Keeping Up With Kickstarter | Second Chances: Monster Lands
Posted by Ben Schirmer on
I personally love games that have so much stuff inside the box I do not know where to begin. I also love games that have enough dice for a lifetime, especially when those dice are customized. Combine these two loves with a solid theme for casual and strategic gamers alike, and I found myself falling head over heels for Monster Lands. This game uses a "dice-as-workers" placement and resource management mechanic and takes players to a gorgeously illustrated world of monsters. It was voted the “Most Anticipated New Game of 2018” in the “Euro” division by BGG users and recently received Tom Vasel's Dice Tower Seal of Approval. What I love about Monster Lands is that it carries both strategy and dice rolling mechanics - a match I believe is made in heaven. You are a member of a clan who is attempting to gain resources across lands that have been taken over by all kinds of monsters. Your goal is to prepare wisely for battle against these monsters by sending out your dice to hire mercenaries, create potions, build defenses, and many other choices to help you be victorious against your monster adversaries. To avoid the biggest knock against dice games, Monster Lands relies heavily on dice manipulation through your preparation, mitigating the luck of your rolling. I absolutely love Castles of Burgundy for this reason and cannot wait to dive head first into this world. My hope is that this game will offer an enjoyable experience for all different kinds of people that sit down at your table. The designers also included four different difficulty levels and modes to allow for conflict between players, widening the audience even more. They also created a fully developed solo option if you enjoy testing your wits against the game itself. Master of the Boards recently received Monster Pledges from the Kickstarter, accompanied by engraved dice and the Heavy Weapons expansion. These copies are full of even more goodies to roll and monsters to defeat. I am really looking forward to playing this game.