Review of Chronicles of Avel Boardgame

REVIEW

 Chronicles of Avel is a cooperative family game that resembles a dungeon crawler at the beginning of the game, and a tower defense towards the end. The goal of the game is to defeat all the monsters before they reach the castle. During the game, the heroes travel through the lands of Abel, trying to earn gold and equipment to become stronger, as well as erect obstacles in the way of monsters. Most often, gold and upgrades are given as a reward for defeating monsters.

 Players will have to work together to develop an optimal strategy to fight against monsters. Time is ticking: after a certain number of moves, the Black Moon will descend, the Beast will appear on the map, and all the monsters on the field will start storming the castle. If the players properly prepared for this, set traps, sealed the spawn points, strengthened the castle with protective walls and pumped, then they have a good chance to save their kingdom.

 The party is divided into two acts. In the first, players take turns moving their heroes around the map, exploring terrain, fighting monsters, and spending gold and actions on upgrades. In the second, after the rise of the Black Moon, the game turns into castle defense: the movement of monsters serves as a timer, and the gameplay focuses more on battles.

 Although the game is divided into acts, there is no sense of artificial separation. The timer in the game is the phases of the moon, which gives a feeling of increasing threat. This forces players to act efficiently and not delay to prepare as best as possible for the second stage. The first stage, which takes up most of the game, has quite a lot of monster fights, so the fact that the second stage consists of almost only fights does not seem surprising; it is the logical conclusion unfolding in the first act of the story.

 Heroes start in the castle and from there begin to explore the map, tile by tile. At the same time, the tiles are turned over, revealing monster spawn points and useful bonuses; For example, the opportunity to purchase protective fortifications and strengthen walls. It is very fun to wander around in search of key tiles that strengthen the defense of the kingdom. Altogether, the first act takes up about 3/4 of the game - and that's good, because there's a lot you have to do. In addition to sealing monster spawn points, erecting walls, and placing traps, players need to find better gear to increase their chances of surviving the battle. Typically, this requires defeating monsters that sometimes drop gear and/or gold.

 When a player drops gear, they can blindly rummage through the gear pouch for 5 seconds, trying to find a matching item. Items are divided into swords, helmets, shields and elixirs (and the mini-add introduces new types into the game, boots, for example). The drawn object can be placed directly on the character or in the backpack (the corresponding notch on the tablet) - but if there is a place for it on the tablet. It turns out a kind of mini-puzzle. This is a great idea: children feverishly rummage in a bag while their relatives count to 5, and it turns out very tense and exciting. And the limited size of the backpack helps children learn to plan ahead and manage cash wisely. For example, it is hardly worth fighting a monster when you have a bag full of unspent coins.

 The second act is the defense of the tower. After each round, the monsters don't just hang around their spawn points, they march towards the castle. Players have to plan in advance how to deal with them, because if even one monster gets to the castle, it means defeat.

 The combat is simple, based on cubes. Each round of battle, the hero rolls dice for himself and for the monster. They have block symbols, damage and empty faces. The power and usefulness of a cube depends on its color. Monsters drop black and purple; black is stronger. Heroes always start with two basic greens, but with the help of equipment and elixirs they can acquire new ones. The blue cube is good for defense, the orange is good for attack, and the yellow magic cube is versatile. Some gear gives you new dice forever, while others allow you to reroll results. It is enough for children to understand how the cubes work in order to decide for themselves when to get involved in the battle and when to wait.

 If the hero loses all hearts-tokens of health in battle, then he goes back to the castle. He is considered unconscious, but will be able to fight again on his next turn. While battles are a key component of the gameplay, there is no player elimination here.

 Chronicles of Avel is a family game, so accessibility is a very important factor. It's easy to get used to here thanks to a well-thought-out rulebook with clear, clear instructions and visual examples. I taught my children to play without problems. Reading skills are optional here, as Chronicles of Avel has clear iconography and color separation. Together with cooperativeness comes a game accessible to children of all ages. The box recommends playing with ages 8 and up, but my 7-year-old daughter plays and makes smart decisions on her own. I think I could teach a younger child to play as well, helping them plan and (if necessary) make moves. In addition, parents can adjust the difficulty of the game. I recommend starting with an easy or medium level and then increasing the difficulty as the kids get the hang of it and gain confidence. Adults can easily start with high difficulty.

 Thanks to the modular field, re-drawability is high here. The instructions have several layout options, and you can create your own unique party. While the final boss Beast's mechanics don't change from game to game, where he spawns on the map has a significant impact on the game's difficulty. If you want a tense game, put it closer to the castle, if you want an easier victory - away from the castle. Chronicles of Avel also has a bunch of different big and small monsters that appear on the field randomly. It is unlikely that you will encounter the same monsters in two games. The overall plot doesn't change much, but the puzzle does change as the tiles are drawn randomly.

 The illustrations here are beautiful, colorful and perfect for a children's fantasy. The monsters are creepy, but cute at the same time: they look menacing, but not enough to give younger players nightmares. The scenery here is colorful; very nice to watch. In addition, players can draw some art for the game themselves.

 Perhaps one of the most unique finds of Chronicles of Avel is that the game encourages creativity that is not formally about the game itself. In the box there is a notebook with character sketches that you can color and redraw as you wish, and then lay out these drawings on the character tablets. Those who are not interested in doing this can be satisfied with a black and white sketch, and special enthusiasts can draw a character from scratch, not according to a template. Here you can even come up with your own name for the character.

 The components here are of excellent quality. Customized two-layer tablets that hold equipment tokens and health hearts. The map tiles and equipment tokens are made of thick cardboard (which is not surprising, considering that they will have to be taken out of the bag). Wooden meeples of various shapes and colors. Bright colored cubes that are easily distinguishable from each other. I especially liked the Chronicles of Avel lore booklet, it really brings the game world to life. The built-in organizer is not bad; it has a section designed like a wooden chest that protects components (such as the cardboard Beast) from damage. Not the best organizer I've seen (I had to add several bags for optimal storage), but generally functional. In addition, it easily fits all components from mini-dope.

 But the main thing is that Chronicles of Avel fulfills its mission: to provide a cooperative fan for the whole family.