Why I Initially Backed the Cosmere RPG?

Let’s start out with what drew me to this campaign in the first place. Honestly, the biggest thing is the theme. I like the Mistborn series, in fact, with the deckbuilder coming out for it, I’m reading through it again. And I’m enjoying it more the second time through. Plus I love the Stormlight Archive. Those books are amazing and while they are a beast to read, I enjoy the unfolding world and story. I’m working my way through them a second time, on audiobook, as well.

I really like the idea of playing in the worlds as well. Both of them would offer really interesting role playing possibilities. From the spren in Stormlight Archive to the burning of metals in Mistborn, all of that feels like it could provide a lot of unique storytelling and room for adventures.

Finally, I just like RPG’s. I like to sit down and play or run Dungeons and Dragons in particular. But when I could make it to AcadeCon, I loved trying out new systems in a setting where it was all about trying and playing new games. And this is a new system with the other two things going for it, so I was immediately interested in it.

So Why Did I Cancel?

Budget

There are two main reasons why I cancelled. Let’s dive in and talk about them some. The first one being, it’s expensive. I need to make a choice as to what I get and what I don’t. And this is not a choice that I’m always the best at making. And it’s something that I want to get better about. But that’s not the main reason that I cancelled it. But it is part of it and a good reason. Especially because the level I’d have wanted to back would not be that cheap because I want it all, or at least a bunch of it.

How Many Systems Do I Need?

The bigger reason is, I need to determine that I am going to play. When I look at it, I think it looks like fun. Again, I love the setting of the Cosmere RPG. And I think I’d enjoy playing in that world. However, I know from my past experience of owning different RPG’s, I don’t play them. My brain likes to hold one RPG in it, and that one right now D&D 5th Edition. And I already bought the new stuff for 5th Edition. So I need to learn those updates when they come in.

And previously I’ve owned systems like the Dresden Files Fate system. Star Wars from Fantasy Flight also was in my collection. Fiasco and some other smaller ones were on my shelf for ages. What did I find out? I don’t play those systems. I play a single campaign and my campaign of choice is in Dungeons and Dragons. If someone else were to invite me to a game, I’d play for sure. But I don’t need to own it myself. And I still even own the new Marvel system which I need to run a game of as well.

Why Talk About My Choice with the Cosmere RPG?

Let’s wrap up by talking about why I wanted to talk about this. I was really torn on whether or not to keep my pledge. Even now I know late pledging will be an option. But I want to hold my ground on it, because I think that my reasons for not backing are good, for me. And I think that is so much of it.

There is part of me that feels like I am missing out. Why, because I think I truly would enjoy the system. And I think that part will exist as I see people get in the game when it comes out. And it might even be one that I pick-up later. But I need to know and have a plan for playing it. If I don’t, it is going to be another thing where I keep it around because I want to play it, but I don’t get around to playing it.

Did you back this massive crowdfunding campaign? If so, can I play in your game?

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How To Play Call to Adventure: Stormlight Archive

This isn’t the full details, like I said, it’s a first impression. And along with that, I need to try competitive mode still. But the basics of the game generally remains the same. In this game you are building out your heroes grand adventure in three different acts. You cast runes to test your skills and complete challenges to get story elements.

To do this you cast three basic runes that can give you 1 or no points for a check. And you cast runes based off of skills on the card. Those are your standard Dungeons and Dragons stats. So you can cast up to three runes of each type which can give you more points and better points since it is a skill you are good at.

In the cooperative game you are trying to get your characters levelled up to cast runes against Odium at the end of the game. Odium has hit points and you remove them throughout the game in various ways. Mainly if you get cards with radiant symbols. But if you fail checks it can also add more onto him. So you all work together to make sure you pass checks and can take out Odium in the end by casting your best runes.

What Doesn’t Work

Right now I think the weakest thing is that the story, while there, could be there more. When I play, I want to really tell a story of what I am doing. And I think that is something the game can encourage. It is almost a backstory generation for an RPG campaign. Especially if you are starting higher than level 1. I also know know that for some people that won’t work, telling more story. But I’d probably implement some story time in my game as the cards really lead you.

The game is also very light. This might be more for whom it is for, but the combination of light game play and the casting of runes, epic fantasy artwork, it feels off slightly. You almost expect the game to be more strategic looking at it, but it is very casual in what it does. And in the competitive version, it will have some take that, which might turn some players off as it doesn’t match the theme that well.

