Cthulhu Wars Review

Cthulhu Wars Review
Intro (00:00); game overview (1:47); final thoughts and review (16:05);
Cthulhu Wars petersengames.c...
from
Petersen Games petersengames....
Subscribe to Drive Thru Review: goo.gl/LrTiG5
DriveThruGames website: www.drivethruga...
Facebook: / drivethrureview
Twitter: / e3kmouse
Google+: plus.google.co...
BGG Geeklist: boardgamegeek.c...

[@DriveThruReview]

Cthulhu Wars Review kzbin.info/www/bejne/rnTYdYukhZ2Fh8k

[@aristotlesoc]

Thanks for your review. Also gotta say I appreciate the Fugazi in your end credits!

[@DriveThruReview]

Thanks! Love me some Ian Mackaye.

[@RicksPoker]

I wanted to comment on the price of the game. Three questions: 1) Does it feel like you got something for the money, 2) is the price a surprise, & 3) who is the target audience? 1) Sure you do, you get beautifully sculpted miniatures, tonnes of components, a huge mounted map, etc. 2) No, everyone is very up front about the cost. It is not like you go into an auto-dealership and there are thousands of dollars of surprise costs, and add ons, and weird market adjustment fees. 3) I think the game is targeted to people who want a centre piece game. Something big and impressive to show off, who don't mind the cost. This game would be fun to play if Cthulhu was a 1 cm square cardboard chit. It is clean, plays fast, and is easy to teach. It has massive replayablity. it plays well with 3 to 8 players. I own the game, and it hits the table often. (I'm even slowly getting the armies painted.) But it is a big, glorious, and expensive game. If it is too much for your budget, I won't criticize. I completely understand. For me, it is totally worth the price. For many people it won't be. That is OK, and it is nice that the game market has enough variety that people can find fun games that fit their preferred play time, game genre, number of players, game cost, levels of conflict, etc. One note: the sculpted gates were a kickstarter bonus, the regular game ships with 3mm heavy cardboard gates. Warm regards, Rick.

[@jonathonfreeman9233]

so ... with hindsight in mind = would you still give a good review on this game? I ask because I kinda got broadsided with a chance to pick it up from someone - and now I'm doing my dues to research the game (didn't really before since I missed the print run).

[@DriveThruReview]

Definitely. I still get a hankering to play it again now and then.

[@jonathonfreeman9233]

@@DriveThruReview awesome. =) thanks

[@MentatOfDune]

Would this game stand up as $50 game with meeples or cubes? If so should they print that version? I wonder if there is a bigger market for this game with folks like me who don't see the value in those lumps of plastic here but like the premise of the game.

[@DriveThruReview]

I don't honestly know, but my gut tells me no. I'm not sure why. If this was just chits and special abilities, it wouldn't have the same immersion somehow. To me, it's like shooting Jaws with a realistically sized shark. Not the same :)

[@MentatOfDune]

Yeah. Components do help draw you in (thinking of Imperial Assault). For me I just don't see value in the $200 game here.

[@afrofrycook]

Wayne O'Keeffe The mechanics are pretty awesome, but make no mistake that the high price point is entirely based around the miniatures and other components. So I'd agree that the gameplay isn't worth $200, but I don't think that's a fair criticism, as there isn't a game that is worth $200 based strictly on gameplay alone.

[@MentatOfDune]

afrofrycook Maybe. Still don't see $200 in that box. For me the big Gods in this game look like Games Workshop designed dog toys. For $200 its in the same price range as Descent with a few big expansions. I realise that my perception of value is highly subjective but I'd have to pass on this. For $60 with smaller Gods and generic cultists I'd definitely consider it.

[@DriveThruReview]

Wayne O'Keeffe That's actually a good question. Is there ANY game I would pay $200 for? I'm not sure that there is. I mean War of the Ring Collector's Edition in a heart beat, but that might be it.

[@bijanajamlou5152]

How does this game compared to choas in the old world? If you dont want to pay that amount of money for plastic what kind of game would you recommend that give the same feel? Bye the way hope you make a review of Omega Centauri soon one of the best 4x games that came out last year if you ask me.

[@DireHippo]

I own both and I can say, without a doubt, that I enjoy Cthulhu Wars over CitOW in general. CW doesn't bog the player down with overly complex rules. They are simpler, and as the reviewer notes, provides a wide degree of complex gameplay through emergence. It doesn't require buy-in to the Lovecraftian universe like CitOW does into the GW universe. It especially doesn't need an adult audience like CitOW does, with it's map made of human flesh, emphasis on rotting, blood, and sex-daemons due to GW's Chaos powers. Yes, CW has darkness and cultist sacrifice--but it doesn't over-emphasize it like CitOW. The gameplay for CW is excellent, lending itself to long term discovery, strategy, and replayability. CitOW has a sort of staleness to it with it's factions at this point. This may be because of how many years I've been exposed to it (and Geedubs at this point), but it is how I estimate it. I would still play CitOW, due to my familiarity, but I find CW to be the more interesting, more enjoyable, more beautiful game, overall.

[@DriveThruReview]

DireHippo I haven't played Chaos. A friend of mine who I played this with said it reminded him quite a bit of Chaos and he also mentioned he thought he like this better. It definitely plays much faster. You can play this in about 90 minutes once everyone has played it, but Chaos takes about three hours, not a turn off for me, but... like I said I've never played it.

[@DriveThruReview]

Drive Thru Review Oh... and I haven't heard of Omega Centauri.

[@bijanajamlou5152]

Thanks for the respons. I prefer the gothic chaos before lovecraftian. For me the warhammer world is based on micheal moorcocks eternal champion series (elric/corum/dorian hawkmoon) the best fantasy world ever created:). I have not played any of the games bu fear they are to simple. Like the complexity level in eclipse/clash of cultures and playing games like Rex, nexus ops i always wish i played something more deep.

[@TapCat]

Drive Thru Review Omega Centauri's publisher is in the U.K and as far as I can tell, there hasn't even been an announcement for U.S. distribution yet. If Board Game Geek is any guide, people who play it seem to like it (7.42 average) but there are fewer than 100 ratings so I'm not sure the game is getting a whole lot of traction so far.

[@marsupo]

great review!

[@ocularorb4021]

that intro

[@jadstefago]

It looks like you played with 3 players. Do you think it is worth buying for this player count only?

[@DriveThruReview]

I think so. I honestly forget what player counts I've tried with this. But I think it worked at all of them.

[@jadstefago]

@@DriveThruReview Woah! Quick reply. Cheers man. Really want to splash out on this but the consensus seems to be that 3 player is alright but 4-5 is where it shines. Not sure if "alright" is enough for a game of this price. Thanks anyway. Have a good one!