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Cthulhu & Friends
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Cthulhu & Friends is a podcast! We play the Call of Cthulhu tabletop roleplaying game using a...
Awix (3310 KP) rated Mutants & Masterminds (3rd Edition) in Tabletop Games
Mar 7, 2018 (Updated Mar 7, 2018)
Green Ronin's supers RPG is probably the best ever published; owes a lot to some of its illustrious predecessors in the genre but is definitely its own thing. D20 mechanic keeps things mostly simple, although people used to dealing with hit point may find the damage resolution system tough to get their heads around.
This is a game which really demands that everyone is on the same page in terms of the tone and style of game they want to play: the character creation system is point-based and it's potentially very easy to create unbalanced, unstoppable combat monsters. Character advancement can also be a little tricky over an extended (20+ session) campaign. Getting to grips with the finer points of the creation system can also be difficult; using a character-building app is an extremely sensible idea.
That said, when a group is sympatico and the GM knows his comic book tropes, this game allows you to play through superhero adventures with an ease and sense of fun like few others. I played in a group running this system on pretty much a weekly basis for 15 months and the individual sessions were almost all great fun; it was long-term problems with the campaign rules that caused the whole thing to grind to a halt.
This is a game which really demands that everyone is on the same page in terms of the tone and style of game they want to play: the character creation system is point-based and it's potentially very easy to create unbalanced, unstoppable combat monsters. Character advancement can also be a little tricky over an extended (20+ session) campaign. Getting to grips with the finer points of the creation system can also be difficult; using a character-building app is an extremely sensible idea.
That said, when a group is sympatico and the GM knows his comic book tropes, this game allows you to play through superhero adventures with an ease and sense of fun like few others. I played in a group running this system on pretty much a weekly basis for 15 months and the individual sessions were almost all great fun; it was long-term problems with the campaign rules that caused the whole thing to grind to a halt.
iHoroscope Vedic
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This app calculates and displays your Birth Chart (also known as Janam Kundali) based on Vedic...
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Asator in Tabletop Games
Oct 20, 2020
Vikings. Raiding and pillaging and dragon riding. That’s about the extent of my knowledge of the ancient(?) civilization that so many people go bonkers romanticizing. Okay, so they didn’t REALLY ride dragons, but How To Train Your Dragon is great and the game I am previewing today also includes dragons, so I’m rolling with it. But how does this Viking game play and compare to its inspirations?
Asator is a head to head (or teams) game of troop maneuvering and attacking using 30 identical miniatures on each side. Each mini acts as a platoon of three different kinds of armies, plus a Chieftan, Master, Wizard, and Dragon that all have different special abilities. The winner of Asator is the player who can eliminate their opponent’s leadership (Chieftan, Master, and Wizard).
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I know that the final components will be slightly different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, as there are just too many. You are invited to download the rulebook, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
To setup, place the battle mat on the table, and then players will place groups of minis on the field within the closest three rows of hexes in alternating turn fashion. Players will also take the two large Battle Sheets and a dry-erase marker to keep track of every one of their minis’ stats throughout the game. Each player will also choose five of the given 10 Wizard spell cards to use for the game, and each spell may only be used once during the game. Once all army minis are placed, the first player will move up to 20 units on the battlefield and attack opponent armies if possible. The game is now on and decimation is the goal.
Each mini type corresponds to a different group of armies, plus the dragon and three leader pieces. All armies of the same type have the same stats for movement, hit points (HP), armor rating (AR), and attack weapons. Also each mini is labeled on the bottom so keeping track of each unit is made a little easier. Obviously the leader pieces are more powerful and each has a special style of combat. The Master wields an axe and shield (which is broken after one hit) to increase AR and dole out the damage. The Chieftan wields a spear, twin axes, a bow, and a shield. Similar to the Master, the Chieftan’s shield is broken after an attack against him, and his spear is broken after a missed attack. The Wizard is not at all strong in melee, but has powerful spells at his disposal to be used for the disposal of enemy units.
Besides the leadership trio each side also brings a Dragon to the battle. Dragons can move slowly by land, but quite quickly by air. Once in the air he or she may deliver a Fire Blast that causes huge damage, but then the Dragon must ground themselves to regain stamina for flight. In addition, each player will have access to Cavalry, Infantry, and Bowmen, each with their own stat blocks and abilities.