What Works

I enjoyed the cooperative game play quite a lot. I thought that Odium was an interesting villain and while what he does is fairly simple. And you can change him up with one of several cards that you assign to him at the beginning. We played on one that I think is a harder one and managed to win. But that is because we leveraged our cooperation a lot we were able to win.

I also think the game played well as cooperative because had less downtime. This is a lighter game, as I said, so downtime isn’t a major issue. You have a limited number of choices so you pick one and go with it. But in cooperative you help other players. I play a card and it improves your chances of completing your challenge. Competitive it’d be more take that and playing cards on yourself.

The light game play is also nice. Again, it helps with downtime. But it also made it pretty easy to pick up. I think the rules are solid. And I think you could get down to it and get playing fast. More teaching would occur during the game but it is easy enough that you could do that. And because of the great artwork, I think it’s a nice game to draw people in.

Let’s finish with the artwork. It is amazing. It helps that I know the characters. But even if you don’t, the artwork is gorgeous. And it is likely going to make you want to reach the books to find out what everything means. But the qualify of the game is very solid overall. The player board is a bit thin, but cards are nice, runes are nice, and cardboard tokens are nice.

Who Is It For?

This is more of a gateway game than I was expecting. I think that people who are familiar with a few games or a few concepts would be able to pick up this game. I might not pull it out over something like Catan or Ticket to Ride, but it is close to that. And, in all fairness, I might pull it out over them because of how much I’ve played those two.

If you are looking for a highly strategic game, there are elements of strategy. But it is not going to wow you with the strategy in the game. This is more about the artwork and that lighter game play than heavy decision making.

Call to Adventure: Stormlight Archive – First Impressions

I had a good time with the game. I want to try it as a competitive game. But I suspect I will prefer it cooperative. A game like Call to Adventure could rely too much on take that, I think, in competitive mode. And to be trying to set yourself up for that one perfect card or toss and have someone mess with it is not that fun.

I also wonder about staying power for the game. The game is likely to stay in my collection because it’s Stormlight Archive versus it being a highly replayable game. There are elements that change it up, but is it enough. Granted, Brandon Sanderson is writing more books in the series, so it could be one that comes back and works out just fine with another expansion in two years. Overall, it is a fun game that I think is a bit lighter than I’d life if I didn’t love the theme.

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Gen Con Preview

The list is just starting at this point with 169 different games. That is a lot of games, though, if you wanted to try and check them all out. I fully expect that more than normal won’t make it in time. But companies might be hedging their bets, as well, as a lot of the games are ones that will be released before hand.

Ra – 25th Century Games

This is one that I’d be surprised if it was out. The Gamefound campaign for it just wrapped up a few weeks ago, but at the same time, Ra is a game that’s already existed. This is an auction game that I’ve had fun with. In it, you are bidding on sets of tiles that get drawn from a bag. And the different things that you get give you bonuses and points.

But the cool thing about the game is the bidding. When you bid and win, you put your number into the middle. And then you take the number that was there. So there is strategy with the bidding because you likely don’t want to bid the 16 when the one is in the middle. Unless the tiles are so amazing. I find it a good and interesting twist on bidding.

First in Flight – Artana

Don’t know much about this one. But according to the description, thi sis going to have you building up a deck of cards and pushing your luck to be the first person to fly. I’m curious as to how it works, but looks like a lighter card game which isn’t bad. And it’s deck building, and I like that.

Call to Adventure: Epic Origins – Brotherwise Games

Call to Adventure: Epic Origins is a prequel to Call to Adventure. And Call to Adventure is a game where you cast runes and try and complete and create your epic story. I own the Stormlight Archives version of Call to Adventure that I need to get played. It seems like a pretty light game, but a good time. And, I believe, that Epic Origins, a standalone game, gives you more of the same, but builds your starting story.

Ark Nova – Capstone Games

Probably not much that I need to say about this one. But Ark Nova is a smash hit, right now, for Capstone and probably breaking into the Top 10 on Board Game Geek very very soon. It gets compared to Terraforming Mars, a game I need to play, in that it’s a bigger engine building game and one that offers lots of possibilities. I want to give this one a try for sure. I suspect it is a game I’d enjoy.

