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<strong>Overall 5 out of 6</strong></p>]]></content:encoded>
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<title>SETI Board Game Review</title>
<link>https://www.play-board-games.com/seti-board-game-review/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=seti-board-game-review</link>
<comments>https://www.play-board-games.com/seti-board-game-review/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jason C]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2025 04:58:05 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Board Game Reviews]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[solo play]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[two players]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[3 players]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[4 players]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[1 to 4 players]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.play-board-games.com/?p=7880</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="150" height="150" src="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/seti-board-game-150x150.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="SETI board game" style="float: left; margin-right: 20px;" link_thumbnail="" decoding="async" />SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence is a board game inspired by the real-world SETI project, the game simulates the race to be the first to contact alien civilizations through scientific discovery and space exploration. You need to scan the skies, send probes to planets and their moons, advance your technology, and gather data to discover alien life (and score VPs).]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="150" height="150" src="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/seti-board-game-150x150.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="SETI board game" style="float: left; margin-right: 20px;" link_thumbnail="" decoding="async" /><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" src="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/seti-board-game.jpg" alt="SETI board game" width="341" height="300" class="alignright size-full wp-image-7882" srcset="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/seti-board-game.jpg 341w, https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/seti-board-game-300x264.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 341px) 100vw, 341px" />Stats:
No. of players: 1-4 
Amount of time to play: 60-160 min 
Age requirements: 13+ 
Set-up time: minimal
SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence is a board game inspired by the real-world SETI project, the game simulates the race to be the first to contact alien civilizations through scientific discovery and space exploration. You need to scan the skies, send probes to planets and their moons, advance your technology, and gather data to discover alien life (and score VPs). 

<h2>SETI Rules Description:</h2>
In SETI you represent a team of scientists trying to discover alien life. The game is played over five rounds. You start the game with four publicity, four credits, three energy, and five cards. The first thing you’ll do is turn one card into income (and instantly receive it). There are other opportunities to increase your income and you will collect it between each round.
Every card may be used in a few different ways. The upper left hand corner shows an icon that can be used to gain movement, publicity, or data. In the center of the card is a main action you may resolve that usually costs credits. The icon in the lower right corner of the card shows what you gain when it is used for income.
On your turn you may take one main action and as many free actions as you like. If you cannot afford (or no longer want) to take an action you can pass. After all players have passed the round ends. 
The main action include:
Play a card – Resolve the main action on a card. Some of these include missions that can get you additional resources or VPs
Launch a probe – Pay two credits to place one of your probes on Earth
Orbit – Once your probe has moved to a planet it may orbit that planet for the cost of one energy and one credit. This will often score VPs and get you other resources or income.
Land – A probe at a planet may land on it. This action costs three energy (or two if there is a probe orbiting the planet) and will get you VPs and other resources as well as a yellow life trace.
Scan – For one credit and two energy you can scan the stars above Earth. This gets you data and can score VPs once the scanning track is full. The player with the most scan tokens scores and gets a bonus including a red life trace.
Analyze data – If your computer is full of data you may spend an energy to analyze the data which empties your computer and gets you a blue life trace.
Research a tech – Gain a tech for six publicity. These tech come with an instant bonus and can upgrade your computer, probes, and scanning capabilities. 
Pass – Discard down to four cards, rotate the solar system (only the first player to pass), and select one card from the end-of-round pile putting the rest back. 
Free actions are:
Place data – You may place data you have collected into your computer
Complete a mission – If you previously played a card with a mission on it you may complete it and gain the rewards.
Play a card for its free-action – Discard a card to gain the resource in the upper left corner.
Buy a movement – Spend one energy to move a probe one space
Buy a card – Spend three publicity to gain a card
Exchange resources – Swap two of the same resources for one other resource. 
Once you and your opponents have marked one blue, yellow and red life trace, you reveal the aliens. They will add additional cards and possible missions for you to accomplish. 
There are lots of ways to score VPs in this game including end game scoring tiles. You choose which three of the four end game scoring tiles you’ll use when you pass 25, 50, and 70 VPs. After five rounds the game ends and you add the end game scoring to your total. The player with the most VPs wins.
<h2>Quick Review of SETI:</h2>
SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence is a simple yet complicated board game. The actions are easy to understand and straightforward but it will take a few games to understand when best to take them. You have a lot of options early in rounds, but as you play cards and spend resources, your options dwindle. 
The components for this game are great. Though it takes up a lot of space the game looks impressive. The highlight is the solar system that actually rotates. The art looks good and the cards are well laid out. The iconography might take a game to take in but once understood it does a good job communicating actions and other information. There is also an excellent player aid to help you remember and translate things. The rules are well written, but I highly suggest watching this excellent <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsJgjoEYNAY" rel="noopener nofollow " target="_blank">how to play video</a>.
The cards in SETI can be used for different things. You must decide how best to use your cards given the resources you have. You must also balance short term gains with building an engine that will propel you to the stars in later rounds. It creates a fun and interesting puzzle. And with 200+ cards the puzzle is never quite the same.
SETI’s theme is based on the actual science we are using to scan space. Obviously alien discovery and contact has not occurred, but it is cool that past and present technology is in the game. 
Also adding to the theme are the unknown aliens. They add a sense of discovery especially the first time you encounter each race. They add some chaos to the game by changing the board’s landscape and letting you score in additional ways. Some might feel having only five alien races will limit replay value, but I would be surprised if we never see an expansion with more.
The solo mode is fun, doesn’t require you to learn a lot of new rules or mechanics, and you can adjust its difficulty to your liking.
Like I mentioned that this game is a card-driven puzzle. And how you often have many options but which is best can be hard to determine. This is especially true on your first couple of plays. There is a learning curve, but it is not steep. The game is not super complex, but knowing what to do when is tough.
Another thing to be aware of is that you should explore to win. Scanning is helpful but if you focus there you will probably get outscored by players that launched probes and took to the sky. Landing on moons can get lots of points and traveling to distant planets is worthwhile.
Lastly, know that with higher player counts there is more downtime. This is exacerbated if someone in your group suffers from analysis paralysis. I have also heard that if you fall behind in the early game, there is no mechanic to help you catch back up.
If you are looking for a fun, medium-heavy weight board game, pick up SETI. It will take a couple plays to comprehend the puzzle of this game. But you will enjoy learning and then playing more. It is worth the investment.
