Hello kiddies!! What is dead may not die, but rise again!! LOL, just kidding, sorta.
I know I really don't have excuses as to WHY I've been gone (work and other stuff that's happened) but I'm here now.
So, what do I bring to you today? I will be giving my review/comments on Fury of Dracula.
No, it's not a movie title but a boardgame (table top) by the makers of Fantasy Flight Games company (who are also responsible for White Chapel). It is a 2-5 players, and it is a one versus many deduction game based on Bram Stoker's Dracula.
And they are not kidding that it is one versus many!
So one player gets to be Dracula and the rest of the players get to be the Hunters. There are 4 hunters with their own special abilities and weaknesses.
Dracula gets his own mini map and the players get to place their designated character token on the board, Dracula gets to place in his mini map.
The interesting thing about this game is that it is a very much 'cat and mouse' game where at times the Hunters become the hunted and vice versa.
When we first acquired the game, the Hubby and I played together to try out the game.
It is very much difficult with just two players, because the player who gets stuck being the hunters has to be ALL four.
It is easy to get tunnel vision and loose the table talk that is supposed to happen
throughout the game, if there are more than two players.
Using deduction and logic, the hunters are supposed to track Dracula and deal 15 damage to him at each encounter in order to win.
This is easier said than done, because along the way (if you are on the right track) Dracula can leave all sorts of traps and vampire henchmen in order to either evade or put that hunter out of the game.
The interesting part is that when a hunter reaches their bite mark level (wounds) they are not necessarily dead, but they are sent to the nearest hospital and they rest (announce they are resting instead of taking their normal turn actions) they loose valueable time and resource to fight Dracula.
Dracula wins by advancing the influence token at 13.
The game is complex in the interactions and the different strategies that the hunters and Dracula can take, but it is not complicated that mere mortals can understand and enjoy.
It does take pretty much a team effort in order to develop a strategy and track, engage and defeat Dracula.
At various times the dynamic of the game CAN change, it also depends on how the player as Dracula uses his tokens and cards.
So, the first time the Hubby and i played it was really difficult because I felt like I was trying to think for myself and three other characters. And at many times, I was very much the mouse of the game because I seriously got tunnel vision on what to do next.
The 2nd time around we were able to play with two more friends and the dimanic of the game was very much different. All the same rules, tokens, cards, but adding two more people into the game made all of the difference.
At this point, Dracula was very much the mouse and we were very close to his trail, at one a couple of points I had to battle Dracula himself.
Definitely, the more players you have, the different the dynamic of the game can be. The table talk can be very very useful and the different perspective of each player adds flavor and texture to the game.
Not only because of the different mind set of each players, but because of the different abilities that each character has.
For example,
Lord Farming has the ability to get two train tickets and two supply cards. This is due to the fact that the character is a Lord and most likely is Mr. Moneybags, so he can afford an extra train ticket/supply card, when the rests of the players only get one of each. This obviously is helpful for trading with other players who might need to get to a certain location faster or sooner.
Mina is the only female character, but her ability is ultra special and helpful during game play. She starts off with one bite mark, but this is a blessing and a curse, because if there is another character/player in the same town, and you are on the right track (or for that matter on Dracula's heels) you can use her ability as an action and force Dracula to say whether or not he is in the region the two characters are in. This is specially helpful because it can help with deducing which town(s) Dracula is located in.
Dracula also has his own set of cards that can be very helpful to either escape, evade or make things even more difficult for the players when they need to fight against him.
So, neither the hunters supply cards/event cards are too powerful or weak, and neither are Dracula's set.
It all depends on the players and how well (or not well) they play the game.
I do recommend that if you are starting out the game for the first time go over the rule book carefully and have a two player game first. Although it is a bit hard to play for three other characters, it does help out sort out rules, game play, etc.
Once you've played the game with two, then you definitely will want to invite more players so you can see the dynamic (and importance) of table talk that is needed in this game.
Another recommendation is that for those who are more experienced players, have one of them be Mina, due to the fact that she has the special ability but runs the risk of being the easier pray of the rest of the characters. Always have her with another character too!
This is very much a deduction/cooperative game. But it is very much worth your time, because the table talk with all the players makes this game super fun and interesting. It is a long game play (2-3 hrs) so, make time for it, but you will definitely NOT regret it.
It is well balanced, beautifully detailed, art work is exquisite, so if you are undecided whether or not this game is for you, see if your local game shop has game days, and see if you can do a trial play. If you like it afterward, then definitely, it is a awesome addition to your tabletop library.
Happy hunting!!
PS. The game is designed for 13 yrs + players and is not for young children.
Til' next time!
This post is used with Copyright Act of 1976, 17, U.S.C., § 107. All commentaries made in this post (that are not copyrighted) are my own. This blog is intended for entertainment purposes.
I know I really don't have excuses as to WHY I've been gone (work and other stuff that's happened) but I'm here now.