Starship Captains – CGE

The best way I can describe Starship Captains is that it reminds me, art wise, of Star Trek Lower Decks. Or maybe it gives me a bit of a vibe of Galaxy Trucker as well, not in play but in theme. I am curious about it as it has engine building and drafting. Those are two things that I enjoy quite well.

Fit to Print – Flatout Games

Fit to Print is an odd theme for a game but one that I find fun. In Fit to Print you are drafting cards and trying to collect and set-up the best front page of a newspaper for animals. The theme, very different. And I like this idea of trying to collect what you need and put it together.

Sagrada: The Great Facades – Glory – Floodgate Games

Glory is a given at this point. I own all of Sagrada, I believe just missing the Kickstarter promo window. And I know I want to grab this one as well. Sagrada is still one of my favorite games because it offers good choices but isn’t too complex. The expansions can definitely make it more complex, but again, that isn’t a bad thing as they are easy to add or remove and tailor the game to the group.

Oak – Game Brewer

Oak interested me more because of the theme than anything. Hand management and set collection I like. But they are very normal at this point in time. And I feel like I can find so many that it isn’t worth checking out. But add in druids trying to unlock a secret. That theme is what is drawing me in. And it doesn’t hurt that the cover looks great.

Ecosystem – Genius Games

Ecosystem is a game that apparently has been out for while. The Board Game Geek release date was November 20th, 2019. But I wonder if it is newly picked up by Genius Games for an American distribution. I like the them in this game. You draft cards to try and build a balanced ecosystem. It feels different but also not too different. And give a game pretty nature artwork, at least aesthetically it is more interesting. One that I want to checkout for sure.

Critical: Foundation – Season 1 – Gigamic

First of two back to back campaign and adventure style games. It will give you some role playing feeling, at least that is what they are saying. And Critical, it h as an interesting cover. I’m curious to see what type of story it has, set in 2035, so not that far into the future. I feel like they limited how sci-fi they can go with the story, because of the timeline. And also not the normal type of game I expect from Gigamic, but one that’ll be interesting to checkout.

Forgotten Depths – Grand Gamers Guild

I considered backing Forgotten Depths on Kickstarter. I like the artwork on the game and a dungeon crawl style is something I always enjoy. On Kickstarter, I think, I thought it looked lighter than I’d normally back. But for a $40 MSRP, that isn’t bad and for a game that can be played solo, it isn’t bad as well. I think it’d be a much smaller footprint campaign game.

Suspects – Hachette Boardgames

I believe that Zee Garcia, of the Dice Tower, recently did a review on this. Or he will be doing one shortly. But for me, this has two things that interest me. Firstly, I like cooperative deduction where you are trying to solve a mystery. It makes for an interesting time. Generally some very good experiences. And then add in Agatha Christie, or a world inspired by her works, I’m very curious.

Exit: The Game – Lord of the Rings: Shadows over Middle-earth – KOSMOS

I find the Exit escape room style games just okay. They have a destructive element to them which makes it feel like more of a waste. But play with 4 people for an hour, it isn’t bad for $20. And Lord of the Rings, that is a theme that I am curious about. What sort of story can they tell, what puzzles will they create for the game interests me a fair amount. It’s one that I could pick-up and play with my wife and she’ll appreciate the theme a lot.

Perseverance: Castaway Chronicles – Mindclash Games

Now a big Kickstarter. Mindclash always makes big games, and Perseverance with basically two games in one box, created a game with a huge box. I am curious about this one. I didn’t back it on Kickstarter, but dinosaurs, survival, and then building up your society, it is interesting. For demo only at Gen Con, that’s probably a good thing. Means I won’t be tempted on a game for a lot of money because it has dino minis.

Venn – The Op

A party game on the list, and this is one that I want to try, not buy. Mainly because it is a party game, and sometimes they are great, sometimes not so much. But I generally want to try before hand or watch someone play it. This one, though, I find intriguing. As the person who is it, I believe, you put down three cards, and people are trying to guess that middle spot on the Venn diagram. So the word that intersects all of the other words. If that is how it works, I think it is one that could provide a lot of laughs and a lot of replayability.

Long Shot: The Dice Game – Perplext

Another game that is getting a ton of love already. Long Shot: The Dice Game is a horse racing game where you buy and bet and horses. That, combined with a roll and write game. I love my roll and write games. And the idea of one that has a physical board that people race around, it seems different. Often roll and write games can limit interaction, but Long Shot seems to lean into that.

