We.Distinguish

Gameplay
Summary
When I introduce Age of War to a friend, I usually describe it as Monopoly combined with Yahtzee. Players try get the most points by collecting castle cards that represent several iconic towns/regions. You “win” a castle by rolling the appropriate dice value combination (swords, bows, horsemen, or daimyos), which vary in difficulty by the amount of points the card rewards. You can either roll for an untaken castle in the middle of the play area, or try to steal a castle from one of your opponents. If you collect all the cards of the same color, those castles are now locked from being stolen and you score a regional score for those cards.

Players
The game, as seen on the box cover, can have 2-6 players. I feel like strategy changes up significantly with 4 or more, moving to a more stealing heavy emphasis. 3-4 seems most optimal, with 6 feeling a little chaotic.

Components
In general, all of the parts are of good quality. You get 7 dice (with custom sides), and 14 castle cards. The dice have corners that are more rounded than the standard playing die, leading to a lot of movement. The box operates as a good dice tray if you need to use one.

Value
This game has great value! I’ve found that this is one of my playing group’s favorite opening games, and is very accessible to new players. At around $10-$15, anyone looking to build up their game selection should strongly consider checking this game out!