Roll: 2 x "3", two Energy, a Heart and a "1." Sets the two "3's" aside.

Second Roll: gets an Energy, one each of "1" and a "2" and a Claw. Keeps the Claw. 

Third roll: picks up a "3" and 2 x "1."

(2) Resolve Dice

Godzilla's "Heat Ray" kicks in and his one Claw deals an extra damage to all monsters outside the city, I.E. Hedorah, Rodan, Mothra and Mechagodzilla all go down to eight! 

He also gets three Veeps from the 3 x "3." He's already at ten!

(3) Enter Tokyo

N/A

(4) Buy Power Cards or Gain one Energy

Gets one Energy for a total of two.

(5) End Turn

King Ghidorah's Turn

He picks up two Victory Points for holding onto the Bay for an entire turn cycle...he's now at three!

(1) Plays the "From Another World" Temporary Evolution and re-gains two Health...he's back up to full! (NOTE: although you can't use dice to heal in Tokyo, you can regain health with cards!) This also nets him two bonus re-rolls!

Roll Dice 

First Roll: a 2 x "3", two Energy and two Hearts. Keeps the two "3's."

Second Roll: scores a Claw, a Heart and two Energy. Keeps the Smash.

Third Roll: dials up an Energy, a "1" and a Heart. 

Fourth Roll: re-rolls the same three dice and gets a "3", an Energy and a "1." Keeps the "3."

Fifth roll: gets a "3" and an Energy.

(2) Resolve Dice

Ghidorah deals one point of damage to everyone outside of Tokyo, I.E. Hedorah, Rodan, Mothra and Mechagodzilla. They're all down to seven Health! Nets four big Veeps from the 3 x "3" and the spare, now at seven!

(3) Enter Tokyo

N/A

(4) Buy Power Cards or Gain one Energy

Pays four Energy for "Alpha Scavenger", reducing his total to zero.  

(5) End Turn

Hedorah's Turn

(1) Roll Dice

First Roll: 2 x "1", two Hearts and two Smashes. Retains the Claws.

Second Roll: gets a "2", an Energy, a Smash and a Heart. Keeps the Claws.  

Third Roll: 2 x "3" and a "2."  

(2) Resolve Dice

Three points of damage to both Godzilla (now at five) and King Ghidorah (down to seven). 

(3) Enter Tokyo

Godzilla leaves the City and Hedorah takes his place, scoring a a Veep, putting the ambulatory pile o' poo at four! 

(4) Buy Power Cards or Gain one Energy

Gets one Energy, now at three.

(5) End Turn

Rodan's Turn

(1) Roll Dice

First roll: 2 x "1", a "2", two Energy and a Smash. Keeps the 2 x "1" and the Claw. 

Second roll: Gets a "1", an Energy and a Heart. 

Third roll: turns up an Energy and a  "1."     

(2) Resolve Dice

Gets two Veeps from the 4 x "1" (putting Rodan at four), gathers up one Energy (now at two) and deals one damage to Hedorah and Ghidorah (both at six Health), who both stay put. 

(3) Enter Tokyo

N/A

(4) Buy Power Cards or Gain one Energy

Gets one Energy, tally is three.

(5) End Turn

Mothra's Turn 

(1) Roll Dice

First Roll: gets a "1", 2 x "3", a Claw and two Hearts. Keeps the "3's" and the Claw. 

Second Roll: gets a "1", a "2" and a Heart. 

Third roll: chucks everything except for the 2 x "3" and gets two Energy, a Smash, a Heart. 

(2) Resolve Dice

Picks up two Energy, for a total of five. Heals one damage, so she's back up to eight Health. She then delivers one damage to both Hedorah and Ghidorah (both now at five), but the defenders remain resolute.

(3) Enter Tokyo

N/A

(4) Buy Power Cards or Gain one Energy

Pays five Energy for a "Neo Barrier", gaining her a Veep as well as two each of Energy and Hearts! She's back up to ten!

(5) End Turn

Mechagodzilla's Turn

(1) Roll Dice

First roll: 2 x "2", a "3", a Claw and two Energy. Banks the "2's" and the Claw. 

Second Roll: Gets 2 x "3" and a "2." Keeps the "2." 

Third roll: Dials up a Smash and a Heart.  

(2) Resolve Dice

Two Veeps from the 3 x "2", putting the cyborg at four! It then inflicts two damage on both Hedorah and King Ghidorah, leaving both at three life! 

(3) Enter Tokyo

This time both occupants leave, letting Mechogodzilla reign solo over Tokyo City, scoring a Veep in the process and putting the robot's total at five! 

(4) Buy Power Cards or Gain one Energy

Collects one Energy for a total of three. 

(5) End Turn

Mechagodzilla revels in his status as the sole "king of the hill." (photobomb courtesy of Hedorah)

ROUND THREE

Godzilla's Turn

(1) Roll Dice

First Roll: 2 x "2", 2 x "1", a "3" and an Energy. Keeps the "2's."

Second Roll: Dials up a "2" and 2 x "3" and a "1." Keeps the "2." 

Third roll: picks up a "2", a "1" and a Heart.

(2) Resolve Dice

Godzilla gets three Veeps from the 3 x "2" plus the spare, putting them at thirteen! He also Heals one damage, putting him back to six.  

(3) Enter Tokyo

Since the Bay is unoccupied, he moves in, getting another Veep! He's way ahead with fourteen points!

(4) Buy Power Cards or Gain one Energy

Gains one Energy for a total of three. 

(5) End Turn

King Ghidorah's Turn

(1) Roll Dice 

First Roll: a 2 x "2", a "1", a "3", one Energy and one Hearts. Keeps the "2's" and the Heart.

Second Roll: Gets a Claw, a Heart and an Energy. Keeps the Heart.

Third Roll: re-rolls everything minus the two Hearts. Snags another Heart, a Smash and one each of  "2" and a "3." 

(2) Resolve Dice

Ghidorah deals one point of damage to Mechagodzilla (down to six) and the King of the Monsters himself, who's currently sitting at five health. He then heals three points, putting him back to six Health. 

With the three Hearts, Ghidorah draws two Evolution Cards and immediately plays the "Monster Zero" Permanent!

(3) Enter Tokyo

Godzilla departs and King Ghidorah wades into the Bay, scoring a point for a total of eight. 

(4) Buy Power Cards or Gain one Energy

Picks up a free Energy.

(5) End Turn

Hedorah's Turn

(1) Roll Dice

First Roll: 2 x "3", two Hearts and one each of "2" and a "1." Keeps the Hearts and the "3's." 

Second Roll: gets a "3" and an Energy. Re-rolls the latter.   

Third Roll: one Smash.   

(2) Resolve Dice

Heals two Damage (back up to five), scores three Veeps (at seven) and deals a point of damage to both Mechagodzilla (five) and King Ghidorah (five). 

(3) Enter Tokyo

Ghidorah leaves the Bay and Hedorah takes his place, scoring a a Veep for a total of eight! 

(4) Buy Power Cards or Gain one Energy

Gets one Energy, now at four.

(5) End Turn

Rodan's Turn

(1) Roll Dice

First roll: 4 x "1", a "3" and one Energy. Keeps all the "1's." 

Second roll: Gets a "3"and an Energy. Again. Re-rolls both. 

Third roll: gets an Energy and a "3." AGAIN.    

(2) Resolve Dice

Gets two Veeps from the 3 x "1" (plus the spare), giving the winged menace a total of six. He also gathers up one Energy to make for four. 

(3) Enter Tokyo

N/A

(4) Buy Power Cards or Gain one Energy

Gets one Energy...now at five!

(5) End Turn

Mothra's Turn 

(1) Roll Dice

First Roll: gets a "2", 2 x "3" and a whopping three Energy. Keeps the "3's." 

Second Roll: Rolls a "3", a "1", a "2"and a Heart. Keeps the "3." 

Third roll: Gets a "3", a "1" and a Smash! 

(2) Resolve Dice

Gets four Veeps from the 4 x "3", putting her at five. Does one damage to both Mechagodzilla (four) and Hedorah (four). 

(3) Enter Tokyo

Hedorah jets so Mothra flaps into the Bay, netting one Veep. She's currently at six Victory Points.

(4) Buy Power Cards or Gain one Energy

Pays two Energy to play the "Easily Scared" Power Card. Every Monster takes a point of damage (Mothra: nine, Rodan: six, Hedorah: three, Ghidorah: four, Godzilla: four, Mechagodzilla: three) and then the card passes to Rodan. He triggers it again, putting Rodan at five, Hedorah at two, Ghidorah and Godzilla are at three, Mechagodzilla has only two and Mothra's down to eight! It then goes to Hedorah, who discards it because he's nearly dead! 