Northgard: Uncharted Lands – Shiro Games

Another big Kickstarter game that I looked at. I believe that Northgard is based off of a video game, which is intriguing. I don’t know anything about the video game though. And for the board game, I like the artwork. I love Norse mythology. So the game seems like it should be one for me. But the fact it is a 4x game makes me a bit hesitant to back it.

Cartographers Map Pack 4 through 6 – Thunderworks Games

And this is another one that I know I’m going to get like the Sagrada Expansion. I own everything for Cartographers thus far, and I really like it as a roll and write. Against, like Long Shot, it is more interactive than a lot of roll and write games. And while I enjoy a good roll and write that is a puzzle, like Railroad Ink or maybe has a race element like Welcome To for objectives, I like placing the monsters onto other players sheets here.

Unboxing

And two games were unboxed last night as well. It is fun to get in new games, and some of them, with Kickstarter, are a good time to show off. Now, this isn’t as minis heavy as a lot of the time, though, because , well, neither game has a ton of minis.

Steelslayer

Steelslayer is an expansion for The Reckoners. And Steelslayer adds in two more major epics. Plus more locations and cities as well. Overall, it just seems to add more to a game that could probably use a bit more. I haven’t played The Reckoners a ton, but I noticed we went through all the epics. Or we got close, in the one play. And while that isn’t a massive issue, it would be nice just to keep more variety built in.

Too Many Bones: Undertow

Too Many Bones: Undertow is going to be another game that I have played before. Or, I should say, I did a demo at Gen Con in 2019. I thought that the game was fun. But it didn’t jump off the table for me, mainly because we played only so little in the demo. I think more chance to play with it, and seeing more game play, the game looks like it should work better for me.

Plus, the price on Chip Theory Games went up at the start of June. So I knew if I wanted to grab it, I wanted to buy it before that happened. And I have another two character standalone game/expansion on Gamefound last year. The gearlocs in the base game are just okay, but the expansion ones, they seem like a lot of fun.

Upcoming Streams

So what is coming up. My plan is to learn and start getting Pathfinder Adventure Card Game to the table of Wednesday. Then for the next Monday, I hopefully will have a whole bunch of Massive Darkness 2 from CMON available to unbox. I believe that will be my plan for the next Monday stream. Another unboxing and picking a topic to chat about.

Let me know how you want me to do my unboxings. I personally like going with a bit more of a BoardGameCo style where I ramble on about a topic and about the game and spend some time. I know there are other channels that do them shorter. But for me, part of the fun, and why I do them live, is I can chat with everyone.

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What is Epic Fantasy?

Fantasy, we know what that is, it is wizards, magic, and probably set in the medieval times, not always but sometimes. Epic fantasy is really something that takes it up a notch from what you normally see. It is about that epic world saving quest and heroes who need to overcome so many odds thrown in front of them.

Think something like Lord of the Rings, where the fate is for all of Middle-Earth. Or Song of Ice and Fire where Westeros hangs in the balance. Generally these stories also create a grand world. They aren’t going to be the same as you’ve seen in a lot of other fantasy. They are going to build out their own thing that feels similar yet different.

What Do I Look For In Epic Fantasy?

1. Story
2. Interesting Main Characters
3. A Unique World
4. Good World Building

Story

I told you this was going to be number one. I want some sort of unique story, to some extent. Let’s face it, if you are going to be saving the world, you’re going to be saving the world. The event that is going to destroy the world can only be so unique. The differences need to come with how the characters are going to save the world, the composition of the group of characters, and the lore of the world itself. I don’t want the world to feel like you could drop Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table into it without a problem. We have a lot of stories like that already, let’s branch out some more.

Interesting Main Characters

Let’s face it, this is a common issue in writing, the main characters are boring. People saw the success of the Twilight movies and realized that if people feel like they are the main character, because Bella is dull and lousy in the movies, that they can create dull main characters and that is fine. Divergent series is a great example of a main character that has zero interest to them.

But I don’t want that. I can already imagine what it’s like to be in your world without having to be the main character. In fact, I’ll get bored with your series if the main character(s) isn’t interesting. I want character flaws for them to overcome. I want weaknesses and traits that are never actually dealt with. I want new flaws to start in the series and mistakes to be made. I don’t want a blank canvas of a character.

