They also have to clear beloved events from the movies (including Marty's skateboard chase around the town square) while watching out for paradoxes that'll end the game if they're not managed. For starters, the board is split into four eras - 1885, 1955, 1985, and 2015 - that the players must navigate to retrieve every item Biff has stolen. It doesn't waste an iota of that material, either. Cue the music and a lighthearted cooperative board game adventure to save the universe.Īs you'd expect, Back to the Future: Dice Through Time draws inspiration from the entire film trilogy. And if we don't put them back where they belong, history is doomed. After stealing Back to the Future's time-traveling DeLorean, he's scattered various items across time and space in the most outrageous case of littering ever. Accordingly, making it over the finish-line is a real test of skill that tabletop veterans will adore.īiff Tannen is the worst. It also becomes increasingly difficult over time, a la Pandemic. To begin with, it features a randomised board like the Betrayal franchise. That's because Dangerous Planet has lots in common with many of the best co-op board games. In essence, getting out alive requires top-notch tactics. Want to collect 'em all? You'll need to venture further into enemy territory. Sadly, those artefacts are hidden deep in bug-infested tunnels (double boo). Now you've got to complete their quest and gather alien artefacts before you're overwhelmed by the planet's bug-like inhabitants (yay?). Thanks to push-your-luck mechanics and a generous amount of depth, this is one of the best cooperative board games from the last few years.Īs the name would suggest, the commander of your away-mission has been killed in action (boo). But don't think you need to have played its predecessors ( The Captain is Dead and The Captain is Dead: Lockdown) to enjoy yourself. As the franchise's third instalment, it builds on the formula in clever, compelling ways. It's a well-known fact that Star Trek redshirts are doomed, but they're your only chance of survival in The Captain is Dead: Dangerous Planet. Powered by item cards and a fatigue mechanic that sees you juggling abilities, it's breezy without losing depth - particularly due to the fact that it takes place on 3D cardboard terrain with 40 absurdly detailed miniatures. Because these actions have consequences throughout the campaign, Descent often feels more like a video game than anything else.įast-paced combat doesn't hurt, of course. Descent also provides beautifully illustrated cutscenes with dialogue options that help you define who your characters are beyond their martial abilities. Even though it won't replace a good DM running the best tabletop RPGs, it offers a much-needed sense of mystery by dictating enemy placement and deciding what comes next in your story. Here's another way of looking at it the app acts as a virtual Dungeon Master. Thanks to a clever companion app that sorts out number-crunching behind the scenes, it leaves you to enjoy the game instead of becoming snarled up in equations that decide whether your attack hits or not. This is where Descent: Legends of the Dark knocks it out of the park. Roleplaying games are the last word in escapism, but they often bring players back to earth thanks to complicated rules that require a lot of thought. What do you do? It's a juggling act that gives this co-op board game an edge. Because you've only got time to save one, someone's going to die. At the same time, a Creature from the Black Lagoon has cornered yet more civilians. For example, Dracula might be swooping in to feast on one unlucky villager. More specifically, Horrified's biggest strength is its love of the 'trolley problem' - a situation where there isn't necessarily a right choice. How do you manage this without leaving innocent people undefended? Each villain has a weakness, and there's a specific strategy to exploiting them (you'll need to destroy all of Dracula's coffins before staking him in the heart, for instance). To stop this rampage, you'll have to destroy the monsters before they can feed on any locals. In short? It's one of the best cooperative board games on shelves right now and a sound choice if you're hunting down Halloween board games.Įvery session sees old-school boogeymen descending on a village with carnage on their mind, and you're the only thing standing in their way. Instead, Horrified backs up the nostalgia with great ideas to keep you coming back for more. But that doesn't mean it rests on its laurels. Playing Horrified is like stepping into a pair of comfy old slippers it practically creaks under the weight of icons such as Dracula and the Mummy.
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