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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Bastion in Tabletop Games

Jul 30, 2020 (Updated Jul 30, 2020)  
Bastion
Bastion
2015 | Fantasy
The Strategy (3 more)
Think Ten Steps Ahead
Replay Value
Different Scenarios
Excellent Tower Defense Game With A Twist
Bastion is a cooperative strategy game for one to four players. Taking inspiration from extremely popular tower defense video games, Bastion subjects players to an unrelenting stream of attacks by an army of vicious monsters. By channeling the sources within the city’s districts, defense towers, and citadel, players work together to defend its borders, all the while gaining useful spells from the enemies they defeat. Only by properly managing their mana, spells, and rituals will they have any hope of withstanding the onslaught.

In Bastion, you and your friends are the city’s last hope. Only you can stem the tide of the invading hordes. The tension constantly mounts during each game as a new card is drawn from the enemy deck and advances along the city walls after every player’s turn. You must clear them all from the walls by spending mana tokens if you hope to stem the tide. Players win or lose together, so make sure to coordinate your actions before the city is overrun. It will take a careful balance between channeling mana, moving throughout the city, and defeating enemies to claim victory.

Staring down a horde of vicious monsters is intimidating for even the most experienced of heroes. Luckily for you, defeating enemies converts their life-force into powerful spells that can provide an advantage at critical moments. Reduce an enemy to dust with a powerful fireball spell or use the plenty spell to give yourself a quick influx of extra mana tokens. Determining the best time to use these spells is up to the you, of course, but waiting for perfect moment can turn the tide of battle in your favor.

Once you’ve mastered the introductory game, there are even more ways to play Bastion. More powerful enemies await those seeking even more of a challenge, including the fearsome Black Knight or the revolting Knellerwyrm. In turn, the heroes respond to this increased threat by harnessing the power of ancient rituals that make it easier to obtain mana of the color they need. On top of the extra monsters, Bastion also includes four unique scenarios that add special rules and more variety. Can you handle an enemy army made up of flying creatures? What would happen if you arrived at the city after the enemy forces? Each scenario demands new strategies and offers a unique spin on the Bastion experience. The enemy is at the gates. Take up arms and fight for victory!

Its a excellent strategy game and has a excellent replay value with the different scenarios, you can go solo or play with others. Its a excellent twist on the tower defense genre. If you want to learn more go to BoardGameGeek, Dice Tower Reviews or Rahdo Walkthroughs. I learn about it through Dice Tower Reviews and bought it right away. Its a excellent game.
  
Bears vs Babies
Bears vs Babies
2017 | Animals, Card Game, Comic Book / Strip, Humor
Cool Idea (1 more)
Monsters Eating Babies
Can Get Frustrating (1 more)
Winner Is Usually Obvious Very Early
You Get To Build Monsters (And Eat Babies)
I Kickstartered this game when it was released despite not really loving Exploding Kittens beyond the art and the concept. The large draw was that I did not have any other game in my collection that I could pet and stroke when I was stressed and who doesn't like building monsters?

To be honest, this is a decent game with some strategy elements. The main issue is that the winner generally becomes evident early on in the game when they take a large number of points and wipe out everyone else's monsters and it become difficult for everyone else to catch up if the leader plays to obstruct.

The art is cute and sometimes rather disturbing, especially in the NSFW expansion (which should certainly not be used with kids at the table unless you want some deep and terrible conversations about schlongs). The monsters you make are funny and you can get a little attached to them. Sadly, that is a bad strategy as they can be wiped out in the Baby War at any point when someone provokes one of the baby armies and they kill everyone.

One of the biggest frustrations with this game is that sometimes you get to a point where you have nothing but legs and nothing else. All you want is a head or a cool body to attach all your legs to. You don't want to waste a turn diving in the discard for a head so you keep drawing more legs until you can hardly hold all your cards. At the end of the game you realize the Dave has all the heads and you hate him. Screw you, Dave!

Overall, its OK, You won't play it all the time, but it can be fun with a beer in the right crowd.