A Unique World

Like I said in story, I don’t want something generic. If you can make the story feel interesting in a world I already know and twist that world, that is great. But I don’t want it to be standard King Arthur. Tainted Grail, a board game – it always comes back to board games – does a good job of this. It is a grim dark take on King Arthur, the wyrdness isn’t something I’ve seen before. Menhir are new and unique and while I get the lady in the lake and Morgan Le Fey, it doesn’t feel normal.

Good World Building

How does this vary from a unique world. Isn’t a world that is created uniquely also one that is built well? Not really. Too often authors or movies will place all the world building at the beginning. Then I got to sit through 20 minutes or 5 chapters telling me about the world. Interlace the story as a whole with the story of your world. That is what I am looking for in storytelling. Unless your world is so unique that I need a separate book to understand it, I will have the general idea. So give me the unique information as I need to know it.

Are All Criteria Equally As Important?

No, a great story can make-up for basically anything. Let’s look at Lord of the Rings, the true main character isn’t actually super interesting. Frodo is just an okay character, Bilbo in the Hobbit is more interesting. Sam, Merry, Pippin, Gimli, Legolas, and Gandolf, they are all more interesting than Frodo. But JRR Tolkien tells a good story, he makes a good world, and he gives you information as you go. And he also, literally, has a separate book that is just world building, really, in the Silmarillion. So a great story can make everything else moot, but, if the story is just good, then everything else matters a whole lot more.

Let’s Do An Example

So, I am picking a series that I know I like already and have for quite a while, the Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson. But let’s talk through about what makes this epic fantasy work for me.

Story

The story is definitely strong. Sanderson blends high fantasy, epic fantasy, but also political intrigue. It takes some of what you expect from fantasy like Song of Ice and Fire and Wheel of Time, but really tightens it up. And I would say that Wheel of Time suffers from not getting that political intrigue right whereas Song of Ice and Fire suffers from not getting the epic fantasy right. So this one is really good for me when it comes to that combination.

Interesting Main Characters

The main characters are very interesting. I would say that the are four main characters in the story, though we see the story primarily through three of their eyes. And one of them, people assume that they are going mad, the other has been wrongfully turned into a slave, another is a spoiled brat, and the last one lies to get into the story in the first place. That’s not normal for fantasy characters or characters in books in general. So definitely unique characters who need to grow.

Unique World

The world itself, it is a bit unique. Sanderson does something very interesting with magic, that there isn’t much if any, but then the idea of spren. Basically little creatures or beings that are drawn to different things. It is something that is completely different than I’ve seen before. So while armies fighting amongst each other and people stabbing each other in the back for political gain are normal, the world as a whole is unique.

Good World Building

This is something that I think Brandon Sanderson accelerates at. His world is pretty unique but he fills in information on the world as you go. We get jumps back in time, we get legends that are talked about, but never is it four or five characters in a row. The information comes just as you need it or is shown in the world instead of us being told about it.

Will This Work For You?

Most likely, I think that these are good benchmarks in general for a lot of stories, whether they are epic fantasy or not. I do think that the world building piece, epic fantasy can often fall into that category where there is a lot of world to build, so they build it all at once.

What is your favorite epic fantasy story, whether it is in books, television or movies?

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What is Completionism or Being a Completionist?

I think it’s best that we start by nailing down our premise. Completionism is the desire or drive to have everything of something. Growing up, I tried to complete sets of baseball cards, people need complete series of books or movies, or all of a television show. For board games, some people want all the games by a certain designer or in a certain series of games. For example, Marvel Champions, people get everything for that.

Is Being a Completionist Good or Bad?

I’m going to give a bit of a non-answer here. The answer can be that it’s good sometimes and bad other times. Having all of Marvel Champions, for example, isn’t extremely expensive and it brings me joy. Having all of the Dresden Files books means that I can easily read them whenever I want. Having all of the Star Wars movies means that I can suffer through the prequels if I really want, but more so, it means that I can watch the whole series whenever I want. Having all of Marvel Champions or Dice Throne means that I can play with whatever characters I want.