This is all well and good, and is somewhat similar to the strategy one would use in Chess. Combat, however, is much more involved than that of simply moving into an enemy’s space and automatically overtaking it. In Asator combat victory is decided via a VERY pared down version of D&D combat. It uses a simplified d20-based attack versus the enemy Armor Rating (AR). Rolls over the AR of the enemy is a success and damage is dealt. Done. Some attacks require a roll of 2d6 for damage amount, like spells and Dragon attacks. That said, combat is decided using 1d20 and 2d6. That’s it.
The game continues in turns where the first player will move their pieces and attack, and then the next player will do the same until one player has defeated all three enemy leaders and earned the title of Asator – Master of War.
Components. Again, we were provided a prototype copy of the game, but most of the components are what will be received when the game is backed or purchased. That said, the game utilizes a cloth battle mat that folds into the box, four dry-erase Battle Sheets, two dry-erase markers, dice for both players, Wizard spell cards for both players, and 60 miniatures. The battle mat is great fabric quality with minimal art that doesn’t get in the way of play (much appreciated). The dry-erase components are good. The card quality is fine. The dice are black and white dice to correspond with players using the black or white minis, and are of normal quality. The minis are great and I enjoyed playing with them.
Now for the negatives of what is included in the box. First, the art. Now, there is very minimal art used throughout the game. It’s just not a focal point, and it shows in the game’s production. I found the sketch on the cover of the rule book (which is the same as the watermark on the Battle Mat) to be very cool, but the box cover art leaves some to be desired. Similarly, the Wizard spell cards use very generic-looking art icons with text for explanation. I am most certainly being hyper-critical here because flashy art on these components are certainly not needed to play or highly enjoy the game. For my tastes, though, I would like to see more polished art on these pieces as the art is so sparse throughout.
But how does the game feel? It’s truly quite good. I don’t play many wargames or 1v1 skirmish style games, so to present me with something like this and for me to enjoy it as much as I have has to be a sign of something good. Again, I am no strategic war general, but being able to employ different strategies every game is exciting. Testing out the different combinations of Wizard spell cards is fun for a tinkerer. And, of course, playing with a bunch of minis is always good fun.
There is a good game here, and I absolutely love the combination of Chess maneuverability with the simplified RPG d20 battle system. It works well in a game like this where each piece owns a stat block of which players will need to be mindful. I didn’t quite mention my favorite part of the rules yet either: natural 20 on a combat roll equals insta-death. Yes, even to the Dragon, which happened in my very first game. THAT is a cool rule that tripped up tactics quite often in my plays.
All in all this game is a great example of combining a couple sets of mechanics that wouldn’t be expected and creating a great gaming experience from them. I invite you to back the game on Kickstarter when it goes live if you are looking for that special game that is unlike many others you currently own. If the art were spruced up a bit I would be fawning all over it, but even without impressive art I still find I have the twitch in my brain to play it again and again. I wonder how many natural 20s I can roll in a game. Great, now I want to set it up and see…
Asator is a head to head (or teams) game of troop maneuvering and attacking using 30 identical miniatures on each side. Each mini acts as a platoon of three different kinds of armies, plus a Chieftan, Master, Wizard, and Dragon that all have different special abilities. The winner of Asator is the player who can eliminate their opponent’s leadership (Chieftan, Master, and Wizard).
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I know that the final components will be slightly different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, as there are just too many. You are invited to download the rulebook, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
To setup, place the battle mat on the table, and then players will place groups of minis on the field within the closest three rows of hexes in alternating turn fashion. Players will also take the two large Battle Sheets and a dry-erase marker to keep track of every one of their minis’ stats throughout the game. Each player will also choose five of the given 10 Wizard spell cards to use for the game, and each spell may only be used once during the game. Once all army minis are placed, the first player will move up to 20 units on the battlefield and attack opponent armies if possible. The game is now on and decimation is the goal.
Each mini type corresponds to a different group of armies, plus the dragon and three leader pieces. All armies of the same type have the same stats for movement, hit points (HP), armor rating (AR), and attack weapons. Also each mini is labeled on the bottom so keeping track of each unit is made a little easier. Obviously the leader pieces are more powerful and each has a special style of combat. The Master wields an axe and shield (which is broken after one hit) to increase AR and dole out the damage. The Chieftan wields a spear, twin axes, a bow, and a shield. Similar to the Master, the Chieftan’s shield is broken after an attack against him, and his spear is broken after a missed attack. The Wizard is not at all strong in melee, but has powerful spells at his disposal to be used for the disposal of enemy units.
