Jack Slade

Somehow I had four guys ripe for adversarial board games at my work, and I didn’t even know it. My work buddies, guys that I’ve had drinks with, I had no idea were board game geeks lurking underneath. Maybe they didn’t even know it. All four were jumping at the chance to play this new version of Risk. The smack talking began two weeks before we had even played the game.

I had read the rules several times before our first play, so I was pretty versed in what needed to get the game rolling.

I will say, this game played with the right group of players is one of the best times I’ve had playing board games EVER. By now you know the flavor of the game. What I didn’t expect from this group was the perfect mixture of passionate play, held grudges, abandoned treaties, consistent trash talking, grand and fatal tactical errors and “unrelenting Blitzkriegs with the power of 10,000 suns” (words actually spoken during play). This game provides the perfect theater for all involved.

What I didn’t expect to happen was the after action replay the next day at work. Emails flying back and forth, smack talking in the hallways, the promise of revenge, and the reliving of the battlefield exploits. Everyone was champing at the bit as to when the next battle would take place. I must say, we are all a little addicted to concept of playing the game again, and opening the packs to see what lies before us.

IF you have the right group of friends, complete buy-in the complete nerdiness of this concept, this is a GREAT social game / light war / gateway game.

I know that someday, I’ll look back at this time now and think of how lucky I am to have all the packs in front of me, unopened. The battles yet to be fought.

This has become the favorite game for my seven year old and I to play together.

I will forgo the rules, you may know how it plays, but I will focus more on how it plays with a seven and even a five year old.

Firstly, my seven year old is a HUGE Indiana Jones fan. He is sold on the concept alone of finding an old artifact in the desert and flying it to safety. At seven years old, my son had absolutely no issues playing this game at full capacity with full understanding of the rule set.

When playing cooperatively with my son, I step back and let him be the Alpha gamer, and I resort more to a consultation / cooperative role explaining the possible consequences. This works perfectly for this game. Also, I “run” the board, i.e. move the tiles, draw the cards, etc. This lets my son concentrate on the task at hand and the strategy involved. He very easily tracks his actions, knows how to use the gear cards and even comes up with strategies that I have never considered which make for a great cooperative play. I also think he really enjoys playing with me, although I will say he really enjoys beating me in adversarial games.

My son really enjoys the different roles of the players involved, and we even cheer when we get our favorite combinations. My son is quite dramatic, so when we die of thirst, he actually even enjoys that quite a bit. The sensitivity of your child to this fate may differ. We tend to have a fun at the conclusion of the game, no matter the outcome. I will say this game can be at times hard to win, but those victories are quite satisfying.

Now, onto my five year old. My five (just turned five) easily understands the basic concept of the game. He even runs the storm tracker and assembles the pieces at the end of the game of the flying machine. He understands the concept of the four actions and that using cards do not count as actions. He is just beginning to read, so he does need help with the cards and keeping on task with his actions. I will say he does enjoy the game, but he is a little more sensitive to dying of thirst than his brother. Warning: Do not play this close to bed time when patience or grip on reality is slipping.

Overall, this is a game that plays quickly, and my seven year old I break it out all the time. Our new go to favorite.

I was looking for a fun family game that would entertain my wife, a 15 year old girl, 7 year old boy, and a 4 year old boy. This does the trick!

Components: I would say this is a mixed bag. The “godzilla” creatures are of nice quality along with the included vehicles. Meeples are of standard fare, but still well made. Included cards, screens, and teeth are of good quality. The playing surface is of thick cardboard, but the issue is warping. My playboard is constantly warping. This makes it difficult as you try to traverse different neighborhoods.

Gameplay: The game is very easy to learn. Basic movement around the board by flicking a small disk that represents your monster’s feet is challenging at times depending on location, but easy enough for the little ones to do. If those feet end up on a sidewalk, you can drop your monster on the building and let the pieces fly. And, this is where the fun is. You can also flick buses off your head at buildings and other monsters. Pieces fly all over the kitchen and this is the most satisfying part of the game.

Scoring: At the end of the game you are mostly rewarded for creating sets of six (6) meeples, one of each color, 10pts. Some cards (powers) will give you extra points if you eat the most army men, soldiers, etc. You also get points for each floor you “eat” and anything else that ends up in your “stomach”.

Replay Value: Because of the randomness of flying pieces, this game has great replay value as no two games will play out the same.

Overall: This is a fun game for all ages. My youngest (below recommended age from manufacturer) needs assistance on some of the required tasks, but really enjoys dropping his monster’s body on the buildings. My 7 year old can play with no assistance and really enjoys the game. There is some strategy involved as you decide who to eat and where to move, my 15 yr old daughter really enjoys that aspect. Overall each of us have won one game, and although not the BEST game in the closet, it ranks near the top.