However, there can be bad sides of this as well. For Marvel Champions, I have all of the base material for it. However, there are promos for it that I don’t have. And for me, I do not care that I don’t have them. But other people to truly complete their collection will go out of their way to pick them up at a premium. When a board game YouTube channel runs a Kickstarter for future years and has a promo for Dice Throne in it, Man Vs Meeple had one, people will back promos they don’t need. For books, people will need all of their Harry Potter, Dresden Files or other series to all be identical. So there can be an obsessive side of being a completionist that is not as good.

How Do You Balance It?

And I really do think this is what people need to think about if they are a completionist, how do you balance it. You can’t ever have a complete collection or books or board games or movies, there are too many different ones in the world. And some things are extremely hard to find There are board games that are rare that might be part of a series or certain promo cards or game editions that might be hard to find that will cost hundreds of dollars if not more. Books can be even worse if someone has started a collection of first editions for a book series.

I try and take the approach of collecting all of a few things. For example, I talked about Dresden Files. I have all the books in that series and I have all the Harry Potter books and all of the Stormlight Archive thus far. Those book series, one of which is completed, are the series that I want all of, and I know that. However, I want all of them, I do not need them all to be the same. I have two different types of paperbacks for The Dresden Files and some of them in hardback as well. For Marvel Champions, I have all the regular cards for it, and that’s enough of a complete collection. I say that I have the complete game play collection for it, I don’t have all the extra fancy pieces. With those as well, I’ve read all of the Dresden Files books I own at least twice, and I’ve played Marvel Champions six or seven times. I want my collections that I am completing to be things I actually use.

What To Ask Yourself

So, to wrap this up here, I think that being a completionist is fine, as long as it doesn’t have to be for everything. I have 3 Ascension games/expansions, I don’t need all twenty of them or however many there are, because while I like the game a lot and I might get more, I will never need or use it all. So ask yourself a few questions as you find yourself having the urge to complete a collection.

Will I use it? I touched on this in the other section, but I’ve read all of Harry Potter and The Dresden Files multiple times from the copies that I own. I have played Marvel Champions a handful of times, sure there’s lots I haven’t played in it, but I’m still using it.

Am I fine with it not being perfect? This is I think the bigger danger zone than the other question, but I think that one is still important. I have complete collections of things, like I mentioned as well, but they aren’t perfect collections. I don’t have all the promo cards for Dice Throne or Marvel Champions, my book series don’t all look identical. And that is 100% fine with me. I will be concerned, for myself, if I start to have certain standards for how the collection must be complete.

I am curious, do you find yourself being a completionist? Do you have to have it be perfect or what are your standards? What do you find yourself needing or wanting to have all of?

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5 – Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

This Douglas Adams work is just fun and while I love to get transported into big worlds, sometimes it’s nice to just get thrown into a small and silly world, which is kind of what Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is. Sure, it’s the whole galaxy, but we don’t need to know everything about it, so we don’t. This book is very absurd and silly with a lot of great British humor in it. Douglas Adams does a wonderful job of making all the humor work in my opinion and keep the story moving along as well, which isn’t something that can be said for a lot of comedy where it’ll stop and pause on a joke or an absurd moment.

4 – The Reckoners

Not the only Brandon Sanderson that you’ll see on the list, The Reckoners is a super power story, but everyone with super powers is bad. The main character wants to join a group known as The Reckoners in order to take down one of the villains in particular who had killed his father. Can he find the Reckoners, convince them to let him join and become part of their group? This is a young adult series, but really well written. I’m not always a big fan of bad super powered people, something like The Watchmen and The Boys don’t interest me that much as their current shows, but Brandon Sanderson weaves a really good story with that as a backdrop to it. I think that this story works well for both kids and adults as well, as I didn’t read it until I was out of college and I still really enjoyed it.

3 – IT

I like Stephen Kings work a lot. And IT is probably about the most iconic thing that he’s done. There are others, Carrie and Misery are two that come to mind that would be up there as well. But in terms of the one that I like the best, it is IT. One thing I love about Stephen King is that he does a wonderful job creating two types of characters. The first is the protagonists who have their flaws, they are good, but not perfect people by any mean, and sometimes have some very big flaws. And then he also creates amazing bad guys as well, obviously in IT there is Pennywise, but Henry as well is a great bad guy who doesn’t have redeeming qualities, while King’s good guys might be shades of grey, his bad guys are all bad. I also like that IT lands the ending pretty well. Sometimes Stephen King’s books just kind of fizzle out, but IT is strong through the whole of the book. Including the ending.