Besides the leadership trio each side also brings a Dragon to the battle. Dragons can move slowly by land, but quite quickly by air. Once in the air he or she may deliver a Fire Blast that causes huge damage, but then the Dragon must ground themselves to regain stamina for flight. In addition, each player will have access to Cavalry, Infantry, and Bowmen, each with their own stat blocks and abilities.
This is all well and good, and is somewhat similar to the strategy one would use in Chess. Combat, however, is much more involved than that of simply moving into an enemy’s space and automatically overtaking it. In Asator combat victory is decided via a VERY pared down version of D&D combat. It uses a simplified d20-based attack versus the enemy Armor Rating (AR). Rolls over the AR of the enemy is a success and damage is dealt. Done. Some attacks require a roll of 2d6 for damage amount, like spells and Dragon attacks. That said, combat is decided using 1d20 and 2d6. That’s it.
The game continues in turns where the first player will move their pieces and attack, and then the next player will do the same until one player has defeated all three enemy leaders and earned the title of Asator – Master of War.
Components. Again, we were provided a prototype copy of the game, but most of the components are what will be received when the game is backed or purchased. That said, the game utilizes a cloth battle mat that folds into the box, four dry-erase Battle Sheets, two dry-erase markers, dice for both players, Wizard spell cards for both players, and 60 miniatures. The battle mat is great fabric quality with minimal art that doesn’t get in the way of play (much appreciated). The dry-erase components are good. The card quality is fine. The dice are black and white dice to correspond with players using the black or white minis, and are of normal quality. The minis are great and I enjoyed playing with them.
Now for the negatives of what is included in the box. First, the art. Now, there is very minimal art used throughout the game. It’s just not a focal point, and it shows in the game’s production. I found the sketch on the cover of the rule book (which is the same as the watermark on the Battle Mat) to be very cool, but the box cover art leaves some to be desired. Similarly, the Wizard spell cards use very generic-looking art icons with text for explanation. I am most certainly being hyper-critical here because flashy art on these components are certainly not needed to play or highly enjoy the game. For my tastes, though, I would like to see more polished art on these pieces as the art is so sparse throughout.
But how does the game feel? It’s truly quite good. I don’t play many wargames or 1v1 skirmish style games, so to present me with something like this and for me to enjoy it as much as I have has to be a sign of something good. Again, I am no strategic war general, but being able to employ different strategies every game is exciting. Testing out the different combinations of Wizard spell cards is fun for a tinkerer. And, of course, playing with a bunch of minis is always good fun.
There is a good game here, and I absolutely love the combination of Chess maneuverability with the simplified RPG d20 battle system. It works well in a game like this where each piece owns a stat block of which players will need to be mindful. I didn’t quite mention my favorite part of the rules yet either: natural 20 on a combat roll equals insta-death. Yes, even to the Dragon, which happened in my very first game. THAT is a cool rule that tripped up tactics quite often in my plays.
All in all this game is a great example of combining a couple sets of mechanics that wouldn’t be expected and creating a great gaming experience from them. I invite you to back the game on Kickstarter when it goes live if you are looking for that special game that is unlike many others you currently own. If the art were spruced up a bit I would be fawning all over it, but even without impressive art I still find I have the twitch in my brain to play it again and again. I wonder how many natural 20s I can roll in a game. Great, now I want to set it up and see…
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Quests: Heroes of Sorcado in Tabletop Games
May 26, 2021
I’ve mentioned before that we at Purple Phoenix Games are currently working our way through a DnD 5e campaign. For almost all of us, this has been our first foray into the world of role-playing games. It’s a lot of fun, although it’s quite a daunting task at first. But more often these days, you can find board games that serve as fun, cooperative, and easier to learn/manage versions of these popular role-playing giants. Enter Quests: Heroes of Sorcado. How does it fare in the lineup of campaign-driven board games? Let the demo adventure help you decide.
Disclaimer: For this preview, we were provided with a Tabletop Simulator file for the demo/prequel adventure. These are not the final components, since it is a digital file, but the artwork and rulebook are mostly finalized – so the gameplay is what you will get in the physical copies of the game. -L
Quests: Heroes of Sorcado is a cooperative, campaign-driven game in which 1-6 players will take on the roles of party members with the goal of completing all 8 of the included adventures. The game does come with a tutorial/prequel adventure to help introduce players to the mechanics and overall gameplay before diving in to the full game. To setup for this Adventure Zero, place the game board within reach of all players, set aside the Campaign and Adventure books, place the Boss card for this adventure face-down above the board, and sort and place Potion/Loot/Armor/Health tokens in their corresponding areas. Set the 6 required Adventurers for the prequel in a circle near the game board, and take the listed Health and Starting Equipment for each Adventurer. The prequel uses only a single Location, so set that Deck in one of the Location spaces of the board, and the game is now ready to begin!