(5) End Turn

Mechagodzilla's Turn

(1) Roll Dice

First roll: 2 x "2", a "1", two Energy and a Heart. Banks the "2's."  

Second Roll: Gets a "2" and one each of "1", Energy and a Smash. Keeps the "2." 

Third roll: re-rolls everything hoping to Claw some his weaker rivals outside of the City to death, but no such luck! Ends up with 2 x "1", a "2", a "3", an Energy and a Claw.  *Whomp-whomp*

(2) Resolve Dice

Everyone but Mechagodzilla and Mothra takes a point of damage. Rodan is at four, Hedorah one (!), with King Ghidorah and Godzilla both at a precarious two points! Picks up an Energy for a total of four. 

(3) Enter Tokyo

N/A

(4) Buy Power Cards or Gain one Energy

Spends all four Energy for "Static Collector", regaining two Energy!  

(5) End Turn

"NO ONE CAN RESIST MOTHRA!!!"

ROUND FOUR

Godzilla's Turn

(1) Roll Dice

First Roll: 2 x "1", a "3", two Hearts and an Energy. Keeps the Hearts. 

Second Roll: Dials up a "2", a Smash, a Heart and an Energy. Keeps the Heart and the Smash.

Third roll: picks up a "3" and another Heart.

(2) Resolve Dice

Godzilla gets four (!) Health back, putting him back up to six, and then - via the two points of damage (+1 for his Heat Ray) - he annihilates Mechagodzilla and wounds Mothra (she's now at six). Mothra graduates to the City. 

Also: with 3+ Hearts, Godzilla gets two new Evolution cards! He picks "Amphibious" and keeps it in hand.

(3) Enter Tokyo

Godzilla moves into the freshly-yielded Bay, gaining a Veep for a total of 15!  

(4) Buy Power Cards or Gain one Energy

Gains one Energy for a total of four. 

(5) End Turn

King Ghidorah's Turn

(1) Roll Dice 

First Roll: two Smashes, one Energy and two Hearts. Keeps the Claws and Hearts.

Second Roll: a "1."

Third Roll: a Claw!

(2) Resolve Dice

Ghidorah deals three points of damage to Mothra (down to three) and the Big "G", putting him at the same count. He then heals two points, putting him back up to four Health. 

(3) Enter Tokyo

Mothra and Godzilla both depart, and King Ghidorah marches into the City, scoring a point for a total of eight. 

(4) Buy Power Cards or Gain one Energy

Picks up another free Energy, for a total of two.

(5) End Turn

Hedorah's Turn

(1) Roll Dice

First Roll: two each of Hearts and Energy plus a rogue "3." Trying for a Hail Mary "Hedrium Attack", he keeps one of each different die face.  

Second Roll: gets a Heart, an Energy and a "3.". Pivots to only Hearts and re-rolls four other dice.    

Third Roll: one Smash.   

(2) Resolve Dice

Heals four Damage (back up to five) and triggers a new Evolution. He opts to go with the Temporary Evolution called "Sludge." 

(3) Enter Tokyo

Hedorah oozes into the vacant Bay, scoring a a Veep for a total of nine! Then "Sludge" is played and all other monsters loose two Hearts!  

(4) Buy Power Cards or Gain one Energy

Gets one Energy, now at five.

(5) End Turn

Rodan's Turn

(1) Roll Dice

First roll: gets four (!) Claws, a Heart and a "2." Keeps everything but the "2."   

Second roll: gets a "2."

Third roll: gets Heart!     

(2) Resolve Dice

Both King Ghidorah and Hedorah get clobbered with four damage! This annihilates Monster Zero and reduces Hedorah to a single Health point! Rodan gains two Hearts and ramps back up to four!  

(3) Enter Tokyo

Rodan razes Tokyo City for one Veep, putting him at seven!

(4) Buy Power Cards or Gain one Energy

Buys "Tossing Cars" for four Energy, which causes every other monster not in Tokyo to lose one Health.

In one fell swoop, Godzilla, Mothra and Hedorah are all eliminated!

Rodan wins! 

Rodan triumphant!

***

REVIEW

Just for poops n' chuckles I thought I'd just copy and paste my old review from King of Tokyo and see what's really different and (hopefully) improved here. Commentary in parentheses. 

PROS

• Innovative gameplay feels like a mash-up between a "King of the Hill" Halo match and Zombie Dice. (Interesting - tho now very dated - references. Whenever I sell the game now to potential players I use the aforementioned "giant monster Yahtzee" pitch.)
• Rules are clear, concise and very easy to teach. (Agreed, though there are some additional rules and changes to previous editions of the game, as noted in the final "Important Rules to Remember" section.)
• Games are fast and furious and never seem to drag.  We easily played four matches in three hours and still had time for some other quick games. (This still holds up. I never intended to do a full game playthrough for this one, but the turns were so breezy I wanted to see who won.) 
• The variable card powers add a decent amount of replay value. (Yup. Add in Events and Evolutions and you finally have just enough chrome for a game like this.) 
• Our four games are clearly indicative of several perfectly valid strategies.  Do you stay out of the fray and let every one else beat the snot out of each other?  Do you invest heavily in creature augmentation and go for surgical strikes?  Or do you march right into Tokyo bold as brass and start chuckin' knuckles? (Ditto.)     
• The components are fantastic.  As some point in time you may find yourself compelled to pull a Pac-Man and gobble up a handful of those green Energy cubes. (This praise is even more valid for the Godzilla version. I love the "City" and "Bay" tiles, the wooden Energy, Dice and stands and the stupendous Showa-era artwork. This is the way I've wanted the game to look since 2011.) 

CONS

• Some of the card text is a bit vague, leading to misinterpretation. Combining several of these effects together can also result in some big-time head-scratchery. (Even though I didn't have any real issues interpreting the text on the Power Cards during the session play-through, I'm sure that there are some cards in the mix that might be a tad confusing. Perhaps a more apt complaint is that Power Cards aren't created equal, with some that seem woefully weak and others that are baffingly OP. But, I suppose a case can be made that recognizing a good card at the right time is a sound part of the game's strategy. Also: delineating the steps of a turn - roll dice, resolve dice, enter Tokyo, buy a card / get Energy - has made the game a lot more intuitive.)
• Although King of Tokyo is a lungful of fun, I'd still prefer an Ameritrash-style simulation.  I wanna wade my official Toho-brand monster miniature through tiny high-tension wires and buildings, whilst tearing up bridges and sticking trains and buses in my toothy maw.  I wanna char tanks and the national guard with my atomic breath and gobble down populace units like Pez.  In other words I want the handsome and brilliant love child of The Creature that Ate Sheboygan and Godzilla: Kaiju World Wars.  Get on that, Fantasy Flight! (Sadly, I still haven't gotten this dream game yet. Funko / Prospero Hall flirted with the concept via Godzilla: Tokyo Clash, but that game had it's own issues. I remain eternally optimistic.)    
• Except for the monster power ups, there's really not much variety to the game at all. (With the addition of Events and Evolutions, this pain point has been offset a little bit. Even though no Events showed up in my demo game, I'm just glad new avenues exist.) 
• As a kaiju nut, I just wish the game's art design wasn't quite as goofy. (Fixed. There's no stupid robot cats or giant apes with cybernetic implants or penguins with freeze guns. Just classic Toho goodness...and I couldn't be happier.) 

Finally, King of Tokyo is no longer a pretender. With the addition of the Big G and his noted rivals, much-needed rules clarifications, the introduction of game-altering Events and thematic abilities via Evolutions, the game has reached its true zenith.

As such, King of Tokyo: Godzilla scores four pips out of six with a big ol' tilt up towards King Kong's hairy nutsack.