So, what do I bring to you today? I will be giving my review/comments on Fury of Dracula.
No, it's not a movie title but a boardgame (table top) by the makers of Fantasy Flight Games company (who are also responsible for White Chapel). It is a 2-5 players, and it is a one versus many deduction game based on Bram Stoker's Dracula.
And they are not kidding that it is one versus many!
So one player gets to be Dracula and the rest of the players get to be the Hunters. There are 4 hunters with their own special abilities and weaknesses.
Dracula gets his own mini map and the players get to place their designated character token on the board, Dracula gets to place in his mini map.
The interesting thing about this game is that it is a very much 'cat and mouse' game where at times the Hunters become the hunted and vice versa.
When we first acquired the game, the Hubby and I played together to try out the game.
It is very much difficult with just two players, because the player who gets stuck being the hunters has to be ALL four.
It is easy to get tunnel vision and loose the table talk that is supposed to happen
throughout the game, if there are more than two players.
Using deduction and logic, the hunters are supposed to track Dracula and deal 15 damage to him at each encounter in order to win.
This is easier said than done, because along the way (if you are on the right track) Dracula can leave all sorts of traps and vampire henchmen in order to either evade or put that hunter out of the game.
The interesting part is that when a hunter reaches their bite mark level (wounds) they are not necessarily dead, but they are sent to the nearest hospital and they rest (announce they are resting instead of taking their normal turn actions) they loose valueable time and resource to fight Dracula.
Dracula wins by advancing the influence token at 13.
The game is complex in the interactions and the different strategies that the hunters and Dracula can take, but it is not complicated that mere mortals can understand and enjoy.
It does take pretty much a team effort in order to develop a strategy and track, engage and defeat Dracula.
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| (Source: store.401games.ca) |
At various times the dynamic of the game CAN change, it also depends on how the player as Dracula uses his tokens and cards.
So, the first time the Hubby and i played it was really difficult because I felt like I was trying to think for myself and three other characters. And at many times, I was very much the mouse of the game because I seriously got tunnel vision on what to do next.
The 2nd time around we were able to play with two more friends and the dimanic of the game was very much different. All the same rules, tokens, cards, but adding two more people into the game made all of the difference.
At this point, Dracula was very much the mouse and we were very close to his trail, at one a couple of points I had to battle Dracula himself.
Definitely, the more players you have, the different the dynamic of the game can be. The table talk can be very very useful and the different perspective of each player adds flavor and texture to the game.
Not only because of the different mind set of each players, but because of the different abilities that each character has.
For example,
Lord Farming has the ability to get two train tickets and two supply cards. This is due to the fact that the character is a Lord and most likely is Mr. Moneybags, so he can afford an extra train ticket/supply card, when the rests of the players only get one of each. This obviously is helpful for trading with other players who might need to get to a certain location faster or sooner.
Mina is the only female character, but her ability is ultra special and helpful during game play. She starts off with one bite mark, but this is a blessing and a curse, because if there is another character/player in the same town, and you are on the right track (or for that matter on Dracula's heels) you can use her ability as an action and force Dracula to say whether or not he is in the region the two characters are in. This is specially helpful because it can help with deducing which town(s) Dracula is located in.
Dracula also has his own set of cards that can be very helpful to either escape, evade or make things even more difficult for the players when they need to fight against him.
So, neither the hunters supply cards/event cards are too powerful or weak, and neither are Dracula's set.
It all depends on the players and how well (or not well) they play the game.
I do recommend that if you are starting out the game for the first time go over the rule book carefully and have a two player game first. Although it is a bit hard to play for three other characters, it does help out sort out rules, game play, etc.
Once you've played the game with two, then you definitely will want to invite more players so you can see the dynamic (and importance) of table talk that is needed in this game.
Another recommendation is that for those who are more experienced players, have one of them be Mina, due to the fact that she has the special ability but runs the risk of being the easier pray of the rest of the characters. Always have her with another character too!
This is very much a deduction/cooperative game. But it is very much worth your time, because the table talk with all the players makes this game super fun and interesting. It is a long game play (2-3 hrs) so, make time for it, but you will definitely NOT regret it.
It is well balanced, beautifully detailed, art work is exquisite, so if you are undecided whether or not this game is for you, see if your local game shop has game days, and see if you can do a trial play. If you like it afterward, then definitely, it is a awesome addition to your tabletop library.
Happy hunting!!
PS. The game is designed for 13 yrs + players and is not for young children.
Til' next time!
**DISCLAIMER**
All trademark, copyrighted material, logos, names, brands, partners and affiliates are properties of Games Workshop Limited, Fantasy Flight Publishing, Inc., Stephen Hand, Frank Brooks, Kevin Wilson, etc.
This post is used with Copyright Act of 1976, 17, U.S.C., § 107. All commentaries made in this post (that are not copyrighted) are my own. This blog is intended for entertainment purposes.
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