Depending on the player count, everyone will take on the role of at least one of the Adventurers, and the game itself is wholly cooperative. Here is how Adventure Zero works. Each Adventurer, in clockwise order, will be dealt 1 face-down Location card. Then, starting from the first dealt Location card, the Adventurers will take turns revealing their card. Some cards are Events or Story Moments, and prompt players to read from the Adventure/Campaign books. These cards often describe a scenario and require the player to select one of several provided choices, either earning a reward or penalizing the group. Most cards are Monster cards and will begin a combat! Each of the Adventurers has varying values for the four Stats of the game: Strength, Intelligence, Dexterity, and Wisdom. Combat in the game involves rolling a d20 and adding the appropriate Stat modifiers to the roll. You can also use Potions and Equipment to buff your rolls as well. How do you determine success or failure? Every Monster has a weakness to a specific Stat, so you will use that Stat modifier to enhance your rolls. Equal or exceed the Monster’s weakness, and it is defeated! Depending on the difficulty/level of the Monster, you will either fight with 2-6 Adventurers – adding their modifiers and abilities to your roll as well. How you setup your Adventurers is important, as adjacency is what helps determine who can be in each combat. If you defeat a Monster, collect the reward (Loot tokens, Potions, or Treasure cards), and the game continues to the next player. If you lose the fight, the Monster moves to the next Adventurer and combat begins anew. Once every Location card has been revealed and resolved, the Adventurers will reveal the Boss card and the final combat begins! Even though each combat has one primary Adventurer/player at the helm, the game is cooperative, so make sure you’ve got that teamwork mentality!
I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by Quests: Heroes of Sorcado. The gameplay may seem a bit involved at first, but it actually flows pretty seamlessly and effortlessly. As someone who has played a handful of other campaign-driven board games before, I have to say that this one was by far the easiest for me to learn and play. Resolve Location cards, beat Monsters, and (hopefully) defeat the final Boss. Pretty straight-forward, and I really appreciate that. One thing that helps make it so user-friendly is that the game is based on only 4 Stats, instead of every conceivable Stat used in other role-playing games. That helps keep the game uncomplicated, while still offering players options every turn. Another thing that I really like? The Campaign/Adventure books are pre-written stories, prompts, and scenarios that allow the game to be truly cooperative. No need for an all-knowing Game Master here, as everything is already laid out for you. I also really like these pre-written aspects because it helps deliver the role-playing feel without pressuring the players to create their own campaign. Yes, there are still some ‘choose your adventure’ elements to it, but it doesn’t give so many options to overwhelm players.
That being said, I do have to mention that this is a campaign-driven game, so you will know the main storyline after your first complete playthrough. Although you would know the Monsters/Events/Boss/etc. of each adventure, the shuffle and draw of the decks would allow for variability, and thus replayability. You know the all the twists in the story, but will be able to play with different hero combinations as well! All 8 adventures will take quite some time to complete though, so don’t let the fact that you’ll know the main storyline after one playthrough turn you off from the game completely! Normally, I like to talk about the components of a game. Since this was a Tabletop Simulator version of the game, I am unable to really do so. I will commend the artwork and style of the game though – it is very thematic, engaging, colorful, and fun to look at. The text and abilities are clear, I love the color-coded modifiers, and the cards are all pretty intuitive. I have no doubts that the physical copies of the game will be quality productions as well.
As I stated above, this preview only covers the demo/prequel adventure, and its real purpose is to introduce players to the gameplay. That being said, I know that the full adventures will offer players additional elements (Side Quests, trading Loot and Potions, ‘level up’ the Adventurers, etc.) that will just add to the experience. Yes, there is the ‘one and done’ aspect of a campaign-driven game, but there is so much content in the full game to keep you going for quite a long time. If you’re looking at getting into this genre of game, but are worried about complexity, I would highly recommend Quests: Heroes of Sorcado. The gameplay overall is simple and straight-forward, while still offering the epic campaign feel. This one hits Kickstarter today, so head on over and check it out for yourself!