BONUS: IMPORTANT RULES TO REMEMBER

• In this version of the game you can discard as many as two Dice Tokens that you've earned to roll an equal number of Black Dice, to a maximum of eight dice. The decision to spend Dice Tokens must happen before your first roll.
• A Monster can only yield Tokyo from Claws on dice, not Power Cards.
• Since no Monster starts the game in Tokyo, Claws rolled on the first play have no effect.
• In older editions of the game, the first Monster to roll a Claw enters Tokyo City in top priority and then the Bay. Now, if no one is in Tokyo, you must enter Tokyo City. Ergo, the first player's standee will be placed on Tokyo City during Step Three. 
• With 5-6 players: if the City is Occupied, but the Bay is empty, you must enter the Bay during Step Three of your turn. For the purpose of game / card language, Monsters in both the City and the Bay are considered to be "in Tokyo." Both spaces have the same game effect.
• Once the player count drops to four or below, you must leave the Bay immediately, graduating to the City instead if it's unoccupied. 
• Optional two player variant: instead of Victory Points you get one Energy for moving into Tokyo and one Energy if you begin your turn there.
• You can buy as many Power Cards as you can afford during Step Four of your turn.
• If you use two Energy to sweep the current Power Card market, it doesn't discard the Events!
• If you don't want to (or can't) buy a Power Card, gain one Energy.
• When revealed, Events have their game effect and continue to do so until purchased. When this happens, resolve the Discard effect.
• Evolution Cards: At the start of the game shuffle all eight cards, draw two, keep one and discard the other. In future rounds, if you get three Hearts, use them for healing as per normal, but also draw two more Evolution Cards, keep one and discard the other. You still get to draw Evolution cards in Tokyo. If you deck is empty, reshuffle the discarded cards to make a new draw deck. Keep your Evolution Cards in hand and play them when you want to, even on someone else's turn!         

Samdemic: "The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship"

While I recognize that Pandemic helped to turn co-operative games into its own mega-genre, I also got rid of my copy a few years ago mainly because, for some inexplicable reason, I got sick of hearing the word "pandemic." Oh, and also because I felt less like a member of the CDC battling virulent diseases all across the globe and more like I was cynically trying to manipulate a series of stringent (though admittedly innovative) game mechanics.

Later iterations improved the experience for me somewhat. The Legacy version felt more thematic, Fall of Rome elegantly simulated barbarian invasions and Clone Wars was, well, Star Wars. Mediocre Star Wars mind you, but still more engaging to me than "oh, no...the bird flu is thundering through Mongolia again!"  

As good as they were, I was never seriously swayed to buy any of them. Something was missing... something preventing me from becoming truly invested in the...

Ruh, roh.

Hey, in my defense, I did play it before buying it sight unseen this time. 

Well, more like I put it on indefinite order a year ago only to have it finally come in back on the 12'th of August. Of course, it had to arrive right smack dab in the middle of The Hobbit pre-release, so - needless to say - my finances are currently getting beaten like a goblin's mule right now. 

Despite being up to my boobs in Bifurs, Bomburs and Bofurs, I took some time to re-familiarize myself with Fate of the Fellowship and bring you this play-through and review. But first, here's Gandalf's "call to adventure" elevator pitch right from the wizards at Z-Man Games:

"The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship is a cooperative game for 1-5 players where each player controls 2 characters, lending their unique abilities to protect Frodo, battle enemies in pivotal locations, and evade the menacing Nazgûl and Sauron’s searching Eye. Each play presents new challenges every time with 24 different objectives, 14 events, and 13 playable characters. Never miss an opportunity to get it to the table with the included solo mode designed by Matt Leacock."

Looking for the account of Isildur to determine the true nature of THE ONE RING? Then venture into the library of Minas Tirith and click on the following magical scroll to have all your answers revealed! 

***

EXAMPLE OF PLAY

I used all of the suggested first game set-up instructions, I.E.: 

• For Characters I used Frodo and Sam with Eowyn and Legolas.
• For Objectives I tabled "Attain the Blessing of the Elves", "Saruman, Your Staff is Broken", "Challenge Sauron" and "Destroy the One Ring."
• I included only four "Skies Darken" Cards.

 TURN ONE

1) Still in the Shire, Frodo and Sam Prepare, turfing the Gondor Card to generate one Stealth. They Prepare two more times (spending Haradwaith and Rohan) and pick up two Resistance Tokens. Finally they spend their Stealth to sneakily Travel from the Shire to Bree.

With only one Action to spend, Legolas moves from the Woodland Realm to Old Forest Road

2) They draw two cards.

3) A Shadow Card is drawn. The newly-revealed card on the draw pile shows a Red Banner, so the top part of the drawn card activates, moving troops from Nurn to Erebor along the blue-green "S" line. One Troop goes from Dol Gildur to Southern Mirkwood, two march from Barad-Dur to Udun and then four travel from Nurn to Gorgoroth.

The second Shadow Card reveals a Black Banner underneath, which activates the bottom of the card. A new Shadow Troop appears in Nurn. a Nazgul in Rhudaur (I.E. the "closest to Frodo outside of his region") moves into Eriador and the Ring Wraith in the Misty Mountains slinks into Enedwaith. 

TURN TWO

1) Merry and Pippin Travel to meet Sam and Frodo in Bree. 

Stuffed on "Lembas Bread", Eowyn now has six (!) actions to work with. She moves from Edoras to Helm's Deep and then the Fords of Isen, bringing the two Troops guarding these places along with her. She still has four actions left, so she Musters four times! Thanks to her Special Ability, whenever she Musters at a Rohan location, she doesn't need to spend Friendship! 

2) They draw two cards.

3) The Shadow Card turns up a Red Banner next...moving Troops anywhere along the purple criss-cross route from Nurn to Helm's Deep! Two Troops go from Minas Morgul to South Ithilien, four go from Gorgoroth to Minas Morgul and one travels from Nurn to Gorgoroth. 

The Shadow Card reveals a Black Banner underneath, so a Shadow Troop appears in Dunland and two Nazgul move closer to Frodo! The one in Enedwaith moves into Eriador and the one in Gondor wings up to Enedwaith.

TURN THREE

1) Legolas uses an Action to generate a Stealth Token, then Travels to Rivendell for two more Actions, spending the Token to go from Carrock to Rivendell. For his final Action he Prepares by discarding the Haradwaith card to gain one Stealth. 

Frodo and Sam move to the Weather Hills, but they don't have any Stealth, so a Search roll occurs. Three "Weary" results (one with a "Reveal") turn up! To try and mitigate this, they spend their two Resistance Tokens to re-roll, turning one into a "Slip By" and the other becomes a "Recall"! Hope drops by one and a Nazgul returns to Mordor!

2) They draw two cards and play one of them: "Conflicting Orders", which sends the entire Isengard army charging headlong into the Fords of Isen! A battle isn't triggered...yet! But it's coming!

3)  A Black Banner is revealed again, so a Shadow Troop is added to Umbar and the Eye of Sauron moves to Frodo's region in Rhudaur.   

A Red Banner pops up next, moving Troops along the yellow arrow path between Nurn and Minas Tirith. That shifts two armies from Udun to North Ithilien and one Troop from Gorgoroth to Mount Doom.

TURN FOUR

1) Eowyn spends an Action to Attack the approaching Shadow Army, which shifts the Eye of Sauron to Rohan! She rolls three dice, gets one "Overrun" and two "Nazgul." She loses one Troop, since the Fords of Isen isn't a Haven. She does another Attack Action and this time gets a "Rout" and two "Exchanges"! After these casualties are applied, there's two Rohirrim and two Shadow Troops left. Third Attack action: she dials up a "Rout" and an "Exchange." The warriors of Rohan defeat the invading army! For her final Action, Eowyn throws out the Mirkwood Card to generate one Valor.

Merry and Pippin use their one Action to get a Friendship Token.

2) Two Cards are drawn.

3) A Red Banner card shifts Troops along the light green dashed path between Dunland and Rivendell. That moves them into Hollin! 

The next card (another Red Banner) moves Shadow Troops along the yellow arrow line between Rhun and Minas Tirith. Two armies enter Osgilaith from North Ithilien (putting them on the doorstep of Minas Tirith!) and a whopping five troops travel from Rhun to Dagorlad. 

TURN FIVE

1) Frodo moves from Weather Hills to Hollin, leaving the Nazgul back in Eriador. Unfortunately, there's three Shadow Troops there, so a Search is imminent. Instead of rolling, Frodo decides to use his special ability to "Put on the Ring." One Hope is lost, and the Eye is already in his area! They then move from Hollin to Rivendell. With their last two Actions they Prepare twice, generating two Friendship by discarding both Haradwaith and (more importantly) Rhudaur. This last play generates a bonus Token thanks to "Elrond's Support."

Legolas spends his single Action to get another Stealth Token. 

2) They pick up two cards. 

3) The first Shadow Card activates the Black Banner and sees a Shadow Troop appear in Near Harad. Then three Nazgul move from Mordor to Rhudaur! 

The second draw triggers another Black Banner action. A Troop is deployed in Dunland and two Nazgul in Eriador begin to wing off to Rhudaur but Merry and Pippin spend a Friendship to "Distract" them back!

TURN SIX

1) Eowyn dumps her Gondor and Rohan Cards for two Valor, moves into Isengard with her one remaining Troop and then uses her last Action to spend three Valor to Capture it and make it a Haven. The Hope Track goes up by two! This completes the "Sauron, Your Staff if Broken" quest and Eowyn collects a Resistance Token for her efforts! Finally, the Eye of Sauron diverts to that region!