Score and synopsis: (<a href="../../review-categories/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here for an explanation of these review categories.</a>) 
Strategy 4 out of 6 
Luck 4 out of 6 
Player Interaction 4 of 6 
Replay Value 4 out of 6 
Complexity 4 out of 6 
Fun 5 out of 6 
Overall 5 out of 6]]></content:encoded>
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<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
</item>
<item>
<title>Cars Wars Companion and Red/Yellow Starter Set Review</title>
<link>https://www.play-board-games.com/cars-wars-companion-and-red-yellow-starter-set-review/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cars-wars-companion-and-red-yellow-starter-set-review</link>
<comments>https://www.play-board-games.com/cars-wars-companion-and-red-yellow-starter-set-review/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jason C]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 04 Jun 2025 03:43:03 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Board Game Reviews]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[two players]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[3 players]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[4 players]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[2 to 4 players]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.play-board-games.com/?p=7873</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="150" height="150" src="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/car-wars-companion-red-yellow-150x150.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="Car Wars Companion & Red Yellow Starter Set" style="float: left; margin-right: 20px;" link_thumbnail="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" />The Car Wars Companion adds new options, scenarios, and rules to enhance and customize your auto dueling experience. Many of the scenarios work for four players so I tried out the Red/Yellow Starter set too.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="150" height="150" src="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/car-wars-companion-red-yellow-150x150.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="Car Wars Companion & Red Yellow Starter Set" style="float: left; margin-right: 20px;" link_thumbnail="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" /><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/car-wars-companion-red-yellow.jpg" alt="Car Wars Companion & Red Yellow Starter Set" width="489" height="300" class="alignright size-full wp-image-7876" srcset="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/car-wars-companion-red-yellow.jpg 489w, https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/car-wars-companion-red-yellow-300x184.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 489px) 100vw, 489px" />Stats:
No. of players: 2 
Amount of time to play: 60-120 min 
Age requirements: 10+ 
Set-up time: 5-10 min
The Car Wars Companion adds new options, scenarios, and rules to enhance and customize your auto dueling experience. Many of the scenarios work for four players so I tried out the Red/Yellow Starter set too. 

<h2>Car Wars Companion Description:</h2>
The Car Wars Companion starts with an introduction and explanation of how to use the book. Next there is a section about building an arena. It gives rules for existing obstacles and hazards as well as introducing new obstacles and hazards. This includes turrets, grandstands, charge plates, flaming oil and saw blades. You can put these into the arenas you build to add even more action and danger for your automotive combatants. 
The next section (and majority of the book) has over 30 scenarios. These scenarios alter some rules, add some hazards and obstacles, and/or introduce entirely new elements to the game. Each scenario starts with a brief introduction, followed by the set up and any specific rules needed to play. The components box highlights what game sets or expansions are needed to play the scenario. You don’t always need all of these components, like specific playmats etc, but they might make it easier. The write up also includes the map, ways to score points (if applicable), and the win condition.
New optional rules from the scenarios and beyond are included in the next section. You can add these as you like to your Car Wars game. There is a section of weather effects so you can add the natural elements to your outdoor arena. And a section on underdog tokens. These are tokens you earn when things don’t go your way. You can spend them later to add dice to your attack or defense or other bonuses.
If you have less than four players you can add bots to the game. Bots still require a dashboard and are managed by a human. The next section details how to build bots, how they act in combat based on their personality at that time.
After the bots section you learn all about the dice. There is a graphic showing all the different colored dice and their faces. It also talks about the strategy of re-rolls and which dice might be beneficial or detrimental to re-roll.
The book ends with some sample maps you can make using the road tiles you may purchase.
<h2>Red/Yellow Starter Set Description:</h2>
Previously I reviewed the Orange/Purple starter set. The Red/Yellow starter set is similar but does contain a few more items. It includes six miniatures instead of just two. There are still just two bases so more miniatures doesn’t equal more than two players. There are just more miniatures options. Also instead of having sample builds in the rulebook, there are record sheets for each car. Other than that the sets are the same.
<h2>Quick Review of the Car Wars Companion:</h2>
The Car Wars Companion adds a bunch of fun ways to play the game. The scenarios alone add a ton of wrinkles to the game. The additional hazards and obstacles allow players to create their own unique scenarios and customized arenas. This all increases Car Wars’ replay value.
The bot rules allow for solo play or you can add more opponents to scenarios with more players. Running the bots are a bit cumbersome at first, but over time they get easier to manage. They can help add targets, but they are not as intelligent as actual players.
Some of the other information in the Car Wars Companion is nice to have. Like the theories on re-rolls and sample maps. It is cool to get but the main reason to pick this up is if you want to add some variety to your Car Wars game.
<h2>Quick Review of the Car Wars Red/Yellow Starter Set:</h2>
After playing two player games with the Orange/Purple Starter Set i wanted to try out four player games. Getting the Red/Yellow or any of the other Starter Sets made this a reality. I am happy I tried it out and there are different things I like about Car Wars at different player counts. With two it is less chaotic and there are fewer targets. When playing with three or four players there is more action, but opportunities to gang up on one opponent. Two vs two team games can strike a chord between these, but they are all fun for different reasons. I will say three players is awkward as one player tends to be taken out quickly as ganging up and king-making is more likely.
The contents of the Red/Yellow Starter Set is similar to the Orange/Purple Starter Set. The extra miniatures are nice. And for newer players the pre-made cars are great for jumping in. Having two starter sets is nice as there are lots of dice to go around. Everyone gets their own turning key too.]]></content:encoded>
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<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
</item>
<item>
<title>Ring of Chaos Board Game Review</title>
<link>https://www.play-board-games.com/ring-of-chaos-board-game-review/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ring-of-chaos-board-game-review</link>
<comments>https://www.play-board-games.com/ring-of-chaos-board-game-review/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jason C]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 12 May 2025 13:29:22 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Board Game Reviews]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[three or more players]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[3 to 6 players]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[take that]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.play-board-games.com/?p=7864</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="150" height="150" src="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ring-of-chaos-board-game-150x150.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="Ring of Chaos Board Game" style="float: left; margin-right: 20px;" link_thumbnail="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" />In Ring of Chaos, players lead a party of four adventurers to claim the legendary Ring of Chaos. This artifact grants its wielder immense power, capable of summoning the Chaos Gods to reshape the world. To claim the Ring, players must confront rival adventurers and survive encounters with formidable guardians.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="150" height="150" src="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ring-of-chaos-board-game-150x150.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="Ring of Chaos Board Game" style="float: left; margin-right: 20px;" link_thumbnail="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" /><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ring-of-chaos-board-game.jpg" alt="Ring of Chaos Board Game" width="277" height="350" class="alignright size-full wp-image-7867" srcset="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ring-of-chaos-board-game.jpg 277w, https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ring-of-chaos-board-game-237x300.jpg 237w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 277px) 100vw, 277px" />Stats:
No. of players: 3-6 
Amount of time to play: 60-120 min 
Age requirements: 13+ 
Set-up time: minimal
In Ring of Chaos, players lead a party of four adventurers to claim the legendary Ring of Chaos. This artifact grants its wielder immense power, capable of summoning the Chaos Gods to reshape the world. To claim the Ring, players must confront rival adventurers and survive encounters with formidable guardians. 

