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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Elder Sign in Tabletop Games
Jul 17, 2020 (Updated Jul 18, 2020)
The Theme (3 more)
Solo Gameplay
The Setting
High Replayabity
Little Pieces, Easy to lose (1 more)
Luck of the dice
Call of Cthulhu
Elder Sign- is a excellent fantasy adventure, horror card game. I learn about this game through Tabletop. And to me it looked really good. And plus you can play it solo. So i had to buy it, cause of the solo experience. I only played this solo and its fun, but hard to win. I love the theme of the game which is based on the Cthulhu Mythos of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft and Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game. I love both H.P. Lovecraft, and Cthulhu. If you don't know what Elder Sign is I will explain it.
Elder Sign- is a cooperative card and dice game, based on the Cthulhu Mythos of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft and Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game. It is published by Fantasy Flight Games, which also produces the Cthulhu Mythos games Arkham Horror, Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game, Mansions of Madness, and Eldritch Horror.
Gameplay:
Players randomly select a monster (known as an Ancient One) to oppose. The Ancient One requires a certain number of elder sign tokens to "seal" or imprison it. Conversely, the Ancient One can be "awakened" or released by a number of doom tokens.
There are also many other less powerful monsters that can appear during the game.
Each player chooses an investigator to play as (usually randomly), each investigator having unique abilities.
Players take turns exploring a randomly generated room (there are Adventure cards and Other World cards). If a player succeeds at completing all of the tasks in the room they are exploring, they obtain a reward. Conversely, if they fail, they receive a penalty. If the player's investigator is devoured (either by losing all of their stamina and/or sanity), they lose what they originally had, a doom token is added to the doom track, and the player returns to play as a different investigator.
Rooms are explored until either the Ancient One is "sealed" or "awakened". If the Ancient One is sealed, the players immediately win. If the Ancient One awakens, the players must face it in battle. This battle is designed to be extremely difficult with a low chance of success, so players must try to prevent the Ancient One from awakening at all costs.
Its a excellent gothic horror game, it has fantasy, dice, cards and adventure and alot of replayablity. Buy it if you havent already. Cause its excellent.
Elder Sign- is a cooperative card and dice game, based on the Cthulhu Mythos of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft and Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game. It is published by Fantasy Flight Games, which also produces the Cthulhu Mythos games Arkham Horror, Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game, Mansions of Madness, and Eldritch Horror.
Gameplay:
Players randomly select a monster (known as an Ancient One) to oppose. The Ancient One requires a certain number of elder sign tokens to "seal" or imprison it. Conversely, the Ancient One can be "awakened" or released by a number of doom tokens.
There are also many other less powerful monsters that can appear during the game.
Each player chooses an investigator to play as (usually randomly), each investigator having unique abilities.
Players take turns exploring a randomly generated room (there are Adventure cards and Other World cards). If a player succeeds at completing all of the tasks in the room they are exploring, they obtain a reward. Conversely, if they fail, they receive a penalty. If the player's investigator is devoured (either by losing all of their stamina and/or sanity), they lose what they originally had, a doom token is added to the doom track, and the player returns to play as a different investigator.
Rooms are explored until either the Ancient One is "sealed" or "awakened". If the Ancient One is sealed, the players immediately win. If the Ancient One awakens, the players must face it in battle. This battle is designed to be extremely difficult with a low chance of success, so players must try to prevent the Ancient One from awakening at all costs.
Its a excellent gothic horror game, it has fantasy, dice, cards and adventure and alot of replayablity. Buy it if you havent already. Cause its excellent.
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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!
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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated MechaTop in Tabletop Games
Jul 2, 2020
I think it goes without saying that we at Purple Phoenix Games love board games – otherwise I wouldn’t be sitting here writing this preview. That being said, wargames are not something that our group has really gotten around to playing. So when Tabletop Systems L.T.D. reached out about having us preview their newest wargame system, curiosity got the best of me and I couldn’t refuse. If you’re in the same boat we were, check out MechaTop – this system might surprise you!
Disclaimer: We were provided with a PnP version of this game for the purposes of this preview. Please excuse my lack of a color printer, and rest assured that the cards are colorful and eye-catching. The rulebook we have is not the finalized version, but rather an up-to-date draft detailing the overall rules and gameplay. Some changes will probably take place during the Kickstarter campaign, so the finalized game system might have some differences to this preview. For more details, check out the publisher’s website! -L
MechaTop is a tabletop wargame system in which players pilot large Mecha suits and battle their opponents. To begin a game, you must first decide which game mode you want to play. After selecting the game mode, players create their Mecha teams for battle. Each game mode has an associated cost score limit – the highest maximum cost you can spend on your team. For example, a Mecha suit might cost 300, and the cost score limit for the chosen mode is 600, leaving you with 300 to spend on upgrade cards for your suit. Once all players have chosen and upgraded their Mecha suits, those corresponding cards are placing in their play area. Everyone then selects a Pilot card to be assigned to their Mecha suit, and receives a set of Button tokens and a secret Twist card (kept secret until played at any time during the game). Decide which weapons to equip on your suit for the start of the game, roll a d6, and take turns placing your Mecha in the playing field in ascending numerical order of the die rolls. You are officially ready to start the game now!