Merry and Pippin use their one Action to Travel from Bree to Tharbad.

2) Two cards are drawn: "Elven Cloaks and Rope" and "Skies Darken." The latter bumps up the Threat level by one. The Eye is not in Frodo's location, so the loss of Hope is ignored. Three Shadow Troops are added to Dorwinion. The Shadow Cards are then shuffled and put back on top of the draw pile!

3) The first Shadow Card moves Troops along the criss-cross purple route between Nurn and Helm's Deep. This shifts two Shadow armies from Osgiliath to Minas Tirith, which initiates a battle! Two Troops in South Ithilien move into Osgiliath and finally the horde in Minal Morgul pours into South Ithilien.

The battle results in a Rout (a loss of one Shadow Troop) and an Exchange, which is one for one! The Gondorians barely hold on!

The next draw results in a Black Banner consultation. A new Shadow Troop spawns in Dunland and two Nazgul divert back to Frodo from Eriador.        

To be continued? 

***

REVIEW

THE GOOD

• The game's aesthetics are completely off the chart. In an age where blinged-out IP titles routinely sell for $129.99, it blows me away that this sucka was under $90. Especially when you consider how 'luxe the cards, board, character figures, l'il die cut Troop meeples, dice and tokens are. Oh, and dat tower...sooo extra! I love it!
• Fate of the Fellowship feels like a "greatest hits package" of all the things that worked well from previous versions of Pandemic. The Shadow Cards and Battle Lines do a great job introducing new threats to the board and drive home the theme that Free People are a fragile bulwark against the inexorable tide of evil. 
• Between thirteen different Characters and twenty-freakin'-four different Objectives, the replayability is completely off the charts. 
• By tweaking the Characters, Objectives and "Skies Darken" cards, you can easily make the game as challenging as you want.  
• The Character special abilities are thematic on point. Not everyone is created equal, which is also part of the fun. 
• Certain game mechanics, like the elegant use of the Nazgul, actually evokes shades of my beloved War of the Ring. 
• I love how you discard cards at Havens to earn Tokens to help you in the game. Friendship lets you raise Troops, Valor nukes enemy units in battle and flips Shadow Strongholds into Havens, Stealth lets Frodo avoid Nazgul Searches and Resistance lets you re-roll any unfortunate dice results.
• The rulebook is very well crafted and answers are easily found. Also, if you have any previous Pandemic history, you already have a leg up on this version of the game. The copious illustrated examples of key concepts are also most welcome! 
• Some games are a chore to play solitaire, but I think this one would be a legit pleasant experience.

THE BAD

• Um, not much, TBH.

THE UGLY

• Sorry, but we gotta talk about the board. Personally, I don't have an issue with it, but I know some tenderfoot gamers are gonna take one look at this nightmare of art design and immediately tap out. You've got (*takes deep breath*) Troop storage spaces, Havens, Regions, Normal Locations, Special Paths, Battle Lines, Normal Paths, the Hope Track, Shadow Deck spaces, Muster Locations, Shadow Strongholds, Shadow Locations and spots for the Player Deck and Discards. Because it's so busy-looking, some folks will have a Balrog of a time trying to distinguish between the subtle color / pattern differences of the Battle Lines, for example.

***

With Fate of the Fellowship, I finally own the Pandemic-style co-op game of my dreams. This may be inconceivable for some to hear, but I'm kinda tempted - One-Ring-style, yo - to put this on the same tier as my beloved War of the Ring. Is it as good as that game? No. Does it do enough right to warrant a perfect score, along with that hallowed classic? Yes.   

As such the game scores a perfect six pips out of six!

***

BONUS: IMPORTANT RULES TO REMEMBER

• You can only Muster at Locations marked with the appropriate faction symbol, not Normal Locations.
• Attacks and Captures by a player shift the Eye of Sauron to that Location. 
• Don't have the matching token for a Special Path? "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!!"
• You can only Prepare in a Haven.
• The card you give or take during a Fellowship Action must match the location both characters are standing in. 
• Remember, Searches are done based on the destination Frodo is Travelling to, not where he's coming from!        
• Only defending in Havens prevents the loss of Friendly Troops on an Overrun die result.
• Always draw Shadow Cards according to the current Threat Rate.  
• You can roll dice up to the number of Troops present in a battle. 
• When losses are inflicted in a location with friendly Troops from different factions, the current player decides which ones go. 
• After spending Resistance to re-roll, you can spend more to re-roll again. 
• Player Cards can be used by either of your two Characters.
• You can't play an Event in the middle of a Shadow Card resolution.
• Hope can be lost from Weary or Exposed Search results, the Eye happens to be in Frodo's region when a "Skies Darken" is drawn (-2), the Shadow conquer a Haven (-3), -1 for every Shadow Troop that can't be placed on the board (because the supply pool is empty) and -1 for every Player Card you can't draw because the deck is depleted.  
• Shadow reinforcements are never added to Havens. 
• Advance Shadow Troops even if they are currently in a space with enemy troops. 
• Shadow Troops currently at the end of a Battle Line will still roll a battle.

   

When the Chit Hits the Fan: "Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear! Operation Barbarossa 1941"

At least three distinctly different board-gaming revolutions have occurred during my lifetime, namely role-playing games (starting in 1974), collectible card games in 1993 and then the rise of Ameritrash / Eurogames in the late 90's / early 2000's. 

But one notable trend proceeded my existence, kicking off around 1954 with embryonic Avalon Hill's first offering: Tactics. This seminal release ushered in the fad of modern hobby wargaming. 

Pre-internet attention spans ensured that wargaming was still very much alive by the time I became aware of the hobby around 1980. One of my fondest childhood memories is of my Dad pulling me out of school on a Friday afternoon to go to Corner Brook on "business", a ritual I detailed right here.

And here's the part of that story that actually relates to today's topic:

"The highlight (of going to Corner Brook was) a trip to the Valley Mall. (The hobby shop chain) Leisure World had a back shelf well-stocked with Avalon Hill wargames like Squad Leader and Panzerblitz..."

As a burgeoning World War II buff, these titles really piqued my interest, but I also had the wherewithal to realize that those SPI and Avalon Hill boxed sets were waaaay too advanced for my pre-pubescent brain. Fortunately, encountering The Complete Book of Wargames at my local library helped me navigate through this daunting minefield; a fun experience which I recount right here and here. 

Fast forward to around the mid-to-late 2000's. With thirty years worth of board game evolution bleeding into the venerable war-gaming hobby, we got slick, card-driven fare like Combat Commander: Europe, which - to this day -  is still one of the most memorable gaming experiences of my entire life.   

Another next generation / "this ain't yer (grand)Daddy's ASL" is Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear! – Russia 1941-42, first released in 2008. Still obsessed with those Avalon Hill games of yore and on the hunt for an entry level squad-level WWII combat experience that took me beyond Memoir '44, I bought this one right out of the gate.    

After futzing around with the game solitaire style, I could definitely tell that it was something very special. Unfortunately, because we usually have 3-6 attendees for every game night, opportunities to table two-player games are few and far between. 

(* pssssttt * I'll let you in on a little secret: my recent blogging meta goal of late is to "tame" some of the more complicated games in my library, mainly by recording an extended example of play as well as a summary of "easy to forget" rules. That way, I can prep them a lot quicker and - in turn - have some juicy options in the hopper if game night collapses down to just me and one other opponent.)   

So impressed was I by the core mechanics of COH, I immediately sold off my first edition and leapt on the second, which followed four years later. Apparently a third edition came down the pike in 2019, but - based on some cursory research - the differences are nominal, so I think I'll just stick with what I've got.

And what exactly makes this game different from the why-does-this-rule-book-read-like-a-legal-document fare that proceeded it? Well, here's the game's description on Board Game Geek:

"Awakening the Bear is the first game in the multi-award winning Conflict of Heroes series. In it, players control individual squads and tanks to resolve the same tactical dilemmas and decisions that commanders faced during some of the most ferocious engagements of WWII.

"CoH features a fast and fluid system that is easy to learn but realistic to all of the unique theaters of battle portrayed.

"Fun: Quick simultaneous play allows players to interact without waiting.

"Easy: Teach a new player how to play in under 5 minutes. No charts!

"Historically Accurate: Portrays realistic forces and tactics.

"Counters: Depict individual vehicles, airplanes, guns, squads and more."

If any of you armchair generals out there still need the full order of battle, just click on the following link to see the entire rules dossier!   

***

EXTENDED EXAMPLE OF PLAY

Firefight 1 - Partisans (Including the use of Action Cards)

ROUND ONE

As per the scenario details, the Germans have the Initiative.