<h2>Ring of Chaos Rules Description:</h2>
To begin Ring of Chaos you select your adventuring party. There are eight to choose from and each has a unique special ability. Then you set the heroes on your player mat, place one of your standees on a starting space on the map and the other on the summoning track, and draw four cards. To win the game you must gain 11 summoning points or be the last party standing.
On your turn you draw three cards one at a time. If you draw a Temple Guardian it should be resolved immediately. Temple Guardians attack every party, but each player decides which of their four heroes take the attack. This attack may be avoided by discarding any playable Attack or Counter action card. After resolving the Temple Guardian you continue drawing cards until you have three new cards in your hand.
Next you may take one Move, one Attack, and one Bonus action in any order. Move actions include, play a Move action card or move up to two spaces on the board. Landing on an occupied space allows you to push that party to an empty space. Attack actions let you either play an Attack action card or draw a card from the deck. Bonus actions are, play a Bonus action card, pick up the Ring of Chaos (if it is in your space), or steal the ring from an adjacent party. At the end of your turn you must discard down to five cards.
Attacks come in two types: melee and ranged. Melee attacks must be against a party adjacent to you and Ranged attacks can only be against a party not adjacent to you. A few Attack cards are labeled Any and may be used as either type and Attacks cards labeled All impact all parties but the current player’s. Attackers target a specific Hero and the defender must play an appropriate Counter card or take damage. The first time your hero takes damage their card is flipped over to the wounded side. The second time they are dead. Wounded heroes cannot defend. Some attacks are color coded and may only be played if the associated hero is still alive.
Picking up or stealing the Ring of Chaos gets you one summoning point. Possessing it at the beginning of your turn gets you three more. Eliminating an opposing party lets you take all their summoning points. But you can only score your 11th and final summoning point by wearing or stealing the ring. 
<h2>Quick Review of Ring of Chaos:</h2>
Ring of Chaos is aptly named. It is a chaotic board game full of action and “take that”. It is easy to learn and teach. You can play this with gamers and non-gamers and everyone should enjoy it. Unless they are not a fan of “take that” board games and player elimination.
The components for this game are well made. I do not have the platinum edition but the standees in the retail version look good. The art is well done and the rules are well-written. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aORVWmwGrY" rel="noopener nofollow " target="_blank">Here is an excellent how to play video.</a> 
Ring of Chaos has simple mechanics, has multiple ways to win and is fast-paced. Though more casual, this game is easy to get to the table. 
There are eight unique adventuring parties with different abilities. You will want to try them all and they add a wrinkle to each game. You draft them at the beginning of the game so you should get a chance to try them all out. 
This game supports three to six players. That means it is not great for couples. But finding decent board games for six or more players can be tough. It is nice that it goes above the usual four or five players.
Some things to be aware of in Ring of Chaos. Obviously the “take that” mechanic. But also it is optimal to kill your opponent’s cleric first. This will remove their ability to resurrect a Hero. That is unless their party is the Dread Legion. Then they can use cards from eliminated classes. 
That leads to another thing. I am not sure the abilities are balanced. The Brute Squad and Dread Legion are pretty powerful. I explained the Dread Leagion’s ability above. The Brute’s melee attacks count as two hits if successful. That means in melee they one-shot your heroes.
Lastly there is player elimination. Once your heroes are all dead you have to sit and watch your friends play the game. Depending how long you wait this might bother you more.
If you are looking for a lighter, casual, “take that” board game, give Ring of Chaos a try.
Score and synopsis: (<a href="../../review-categories/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here for an explanation of these review categories.</a>) 
Strategy 3 out of 6 
Luck 6 out of 6 
Player Interaction 6 of 6 
Replay Value 4 out of 6 
Complexity 2 out of 6 
Fun 4 out of 6 
Overall 4 out of 6]]></content:encoded>
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<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
</item>
<item>
<title>Kinfire Delve Callous’ Lab Game Review</title>
<link>https://www.play-board-games.com/kinfire-delve-callous-lab-game-review/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=kinfire-delve-callous-lab-game-review</link>
<comments>https://www.play-board-games.com/kinfire-delve-callous-lab-game-review/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jason C]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 30 Apr 2025 03:34:40 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Board Game Reviews]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[solo play]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[two players]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Cooperative game]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Co-operative game]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[1 to 2 players]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.play-board-games.com/?p=7838</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="150" height="150" src="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/kinfire-delve-callous-lab-150x150.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="Kinfire Delve Callous' Lab" style="float: left; margin-right: 20px;" link_thumbnail="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" />Kinfire Delve: Callous' Lab is a card-driven, cooperative board game set in a fantasy world that is plagued by a returning Darkness. Players, as Seekers armed with kinfire lanterns, explore unique dungeons called Wells, each ruled by powerful Well Masters, to protect their world.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="150" height="150" src="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/kinfire-delve-callous-lab-150x150.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="Kinfire Delve Callous' Lab" style="float: left; margin-right: 20px;" link_thumbnail="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" /><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/kinfire-delve-callous-lab.jpg" alt="Kinfire Delve Callous' Lab" width="272" height="350" class="alignright size-full wp-image-7840" srcset="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/kinfire-delve-callous-lab.jpg 272w, https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/kinfire-delve-callous-lab-233x300.jpg 233w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 272px) 100vw, 272px" />Stats:
No. of players: 1-2 
Amount of time to play: 60-120 min 
Age requirements: 14+ 
Set-up time: 5 min
Kinfire Delve: Callous’ Lab is a card-driven, cooperative board game set in a fantasy world that is plagued by a returning Darkness. Players, as Seekers armed with kinfire lanterns, explore unique dungeons called Wells, each ruled by powerful Well Masters, to protect their world. 

