Leadership and Talismans

It was a small group that got together on July 16 for the monthly Border Board games gathering. We welcomed Carlo back into the fold after a few absences and he brought along some new games and nearly new games to try. We started with King of Tokyo, a game Beth and I first tried at the Game'n Grill in Norwich last month. I followed a more aggressive tact this time around with my giant alien thingy. Rather than back away at the first hit, I stuck it out for several rounds quickly building up my fame points (or whatever the stars represent). The carnage was hot and heavy as Beth's Cyberbunny went down alarmingly fast (breaking a string of Cyberbunny victories as Carlo told it) and then Carlo's Kraken followed soon after. It came down to Shannon and I (Shannon having taken the ubiquitous giant lizard) and a timely card purchase claimed the victory in the last portion of my turn.

Next up came a try at the Seven Wonder expansion leaders. The Leaders not only provided us with extra coins to start the game (doubling starting money to 6 coins) but an interesting complimentary twist. As it played out, the King Midas leader card proved the decisive one for me. I managed to squeak out the win with 64 points, owing in part to the six bonus points derived from having Midas' gold for VPs power. Not all of the Leaders are of equal value as many of the cards that formed my starting hand ended up in the rubbish pile after being passed around the table. But there are enough interesting twists that, if your homecity actually manages to match their powers, can provide a solid edge.

Lastly we ventured into the world of Talisman. Since having seen it played at Games 'Til You Puke in May, I'd had a hankering for a down and dirty dungeon romp. It has elements of strategy coupled with a heaping helping of luck. Given that the players are all vying for final victory on their own, it lacks the cooperative mayhem of Arkham Horror with an equally random set of circumstances. Our misunderstanding of the Ogre Chieftain's power may have given Homer the victory but a victory it was as the Alchemist, Cleric (and Valkyrie before), Wizard and Assassin all withered before the Ogre's Crown of Might.

It's a relatively simple system but one where bad things happening lead to even more bad things happening. Shannon's (and later my own) decision to enter The Dungeon proved disastrous. Not only were the critters harder than in the Highlands, the loot rewards seemed fewer and further between. While Homer and carlo romped merrily through the Highlands acquiring relics and loot galore, Shannon and I slogged painfully through the Dungeon trying to find a way out that wasn't infested by vampires and slimes. Character selection goes a long way in talisman. A Craft dedicated character would fare well in the Dungeon while Strength based ones do better in the Highlands. The final ring approaching the Crown certainly does appear to favor an all or nothing approach. Balanced stats appear to become a liability unless other characters are busy attacking you there.

I think it's a game that I would like to play again, when I have many hours to spare, but one I might be more inclined to carefully choose a character to use rather than going on impulse alone.