The hobby of playing board games has seen rapid growth over the past 15 years, with more and more players finding excitement and camaraderie in the ability to gather around the table with friends to perform. some actions and strategies. That growth has facilitated types of projects that might have been unheard of just a decade ago, with game prices and complexity seemingly startling to new entrants. . However, the audience dedicated to board games continues to call for ever more high-end projects with deep systems that allow epic adventures. That unique landscape paved the way for notable games like Aeon Trespass: Odyssey.
Publisher Into the Unknown has been working on Aeon Trespass: Odyssey for a long time, and the game was released last year to mostly enthusiastic reviews from critics and players alike. Now I’m back to talking about the game for a great reason; a new Kickstarter for the second print is in its final days, representing a second chance to grab the game after it’s been hard to get since launch. If you’re interested, you only have a few days left. But considering that each level of commitment to get the game is some variation of hundreds of dollars of investment, is it worth your money and time?
Once you open the lid and start sifting through the hundreds of cards, minis, tiles, and other accessories that come with the game, it’s hard to question production value. From the rich and imaginative art to the incredible detail on each meticulously handcrafted miniature, this game looks beautiful when laid out on the table. Equally important, the ingredients help sell the game’s unique premise and fictional setting.
That setting was an unusual twist in Greek mythology, in which the gods were slain, and the mortal heroes had to take control of the great Giants to fend off even monsters. The larger world is now ravaging the ancient world. The player controls the crew of a massive city-sized ship called the Argo as it cruises across the map, acquiring the abilities needed to confront and destroy the Primitives.
While the core novel is rooted in familiar names and ideas from Greek mythology, it seems that the developers at Into the Unknown used that framework simply as a springboard for exploration. their own dramatic twists and turns. Aeon Trespass: Odyssey is first and foremost a narrative game with a substantial investment in leading the player through a nuanced choice-based story. The accompanying books include novels worth choosing branching, character development, and exploration.
The long-running cooperative campaign can be played alone or with up to four players. However, it’s the kind of thing that must definitely be tackled by an existing and dedicated gaming team looking for something new to try for months to come. A story that spans hundreds of hours in front of a group of players makes it better suited to a permanent set of role-playing games than a selection of players who occasionally enjoy getting together and trying out a new board game.
If you decide to dive, don’t be under any illusions about what you’re getting into. Like a new tabletop RPG, expect a thick rulebook with dozens of rules to gradually learn, and the complexity offers attention to detail and a focused approach to learning. play. If that’s a plus for you and your team, I think you’ll enjoy the interlocking upgrade system, focus on exploration and exploration, as well as the complex and challenging approach to combat. challenge. And while there’s still a lot to learn, Into the Unknown has done an admirable job of introducing core concepts through the game’s opening tutorial, which kicks off the story and does familiar with the key concepts of the group.
While hundreds of hours of written storytelling make up the heart of the game, that story (and its surrounding choices and gameplay) all aim to lead to combat. You are gradually developing connections, meeting characters, and forging relationships with other people in the world, each of which slightly increases your chances against the formidable primitives. Players chart a timeline of their travels on a worksheet as they make decisions and move through a growing modular board of cards, ultimately forming a map of their team’s journey . You choose to invest in technologies that can lead to new tools or weapons to use against the overwhelming force you face.
In battle, your Argonaut characters possess and embody the great Giants – the only creatures that stand a chance against monsters of this scale. While abilities and tactical choices play an important role, rolling the dice ultimately determines whether you hit or miss, so luck can be an important factor in success. failure. The creatures you fight are so large that the main goal is often to dismember or damage the body parts of each creature. It’s an exciting and gruesome approach to combat that fits the context of classical Greek mythology.
My favorite aspect of combat is the slow escalation that plays out on both sides. The AI Deck dictates the actions of your enemies, and as you damage the Primordial Deck, new tactics and abilities go into that AI deck, making them even more powerful. Likewise, the Titan you control gets stronger as its rage increases. The combined effect is a battle that becomes more and more brutal and devastating as it goes on, often leading to interesting and climactic conclusions.
While it is possible to win, there are many ways to lose, from failing to stop the bad guys’ plans to having your ship destroyed, among many others. The choices you make in the story are not window dressings. Instead, they profoundly impact whether you win or lose, and often come with painful trade-offs. New intricacies are regularly introduced, such as managing the politics of competing factions or building your base. Behind everything as you play is a sense of despair; even when I win a scenario, it feels like I’m doing so in my own flesh, barely having enough strength left to fight another day.
That stress may not be for everyone. Likewise, many people may balk at the complexity and investment of time required to truly explore and grasp what Aeon Trespass: Odyssey has to offer. But if you and your team are looking for a lively game that is effectively an entire game system in its own right, and you feel like you could be ready for the hundreds of hours of gameplay it can afford. brought , I doubt you will be very satisfied . Stunning minis, evocative text, and cleverly balanced game mechanics make for an unforgettable adventure.
We are now in the golden age of great board games. If you want to discover other recommendations for your family and friends, please click our section Top center to discover more from the banner below. As always, feel free to drop me a line if you’d like custom suggestions – I’m always happy to help new and experienced tablet players and find the next great game to bring to the table.