<h2>Kinfire Delve Callous’ Lab Rules Description:</h2>
To begin Kinfire Delve you randomly select the one of the three Master cards to face. This is the boss at the bottom of the Well. Next you draw the top four Well cards and place them orthogonally next to the Master card. Last you discard three cards from the Well deck. 
There are two characters to play, Valora and Roland. Volora is a bow-wielding archer and Roland is a dwarven magic user. Each player chooses who they will play, takes that character’s Seeker card and lantern card. Also you take their player deck, shuffle it, draw cards based on the number of players and set the health tracker to ten. 
On your turn you must try to resolve one of the four cards adjacent to the Master. Most of these cards are challenges but some are events. Event cards will instruct you to perform specific actions. You might add or remove progress tokens from other cards or gain health. 
Challenge cards have a number in the top right and are a specific color based on their type, combat, obstacle, or puzzle. The number represents the difficulty or number of progress tokens required to beat the challenge. After choosing the challenge you wish to resolve, you may play a card from your hand that matches the color of the challenge. Some cards are multi-colored and white matches everything. Next your teammate may boost your result. They may play up to two cards using the bottom text to add to your progress. The boost section has a color and again must match the color of the challenge. If you are playing solo, you may boost your own actions. Then you gather the four dice and roll them. Any results that match the color of the challenge or are white add to your progress. You compare your total progress and any previously on the card. If that equals or exceeds the difficulty you discard it and reap the reward on it. Often the reward is discarding cards from the Well. There is also a penalty if you fail to overcome the challenge. This might be loss of health, discarding cards, or returning cards to the Well.
You start the game with a lantern card which is very powerful but inactive to begin with. Some rewards and skill cards allow you to activate it for use later. It is played in place of your skill card and is turned face down afterward.
When you are ready at the start of any turn you may discard your hand and redraw up to your hand limit. But when you do this you also take an exhaustion card. These cards are always bad and some might lose you the game if certain criteria are met. They remain in play until another card or effect lets you discard them. At that point they are shuffled back into the deck.
Play continues alternating between players until you are required to add a card from the Well but it is empty. It is time to face the Master. You flip the Master faceup, remove any cards adjacent to them, and add the four gauntlet cards. Defeating gauntlets allows you to flip them over which makes Callous vulnerable to their matching colored attacks going forward. With none of the gauntlets flipped he is invulnerable.
Defeating the Master is similar to overcoming other challenges but you won’t always have consequences for failing. Failure only results in negative consequences if you roll a black result on the white/black die. Get enough progress tokens on Callous and you win. Drop to zero health or meet a revealed lose condition and you lose.
<h2>Quick Review of Kinfire Delve Callous’ Lab:</h2>
Callous’ Lab is the latest installment in the Kinfire Delve series. All three games released play similarly, but feature different Seekers and Masters. They may be played solo, with two players or if you own more than one set, up to four players. I have only played this game from the series.
The components for this game are very nice. The artwork is great and everything looks top-notch. The cards are thick and durable and even the card backs look high end with gold foil. The box has a decent insert but it is a bit tight. The rules are well written and have examples. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PD1mO8_NFg" rel="noopener nofollow " target="_blank">Here is a video that explains how to play as well.</a>
Kinfire Delve is a streamlined, tactically focused card game. You need to work with the cards you have to make the best of the challenges you face. This can be difficult if your hand doesn’t match any of the face up challenges. But this is rare and most often you can take on a challenge even if it means only making progress without removing it. Then dealing with the consequences.
This game features two unique characters with different play styles. The two new characters, Roland Wordforger and Valora Helmsman, offer unique abilities that encourage strategic cooperation. Roland can boost card draws for teammates, aiding in fatigue management, while Valora’s skills allow her to apply progress to challenges she isn’t currently tackling, setting up future successes.
I also like the replay value of Callous’ Lab. The Well is made up of 57 challenge cards. This design ensures that each time you play your experience is unique, with varying combinations of challenges and rewards.
Another nice thing is the size of this game. It is compact and easy to carry. You can throw it into a backpack or suitcase without worrying about damage, lost pieces, or taking up too much space.
If you’re looking for a replayable co-op game that won’t clutter your shelf or your luggage, <a href="https://amzn.to/42Nto1W" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored " target="_blank">pick Kinfire Delve Callous’ Lab up</a>. If you have and enjoy the other games in this series, you will like this one too.
Score and synopsis: (<a href="../../review-categories/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here for an explanation of these review categories.</a>) 
Strategy 4 out of 6 
Luck 5 out of 6 
Player Interaction 6 of 6 
Replay Value 5 out of 6 
Complexity 3 out of 6 
Fun 4 out of 6 
Overall 4 out of 6]]></content:encoded>
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<title>D&D 2024 Monster Manual Review</title>
<link>https://www.play-board-games.com/dnd-2024-monster-manual-review/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dnd-2024-monster-manual-review</link>
<comments>https://www.play-board-games.com/dnd-2024-monster-manual-review/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jason C]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 07 Apr 2025 04:08:07 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[RPG Review]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DnD]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Dungeons and Dragons]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[RPG]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.play-board-games.com/?p=7830</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="150" height="150" src="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/dnd-2024-monster-manual-150x150.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="DnD 2024 Monster Manual" style="float: left; margin-right: 20px;" link_thumbnail="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" />The 2024 Monster Manual is the third and final core rulebook updated for Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition. As you might expect it has a bunch of monsters. It is similar to the Monster Manual from 2014, but there are differences. Some changes are to make monsters easier to use and others are to keep things in step with the 2024 update.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="150" height="150" src="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/dnd-2024-monster-manual-150x150.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="DnD 2024 Monster Manual" style="float: left; margin-right: 20px;" link_thumbnail="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" /><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/dnd-2024-monster-manual.jpg" alt="DnD 2024 Monster Manual" width="278" height="350" class="alignright size-full wp-image-7832" srcset="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/dnd-2024-monster-manual.jpg 278w, https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/dnd-2024-monster-manual-238x300.jpg 238w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 278px) 100vw, 278px" />The 2024 Monster Manual is the third and final core rulebook updated for Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition. As you might expect it has a bunch of monsters. It is similar to the Monster Manual from 2014, but there are differences. Some changes are to make monsters easier to use and others are to keep things in step with the 2024 update.