2 – Stormlight Archive

I have the newest book in this series just waiting for me to read it. Stormlight Archive is an epic fantasy series by Brandon Sanderson that just tells and weaves together such an interesting story. There are a lot of moving parts, but they come together really well. And like you’ve probably notices already, I like flawed characters, but I also like how this series has some characters that are paragons of good or honor. It doesn’t mean that they are perfect, but they hold themselves to such a standard that they strive to be. I also like that this book doesn’t shy away from being what it is, a truly massive and epic story. The audio books are 50 hours, and it feels like there’s no wasted space, unlike some epic fantasy series (cough cough Wheel of Time cough cough).

1 – Dresden Files

Such a great series, I talk about it all the time, but with the new books, it’s still the same. I do have a slight knock on the new books, it really feels like it should have been a single book, but it was getting too long for what would be considered a normal Dresden book length so it was split into two. The first of the two books is still great, but it feels almost like the first act for the second book. That said, I love Harry Dresden and the series and how Jim Butcher manages to create such an engaging world and characters with depth. I think he does a great job creating flawed characters who grow and change, and get new flaws over time, or sometimes who know they have a flaw and will still refuse to work on it it. Yes, these are pulpy summer reading books, but there is so much more going on than that as well.

Those are my Top 5, and writing about them really makes me want to dive into all of them again. Thankfully I have done Dresden Files book that I need to read still and the next book in the Stormlight Archive. And as always, I do have some honorable mentions.

Daughter of Smoke and Bones
Stardust
Harry Potter
Wheel of Time

What are some of your favorite books or series? What epic fantasy should I checkout next, I do need to get back to the Runelords series.

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Before I get to the list, let’s talk about some of the criteria, if it’s mythological, is it fantasy? Generally, unless there is that more fantastical element that the game leans into, then I’d lean towards it being a fantasy game, but if there’s less of that, then not. Also, if I liked Dominion, it has a witch, it has curses, technically those are fantastical type elements, but Dominion is medieval and themeless, so it wouldn’t be on the list even though it has some of those fantasy adjacent elements. Or something like Lost Expedition won’t be on the list even though you have the Fountain of Youth and a werebeast in the expansion. Finally, if it’s clearly more of another genre and some elements are just fantastical at times, Betrayal at House on the Hill, for example, it won’t be on the list. Yes there are magical and fantastical things that can happen, but that is a horror themed game.

But with all of that out of the way, let’s get to the list.

10 – Ascension
Now, theme is going to be a bit of stretch for this game, not that it doesn’t have a fantasy theme, but that the theme really matters all that much. In this game you’re doing deck building and creating combos to buy better cards and then defeat monsters. So it’s kind of themed around your slinging spells, fighting horrific monsters, and playing out magical constructs, but it’s really much more just cards. That said, this is a really fun game, I love the changing market as people buy cards and defeat monsters new cards and monsters come out. There are different strategies you can take in the game, and while some are extremely powerful, depending on when you see cards it can really change up how things go. Definitely a fun one with a lighter fantasy theme.

9 – Village Attacks
In most fantasy games you’re playing the epic heroes who are going to be able to take on anything and everything. In this one, you’re playing the monsters who after a hard day dealing with uncooperative villagers just want to relax and enjoy their evening. Then the villagers show up with pitchforks and torches and they are just going to make this a long night, you know. And you must protect the magical heart of your castle where you are able to regenerate, because if you don’t and you die, you will never be able to come back. It’s a fun twist that uses a fairly horrific looking art style, but plays much lighter than it looks in terms of theme.

8 – Deranged
I’m really waiting for this horror fantasy game to come out. I think that this one walks the line more so than Betrayal at House on the Hill does. In Deranged you are fighting off monsters as you are trapped in this remote village, but not just because of it’s remote location but because a magical force is keeping you trapped in the town, but there is a way out. Unfortunately to leave, you cannot be cursed, and you are cursed. But if you die, you become a deranged monster which can help you stop someone else from escaping but is going to end up giving you more curses. This game has really interesting card play and was supposed to be coming out in the US quarter one, but I’m hoping will be coming out here in quarter two.