Disclaimer: For this preview, we were provided with a Tabletop Simulator file for the demo/prequel adventure. These are not the final components, since it is a digital file, but the artwork and rulebook are mostly finalized – so the gameplay is what you will get in the physical copies of the game. -L
Quests: Heroes of Sorcado is a cooperative, campaign-driven game in which 1-6 players will take on the roles of party members with the goal of completing all 8 of the included adventures. The game does come with a tutorial/prequel adventure to help introduce players to the mechanics and overall gameplay before diving in to the full game. To setup for this Adventure Zero, place the game board within reach of all players, set aside the Campaign and Adventure books, place the Boss card for this adventure face-down above the board, and sort and place Potion/Loot/Armor/Health tokens in their corresponding areas. Set the 6 required Adventurers for the prequel in a circle near the game board, and take the listed Health and Starting Equipment for each Adventurer. The prequel uses only a single Location, so set that Deck in one of the Location spaces of the board, and the game is now ready to begin!
Depending on the player count, everyone will take on the role of at least one of the Adventurers, and the game itself is wholly cooperative. Here is how Adventure Zero works. Each Adventurer, in clockwise order, will be dealt 1 face-down Location card. Then, starting from the first dealt Location card, the Adventurers will take turns revealing their card. Some cards are Events or Story Moments, and prompt players to read from the Adventure/Campaign books. These cards often describe a scenario and require the player to select one of several provided choices, either earning a reward or penalizing the group. Most cards are Monster cards and will begin a combat! Each of the Adventurers has varying values for the four Stats of the game: Strength, Intelligence, Dexterity, and Wisdom. Combat in the game involves rolling a d20 and adding the appropriate Stat modifiers to the roll. You can also use Potions and Equipment to buff your rolls as well. How do you determine success or failure? Every Monster has a weakness to a specific Stat, so you will use that Stat modifier to enhance your rolls. Equal or exceed the Monster’s weakness, and it is defeated! Depending on the difficulty/level of the Monster, you will either fight with 2-6 Adventurers – adding their modifiers and abilities to your roll as well. How you setup your Adventurers is important, as adjacency is what helps determine who can be in each combat. If you defeat a Monster, collect the reward (Loot tokens, Potions, or Treasure cards), and the game continues to the next player. If you lose the fight, the Monster moves to the next Adventurer and combat begins anew. Once every Location card has been revealed and resolved, the Adventurers will reveal the Boss card and the final combat begins! Even though each combat has one primary Adventurer/player at the helm, the game is cooperative, so make sure you’ve got that teamwork mentality!
I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by Quests: Heroes of Sorcado. The gameplay may seem a bit involved at first, but it actually flows pretty seamlessly and effortlessly. As someone who has played a handful of other campaign-driven board games before, I have to say that this one was by far the easiest for me to learn and play. Resolve Location cards, beat Monsters, and (hopefully) defeat the final Boss. Pretty straight-forward, and I really appreciate that. One thing that helps make it so user-friendly is that the game is based on only 4 Stats, instead of every conceivable Stat used in other role-playing games. That helps keep the game uncomplicated, while still offering players options every turn. Another thing that I really like? The Campaign/Adventure books are pre-written stories, prompts, and scenarios that allow the game to be truly cooperative. No need for an all-knowing Game Master here, as everything is already laid out for you. I also really like these pre-written aspects because it helps deliver the role-playing feel without pressuring the players to create their own campaign. Yes, there are still some ‘choose your adventure’ elements to it, but it doesn’t give so many options to overwhelm players.
That being said, I do have to mention that this is a campaign-driven game, so you will know the main storyline after your first complete playthrough. Although you would know the Monsters/Events/Boss/etc. of each adventure, the shuffle and draw of the decks would allow for variability, and thus replayability. You know the all the twists in the story, but will be able to play with different hero combinations as well! All 8 adventures will take quite some time to complete though, so don’t let the fact that you’ll know the main storyline after one playthrough turn you off from the game completely! Normally, I like to talk about the components of a game. Since this was a Tabletop Simulator version of the game, I am unable to really do so. I will commend the artwork and style of the game though – it is very thematic, engaging, colorful, and fun to look at. The text and abilities are clear, I love the color-coded modifiers, and the cards are all pretty intuitive. I have no doubts that the physical copies of the game will be quality productions as well.