<h2>DnD 2024 Monster Manual Description:</h2>
The 2024 Monster Manual has over 500 monsters in it. Most are the same but updated from earlier editions, some are renamed, and others new. After the table of contents, the book starts with an overview and sample monster stat block. Then a section that tells you what all the different stats, headers, and sections mean.
There are a handful of changes to every monster’s listing. First you will notice a one line description of the monster under its name. For example, the Gargoyle’s is “Sculpted Sentinel Hidden in Plain Sight”. Below that it lists their habitat and treasure they might have. Another change is the monster’s initiative is near the top of the stat block. Ability scores are listed as before but now show the modifier and save next to them. In general the descriptions, actions, and traits have been simplified and are less wordy.
Appendix A has animal stats, making it easy for druids that shapeshift. Appendix B has different listings of monsters. First is a list of monsters that were converted or replaced from the 2014 5th edition Monster Manual. It also lists monsters by their habitat in ascending CR. Then there is a list sectioned by creature type and another by CR.
<h2>Quick Review of the D&D 2024 Monster Manual:</h2>
The updated 2024 Monster Manual is easier to use, has great art, and is compatible with the other 2024 core rulebooks. There are lots of things to like about it and a few things that could still be improved. 
One of my favorite additions is the one line description of the monster. It can help you gain a quick understanding of the monster and its MO. The monsters are more challenging and deadly, but simpler to run than their 2014 counterparts.
Another positive change impacts martial characters. Many monsters in the 2014 Monster Manual had resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from non-magical weapons. There is much less of it in the updated book. To compensate, monsters have more hit points and sometimes higher AC.
Some things are missing. Like the listings in Appendix B of monsters by Type, Group and CR not giving page numbers. It would have been easy to add these and there is space for them. While not a huge deal it keeps you from having to flip to the table of contents as often.
There is also no guide to make your own monsters. Nothing. All we got was the info in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. DMs, especially newer ones, that want to homebrew monsters have little direction for creating their own unique monsters.
This book also contains less lore than the previous edition. But you might find that as an opportunity to create your own or be annoyed there is less official information on a monster. Again this is probably something that would help newer DMs. Experienced ones already know lore or might make up their own.
If you have purchased the other updated core rulebooks then picking up the <a href="https://amzn.to/3FVGiDf" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored " target="_blank">2024 Monster Manual</a> is a no brainer. PCs are more powerful and require the monsters to keep pace. If you didn’t buy the updated <a href="https://www.play-board-games.com/dd-2024-dungeon-masters-guide-review/" title="D&D 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide Review">Dungeon Master’s Guide</a> or <a href="https://www.play-board-games.com/dnd-2024-players-handbook-review/" title="D&D 2024 Player’s Handbook Review">Player’s Handbook</a>, I am not sure just buying this makes a lot of sense.]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Hoplomachus Victorum Board Game Review</title>
<link>https://www.play-board-games.com/hoplomachus-victorum-board-game-review/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hoplomachus-victorum-board-game-review</link>
<comments>https://www.play-board-games.com/hoplomachus-victorum-board-game-review/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jason C]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 24 Mar 2025 03:36:01 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Board Game Reviews]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[solo play]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.play-board-games.com/?p=7822</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="150" height="150" src="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/hoplomachus-victorum-150x150.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="Hoplomachus Victorum" style="float: left; margin-right: 20px;" link_thumbnail="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" />Hoplomachus Victorum is a solo campaign game of gladiatorial combat set in a mythological version of classical antiquity. You play as a hero who travels through different regions engaging in tactical arena battles or deadly combat. Over the course of 4 acts, each consisting of 12 weeks, you will build a squad of combat units, face mini-bosses and face off against the final boss.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="150" height="150" src="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/hoplomachus-victorum-150x150.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="Hoplomachus Victorum" style="float: left; margin-right: 20px;" link_thumbnail="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" /><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/hoplomachus-victorum.jpg" alt="Hoplomachus Victorum" width="350" height="358" class="alignright size-full wp-image-7825" srcset="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/hoplomachus-victorum.jpg 350w, https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/hoplomachus-victorum-293x300.jpg 293w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px" />Stats:
No. of players: 1 
Amount of time to play: 60-90 min per Act 
Age requirements: 14+ 
Set-up time: 5-10 min
Hoplomachus Victorum is a solo campaign game of gladiatorial combat set in a mythological version of classical antiquity. You play as a hero who travels through different regions engaging in tactical arena battles or deadly combat. Over the course of 4 acts, each consisting of 12 weeks, you will build a squad of combat units, face mini-bosses and face off against the final boss. 

<h2>Hoplomachus Victorum Rules Description:</h2>
To begin Hoplomachus Victorum you must first pick the hero you want to play. Heroes begin with a few neutral units, three prowess cards, and three tactics. Neutral units join you in battle, tend to be weaker than other units, and don’t get benefits in any of the arenas. Prowess cards grant you innate bonuses that are specific to your hero. Tactics are one-use bonuses or penalties that you can add to both friendly and enemy units during events.
Then you pick three random Primuses (mini-bosses) and a Scion (big bad) to face off against. The game is broken into four acts which are broken into 12 weeks (or rounds). Before the 12th week of each act you must travel to the region of one the Primuses and face off against them. At the end of the fourth and final act you must travel to the capital of Vesuvius and take on the Scion.
Each round is broken into three phases, Travel, Event, and Cleanup. Your hero starts in the capital of their region. In the Travel you must move one space on the world map and cannot backtrack. Each space is marked with a sport, bloodshed, or opportunity icon which determines the type of event you’ll resolve in the next step. Each region of the world map has an associated arena. These arenas have special rules and give bonuses to units from that region (locals). 
The Event phase is played out slightly differently depending on the type of event you are resolving. At sporting events you draw the top sporting event card. It will tell you the specific type of event you can choose (King of the Hill, Capture the Flag, or Spar), the number of local and random enemy units you’ll face off against, and if your enemies have tactics. One of these units will be the Tribute. If you take out the Tribute there are harsh penalties. The card also shows the number of units you can recruit to the event and any special rules or conditions for that event.
King of the Hill events entail controlling specific hexes in the arena at the start of your turn, gaining a point for each you do. Get to six points and you win the event. 