Light Machine Gun (LMG) 34 # 10 Activates and moves into I3. Russian Rifle '41 # 3 Activates and moves to K13. 

LMG 34 # 10 moves into I4. Russian Rifle '41 # 3 moves to K12. 

LMG 34 # 10 moves into I5. Russian Rifle '41 # 3 moves to K11.  

LMG 34 # 10 moves into I6. Russian Rifle '41 # 3 ducks into K10, behind the light woods. 

LMG 34 # 10 spends two Action Points (henceforth abbreviated as AP's) to fire at Russian Rifle #1 at F13, Range of 7. Attack Rating (AR) 4 + roll of "6" = 10 versus Defense Rating (DR) of 12...a miss! Russian Rifle '41 # 3 enters the K9 light woods. 

LMG 34 # 10 spends one AP and one Command Action Point (CAP from here on in) to fire at Russian Rifle #1 at F13 again. Range of 7. AR 4 + roll of "5" = 9 versus DR of 12...another miss! Unit is now Spent and gets flipped. Russian Rifle '41 # 3 sneaks through Light Woods to reach K9.

LMG 34 # 9 Activates and moves into F3. Russians spend their "Rapid Deployment" card to move their #1 Rifle Unit two hexes into the cover of Light Woods at F11. 

LMG 34 # 9 moves into F4. Russian Rifle '41 # 3 fires at LMG 34 # 10 by spending 3 CAP's (down to 4) to supplement its remaining AP to do so. Now Spent, the chit gets flipped. Range is 3. AR 3 + roll of "1"0 = 13 versus DR of 12 +1 for Light woods = 13. Since ties succeed, a Hit Tile is drawn and the Defender is "Panicked!"   

Germans play "Rally Up!" on the Panicked LMG 34 # 10...but the roll of "6", so the attempt fails. Russian Rifle squad #2 Activates and moves into the Light Woods at H11.

LMG 34 # 9 moves into F5. Russian Rifle squad #2 fires at Panicked LMG 34 # 10 (-4 AP's), AR 3 + roll of "6" = 9 versus DR of 12 +1 for Light woods -2 for Panic = 11...miss! 

LMG 34 # 9 moves into F6. Russian Maxim Medium Machine Gun (MMG) # 17 is Spent to take an Opportunity Action and fire at LMG 34 # 9. Range of 6 is fine. AR 3 + roll of "6" = 9 versus DR of 12...miss!    

LMG 34 # 9 spends 2 AP to move into G7's Heavy Woods then Pivots to face F8. Russian Rifle squad #2 fires at Panicked LMG 34 # 10 (spending remaining 2 AP's and 2 CAP's, down to 2). Now Spent.  AR 3 + roll of "7" = 10 versus DR of 12 +1 for Light woods -2 for Panic = 11...miss! 

Germans spend their "Command Action" card to try and Rally the Panicked LMG 34 # 10...but a "4" is a failed die roll. Russians Activate Rifle Unit # 1 and move them into F10.

The Germans spend 5 CAP's (now at 0) to try and Rally their still-Panicked LMG 34 # 10...roll is "9"...success!The Hit Token goes back into the draw pool! (NOTE: remember that units get positive Rally mods for terrain and allies in the same hex!) Russian Rifle Unit # 1 spends four AP's to fire at LMG 34 # 9, Range is 3.  AR 3 + roll of "9" = 12  versus DR of 12 +1 for Light woods = 13...miss!

LMG 34 # 9 fires at Russian Rifle Unit # 1. Range of 3. AR 4 + roll of "8" = 12 versus DR of 12 but +1 due to Light Woods...another miss! Russian Rifle Unit # 1 spends two AP's (and their last two CAP's) to fire at LMG 34 # 9, Range is 3. AR 3 + roll of "3" = 6  versus DR of 12 +1 for Light woods = 13...miss! This unit is now Spent.

It's just German units left now! After LMG 34 # 9 is Spent, Rifle Unit # 2 uses all 7 AP's to reposition from E2 to H7, which required moving through two Heavy Woods hexes. They end their movement facing towards G8. 

German Rifle Unit # 2 runs from H2 to G7 9 (via G5) for seven AP's to join up with LMG 34 #9. 

Both factions pass so the the round ends. The Russians score a Victory Point for retaining the Objective and the Round Marker advances.

ROUND TWO   

All Spent Units flipped to Fresh. Germans back to 6 CAP's. Russians to 7. Both factions get one new Action Card. The Russians get two new Rifle Units (#5 and #6), which enter the map at F18 and G18 respectively. 

Initiative: the Germans spend a CP (down to 5) to add +1 to their Initiative Roll and the Russians add +2! German roll "10" + 1 = 11. Russians "8" + 2 = 10. The Germans go first!

The Germans play "Swift Action" for one CAP (down to 4). Their # 2 Rifle Unit surges up two hexes (using 2 AP's), capturing the Objective Hex! Russian Rifle Unit # 1 responds with a pot shot at them! Russian Rifle Unit # 1 spends four AP's, Range is 1.  AR 3 + roll of "9" + 3 Short Range! = 15 versus 12. The resulting hit causes the Germans to be "Pinned"!

-5 AP's for a Rally Attempt. Since this really needs to happen, the Germans spend a CAP to add +1 to the attempt (down to 3). the roll is "7" +1...success! The Russian Rifle Unit # 1 fires again, spending 3 AP's and a CAP to do so. Range is 1.  AR 3 + roll of "9" + 3 Short Range! = 15 versus 12. Another hit sees their foes "Cowering"! 

This doesn't prevent them from moving, so they spend two CAP's (down to 1) to storm into the Russian's hex at H10. The Russian defenders spend all four of their remaining CAP's to engage the Germans in Close Combat.  AR 3 + roll of "7" + 4 Close Combat! = 14 versus 12 (+1 Cowering and +1 Light Woods, but using Flank DR). This results in a second hit, so the unit is Destroyed and the casualty placed on the "6" space of the German's CAP track while the Russian unit is Spent.

LMG34 # 9 fires at Russian Rifle # 1. Range of 3. AR 4 + roll of "10" = 14 versus DR of 12 but +1 due to Light Woods...it's a Hit! They are "Pinned"! MMG Maxim #17 lays down some suppressing fire against the German machine gunners and the German Rifle Unit # 1 in the same hex! Range is good at 6. AR 3 + roll of "7" = 10 versus DR of 12 + 2 (Heavy Woods) = 14...miss! Versus the Rifle Unit: AR 3 + roll of "2" = 5 versus DR of 14...miss! 

LMG34 # 9 fires at Russian Rifle # 1, -2 AP's. Range of 3. AR 4 + roll of "10" = 14 versus DR of 12 but +1 due to Light Woods. With this second Hit the Russian unit is eliminated and placed on the "7" space of the CAP track. MMG Maxim #17 spends 2 AP's to move through Heavy Woods to reach D11.

LMG34 # 9 fires at Russian Rifle # 2, -2 AP's. Range of 4. AR 4 + roll of "7" = 11 versus DR of 12 but +1 due to Light Woods. Miss! Russians activate Rifle Unit # 2 (MMG Maxim #17 now Spent) and they return fire at both German units in that hex, Range of 4. First attack against the LMG: AR 3 + roll of "10" = 13 versus DR of 12 but +2 due to Light Woods. Against the Rifle Unit: AR 3 + roll of "8" = 11 versus total DR of 14. Two misses!

LMG34 # 9 fires at Russian Rifle # 2, -1 AP's and also spends last remaining CAP. With that, the unit is Spent. Range of 4. AR 4 + roll of "9" = 13 versus DR of 12 +1 (Light Woods) equals a tie. Ties hit... the Russian unit goes "Berserk"! They fire back..costing only 3 AP's (and are now Spent). First attack against the LMG: AR 4 (+1 boost due to Berserk) + roll of "8" = 12 versus DR of 14 (+2 due to Heavy Woods). Against the Rifle Unit: AR 4 + roll of "9" = 13 versus total DR of 14. Two misses! 

LMG34 # 10 fires at Russian Rifle # 3, -2 AP's. Range of 3. AR 4 + roll of "5" = 9 versus DR of 12 +1 (Light Woods). Miss! Counter-attack: Rifle Unit # 3 against the LMG 34 #10: AR 3 + roll of "6" = 9 versus DR of 12 but +1 due to Light Woods. Miss!      

Once again, LMG34 # 10 fires at Russian Rifle # 3, -2 AP's. Range of 3. AR 4 + roll of "5" = 9 versus DR of 12 +1 (Light Woods). Miss! Rifle Unit # 3 runs out of cover to hex K8! 