As I stated above, this preview only covers the demo/prequel adventure, and its real purpose is to introduce players to the gameplay. That being said, I know that the full adventures will offer players additional elements (Side Quests, trading Loot and Potions, ‘level up’ the Adventurers, etc.) that will just add to the experience. Yes, there is the ‘one and done’ aspect of a campaign-driven game, but there is so much content in the full game to keep you going for quite a long time. If you’re looking at getting into this genre of game, but are worried about complexity, I would highly recommend Quests: Heroes of Sorcado. The gameplay overall is simple and straight-forward, while still offering the epic campaign feel. This one hits Kickstarter today, so head on over and check it out for yourself!
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Space Kraken in Tabletop Games
Jul 22, 2021
The overall story is not unfamiliar. Scientists create a genetically-modified creature to help solve a global problem, creature is somehow mutated through radioactive exposure, creature poses a threat to mankind, mankind must eliminate the creature. Now take that monster to space and BAM – we’ve got the origins on Space Kraken. Humanity has been forced to space in search of a new inhabitable planet. But alien races await you in the vast unknown, and the Space Kraken is always lurking…
Disclaimer: We were provided with a demo version of Space Kraken. The gameplay is that of the full version, just with a shorter storyline and fewer variations. What you see pictured below may not be identical to what will be received in the finalized version. Also, the game can be played solo or with multiple players – this preview will be covering the solo-only mode of play. I do not intend to cover the entire rulebook, but rather provide an overview of the mechanics and gameplay. -L
Space Kraken is a sci-fi dungeon crawler encompassed in a spiral-bound book. The only additional components you need are 2d6, 1d20, and a pencil with a decent eraser. To start a new game, you will first get set up for the campaign. There are 6 Flights (game modes) to choose from and you select one with which to play. Different Flights affect the start of game conditions, which will affect the overall gameplay. For example, one Flight might offer bonuses to your ability scores, while another could give you stronger weapons right from the start. Once you’ve selected your Flight, you will then set up your Story Lines. These will help dictate the story of your overall campaign, and will be influenced by your strategies and decisions along the way. From crucial plot points to opportunities for ‘side quests,’ the Story Lines work to drive the narrative. The next step is to create your crew. You choose 3 heroes to start with, and will ‘build’ them by giving them attributes, equipment, and skills. The specific parameters are detailed in the rules. After the crew is created, the game is officially ready to begin!
A game of Space Kraken is played over a series of turns, broken down into 5 phases. The first phase of a turn is to Activate Story Lines. These are tracked across a series of 4 tables of coordinates. Find the coordinate on the appropriate table for your Story Line, and proceed as necessary. Some coordinates link to Events that require you to make decisions, roll dice, execute commands, while other coordinates will just link to a new coordinate to be used next turn. Once you have Activated and resolved all your Story Lines for the turn, the game moves to the Ship Construction phase. At the start of the game, you will most likely skip this phase, but as the game progresses and you earn funds, you will be able to upgrade and modify your spaceship during this part of the turn.
The third phase of a turn is to Perform Your Own Action. You can choose to either: Initiate Space Flight, Land at an Already-Discovered Location, or Activate a Story Line Again. Initiating space flight gives you the opportunity to explore different regions of space, discover/explore new locations, and sometimes even engage in space combat. You could choose to land at an already-discovered location, which allows you to visit many of the ‘dungeons’. Or you can activate a story line again, which lets you advance one of your story lines forward. After you perform your own action, phase 4 begins – Quick Visit a Shop, Ammo Dealer, or Quest Master. This one is pretty self-explanatory. You can trade or purchase goods from locations you have visited, or you could visit the Quest Master for ‘side quests.’ And then finally the last turn phase is Quest Timer. Any quests you have that were not advanced in this turn get a mark for Lost Time – after 5 marks they are erased! So prioritize wisely when it comes to your quest completion. A new turn now begins, following the same phase structure as detailed above. The game continues until either you have defeated the Space Kraken, or your entire crew and/or ship has perished.
At first glance, Space Kraken is kind of daunting and intimidating. There’s a bit of a learning curve as you figure out this gameplay system before you can really dive in to play. That being said, once you understand how the different aspects work – Space Flight, Combat, Story Lines, Dungeon Exploration, etc. – it will all click together. This isn’t a game you just pick up and decide to play on a whim, it’s one that takes focus and dedication to complete a play-through. Just something to keep in mind! As with most campaign-style games, the question of replayability is always in the forefront, and I think that Space Kraken really handles it very well. The Story Lines alone offer a range of variability that ensures no two games will be the same. How you build your crew and ship could influence decisions made with regards to Story Lines, which in turn leads you down a unique path with a plethora of opportunities. The mechanic for generating new locations to explore (the dungeon crawling element) also provides a variety of places to explore, alien races to interact with, and physical elements like atmosphere. The chances for generating the exact same location more than once are pretty slim, I would say. All of these elements just add to the replayability of Space Kraken and keep it fresh and unique for each play-through.