Capture the Flag events require you to get from your starting area to the enemies, pick up the flag, and return it to your starting area. 
Spar events call for you to eliminate all but the Tribute unit. 
Sporting events are non-deadly for your units. They are knocked out but not killed and if you win, you can recruit one of the opposing units you faced or refill your tactic tokens. 
Bloodshed events are similar to Spar events except they are deadly and you must eliminate all enemy units. There is no tribute and winning lets you increase one of your stats.
Opportunity events let you draw two opportunity cards and keep one. They have a goal on them that lets you claim a reward once the goal is met. These rewards include special prowess cards, unique units, and unique tactics. 
After the Event phase is over you mark a week off your hero sheet and collect rewards or punishment based on the success or failure of the event.
Combat begins with the opponent adding their first unit to the board. You also place health chips under the unit equal to its health stat. Units enter play dazed and cannot take any actions on the round they enter the arena. For your first turn you may add a unit to the arena. Next turn for the opponent will be to add another unit and move and attack if possible with the unit they placed in the first turn. They may also place tactics and where they move and who they attack is based on the arena and event. Every arena details the priority for enemy units. On every turn a non-dazed unit may move and then attack. Movement, range, and the dice used for attacking are on a unit’s chip. Units also have skills that will help them in a fight and there is a sheet that details all of these. You continue to add enemy units every round until you add the number shown on the event card. You may add units up to the number shown on the event card.
Some turns you might be too beat up to take on an event. In this case you can spectate. This doesn’t advance the week, heals your hero, and adds to the scion’s influence. Based on the Act you are in, you mark off spots on the Scion Influence track. Certain spaces on this track require you to add Bane tokens into the units bag. As you would expect these are bad for you when drawn. You may also give up but this also adds Scion Influence equal to the current Act. If your hero is ever killed you may use one of your Blessings to fully heal them. You start with eight, four, or one Blessing depending on difficulty.
Primus fights take place as soon as you enter the capital of their region. They are always Bloodshed events and you cannot give up. Primus’s health and the units they add to the combat are in the rulebook and they get more difficult each Act. Each Act also increases the difficulty of events by adding units to their lineup, deploying 2 units on the first turn, and giving them extra health.
At the end of Act four you must face off against the Scion. You may not give up and you may not use Blessings. Instead any remaining Blessings are used to remove Banes from the game. Scions roll a bunch of dice and then resolve them step by step. Then it is your turn. You may deploy your units in any order but there is a limit on the number of units you may add to the arena based on the Scion you are fighting. This is a winner take all combat and you either win or lose the game based on its outcome.
<h2>Quick Review of Hoplomachus Victorum:</h2>
Hoplomachus: Victorum is a fun and engaging solitaire board game. It features tactical gameplay, squad building, and hero progression. It takes some careful planning and a bit of luck to get to and beat the final boss. This game is not overly complex but there is a lot to track. The rules description above is not exhaustive but explains the main rules in the game.
The components for this game are premium. The weighted plastic chips and neoprene mats are not just durable. Everything looks really good and of top-notch quality. The rule book is well-written and easy to follow. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY6gPoHQJ1Q" rel="noopener nofollow " target="_blank">This video is a great help to get an understanding of the flow and basic understanding of the game.</a> I do wish some rules were highlighted more and easier to find. I often play with my laptop nearby to google rules.
I really like the squad construction you can do in this game. You will need to build (and rebuild) an effective team. Being able to spend a Blessing to fill out your squad was something I missed early on but it could have a big impact. Hero progression is always fun in games and there are some different ways you can build out each unique hero. Some of how your team and hero get flushed out is driven by completing Opportunity Events. This adds a random element to team construction. I don’t mind this but it is good to be aware of it going in.
Hoplomachus: Victorum has a ton of replay value. There are eight heroes and scions to pit against each other and decks of random Sport and Bloodshed events that will play out differently based on the arena where they occur. And as mentioned above, there are a variety of Opportunity Events to resolve to gain different bonuses. You can even play the game on three difficulties.
The biggest drawback of this game is its length. It takes about 60 to 90 minutes per Act. So it is a time investment. As you play the game moves quickly enough but can feel like a bit of a grind. Spending a lot of time fighting in a region helps you beat the Primus, but it can feel repetitive being in the same arena the majority of an Act. You can enter the capital to face off against the Primus at any time. But not spending the time to win events to level up seems like a losing strategy. I do like how easy it is to save the game whether at the end of an Act or any week.
I mentioned there are lots of things to track in this game. A few times I forgot rules on event cards. During my first play I forgot to add the Combat Act Modifiers at the beginning of Act Two. None of these things are the end of the world but often forgetting rules goes in your favor and I want to win playing correctly.
My other issues are mostly nitpicks. The world map is at the bottom of the play mat and often I would knock my marker off the current city while moving cards of units in the arena. I would have preferred this to be somewhere out of the way. The world map is at times hard to read. The dotted lines donating a route you can travel blend into the background in some regions.
If you are looking for a great solo board game with a bunch of replayabilty and excellent components, <a href="https://amzn.to/4hOBywF" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored " target="_blank">pick up Hoplomachus Victorum</a>.
Score and synopsis: (<a href="../../review-categories/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here for an explanation of these review categories.</a>) 
Strategy 5 out of 6 
Luck 5 out of 6 
Player Interaction N/A 
Replay Value 5 out of 6 
Complexity 5 out of 6 
Fun 5 out of 6 
Overall 5 out of 6]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Cars Wars 6e Orange / Purple Starter Set Review</title>
<link>https://www.play-board-games.com/cars-wars-6e-orange-purple-starter-set-review/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cars-wars-6e-orange-purple-starter-set-review</link>
<comments>https://www.play-board-games.com/cars-wars-6e-orange-purple-starter-set-review/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jason C]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 04 Mar 2025 04:51:52 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Board Game Reviews]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[two players]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.play-board-games.com/?p=7814</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="150" height="150" src="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/car-wars-6e-orange-purple-150x150.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="Car Wars 6e Orange Purple" style="float: left; margin-right: 20px;" link_thumbnail="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" />Car Wars Sixth Edition came out in 2021 and the Orange Purple Starter Set has everything you and a friend need to play and enjoy this game. You’ll get two cars, turning keys, and dashboards plus a bunch of dice and tokens. There are also cards to let you customize your car and crew.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="150" height="150" src="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/car-wars-6e-orange-purple-150x150.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="Car Wars 6e Orange Purple" style="float: left; margin-right: 20px;" link_thumbnail="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" /><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/car-wars-6e-orange-purple.jpg" alt="Car Wars 6e Orange Purple" width="289" height="350" class="alignright size-full wp-image-7815" srcset="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/car-wars-6e-orange-purple.jpg 289w, https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/car-wars-6e-orange-purple-248x300.jpg 248w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 289px) 100vw, 289px" />Stats:
No. of players: 2 
Amount of time to play: 60-120 min 
Age requirements: 10+ 
Set-up time: 5-10 min
Car Wars Sixth Edition came out in 2021 and the Orange Purple Starter Set has everything you and a friend need to play and enjoy this game. You’ll get two cars, turning keys, and dashboards plus a bunch of dice and tokens. There are also cards to let you customize your car and crew. 

