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A few years ago I got into a big board game kick that lasted me at least 2-3 years. But then for the last two years or so that interest has died down. I'm not sure why, but I think at least in part there just weren't a lot of games that were getting me excited. Specifically, the industry lacked games that were fully co-op (no game master required) with character development and campaign play. Games like Heroquest, Descent (1st edition. 2nd lacks some vital gameplay elements) or Doom: The Boardgame.
Pathfinder: The Adventure Card Game was the last game I bought (about two years ago) that fit the bill and that I've really enjoyed. But even in that case I missed having miniatures and somehow revealing cards at "location decks" isn't quite the same as rounding a corner or opening a chest in a miniature-based board game.
Last year I bought "Galaxy Defenders" and have only played one game of it so far. Not for lack of enjoyment, but lack of opportunity. (Sometimes the gaming group just likes what they already know and love.) But even though it has character development and campaign play, it lacks a certain degree of exploration (which I understand is fixed with an expansion).
Enter three new contenders, all of which I will probably fork out the cash for by the end of the year:
One-Deck Dungeon. A fast, solo or 2-player co-op dungeon crawl (4 players if using two sets) that can be played as a one-off game or in a campaign mode. EXACTLY the kind of game I've been looking for to pull out on those game nights where the mammoth game just ended and we only have about an hour of game time left.
(This is the kickstarter video, but the game is out and available now)
Sword & Sorcery: Immortal Souls. Based on the design for "Galaxy Defenders", this is a fully co-op fantasy dungeon crawler that looks fantastic and has some neat elements on top of the core defining mechanisms of a dungeon crawler. Each hero has a "good" and "evil" version you can choose to play, effecting the play-style of the character. Death temporarily turns your character into a ghost form that has its own unique abilities. This one is releasing in March, although it's possible I'll try to get the game below instead, as this one appears to only feature 4 different monster models and one "boss" monster model.
Gloomhaven. Nearly everything within me cries out to NOT tell you about this game, for fear that you will somehow get a copy of it instead of me as a result of hearing me talk about it. A super hot item that sold out on its pre-orders and will be re-printed sometime later this year. From everything I've seen and based on every reviewer reaction I can find, THIS is the "D&D in a box with no DM" experience that many gamers (myself included) have been waiting our entire adult lives to play. It not only features campaign dungeon crawling, but a world that forever changes based on your decisions. Characters also have unique goals related to their backstories that will allow them to "retire" once completed. Upon retiring characters, new ones are "unlocked" and brought into the game from their sealed boxes. Combat is more tactical than other crawlers and also dice-less, but still involves chance through a card-draw mechanic. A wide variety of enemies is made possible by using beautiful full-color stand-ups instead of plastic models, which I'm totally game for. (Love me some monster variety!) There's just so much going on in this game that posting only one video about it won't do it justice. And though the price is a steep $120 dollars, there are over 90 scenarios included, each of which lasts 30 minutes per player character. If you buy this game before me, I promise to only secretly hate you and to work through that hatred with Jesus. And if you find it available in stock somewhere and let me know, Jesus won't love you any more than he does, but I just might.
I've recently begun brainstorming, planning and prep work for an experimental board game show I'd like to add to the CGC channel. It will take a little time to work out details, get the right new camera and do a trial run, but my hope is to feature playthroughs of one or all of these games, maybe starting as soon as just a couple months from now.
Either way, these games look fantastic! Can't wait to get my hands on them!
Pathfinder: The Adventure Card Game was the last game I bought (about two years ago) that fit the bill and that I've really enjoyed. But even in that case I missed having miniatures and somehow revealing cards at "location decks" isn't quite the same as rounding a corner or opening a chest in a miniature-based board game.
Last year I bought "Galaxy Defenders" and have only played one game of it so far. Not for lack of enjoyment, but lack of opportunity. (Sometimes the gaming group just likes what they already know and love.) But even though it has character development and campaign play, it lacks a certain degree of exploration (which I understand is fixed with an expansion).
Enter three new contenders, all of which I will probably fork out the cash for by the end of the year:
One-Deck Dungeon. A fast, solo or 2-player co-op dungeon crawl (4 players if using two sets) that can be played as a one-off game or in a campaign mode. EXACTLY the kind of game I've been looking for to pull out on those game nights where the mammoth game just ended and we only have about an hour of game time left.
(This is the kickstarter video, but the game is out and available now)
Sword & Sorcery: Immortal Souls. Based on the design for "Galaxy Defenders", this is a fully co-op fantasy dungeon crawler that looks fantastic and has some neat elements on top of the core defining mechanisms of a dungeon crawler. Each hero has a "good" and "evil" version you can choose to play, effecting the play-style of the character. Death temporarily turns your character into a ghost form that has its own unique abilities. This one is releasing in March, although it's possible I'll try to get the game below instead, as this one appears to only feature 4 different monster models and one "boss" monster model.
Gloomhaven. Nearly everything within me cries out to NOT tell you about this game, for fear that you will somehow get a copy of it instead of me as a result of hearing me talk about it. A super hot item that sold out on its pre-orders and will be re-printed sometime later this year. From everything I've seen and based on every reviewer reaction I can find, THIS is the "D&D in a box with no DM" experience that many gamers (myself included) have been waiting our entire adult lives to play. It not only features campaign dungeon crawling, but a world that forever changes based on your decisions. Characters also have unique goals related to their backstories that will allow them to "retire" once completed. Upon retiring characters, new ones are "unlocked" and brought into the game from their sealed boxes. Combat is more tactical than other crawlers and also dice-less, but still involves chance through a card-draw mechanic. A wide variety of enemies is made possible by using beautiful full-color stand-ups instead of plastic models, which I'm totally game for. (Love me some monster variety!) There's just so much going on in this game that posting only one video about it won't do it justice. And though the price is a steep $120 dollars, there are over 90 scenarios included, each of which lasts 30 minutes per player character. If you buy this game before me, I promise to only secretly hate you and to work through that hatred with Jesus. And if you find it available in stock somewhere and let me know, Jesus won't love you any more than he does, but I just might.
I've recently begun brainstorming, planning and prep work for an experimental board game show I'd like to add to the CGC channel. It will take a little time to work out details, get the right new camera and do a trial run, but my hope is to feature playthroughs of one or all of these games, maybe starting as soon as just a couple months from now.
Either way, these games look fantastic! Can't wait to get my hands on them!
