Time to continue our Tuesday list with even more dark fantasy games. Enjoy!
Time of Legends: Joan of Arc
Inspired by a famous historical and legendary figure, this boardgame-wargame mix was a big hit on Kickstarter in 2017. The game puts the famous heroine into a medieval setting merged with dark fantasy elements. You’ll meet dragons, sword armed archangels and giants Gog and Magog. Heralds of apocalypse and masters of satanic magic are turned from tale and superstition characters into dark and twisted reality of the game’s world.
The game itself consists of hexagonal tiles, figurines, and building models – all made with attention to detail and in pretty huge scale. Dragon figurine, used in Time of Legends: Joan of Arc is, as the creators claim: “the biggest playable figure in the boardgame history”.
Hate
Yet another take on dark fantasy can be seen in Cool Mini or Not’s tabletop game called Hate. The project was based on a graphic novel by Adrian Smith. Hate is a duel wargame for 2 players with a board and plenty of figurines representing various tribes.The story is set in a brutal world of barbarians. Here the violence rules and nothing matters more than loyalty to tribe and survival. The campaign page says: “You’ve been warned, this is not a world for the faint of heart!”. Which, despite sounding a bit funny, shows how much CMON focuses on cruelty of the game’s world.
The Others: 7 Sins
Another game by CMON and yet another approach to dark fantasy. “All vs one” gameplay model was utilized here, which is slightly rare on Kickstarter nowadays. Considering the story of the game though, it makes perfect sense.
Satan worshipping fanatics are trying to make apocalypse happen. They manage to summon abominations representing seven cardinal sins (like Wrath and Gluttony). One player controls villains representing a sin. Others try to fight him or her back as members of an organization known as F.A.I.T.H.. Sin corruption works as one of the key mechanics of the game and adds tons of flavor. While dangerous, if used wisely, it can make people stronger. The game itself is miniature and board based, like many other CMON products. If you’re a fan, you more or less know what to expect.
Deep Madness
“We are passionate about creating unknown, dark, and horrific worlds”. That’s the first line in Diemension Games’ bio on Kickstarter and they sure deliver on that promise.
Deep Madness was based on horror works by H.P. Lovecraft. People familiar with his mythology will find many familiar faces like the Devourer of Worlds himself. The story focuses on an underwater mining facility that accidentally digs a mysterious sphere. The object turns everyone around insane and makes them aware of nearby monstrosities from other dimensions. Players wander through the facility (made of board tiles) and control their miniature survivors to complete scenario goals.
Vampire Hunters
Bloodsucking creatures of the night have fascinated people for centuries, and not only in teenage romance novels. Lots of dark fantasy games include them as playable characters or experience points fodder. This one is definitely closer to the latter. Prepare tons of garlic, stakes and join up to 5 friends in a quest to rid the world of vampiric menace.
Despite using weapons like holy water, the game actually takes place in a modern setting with a dash of SF. You take the role of a rookie hunter belonging to The Order – an organization devoted to fighting vampires.
Day and Night cycle is the key mechanic here and affects the action of vampires as well as difficulty. Enemies become stronger at night and weaken by dawn. You can collect weapons and combine parts to make your own arsenal. Game can be played solo, in co-op, competitively and in large campaign for many hours of fun.
Planet Apocalypse
Planet Apocalypse was inspired by one of the greatest classics of video gaming – Doom. Not only inspired, as both games share the same designer – Sandy Petersen. Players keep fighting spawns of hell to finally try their luck at defeating the mighty demon lord. The apocalyptic theme with a dash of satanism and SF will feel familiar to anyone who remembers the famous video game.
Heroes controlled by players gain courage and spend it on improving their abilities on a skill tree. If they don’t cooperate properly and keep failing, the Doom Counter will reach maximum and begin the apocalypse, marking failure and the end of the game. Tons of interesting mechanics, like completing demon clan sigils, make the game feel unique, although it will take some time before we see it actually shipped.
Village Attacks
Time for a game that stands in contrast to many we’ve mentioned before. You have already fought aliens, zombies, abominations from hell and many other slimy fellows. But what if instead of fighting them you could… become them?
An old castle, where vampires, witches and many evil creatures reside, lies near a medieval village. Ordinary people, frustrated with castle’s presence, decide to take pitchforks and torches in their hands. They hire some skilled hunters to get rid of the sharp-clawed and neck-biting menace once and for all.
Monsters you control were taken from all sorts of cultures. There’s a vampire, a Baba Yaga, a succubus, a wendigo and even a good old mummy fellow. Mechanics are yet again based on miniatures and terrain tiles, with the addition of card decks and trap placement. Game was inspired by classic tower defense video game genre.