LMG34 # 10 is forced to Pivot for 1 AP! Rifle Unit # 3 continues to run towards K5, moving into L7.

LMG34 # 10 fires at Russian Rifle # 3, now exposed! Range of 3. AR 4 + roll of "5" = 9 versus DR of 12. Miss! Now Spent. Rifle Unit # 3 continues to run towards K5, moving into K6. Now Spent!

German Rifle # 1 Activates, moves into G8. Russian Rifle # 4 moves into G17.

German Rifle # 1 moves onto the Objective Hex.  Russian Rifle # 4 moves into G16. 

German Rifle # 1 charges onto Berserk Russian Rifle Unit # 2's hex at H11. Russian Rifle # 4 moves into G15.

Close Combat! German Rifle # 1 charges at Berserk Russian Rifle Unit # 2! AR 3 + roll of "10" + 4 Close Combat! = 17 versus 14 (11 Flank Facing +2 Berserk +1 Light Woods).  That's a hit...and since it's the second, the Unit is Destroyed and the casualty placed on space "6" of the Russian's CAP track! Unit is Spent. Russian Rifle # 4 moves into Heavy Woods at G14. 

No German units left! Russian Rifle # 4 moves into H13 for another -2 AP's, now spent. The final Russian unit, Rifle # 5 shifts into position, keen to provide some badly needed backup!  

REVIEW

THE GOOD

• After you've played the introductory firefight a couple of times, you can review the rules for Card use, Shared Actions and Hidden Units and then hit up Scenario Two to lock everything in. This programmed method of learning is a great system which ensures that you don't have to digest the two-column, 23-page rulebook all in one sitting to get started.
• The rules are very clearly presented with tons of example to illustrate how they work. And I can't stress this enough, I really wish more game manuals included Designer's Notes 'cuz sometimes knowing the reason why a rule exists helps you remember it!
• A lot of the mechanics at work here are clearly the product of thirty years worth of board game evolution. The use of AP's and supplementary CAP's, a single table to summarize all of the terrain effects, drawing chits to determine random hit effects and playing cards to simulate  general battlefield chaos all elegantly replicate the experience of being in a WWII-era firefight. 
• Perhaps the most inspired design choice are the alternating Actions, which ensures that the game is a dynamic back-and-forth versus a painful slog where players attempt optimize every single  unit's full turn, inspiring some pretty debilitating analysis paralysis in the process.  
• Hex-and-chit wargames have never been known for their aesthetic value, but this game looks great. The info arrayed on the high-gauge chits is clear and complete and the illustrations really contribute to the immersion. The hex boards are also quite lovely.    
• There's not a single anthropomorphic cat, rabbit, bird or raccoon to be seen anywhere. Yes, I know some people find real-world wargames to be distasteful, but personally I'm fascinated by this era of combat, the battlefield logistics involved and what The Greatest Generation had to endure in order to preserve our way of life.   

 THE M'EH

• Honestly not much. I suppose I could nit-pick the loose-to-the-point-of-abstract cover art and the aesthetically-bankrupt design of the Action Cards, but these complaints are pretty superfluous.

THE UGGO

• I can't think of anything particularly egregious. Now, keep in mind, I still haven't played through every single firefight, so watch this space for any future re-considerations.  

***

My only regret is that this game didn't exist back when I was plowing through The Complete Book of Wargames, hunting for something that wouldn't utterly melt my prepubescent brain. The design here is so intuitive and so solid that I'm pretty sure I could have learned to play this one as a kid...and I honestly can't think of better praise.   

Ergo, the second edition of Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear! – Operation Barbarossa 1941 achieves a full six pips out of six!

***

BONUS: Important Rules to Remember

• Control of an Objective stays the same until an opposing ground unit enters and solely occupies the hex, even if it passes through it.
• CAP's can be used to supplement a unit's AP's. They can be used on Fresh, Active or Spent units. 
• Fresh units are not marked as Spent until they use all of their own AP's. 
• Each player can only have one Activated unit at a time. A unit is marked as Spent if a new unit is Activated. 
• An Activated Unit can intersperse its AP Actions with other units to take Opportunity, Command or Card Actions.
• Opportunity Actions can only be taken by a fresh, un-Activated unit. This doesn't use either AP's or CAP's but the unit it marked as Spent after completing this Action. 
• Two CAP's can be spent to either increase or decrease one of their own a die rolls by the same amount, prior to the roll.  
• You can pay up to 2 CAP's to add an equal amount to your Initiative Roll, prior to the roll.
• All units must be facing towards a hex side. A unit can move backwards into one of its flank hexes for a -1 AP / CAP penalty, but then can pivot to any facing for free. 
• A unit can change its facing without moving for 1 AP /CAP. 
• Units can move into and through hexes with allied and enemy units. If there is an enemy unit in the same hex at the start of a turn, you an initiate a Close Combat. 
• LOS is clear if you can trace an uninterrupted line between the center dot of the attacker and defender's hex. Buildings and both types of Woods block LOS. 
• The arc a unit can fire from is the forward three hexes. 
• Attack Value is the unit's AR + 2d6 + CAP mods. Defense Value is DR + Terrain. If the AV ties or exceeds the DR...that's one hit. If the attacks succeeds by four or more...that's two hits! The latter result = unit destruction. 
• Destroyed units are placed on its owner's CAP's track, resulting in a -1 reduction per loss. 
• There are no stacking limits. When attacking into a hex with more than one unit, resolve the attack against all units with separate die rolls. NOTE: CAP's that modify die rolls affects only one target.   
• You can try and get rid of a Hit Token by spending 5 AP's and attempting to Rally. If you exceed or equal the number on the tile with a 2d6 roll, the marker is placed back in the draw pile. Add +1 if the unit is in Cover and +1 if its stacked with un-Hit allied units. Otherwise it stays. NOTE: you can't Rally in a hex with enemy units.
• You can attack units less than or equal to twice its Range, but at a -2 penalty. 
• Units get a +3 Short Range bonus if attacking from an adjacent hex.
• When one of your units moves into a hex with enemy units you can attack one of them in Close Combat. If the defending unit survives, it can counter-attack. NOTE: there's a -2 penalty if the  attacking unit's AR is displayed in a white box...I.E. a machine gun crew! Otherwise, there's a +4 AR bonus. Close Combat is resolved against the defender's flank, not front, DR. Terrain DM's still apply and Forts benefit the occupying units. Not that units can't sight targets outside of their hex while enemy units are in their hex. 
• You can retreat from Close Combat on your next action, but can't move into the same hex or either of the two adjacent hexes the attacker came from...but may on later turns. 
• If an outside unit fires into a Close Combat hex, allied units are also targeted!    

Micro Review: "Mythotopia"

Since Martin Wallace’s A Few Acres of Snow is one of my all-time favorite games, I was quite keen to play his 2014 fantasy re-skin Mythotopia with Chad and Andrew last night!

It's got all of the area control, deckbuilder-y goodness of AFAOS but with the added dynamics of bumping up against more opponents and the ability to easily reserve cards for later use. The latter means that you're less likely to stall out when you want to do an invasion or City Build and you just wanna earmark something for later. 

At the end of our game I was left wondering: other than jumping on a bunch of military Improvements and attacking your opponents for a bunch of lucrative six-point swings...what other strategy is there? I had a bash at an economic efficiency / resource flexibility thing and ended up in third. 

Related to this: having all of the Improvement Cards available right off the jump in a communal pool might let you drill down on what kind of game you want to play but it also results in analysis paralysis as well as a mad scramble for those top shelf picks before someone else snatches them up.   

Another reason I rate this lower then its predecessor: the generic fantasy theme is big-time“m’eh.” As a history buff, I appreciate how appropriately different the British and the French are to play in AFAOS. Maybe if the four different colors in Mythotopia had variable, asymmetrical powers, I would have liked this one a bit more.

Still, it was a fun experience that I would certainly tackle differently the next time out. 

I give Mythotopia four pips out of six!

Critical Hit! - "Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons"

Fact #1: I loved the original "Universal Monsters" Horrified and gave it a glowing review right here. 

Fact # 2: I also dig this other little indie game called Dungeons & Dragons, which I've talked about so many times here it's bordering on the ridiculous. 

Ergo, when Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons got released last year, it wasn't so much if I'd get it but when. 

Here's the adventure hook for this particular iteration right from the Dungeon Masters at Ravensburger:

"Terror is in the eye of the beholder! Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons will not only set players against four of the classic role-playing game's most fearsome foes, but will also introduce new gameplay elements inspired by the mechanisms of D&D, including the use of a 20-sided die.

"Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons features gameplay elements familiar to players of other games in the series: Players work together to face monsters and puzzle-like obstacles to gather item tokens, protect citizens, and avoid attacks. Unique and thematic challenges for each monster further immerse players into the detailed setting and story. 

"Additionally, each player chooses to play as one of five heroes inspired by character classes from D&D: wizard, rogue, fighter, cleric, or bard — each with a unique set of abilities that can aid their party as they move around the board to defeat the monsters dwelling in the dungeon below Waterdeep."

Wanna read the full Players Manual? Then click on the following magical link for Volo's Guide on How to Gank a Beholder!

***

Sample Playthrough

Went with the classic party composition (Fighter, Cleric, Rogue and Wizard) versus the Mimic and the Red Dragon.

TURN ONE

The Fighter spends one Action to pick up the Backpack in the Hall (1), two Actions to get to the Obelisk of the Eye (2-3), then discards the Pack to reveal the Lair (4). By some good fortune...it just so happens to be the Vault of the Dragonkind! Score!

The Savage Hunt Monster Card is drawn, adding a new Item to the board. The Event moves a Sword Monster two Locations towards a Hero...so the Dragon wings two spaces via the Teleportation Circle towards the Rogue! Even though the Frenzied Monster is not activated, Wand Creatures are...so the Mimic moves one space on its board. 

The Cleric uses an Action to pick up the Rations in her space (1), then moves to the Yawning Portal Exterior (2), picks up the Rod and Mace there (3) and spends her Perk Card to get two more Actions. After arriving at the Yawning Portal Well (5) she uses her Special Action and rolls an "11"...which will force the next Monster to re-roll Hits and Power results!

A second Savage Hunt Monster Card is pulled, adding a Sword to Castle Waterdeep. Again, a Sword Monster moves two Locations towards a Hero, which sees the Dragon approaching the Rogue! Frenzied Monsters are not activated, but Wand Creatures are...so the Mimic moves one space along its own track.

After snagging a Greatsword and Spellcasting Focus from the Sword and the Sextant (1), the Rogue manages to vanish into the darkness, moving one space into a Teleportation Circle (2). He warps off to Wyllowwood (3) and then arrives in the wyrm's own back yard: the Dragon's Platform (4)!

Two items are added to the board, but the Event ("Elusive Displacement") is ignored because neither Monster bears the Skull symbol. Again, the Frenzied Monster does not activate, but Shield Monsters do. As such, the Dragon Teleports one space away from the Rogue!

The Wizard plays Renaer Neverember, so all four players draw and place an Item! They then use on Action to pick up two Items at the Tower (1), shift to the House of Wonder (2), pick up the Items there (3) and then use their Special Ability (4) to roll an "11"...teleporting the Rogue to the same space with a "3."          

Three new Items are drawn and placed. The "Stone of Good Luck" lets the Wizard pull a Perk Card! The Frenzy Token moves to the Dragon, which then Activates! The winged beast moves three locations via the Teleportation Circle...placing it one space away from the Fighter!

TURN TWO

The Fighter uses his Ability and rolls a "2", which moves him into the Dragon's space! Yikes! He spends his "Skeemo Weirdbottle" Perk Card...but the resulting "6" is no better! He then uses his next three Actions to reach the Portal's Taproom and pick up the Potion there! 

Three Items are dropped on the board and Citizen Aurinax pops up in the Abandoned Camp. The Frenzied Monster (I.E. the Dragon) is Activated, but since the Cleric and the Fighter are in the "Anti-Dragon" boundary of the Portal, the creature moves one space towards alternate prey. Then a Treasure Icon causes the Mimic to activate! A random Yellow Item is drawn...but neither the Fighter nor the Rogue possess a match! As a result, the Terror Level goes up by one (TERROR LEVEL: 1), the drawn Item is thrown away and the Mimic continues to be sneaky! 

The Cleric spends two Actions to reach the Vault of Dragonkind, then spends a Mace to move the Red Obstacle one space to the right then the Rations to move the Orb three spaces to the right. She then gambles and tries her Special Action, rolling a "12"...which will force the Monsters to re-roll Hits!

Three new Items are placed on the board and Nihiloor surfaces at the Entry Well. The Frenzied Dragon immediately pounces on him...but rolls a stunning miss!!! Then a Treasure Monster - the Mimic - moves one space along its path!

The Rogue enlists the aid of Laeral Silverhand, who compels the Dragon to go back to its Starting Location! He then rolls his Special Action (1) and gets a "12"...sourcing a Yellow Rope from Trollskull Alley. On their second roll (2) they score a "17", giving them two things from the Discard Pile: namely a Mace and a Backpack! They then shift to Anghairon's Tower and (3) pick up the Scroll there (4)!

Three Items are pulled from the bag and placed. Citizen Noska turns up at the Abandoned Camp. The Frenzied Dragon moves from the Platform to the Teleportation Circle. There is no Skull creature, so the rest of the card is ignored. 

The Wizard plays "The Blackstaff", which lets them give the Cleric a Blue Wand and they also receive a Yellow Rope and a Red Mace from the Rogue! They then try their Special Action (1) and score a "4"...letting them move the Dragon to the Lair on Skull Island! They then move two spaces to Castle Waterdeep (2-3) and pick up the Greatsword there (4)!

After three new Items are situated, the City Guard Captain starts out from Anghairon's Tower. The Frenzied Dragon moves two spaces to the Teleportation Circle, then the Sword Symbol Activates it again...allowing it to swoop down into the Abandoned Camp! It rolls two dice, scores a Power Symbol and turns both Noska and Aurinax into briquettes with its "Fire Breath"! As a result, the Terror Level goes up by two (TERROR LEVEL: 3)! 

TURN THREE             

The Fighter picks up the Rations and the Whip, then rolls the 20-sider (1-2)! He scores a "13" which ensures the next Monster's Attacks ignores all Hit results! He then moves to guard Nihiloor (3-4).

Three new Items turn up. The "Cursed Arcane Gate" Event sees the Fighter rolling "7" and moving to The Yawning Portal Exterior, the Cleric gets a "10" and (mercifully) ends up in The Hall of Heroes, the Rogue's "18" puts them in Wyllow's Tower and the Wizard appears on Skull Island thanks to a "16." The Frenzy Marker moves to the Mimic, which shifts a whopping three spaces along its track! A Blue Potion is drawn...which is great because all of the Heroes currently possess Blue Items!!! They're all  Discarded, but the Mimic appears at the Fighter's Location! It can now be Defeated with 6+ of Blue Items! It attacks the Fighter with two dice, scoring a Hit (ignored) and a Power result, which disappears the Battleaxe at Trollskull Alley! 

The Cleric picks up the Staff (1) then rushes three (2-4) spaces towards the Mimic!

Two Items are placed. For the "Trial of Valor", the Cleric dedicates a 2-point Rope and a 3-point Mace to her d20 roll. Gets a "7" + 5 = 12...a failure! The Terror Level goes up by one (TERROR LEVEL: 4)! The Frenzied Monster - I.E. the Mimic - attacks! It rolls two dice and gets a Hit and a Power result. The Quarterstaff vanishes from the Obelisk and the Fighter loses an Item! The Wand symbol activates this aggressive little shit again and this time the roll is one Hit...the Fighter loses his last Item! 

After the Rogue uses an Action to pick up the Wand and Battle Axe from Wyllow's Tower (1), he uses his Special Action (2) and gets a "6", which lets him give the Fighter all of his items! He then moves onto the Dragon's Platform and Hoovers up the Holy Symbol, Bow and Shovel scattered around there (3-4)!  

After two new Items find their homes, "Elusive Displacement" activates...but mercifully there are no Skull beasts! The Frenzied Monster isn't activated but the Shield Symbol has the Dragon soaring off two spaces to get on the Teleportation Circle next to the Platform.

The Wizard's Special Action (1) dials up an "8", deposing the Dragon to the Abandoned Camp Lair! Their next attempt (2) is an equally-shitty "3." In a daring move, the Wizard moves the Dragon into their own space! Their third roll (3) is a "9", letting them re-locate any Hero to space "11"...they opt to be that Hero! Their fourth (4) roll is a "6", so the Dragon shifts back to the Abandoned Camp.

NOTE: If nothing else...I'm glad y'all are witnessing my average rolls whenever I play D&D. Fuuuuuu...!!!

A single Item is placed, but there are no Hat Monsters, so "Eye Found You" has no effect. The Frenzied Monster doesn't Activate but the Potion symbol shifts the Dragon one space towards the Wizard!

