Arena: The Contest Review - Tanares Adventures

 I did the training missions in Tanares Adventures and I really enjoyed it. The game is really cool, despite the obvious similarities to "Frozen..." / "Bleak Harbor" (tactical battles, settlement construction, etc.). After defeating the gray enemies (gray, because I haven't painted them yet) and the city phase, I was left with very pleasant impressions. There are tons of NPCs on the giant map that you can recruit to your side (since you represent the rebellion) and take on your next mission at will (so each of the four must-play heroes now also has an additional ability from a companion- NPC). I haven't gotten to the jester yet, but I already know that the materials from the jester can be used to improve buildings and attract even more NPCs. Moreover, later some NPCs will leave the settlement, others will come, which gives the feeling of a living world.

 Overall, Tanares is a great adventure game. It surprised me, to say the least: in the 3-4 years since the kickstarter campaign, my enthusiasm had died down, and when the box finally arrived, I sat down to try it without much hunting, thinking, "Well, why do I need this cliched fantasy dungeon crawler on based on skyr games when I have such great original campaign games like Aeon Trespass: Odyssey, Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood, ISS Vanguard, Trudvang Legends.” And then he got involved. Dragori Games did not disappoint; it is clear that they put their heart into the game.

 Arena the Contest is nothing more than a good skirmish game, but its descendant Tanares Adventures is an outstanding game. Not only is there a lot of content here - as many as 100 missions (as in "Gloomy Harbor") - Tanares also borrows the best elements from Oathsworn (a "choose your own adventure" story phase before each battle), Wild Assent (interesting AI enemies ) ), "Frozen Harbor" (use of loot to build settlements, tactical battles with map management - even better than in "Havana")... There is also an interesting plot (atmosphere of sensations almost like RPG Dragonlance: War of Lance), a lot characters as befits a dungeon crawler, giant scary bosses (and dragon vs dragon mode!), skill trees (much like Chronicles of Drunagor: Age of Darkness), events and faction abilities that change your skills for battle... Oh, there's so much here.

WHO WILL LIKE THE GAME

 ‣ If you're into large-scale campaigns with clever puzzle tactical combat with high replayability and minimal luck (even failed D20 rolls still deal some damage and give you bonuses).

 ‣ If you like epic storylines that significantly affect the gameplay depending on the decisions you make.

 ‣ If you are interested in character crossovers with other boards (Oathsworn, Middara: Unintentional Malum - Act 1, Drunagor, Aeon Trespass: Odyssey, etc.).

 ‣ If you're looking for a balanced, varied dungeon crawler with simple mechanics, but a challenge (with difficulty depending on your performance), then this is the  game for you.

WHO DOESN'T LIKE THE GAME

 ‣ If you are not ready for a dungeon crawler with a large-scale story campaign, then Tanares is unlikely to suit you.

 ‣ If you already have "Gloomy..." or "Frozen Haven", then Tanares is its close counterpart; not the fact that it makes sense to take a game of approximately the same level.

 ‣ If you don't want a game where the layout and management of components takes up a lot of space and time, and where the tutorial mode can take up to 20 hours (including flipping through a bunch of books, reading art, learning the rules, and a lot of fiddling), then stay away to Tanares.

 ‣ If you prefer non-classical fantasy (Agemonia, Kingdom Death: Monster, Bloodborne: The Board Game, The Grail Despised, etc.), you won't find it here. The game is closer to a classic fantasy setting like "Descent: Journeys in the Dark", "Blade and Sorcery", Dungeon Universalis.

 ‣ If you absolutely do not like rolling D20 (even considering that the role of randomness is minimized here) or if you start to panic when a monster destroys half the HP of your 50-hit hero in one hit.

CONCLUSIONS

 So far I'm giving it a solid 4 out of 5 with the caveat that I'm still waiting for the second wave to arrive; so far I only have the base, not even the much needed Arena Box. But when the rest comes (and I'm silent about the RPG components in the second wave), then the rating may increase to 5, given how Trudvang Legends and HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King - Klik's Madness Campaign Book went to me. waiting for Tidal Blades 2: Rise of the Unfolders. Note to board game designers: add more RPG elements to your games. The more such games, the more interesting.