<h2>Car Wars 6e Rules Description:</h2>
The Car Wars tagline is “Where the right of way goes to the biggest guns.” and in this game you will build a car to face-off against a friend to see who can eliminate their opponent first. 
First you need to decide the size match you want to play. This will give you the points you have to build your car and crew. You use build points to add weapons, armor, and other accessories to your car. To load out your car, you place the items around your dashboard. Items above your dashboard are on the front of your car, items on the left side of your dashboard are on the left side of your car, items below your dashboard are on the rear of your car and (you guessed it) items on the right side of your dashboard are on the right side of your car. Crew points are used to get a driver and gunner.
Your dashboard not only helps you know where items are on your car. It also contains lots of information like your current speed, amount of armor on each side of your car, the rubber remaining on your tires, and the damage you’ve taken to your power core. You also use it to gain control tokens which help you maintain control of your car.
Each turn the first player moves their car and then their opponent moves. Before you move your car, you have the option to speed up or down by one. Your speed represents the number of car lengths you will move this turn. You may turn or slide using the turning key. Anything more than driving straight or slightly turning is called a maneuver. Each time you make a maneuver you gain an ace token and must roll dice equal to your speed plays a certain number based on the degree of the turn. You must pay one control token for each skid result and take one tire damage for each wrench result. For each control token you are unable to pay you take one tire damage, spin out, and are out of control. If you ever get five skid result that you cannot pay control for you flip over and are eliminated.
After both players have completed their movement, you get to attack. Both your driver and gunner may attack but each weapon may only be fired once per turn. You may only fire weapons that are in the arc that your target is in. And you hit them in the arc that you are in from their car. So if you are parallel to your opponent heading the same direction on their left, you could fire weapons on the right side of your dashboard and hit the left side of their car. Weapon cards tell you which dice to roll and you count the number of hits. The defender rolls dice equal to their speed plus any cards that add dice. They can spend ace tokens to re-roll defense results too. Any shield results negate a hit and remaining hits get applied to your armor. If you have no armor on the targeted side of your car you take internal damage. This is resolved by drawing a card and it lists areas of your car that you must place damage tokens on. Your weapons and armor have durability points and can be destroyed this way. This is also how you take power core damage.
If you flip over or your power core is reduced to zero, you lose. These are just the basics of the rules. There are rules for collisions, pile ups, terrain, cover, and catching opponents on fire (and putting out said fires). <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w3SF5zLFyQ" rel="noopener nofollow " target="_blank">This is an excellent video to watch while learning the game.</a>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/car-wars-6e-starter-set.jpg" alt="Car Wars 6e Starter Set Contents" width="550" height="537" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-7816" srcset="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/car-wars-6e-starter-set.jpg 550w, https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/car-wars-6e-starter-set-300x293.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
<h2>Quick Review of the Car Wars Orange / Purple Starter Set:</h2>
This <a href="https://amzn.to/3XtKboL" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored " target="_blank">Car Wars Starter Set</a> does exactly what it should, gets you started playing Car Wars. The Orange / Purple part of the name comes into play on the dashboards and the car’s bases. But there are enough build cards for you to play from 4 up to 48 build point games. I should state up front that I have not played earlier editions of the game. So I can only speak to the sixth edition rules and components.
Speaking of components, the components for this game are great. The cars are unpainted, but the models themselves look good. There are lots of bright dice, tokens and other chits too. All of them are durable and easy to identify. The rulebook is good but not great. It is pretty well organized with lots of examples, but some important rules are not well highlighted and you can miss them or have trouble finding them when looking.
The dashboard is excellent. It gives you all the info you need and tracks your different stats and the tokens you gain easily. The build cards’ position to the dashboard and how that relates to their position on your car is intuitive and helps when attacking and defending. I do wish the armor tracking sliders were notched or were harder to move as sometimes they are easy to jostle. But that is more of a nitpick than anything.
I like how easy it is to build cars and add a crew. The build points system is straightforward and there is even a sample car build in the rule book. The contents of the Orange / Purple Two Player Starter Set lets you try out all the different game sizes. 
As I said this is a starter set. Over time you will probably want more build options and more cars. <a href="https://amzn.to/4h65Gmv" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored " target="_blank">There are several small expansions you can buy to add more weapons, accessories, crew, and more to your Car Wars collection.</a> This will extend the replay value of the game and let you create even more vehicular death machines.
This set comes with some terrain cards and mentions scenario play. Though the terrain cards are too easily moved when pushing your car across the table. As a first time player I would have liked a sample first game map, similar to the prebuilt car in the rules. Then after playing a few times it would have been nice to have a few scenarios to mix things up a bit.
I enjoy the game with two players, but would like to try it with four. It seems the best way to do that is <a href="https://amzn.to/3F2AU0J" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored " target="_blank">get another starter set</a> with different color bases, more turning keys and dashboards.
If you are interested in Car Wars the Orange / Purple Two Player Starter Set is a great place to jump in. If you enjoy it and want to add more expansions and cars there are lots of additional sets you could down the road.
