(Credit to Restoration Games)
Written by Ed Carter, Staff Writer
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Unmatched Adventures: Tales to Amaze
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Restoration Games
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1-4 players
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Cooperative adventure, card playing, miniatures
In tonight’s thrilling episode: Tales to Amaze
I was not part of the radio thriller era, The Shadow, Little Orphan Annie, etc, but serial thrillers are part of our history and created timeless adventures and suspenseful stories. Well, Restoration Games, once again, has taken a swing and knocked it out of the park with Tales to Amaze. They took the fantastic Unmatched game and added a cooperative method of play to it. Like many other sets, this one has 4 characters from history and literature and added the ability to play against an enemy run by the game instead of an opponent. And it is fully compatible with any other unmatched set, so you are able to use your entire library of characters in a new and exciting way.
A stand-alone experience
In addition to the cooperative element, this set comes with 4 new characters that can be played as standard unmatched heroes as well. The first superhero, The Golden Bat from Japan, Annie Christmas, a folklore legend, Dr Jill Trent, a pulp character and Nikola Tesla, the famed scientist. Each has its own figure and customized Unmatched Deck.
So who are the villains in this cooperative experience? Players can take on the Mothman or an Invasion from Mars. Each one has a specific objective to complete in order to win. Each villain also takes along henchmen that work with them such as the Blob, the Jersey Devil, or a giant tarantula. These henchmen can hinder the hero’s goal to defeat the villain before they can complete their evil scheme.
Setting the scene: Game set up
Players take out the two-sided board and decide what villain they want to go up against. They also add henchmen equal to the number of players. Take the villain’s miniature, the chosen henchmen tokens, and their respective action decks. Build the initiative deck with the chosen villain, henchmen, and heroes. Set the villain’s health dial to 10 points per player, and the henchmen’s health to 1o. Place the villain in the highest start space and the henchmen adjacent. Place the threat marker to the lowest space on the board and shuffle the initiative cards and draw one to determine the first player.
Each initiative card indicates what that enemy will do, There are some that have end-of-round effects that are triggered as well. The enemies only perform one action per turn while the players perform two as in standard unmatched. An enemy will move and attack by drawing a card from their action deck. Take the top card and place it face down and then the defender can decide if they want to defend or not, The enemy card is revealed and the damage indicated is assigned in addition to any effects the card indicates.
Players take turns following standard unmatched rules. They take two actions and can either maneuver, play a scheme, or attack. Once all initiative cards have been played, all after-turn effects are played in initiative order. The main villain usually does an action to increase the threat and if that reaches the end, then a portion of their scheme has been completed. The threat is reset and the next turn begins by shuffling the initiative cards and beginning another round of play.
If the villain completes their scheme or all the heroes are defeated, the villain wins. Each villain deck has a special card that triggers a re-shuffle of their deck. In addition, this card is a zero attack and defense value card so it gives the heroes an undefended attack.
If the heroes defeat the villain they win, The game comes with some extra challenge cards that can be used to increase the difficulty if desired.
Tune in for our next thrilling episode
I think Unmatched is one of the best-designed games I have ever played. It is challenging and engaging in its simple mechanics but deep strategy. Tales to Amaze just makes the Unmatched toy box bigger! This is an elegantly designed streamlined cooperative experience. The use of the initiative cards can turn the game one way or another in addition to randomizing the turns. The art and design feels like one of the old serial thrillers and you are at the center of the action.
The 4 included characters are well balanced for this game but the ability to use any of the Unmatched characters as well just makes this a great gaming experience.
Restoration Games has been “killing it” with its line of games and this one is no exception. Even if you are not a fan of the cooperative mode, the 4 new characters and new battle maps are worth the price of admission.
For Unmatched fans, it’s a great addition. For new players to Unmatched, it gives you two ways to play as well as a good set of characters to play with. Tales to Amaze does just that, amazes.
Until next time, keep moving those meeples, and see you soon!
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