Guiding the overall gameplay are your dice. Some Story Lines offer 2 solutions, and you will roll the dice to see with which one you end up. To generate a new location, you roll the dice a number of times, looking at the corresponding tables in order to build the map for your current foray into space. Obviously, combat, either in ships or on the ground, will use dice to help dictate the flow of battle and the outcomes of said fights. That is how you can get so much replayability from this game – dice rolling. The range of Story Lines and locations coupled with dice rolls really create a one-of-a-kind gameplay experience, no matter how many times you play through. You’ll never play the same game twice….well, unless your dice results are the exact same for every roll as they were the previous game.
Let’s touch on components for a minute. As stated above, this is only a demo version of the game. That being said, the game is encompassed in a spiral-bound book, and that is what the complete game will be like too. The only things you need to play besides the book are a couple of d6, a d20, and a pencil! I think it’s neat that so much gameplay can be packed into a single book. Between sessions if you’re not able to leave the book on your table, simply mark your page, fold everything back into the book, and you’re good to go! What do I mean by fold everything back into the book? Several of the pages in this game have fold-outs of additional materials to be pulled out when necessary. I really like that if you don’t currently need a page, it doesn’t need to be showing. It helps keep the game a little more focused, visually, in my opinion. My only complaint is that a couple of times, a fold-out section may overlap another fold-out section, meaning that you have to end up flipping pages anyway. A small price to pay for an all-in-one game book! My other qualm is that as you play, you will write in the book. After you complete a play-through, you can go back and play again – just erase everything and start over. My concern is that with repeated erasing on the pages, the quality will wear down and could be unusable after a certain number of plays. Maybe that’s not a problem for other gamers, but that is something that jumped into my head when playing this.
Overall thoughts? Space Kraken is pretty cool. There is a bit of a learning curve as you delve into the new system, but once you’ve got the general mechanics/gameplay down, the rest is pretty straight-forward. The fact that the entire game is encompassed in one book is a neat element too. It allows you to ‘save’ your progress and come back to it without the hassle of setting up a million components. Having only played the solo version of the game, I’m curious to see how the multiplayer side works, so that may just be my next play-through! If you’re in the market for a campaign-style game, without requiring tons of table space and eons of time to play through, consider checking out Space Kraken. It successfully funded on Kickstarter and the late pledges are now open!
Disclaimer: We were provided with a demo version of Space Kraken. The gameplay is that of the full version, just with a shorter storyline and fewer variations. What you see pictured below may not be identical to what will be received in the finalized version. Also, the game can be played solo or with multiple players – this preview will be covering the solo-only mode of play. I do not intend to cover the entire rulebook, but rather provide an overview of the mechanics and gameplay. -L
Space Kraken is a sci-fi dungeon crawler encompassed in a spiral-bound book. The only additional components you need are 2d6, 1d20, and a pencil with a decent eraser. To start a new game, you will first get set up for the campaign. There are 6 Flights (game modes) to choose from and you select one with which to play. Different Flights affect the start of game conditions, which will affect the overall gameplay. For example, one Flight might offer bonuses to your ability scores, while another could give you stronger weapons right from the start. Once you’ve selected your Flight, you will then set up your Story Lines. These will help dictate the story of your overall campaign, and will be influenced by your strategies and decisions along the way. From crucial plot points to opportunities for ‘side quests,’ the Story Lines work to drive the narrative. The next step is to create your crew. You choose 3 heroes to start with, and will ‘build’ them by giving them attributes, equipment, and skills. The specific parameters are detailed in the rules. After the crew is created, the game is officially ready to begin!
A game of Space Kraken is played over a series of turns, broken down into 5 phases. The first phase of a turn is to Activate Story Lines. These are tracked across a series of 4 tables of coordinates. Find the coordinate on the appropriate table for your Story Line, and proceed as necessary. Some coordinates link to Events that require you to make decisions, roll dice, execute commands, while other coordinates will just link to a new coordinate to be used next turn. Once you have Activated and resolved all your Story Lines for the turn, the game moves to the Ship Construction phase. At the start of the game, you will most likely skip this phase, but as the game progresses and you earn funds, you will be able to upgrade and modify your spaceship during this part of the turn.