Score and synopsis: (<a href="../../review-categories/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here for an explanation of these review categories.</a>) 
Strategy 3 out of 6 
Luck 5 out of 6 
Player Interaction 6 of 6 
Replay Value 4 out of 6 
Complexity 4 out of 6 
Fun 4 out of 6 
Overall 4 out of 6]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Heroscape Age of Annihilation Board Game Review</title>
<link>https://www.play-board-games.com/heroscape-age-of-annihilation-board-game-review/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=heroscape-age-of-annihilation-board-game-review</link>
<comments>https://www.play-board-games.com/heroscape-age-of-annihilation-board-game-review/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jason C]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 24 Feb 2025 04:30:18 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Board Game Reviews]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[two players]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[family games]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[war game]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.play-board-games.com/?p=7804</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img width="150" height="150" src="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/heroscape-master-set-AoA-150x150.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="Heroscape Master Set AoA" style="float: left; margin-right: 20px;" link_thumbnail="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" />Heroscape Age of Annihilation is a skirmish game with great looking miniatures and fantastic 3d maps you build. The Master Set comes with 20 figures and 9 scenarios and the Battle Box includes 6 figures and 4 scenarios. Both have hours of entertainment in them.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="150" height="150" src="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/heroscape-master-set-AoA-150x150.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="Heroscape Master Set AoA" style="float: left; margin-right: 20px;" link_thumbnail="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" /><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/heroscape-master-set-AoA.jpg" alt="Heroscape Master Set AoA" width="375" height="256" class="alignright size-full wp-image-7808" srcset="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/heroscape-master-set-AoA.jpg 375w, https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/heroscape-master-set-AoA-300x205.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 375px) 100vw, 375px" />Stats:
No. of players: 2 
Amount of time to play: 60-120 min 
Age requirements: 14+ 
Set-up time: 10-20 min
Heroscape Age of Annihilation is a skirmish game with great looking miniatures and fantastic 3d maps you build. The Master Set comes with 20 figures and 9 scenarios and the Battle Box includes 6 figures and 4 scenarios. Both have hours of entertainment in them. 

<h2>Heroscape Age of Annihilation Rules Description:</h2>
The Heroscape Age of Annihilation Master Set comes with everything you need to battle it out with a friend. Once you have built the map for the scenario you are playing, you select your team. Some of the scenarios have prescribed teams, but you can also set a point limit and draft teams. 
You should familiarize yourself with your army. Most units have special abilities that can assist movement or grant them a special attack. This is even more important for units you have not played with before.
After placing your figures on the map in their starting area, you place your Order Markers. You have four of them. Three numbered from one to three and one with an X. Each round you activate three units (or you could activate one unit three times). To signify which units you plan to activate you place your Order Markers in the cards of those figures. Your opponent does not see which unit has a specific Marker. The X is just there as a decoy.
Next you roll a d20 for initiative. The player that rolls the highest reveals their number one Order Marker and activates that unit. Then the other player reveals and activates their unit with the number one Order Marker. This goes back and forth until all three Order Markers have been revealed and resolved. If a unit is eliminated before it has a chance to activate, you skip activation.
On your turn your activated unit may move a number of spaces up to its Move value. It costs an extra move for each level you go up. This is not the case when moving down, but you can fall if you descend further than your unit’s height. If you have more than one figure associated with a card they may all move. And terrain matters, you must stop if you enter a water space.
<a href="https://amzn.to/3DdwUtx" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored " target="_blank"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/heroscape-AoA.jpg" alt="" width="537" height="309" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-7806" srcset="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/heroscape-AoA.jpg 537w, https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/heroscape-AoA-300x173.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 537px) 100vw, 537px" /></a>
After you finish moving you may attack. Every unit has a range and at range one you may only attack adjacent figures. You must attack enemies you are adjacent to even if you have a range greater than one. When you attack you roll dice equal to your Attack value and the defender rolls dice equal to their Defense value. The defender’s shield results are subtracted from the attacker’s hit results and any remaining hits subtract from the defender’s Life. If you move out of adjacency with a unit it gets a free one die, non-defended attack against you. Like movement, multi-squad units may all attack with one activation.
Victory is determined by the scenario objectives. But sometimes it comes down to scoring the most points. You gain points for each unit you eliminate based on its point value.
<h2>Quick Review of Heroscape Age of Annihilation:</h2>
Heroscape is a miniatures skirmish game that was first released in 2004. Over the next six years new sets of units and terrain were released. Then in 2010 it was discontinued. But in 2024 it was relaunched. And not as a 2.0 or redone system. The newer releases are compatible with all former products. This is a fun game system with simple rules that gamers of all ages can understand and enjoy. 
The new figures look great and the terrain always looks impressive on the table. The unit cards are well designed and the rules are well written. The scenario book is not as great. The way the maps are shown makes them hard to build and a couple maps are just wrong. 
This game is very approachable. It appeals to a variety of ages and both hardcore and casual gamers enjoy it. With more units you can have more players and even play team games. The rules aren’t fiddly and it is easy to teach. If you have younger kids you can play the basic game that removes the special abilities.
As you play the game, you learn what combinations of units you prefer. For new players this might take a few waves of figures, but old timers can mix the new units with previously released ones for interesting synergies. Army building, testing, and tinkering is a fun way to try you different units.
Heroscape looks great and is fun, but it is random. Lots of the strategy comes from army building and tactical positioning. Once the dice are involved it is anyone’s game. If you aren’t a fan of luck-based skirmishers, it may not be for you.
<a href="https://amzn.to/4icTUaW" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored " target="_blank"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/heroscape-battle-box.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="336" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-7807" srcset="https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/heroscape-battle-box.jpg 550w, https://www.play-board-games.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/heroscape-battle-box-300x183.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" /></a>
Another thing to keep in mind is the setup time. Building the map can take a while. If you have a designated area where you can leave maps out then great. If you need to tear it down and set up every time you play, be aware of the time investment.
Should you get Heroscape Age of Annihilation? If you have past sets this is a great way to expand your game. If you enjoy miniature skirmish games or have kids you want to play this type of game with, then yes. The <a href="https://amzn.to/3DdwUtx" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored " target="_blank">Master Set</a> will give you plenty of hours of fun. If you want to try it out with a lower cost the <a href="https://amzn.to/4icTUaW" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored " target="_blank">Battle Box</a> is a great way to try it out too. The sets are available with painted or unpainted miniatures (the premium painted sets are more expensive).
Score and synopsis: (<a href="../../review-categories/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here for an explanation of these review categories.</a>) 
Strategy 3 out of 6 
Luck 5 out of 6 
Player Interaction 6 of 6 
Replay Value 4 out of 6 
Complexity 3 out of 6 
Fun 5 out of 6 
Overall 5 out of 6]]></content:encoded>
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