Each round begins with the Instinct Phase, where players decide which 2 Button tokens they want to play this round. The Button actions are: Attack, Movement/Rotation, Change Weapon/Reload, and possibly Telekinesis. After the Buttons have been selected, they are placed face-down on the playing field next to their corresponding Mecha suit. Next is the Initiative Phase, in which all players roll a d6 and the player who rolled the highest gets to act first in the round. On your turn, you may choose to activate 1 Button token, activate both Button tokens, or declare No Action and pass your turn. Choosing to activate only 1 Button allows you to perform a simple action, but activating both at the same time in certain combinations allows you to perform a more powerful type of the corresponding action. Choosing to do No Action allows you to keep both Button tokens facedown. The benefit to leaving either 1 or both Button tokens facedown is that you can then use them as reactions during an opponent’s turn. Let’s say an opponent tries to Attack you – if you have your Movement Button still at your disposal, you can use it to attempt to dodge the hit and negate that damage. If you don’t use a Button in that situation, or don’t have one left face-down, all the damage goes straight through on your suit, thus bringing you closer to losing the game. Be warned – some actions are automatic, but some are resolved by dice rolls, so you better hope luck is on your side! After all players have had a turn in Initiative Order, a new round begins with another Instinct Phase. Play continues in this manner until the win condition of the selected game mode has been met, and the winner is deemed victorious!
First and foremost, I think one of the coolest things about the MechaTop system is that it can be played using ANY mecha models, action figures, or standees that you choose. In my childhood, Transformers made up a decent amount of our household, so it’s neat that I am able to bring those back out again after all these years. The nostalgia is great in that sense, and it makes the game more enjoyable. Also along those lines, the game will come with blank Mecha and Pilot cards for you to create your own – the rulebook has a section dedicated to stat card creation. It’s a neat element that lets you add a personal twist to your game, and lets you sit in the pilot’s seat (see what I did there?) to make the game truly your own! In the team creation step, players also have the opportunity to buy Upgrades for their suits, and that gives you additional control over your game. You can create so many different combinations of Upgrades that keep each game unique and entertaining.
The overall game flow is pretty nice. The rounds are logical, and the Button tokens add a unique element of strategy that takes this game to the next level for me. Do you forego doing a special action this turn and save a Button token in case an opponent tries to attack you? Or are you willing to risk damage to your Mecha suit in order to execute the exact plan that you want? The Button tokens take MechaTop beyond a simple attack-and-defend wargame and incorporates strategy to help balance out the randomness of Initiative rolls. The Twist cards are a nice touch as well, because if played at the right time, they could literally turn the battle around for you! No matter how good your strategy is, however, all offensive/defensive actions are dictated by dice rolls. So there’s a bit of a luck element embedded in this game as well. You have to be able to adapt your strategy on the fly depending on how your die results are turning out!
There is a bit of a learning curve to this game that can make it seem daunting at first. Different actions require a different number of dice to roll, and knowing what results counts as a success or failure is not always easy to remember. Incorporating a Player Reference Sheet would eliminate some of the confusion, but it does get easier to remember the more you play the game. Probably the biggest drawback of the system for me is that there is no set game board or movement system. The rulebook details movement speeds and weapon ranges based on different scales of models you might use, but that honestly just went right over my head. Providing a set of bases for models, as well as a hex-grid board would take out that guess-work for players and make it easier to visualize movement and range. And that would help keep the game flowing smoothly because players would not have to spend time measuring distances across the play area.
Let’s talk components. As I mentioned earlier, we only have a PnP copy of MechaTop, so admittedly our components are not the best. That being said, the finalized game should be coming with nice colorful cards, sturdy cardboard tokens, and good quality dice. Don’t let my drab version keep you from checking out the game on BGG or its own website!
All in all, MechaTop is a wargame system that I can see myself playing again. The gameplay itself is straight-forward and simple to grasp, but the strategic elements incorporated with Button tokens, Twist cards, and Upgrades ensure that you will never play the same game twice. If you’re looking to get into wargame systems, or are just looking for a unique wargame setting, definitely check out the MechaTop Kickstarter when it goes live later this month!