The third phase of a turn is to Perform Your Own Action. You can choose to either: Initiate Space Flight, Land at an Already-Discovered Location, or Activate a Story Line Again. Initiating space flight gives you the opportunity to explore different regions of space, discover/explore new locations, and sometimes even engage in space combat. You could choose to land at an already-discovered location, which allows you to visit many of the ‘dungeons’. Or you can activate a story line again, which lets you advance one of your story lines forward. After you perform your own action, phase 4 begins – Quick Visit a Shop, Ammo Dealer, or Quest Master. This one is pretty self-explanatory. You can trade or purchase goods from locations you have visited, or you could visit the Quest Master for ‘side quests.’ And then finally the last turn phase is Quest Timer. Any quests you have that were not advanced in this turn get a mark for Lost Time – after 5 marks they are erased! So prioritize wisely when it comes to your quest completion. A new turn now begins, following the same phase structure as detailed above. The game continues until either you have defeated the Space Kraken, or your entire crew and/or ship has perished.
At first glance, Space Kraken is kind of daunting and intimidating. There’s a bit of a learning curve as you figure out this gameplay system before you can really dive in to play. That being said, once you understand how the different aspects work – Space Flight, Combat, Story Lines, Dungeon Exploration, etc. – it will all click together. This isn’t a game you just pick up and decide to play on a whim, it’s one that takes focus and dedication to complete a play-through. Just something to keep in mind! As with most campaign-style games, the question of replayability is always in the forefront, and I think that Space Kraken really handles it very well. The Story Lines alone offer a range of variability that ensures no two games will be the same. How you build your crew and ship could influence decisions made with regards to Story Lines, which in turn leads you down a unique path with a plethora of opportunities. The mechanic for generating new locations to explore (the dungeon crawling element) also provides a variety of places to explore, alien races to interact with, and physical elements like atmosphere. The chances for generating the exact same location more than once are pretty slim, I would say. All of these elements just add to the replayability of Space Kraken and keep it fresh and unique for each play-through.
Guiding the overall gameplay are your dice. Some Story Lines offer 2 solutions, and you will roll the dice to see with which one you end up. To generate a new location, you roll the dice a number of times, looking at the corresponding tables in order to build the map for your current foray into space. Obviously, combat, either in ships or on the ground, will use dice to help dictate the flow of battle and the outcomes of said fights. That is how you can get so much replayability from this game – dice rolling. The range of Story Lines and locations coupled with dice rolls really create a one-of-a-kind gameplay experience, no matter how many times you play through. You’ll never play the same game twice….well, unless your dice results are the exact same for every roll as they were the previous game.
Let’s touch on components for a minute. As stated above, this is only a demo version of the game. That being said, the game is encompassed in a spiral-bound book, and that is what the complete game will be like too. The only things you need to play besides the book are a couple of d6, a d20, and a pencil! I think it’s neat that so much gameplay can be packed into a single book. Between sessions if you’re not able to leave the book on your table, simply mark your page, fold everything back into the book, and you’re good to go! What do I mean by fold everything back into the book? Several of the pages in this game have fold-outs of additional materials to be pulled out when necessary. I really like that if you don’t currently need a page, it doesn’t need to be showing. It helps keep the game a little more focused, visually, in my opinion. My only complaint is that a couple of times, a fold-out section may overlap another fold-out section, meaning that you have to end up flipping pages anyway. A small price to pay for an all-in-one game book! My other qualm is that as you play, you will write in the book. After you complete a play-through, you can go back and play again – just erase everything and start over. My concern is that with repeated erasing on the pages, the quality will wear down and could be unusable after a certain number of plays. Maybe that’s not a problem for other gamers, but that is something that jumped into my head when playing this.
Overall thoughts? Space Kraken is pretty cool. There is a bit of a learning curve as you delve into the new system, but once you’ve got the general mechanics/gameplay down, the rest is pretty straight-forward. The fact that the entire game is encompassed in one book is a neat element too. It allows you to ‘save’ your progress and come back to it without the hassle of setting up a million components. Having only played the solo version of the game, I’m curious to see how the multiplayer side works, so that may just be my next play-through! If you’re in the market for a campaign-style game, without requiring tons of table space and eons of time to play through, consider checking out Space Kraken. It successfully funded on Kickstarter and the late pledges are now open!
