Glen Graham
United States
Carmichael
CA
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When I got the game a couple of weeks ago, I thought 3 of the generals were missing, because I didn't realize they were bagged with the minions of their color. So I took this as an excuse to buy the painted generals, and I ordered all 4 from eaglegames.net.
Our first game was 2-player with me as the Cleric, and my friend George as the Wizard. Since it was 2-player, we started with 4 hero cards, and gave ourselves a 15 card hand limit. I figured this would give us a good chance of winning our first game, because the Wizard is so strong, and it seems like from I read here that a good percentage of the losses come from taint. As it turned out, I only used the Cleric's ability to get rid of taint once, and it took 5 rolls to do it! But we never had more than 4 on the board. It was a fairly easy win, but that was because I forgot a few rules here and there, most notably forgetting to use the General's powers a couple of times. It took less than 2 hours.
Last night's game, however, took 4 hours. We had the new painted Generals, which were gorgeous. I gave my wife the wizard, my daughter the Sorceress, I took the Cleric again, and I let my son choose from the other characters, because he's a D&D wiz. He picked the Eagle Rider. I was the only one who had played before. I knew that the Wizard, Sorceress and Eagle Rider were very powerful, but I wanted to give ourselves a good chance to win our first game together.
We all spent the first few turns performing quests. The Sorceress won a quest early on which gave her 2 extra actions per turn, a total of 8, and with these she completed a quest almost every turn of the game. We only had a few quest cards left by the time the game was over (one of which was the Unicorn.) We all were rolling the dice very well throughout the game, and no quest or General attack was ever lost. We also never had more than 3 taint on the board.
We were fortunate that the Generals moved very little during the first several turns. That changed a little after we took out the Orc General. Although the 4 of us were at the General, the Sorceress (my daughter) was disappointed that she never got a chance to roll the dice and attack him. The Wizard (my wife) became the Slayer, and she thought that was pretty cool. Then, as we prepared to take out the Undead General, the Wizard decided to pass on a Darkness Spreads card that would have moved the Demon General for the first time. Instead Sapphire moved for her 2nd time, and by the following turn she was peering down on Monarch City, only one step away. We hurried and finished off the Undead General, and rushed to Sapphire, using a Special Card and a Quest Card to hold her back. My daughter the Sorceress both started the attack and slew the General, both for the Undead General and Sapphire.
With all the cards we got from the two victories, we had plenty to take out Balazarg, the last General. Because we were able to use the Quest card to ignore a General's abilities, we took him out in short order. The Eagle Rider rolled first, and took out 5 of his 6 hit points, and Wizard became the Slayer.
Neither my daughter nor my wife had ever played a 4-hour game before, but they repeatedly said it didn't feel like 4 hours, and that it was a lot of fun. That was great news for me, because my wife has never been much of a gamer. I assured them that it really shouldn't take much more than 2 hours to play normally.
The game fit a great niche for me and my family. It's not overly complicated or dark (Although I enjoy it, Arkham Horror would be both too dark and too complicated for my wife). It's cooperative with no player elimination (The last time we gamed, we played the Red Dragon Inn with 6 players, and my son took my wife out very early on.) Although turns can take a while, it doesn't feel like there's down time, because everyone is watching to see how what everyone else is doing is helping the 'Cause'. If there is one single aspect of this game that makes it stand out, it's the Quests. Although it's a true cooperative game, you're free to go off and do your own thing, rather than just following the 'leader', and still feel like you're helping the 'greater good'.
Thanks, Richard, for a great game, and for all the add-ons (free and otherwise) and personalized support you have given it.
One more thing - I really feel like the painted Generals added a lot to the game. They looked more fearsome, and it made the game that much more engrossing. Maybe after a few more plays I can talk the wife into springing for the full set of painted heroes.
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Richard Launius
United States
Johns Creek
Georgia
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Congratulations on a good start at defending the realm. I am glad you and your family enjoy the game and I hope it continues to bring you challenging adventures for many years to come.
Thanks - Richard
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