Disclaimer: We were provided with a PnP version of this game for the purposes of this preview. Please excuse my lack of a color printer, and rest assured that the cards are colorful and eye-catching. The rulebook we have is not the finalized version, but rather an up-to-date draft detailing the overall rules and gameplay. Some changes will probably take place during the Kickstarter campaign, so the finalized game system might have some differences to this preview. For more details, check out the publisher’s website! -L
MechaTop is a tabletop wargame system in which players pilot large Mecha suits and battle their opponents. To begin a game, you must first decide which game mode you want to play. After selecting the game mode, players create their Mecha teams for battle. Each game mode has an associated cost score limit – the highest maximum cost you can spend on your team. For example, a Mecha suit might cost 300, and the cost score limit for the chosen mode is 600, leaving you with 300 to spend on upgrade cards for your suit. Once all players have chosen and upgraded their Mecha suits, those corresponding cards are placing in their play area. Everyone then selects a Pilot card to be assigned to their Mecha suit, and receives a set of Button tokens and a secret Twist card (kept secret until played at any time during the game). Decide which weapons to equip on your suit for the start of the game, roll a d6, and take turns placing your Mecha in the playing field in ascending numerical order of the die rolls. You are officially ready to start the game now!
Each round begins with the Instinct Phase, where players decide which 2 Button tokens they want to play this round. The Button actions are: Attack, Movement/Rotation, Change Weapon/Reload, and possibly Telekinesis. After the Buttons have been selected, they are placed face-down on the playing field next to their corresponding Mecha suit. Next is the Initiative Phase, in which all players roll a d6 and the player who rolled the highest gets to act first in the round. On your turn, you may choose to activate 1 Button token, activate both Button tokens, or declare No Action and pass your turn. Choosing to activate only 1 Button allows you to perform a simple action, but activating both at the same time in certain combinations allows you to perform a more powerful type of the corresponding action. Choosing to do No Action allows you to keep both Button tokens facedown. The benefit to leaving either 1 or both Button tokens facedown is that you can then use them as reactions during an opponent’s turn. Let’s say an opponent tries to Attack you – if you have your Movement Button still at your disposal, you can use it to attempt to dodge the hit and negate that damage. If you don’t use a Button in that situation, or don’t have one left face-down, all the damage goes straight through on your suit, thus bringing you closer to losing the game. Be warned – some actions are automatic, but some are resolved by dice rolls, so you better hope luck is on your side! After all players have had a turn in Initiative Order, a new round begins with another Instinct Phase. Play continues in this manner until the win condition of the selected game mode has been met, and the winner is deemed victorious!
First and foremost, I think one of the coolest things about the MechaTop system is that it can be played using ANY mecha models, action figures, or standees that you choose. In my childhood, Transformers made up a decent amount of our household, so it’s neat that I am able to bring those back out again after all these years. The nostalgia is great in that sense, and it makes the game more enjoyable. Also along those lines, the game will come with blank Mecha and Pilot cards for you to create your own – the rulebook has a section dedicated to stat card creation. It’s a neat element that lets you add a personal twist to your game, and lets you sit in the pilot’s seat (see what I did there?) to make the game truly your own! In the team creation step, players also have the opportunity to buy Upgrades for their suits, and that gives you additional control over your game. You can create so many different combinations of Upgrades that keep each game unique and entertaining.
The overall game flow is pretty nice. The rounds are logical, and the Button tokens add a unique element of strategy that takes this game to the next level for me. Do you forego doing a special action this turn and save a Button token in case an opponent tries to attack you? Or are you willing to risk damage to your Mecha suit in order to execute the exact plan that you want? The Button tokens take MechaTop beyond a simple attack-and-defend wargame and incorporates strategy to help balance out the randomness of Initiative rolls. The Twist cards are a nice touch as well, because if played at the right time, they could literally turn the battle around for you! No matter how good your strategy is, however, all offensive/defensive actions are dictated by dice rolls. So there’s a bit of a luck element embedded in this game as well. You have to be able to adapt your strategy on the fly depending on how your die results are turning out!
There is a bit of a learning curve to this game that can make it seem daunting at first. Different actions require a different number of dice to roll, and knowing what results counts as a success or failure is not always easy to remember. Incorporating a Player Reference Sheet would eliminate some of the confusion, but it does get easier to remember the more you play the game. Probably the biggest drawback of the system for me is that there is no set game board or movement system. The rulebook details movement speeds and weapon ranges based on different scales of models you might use, but that honestly just went right over my head. Providing a set of bases for models, as well as a hex-grid board would take out that guess-work for players and make it easier to visualize movement and range. And that would help keep the game flowing smoothly because players would not have to spend time measuring distances across the play area.
Let’s talk components. As I mentioned earlier, we only have a PnP copy of MechaTop, so admittedly our components are not the best. That being said, the finalized game should be coming with nice colorful cards, sturdy cardboard tokens, and good quality dice. Don’t let my drab version keep you from checking out the game on BGG or its own website!
All in all, MechaTop is a wargame system that I can see myself playing again. The gameplay itself is straight-forward and simple to grasp, but the strategic elements incorporated with Button tokens, Twist cards, and Upgrades ensure that you will never play the same game twice. If you’re looking to get into wargame systems, or are just looking for a unique wargame setting, definitely check out the MechaTop Kickstarter when it goes live later this month!