TURN FOUR

The Fighter uses the Scroll and Wand to annihilate the Mimic (1)! That's one down! NOTE: whenever you defeat a Monster, the Terror Track is reduced by one. TERROR LEVEL: 3. His Special Action Roll - another fuggin' "6" - moves him back to the Monster's location!!! He then moves into the Abandoned Camp (2), discards a Backpack to investigate the Lair (3), discovers the Hoard (!) and then uses his last Action to pick up the three Items piled up there (4)!

As soon as two new Items are introduced to the map, "BeHOARDer" kicks in. The Morningstar at the Dragon's current location (Kalabash's Chambers) is discarded. The Frenzied Dragon moves into the Fighter's space and Attacks with three dice! The resulting single hit forces the Fighter to discard a 2-value Pouch. There are no Hat Monsters, so the rest of the script is ignored.

The Cleric moves three spaces to the Vault by the Obelisk (1-3) and then spends a Blue Staff to shift the Coffin one space up (4)!        

Three new Items are placed. Olive Stillwater shows up in the Goblin Bazaar. The Frenzied Dragon Attacks, rolling two dice...getting one Hit! The Fighter throws out a Longsword. The Dragon has no Wand symbol, so that's ignored. 

The Rogue uses the Teleportation Circle in Wyllowood to get to the Dragon Hoard (1-3) then places a Shovel on the ol' Hoard Board (4). 

After three new things are placed, the bravery-deprived City Watch are looking for an escort from the Taproom to Blackstaff Tower. The Frenzied Dragon attacks with two dice...no Hits but its "Fire Breath" forces the Fighter to throw out a Battleaxe and the Rogue gets rid of a Holy Symbol. Since the Dragon is also a Spellbook creature, it attacks again...scoring yet another damned Power result! The Rogue loses his last Item - a Long Bow - and the Fighter turfs a Greatsword!

The Wizard picks up the three Items in their space (1) then rolls a "19 (2), which beams the Rogue to Dead Man's Corner! They then move into the Hoard to face off against the Dragon (3-4)!   

After two new Items are drawn and placed, "Safe Haven" moves the Dragon back to the Platform and all Citizens move one space towards their intended destination. The Frenzied Dragon is equally close to Citizens and Heroes, but Monsters always put priority on going after Heroes. It flies two spaces, adjacent to the Abandoned Camp. The Spellbook Symbol moves him again and he attacks with one die...getting yet another "Fire Breath" attack! The Fighter gets his...a-hem...ROD burned off (!) and the Wizard discards a Candle. 

TURN FIVE

The Fighter roll an "18"...no Monster Card will be drawn (1)!!! He then spends two Actions (2-3) to move to the Goblin Bazaar and Guides Olive and Nihiloor into his space (4). 

The Cleric picks up the Caltrops and the Spell Scroll (1), uses a Blue Item to shift the Coffin (2) and Caltrops to retrieve the Orb (3)!!! She then rolls her Special Action...but sadly gets a "1"! Critical Fail! Can my luck get any worse???

After three Items are introduced to the board, Black Viper is seen skulking in Trollskull Alley. The Frenzied Dragon rolls one Hit, so the Wizard discards an Oil Flask. The Shield symbol triggers it again...two more Hits and two defensive Daggers are turfed! 

The Rogue picks up three Items in Dead Man's Corner (1), moves to the Teleportation Circle just south of the Camp (2-3) and then rolls a "2" for his Special Action (4). He gives all of his equipment to the  Wizard! 

Three Items placed, requiring a bag refill! Volo starts at Trollskull Manor. Frenzy and Book symbols mean two back-to-back Dragon attacks: one Hit on the first roll (Shovel discarded) and a miraculous miss!!!

The Wizard throws the Blue Ring and the Red Whip (1-2) into the Dragon Hoard and then rolls a "12" for their Special Action (3). The location roll is "17"...putting the Cleric at The Sword and the Sextant! They try it again (4)...this time getting an "11." The Location roll is "18" so the Rogue is positioned there!  

Two Items placed. The Dragon doesn't have the Wand symbol, so "Lure of Riches" doesn't trigger. But the Frenzy and Sword Symbols means that it does attack twice...and with all three dice! First roll is "Fire Breath" and a Hit...second roll is two Hits. The Wizard is killed and the Terror Track moves up one (TERROR TRACK: 4)! 

TURN SIX

The Fighter rushes in two spaces, pausing only to pick up the two Items in Kalabash's Chambers (1-3). He then uses his Special Action (4) and rolls a "5"...which is absolute garbage.     

Two Items placed. The "Lure of Riches" Event is moot but - once again - two Attacks with three dice. Two Hits on the first Attack...but a Miss on the next!!!    

The Cleric uses all four Actions to get to the Hoard...and place the Orb! 

One Item placed. "Hidden in Plain Sight" sputters since the Dragon doesn't have the Chest Icon. But it does have the Spellbook...so it's a two-die Attack! Sadly the result is two Hits...the Fighter and the Cleric both die, resulting in a two-point Terror Track hit! (TERROR TRACK 6)

NOTE: Because I didn't realize that defeating a Monster earns you a -1 Terror Track reduction, I originally thought this was the end of the game. So, unless I recreate this and play out the last few turns properly, I guess I'm just gonna hafta leave this one as a cliffhanger.

Thanks for reading!

***

REVIEW

THE GOOD

• Partially thanks to the d20 Special Actions, the more elaborate board, and the fascinating foes (see next point) I feel like this version is more substantial and structured than the OG Horrified. 
• The Monsters are thematically on point. As you damage the Beholder's eye stalks, you make the creature less and less effective. The Displacer Beast is impossible to tag until you get a bead on it. The Mimic is equally elusive, popping up to terrorize the Heroes and then making off with useful items until they pin it down and kill it. The Dragon is a blast to play against, since you first need to locate the Vault and the Dragon Horde. Add in the Orb retrieval mini game (which feels like the Mummy's slide-y puzzle from the first game), the need to drop specialized Items into the Lair and then trying to juice up your d20 roll to polish off the beastie. you have one of the most interesting Monsters in the entire franchise.
• Similarly, the d20-inspired Character Special Actions are great. Assuming you don't completely whiff your roll, you can wring some pretty powerful effects outta this. The Fighter neuters the Monsters, the Wizard provides timely teleportation for Monsters and Heroes, the Bard herds Citizens and directs ally and enemy traffic, the Cleric guards against Monster attacks and the Rogue collects and distributes Items. This alone is a fun, creative aspect of the game that the players can explore...and it's always a great thing to spend a leftover Action on.  
• In this day and age of rampant production costs, I have no sweet clue how this thing retails for $40.00. The art on the board, tokens, Perks cards, standees and Hero Tiles are all gorgeous. Add in cool customized dice and Monster Minis and you definitely get a lot of bang for your buck.
• This is truly a co-operative experience. If Players don't work with each other...it's the equivalent of splitting the party in the Tomb of Horrors. Thankfully, the Perk Cards and the aforementioned d20 Special Actions absolutely encourage that.

THE M'EH

• My play-through makes it pretty self-evident that poor dice luck can really undo your best efforts. 
• The addition of more game elements makes the rulebook here feel a bit more esoteric than OG Horrified. For example: why are Lairs a part of standard setup when it's only used when facing the Dragon? Also Waterdeep's anti-Dragon spaces and the "hospital" / recovery symbols should have been explained right at the beginning of the manual when talking about the map board features. 

THE UGLY

• Not much to speak of, really. 

***

Yes, I know it's insane to give such a light, goofy, Ameritrash co-op game such a high rating. But, to use a parallel from film criticism, sometimes you want Conan the Barbarian instead of Out of Africa.  

For being a tight, fun, challenging and surprisingly-thematic experience, Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons rates five pips out of six with a neck-stretching tilt up towards that giant, bat-winged creature that's appears to be performing a strafing run in your direction!

BONUS: IMPORTANT RULES TO REMEMBER

• Every critical hit during a Hero's Turn (even if boosted by a Perk Card) earns you a free Perk Card.
• When a Hero's Special Action effect takes place during the Monster Phase, you may choose the order in which they happen and when. One effect must be resolved before you use the next one. Effects may be used on different Monsters and, once the next Monster Phase has ended, any unused effects are lost.
• When a Wizard's power moves someone, this effect cannot be ignored and must be executed.
• Heroes can't use Guide Actions to move Citizens through a Teleportation Circle.
• Monsters prioritize going after Heroes versus Citizens if both are equidistant. 
• The Dragon can't enter the city of Waterdeep, as indicated by the "Anti-Dragon" symbol by The Well and Castle Corkscrew. All other Monsters ignore this restriction.
• Defeating a Monster reduces the Terror Track by one.
• POW effects resolve before Hits.
• The game also ends in Defeat if the Monster Deck is completely empty.