IncrediBrawl
2-4
10+
30
In IncrediBrawl, each player guides a colorful cast of characters from all corners of our collective imagination as they meet in an epic clash for glory!
Summon the right characters – from Sharks to Spacemen, Amazons to Aliens – at the right time to outwit your opponents; use whatever strategy you can muster to overcome the randomness of the Brawl! Amass the most Glory along the way to become the ultimate champion in this crazy contest of wits and luck!
images © V3G
User Reviews (2)
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Like Paladin above, I realise I have two main hobbies, the one is boardgaming, the other is kickstarter. Things have become so bad (good) of late that KS fits into a category all on its own. Thus the reason I bought this.
Contrary to popular BGing wisdom, I don’t feel that every reviewer needs to repeat the game mechanics, in my mind, I believe that Paladin did a fantastic job there. Thus if you’ll indulge me a bit, I’d simply like to pick up where he left off, but from a parent’s perspective.
I have two kids, an 11 y/old boy and a 6 y/old girl. I found IncrediBrawl to be one of the few games that both of them love equally. The reason being is two-fold.
Firstly the artwork has appeal to both of them (and my wife and I too), while Calumn likes his Spartans, Bailey loves her Unicorns.
https://twitter.com/richmulholland/status/466991543455580160
The second reason is that this game is scalable from an age point of view. When my daughter plays, we take out the ability cards and the colour coding on the character cards makes this super easy for her to play – it’s just RPS with a heap more humour, and as you can see in this pic – she loves it 🙂
https://twitter.com/richmulholland/status/466994232402919424
Lastly, and this is more of a tip (I’ll include it there too) is the microgame varient we play when we go out. Before leaving, each of us choses 9 cards – 3 of each colour, this allows us to have a micro brawl where we just cycle the played cards – it also allows us to build more themed decks, a case in point being my daughter’s “girl power” deck. This is great little filler while we’re sitting at a table some place, and also a sneaky way of me introducing the fun of deckbuilding.
I enjoy it, my wife enjoys it, and sure, it’s light – but this is exactly why my kids LOVE it, and for that reason alone, it’s worth every cent.
One small note about the component rating of three. In a game where the expectation is kids (and adults) “brawling” with cards, card quality is hugely important. The only downside to this game for me was the flimsy card stock used.
I backed IncrediBrawl on Kickstarter because, well, I back pretty much everything on Kickstarter. This is a full-blown addiction, people. I may need a 12-Step program just to keep my wallet from being bone dry by summer.
Anyway — IncrediBrawl.
Springer-style Final Thoughts, in reverse order
Once you’ve mastered the rules, which takes all of your first play-through of this game, IncrediBrawl is a fast-paced and light-hearted game that’s a lot of chaotic fun for two or four people. Games play quickly and don’t drag on, thanks to very simple mechanics and a relatively low victory point (called Glory in this game) target.
While the rules allow for three people, I found that the mechanic to make this number of players work gave the First Player each round a bit too much control.
Definitely recommended as a filler game, or as a gateway game for your less game-inclined friends to garner a little bit of interest in what can be found out there beyond the usual name brand card games. The adorable cartoon art and the clever characters and card names will get nearly as much attention as the gameplay itself.
A Quick Rundown on Gameplay
Each player gets an identical deck of cards containing a vast array of trope characters, from princesses and dragons to samurais and astronauts. Each of these characters has one of three types and a level. Most have a special power that activates when they are played, when they win a battle, or when they lose a battle.
During each round players select a character from their hand of cards and play it secretly on the table. When all players have chosen their card for the round, everyone reveals what they chose. In a four player game, opponents across from each other battle first and then the remaining two characters duke it out; in a three player game the rotating First Player determines which characters will do battle first.
The three character types are Physical, Natural, and Energy, and battles play out instantly in a Paper-Rock-Scissors-style match. If there are matching types, the character with the highest level wins. The winner of the brawl receives a victory point.
Of course character powers affect the outcome, sometimes allowing a player to change his opponent’s type or perhaps allowing the character to gain a Glory even after he loses a battle. There are also Location cards that might change the battle parameters each round and Power-Up cards that add a bit of extra chaos to the mix with their widely variable effects.
What do you get for Thirty Bucks?
Four player decks in four different colors. The cards are of great, durable quality but mine curled a lot by the time I’d opened them. Nothing a few shuffles and plays of the game shouldn’t fix.
A deck of Location cards, identical in quality to the character decks. A bit more variety in the location abilities would have been nice.
Cardboard Glory tokens and six tokens representing the three character types. A six-sided die to replace the type tokens was a stretch goal during the Kickstarter campaign, and I wish it had happened — these tokens are used to select a type randomly for a few character powers and cards, and would be a lot quicker and simpler to use than tossing the tokens into a hat or bag and going through the process of a blind draw.
The box that the game came in was falling apart in my mailbox. I don’t know if this is poor quality production or the fault of the United States postal service, but it luckily does not reflect the quality of the actual game pieces.
To Purchase, or Not To Purchase? That is the Question.
Unfortunately I don’t know how much replay value one can expect out of a game that is almost entirely random in outcome. There’s the slightest modicum of strategy in abilities and Power-Ups but, ultimately, you’re just hoping that the other guy chooses an Energy-type character when you’re laying down your Natural-powered Kraken.
Luckily it’s got a pretty low price tag and should provide enough fun between longer games that it’s certainly worth throwing down a few dollars and giving it a try.
If you like fast-paced, easy to learn card games — and if you’d like to have a few giggles at adorable cartoon robots slugging it out with equally-adorable cartoon pirates — you’ll definitely get a kick out of this one.
Similarly, if you want to play a game with someone that’s not rules-savvy or just dreads the thought of reading through a 32-page, tabloid-sized book of rules, grab a copy of IncrediBrawl. The simplicity is well worth the buy.