7 – The Dresden Files Cooperative Card Game
I have already talked about that this is one of my favorite series, so I was excited for a game that let me play through the books in the series, and this one gives you that feel of the series. It’s tricky, you’re probably not going to win on the first try, and there’s luck to the game, and that’s a lot of how the books feel as well. This is straight up urban fantasy that leans into the fae and fae courts for some of it’s magical history as well as an interesting take on the 30 pieces of silver that were given to Judas to betray Jesus, and other fantasy elements, including unique vampires. The book series is amazing, and the game is good, but probably best if you’re a fan of the series.

6 – Dice Throne
You’ve been summoned to a tournament, the winner will get to face off against the emperor who has been undefeated for over 5000 years, I believe. Are you going to have what it takes to rise through the ranks? That’s the backstory for this game that is really more of a one on one dice chucking battle game where you could play a raging barbarian or a pyromancer slinging fire spells to a vampire or a cursed pirate. This one tells less of a story than a lot of fantasy games, more just pitting fantasy characters against each other to see who might come out on top. The quality of this game is off the charts, and the characters feel like they are unique even though a lot of what you are rolling for is similar, straights, matching numbers, etc.

5 – Arkham Horror: The Card Game
Hard to put on the list, but there’s another Lovecraftian game coming up. This one feels more investigative than it doesn’t fantastical, but you’re still fighting eldritch monsters and crazy cultists bent on summoning in elder gods to destroy the world. And you can sling spells if you want to or focus on more conventional means of investigating. And the system lends itself to going more fantastical or less fantastical, it’s up to the scenario that you are playing through. Definitely one that just made the list, but has strong enough elements of fantasy and in particular urban fantasy.

4 – Aeon’s End: War Eternal
You’re mages of the breech who are tasked with the job of defending the town of Gravehold against the mighty titans and their monstrous minions. Can you hold them off, this is a spell slinging cooperative game where each player plays as a breech mage. These mages are fairly standard looking, but have interesting powers and there are a lot of them in the base game. Plus, you get several Titans all who have their own different minions and schemes that you have to go up against. This game really is interesting and works well, the world that they’ve created for the series is fairly tightly focused but they’ve done a good job of creating lore around it, and I’m excited to try Aeon’s End: Legacy coming up here sometime.

3 – Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is not a magically heavy, but it definitely has heavy elements of fantasy with crazy monsters that have been warped by the Wyrdness, magical Menhir that are driving back the Wyrdness giving the humans a chance to survive in a little pockets. It’s a grim fantasy setting but I really have enjoyed how it can be dark, but not too dark, and that it is very hard. The story is well written as well, I say that some of these games have more generic style fantasy stories, but this one, even though it’s based on Arthurian legend feels fresh and unique and horrifying, but it always leaves you wanting to explore more and find out more in the world that Awaken Realms has created.

2 – Mansions of Madness: Second Edition
This one might surprise some people to be on the list, it’s not the epic swords and sorcery fantasy, but as the investigators, you can sling spells around, you are dealing with fantastical monsters, some from other parts of the universe or dimensions. There’s certainly an urban fantasy element to the game that shapes a lot of the stories that you get in it. And the whole idea of these Eldritch horrors is very fantastical in nature. I do think that you get more of a sense of adventure and investigation than you do fantasy from the game, but it doesn’t lean heavily into any theme more than the fantasy element to it, it’s just a different type of fantasy than what we normally think of.

1 – Gloomhaven
A big epic fantasy game in a box, Gloomhaven has a distinction of having it’s own original fantasy theme. Now, that’s not to say that some of the others haven’t done their own interesting things, but Gloomhaven is almost completely unique. The Cragheart, Quatryl, Vermling, and more are all unique to the world that Isaac Childres has created in the game, and that’s impressive to take such a big thing as world building and turn it into something that is specific and unique for a game the size of Gloomhaven. Each class and race feel unique and you get an interesting fantasy tale, I won’t say it’s the best written, but it’s good and the game play is great.

There are a lot of other games that I considered. Grimm Masquerade with it’s fairy tale theme just missed and Lord s of Hellas walks that line of fantasy and mythology and missed the list as did Blood Rage. One that I really strongly considered was TIME Stories. Why I kept TIME Stories off the list is that not all of the scenarios are really that magical. There’s definitely some of that, but Prophecy of Dragons is the main one that really leans into the magic.

Fantasy is certainly a popular theme in board games, and a popular theme in games that want to have that heavier story to it and even border on role playing, though if you want to go that way, you can just play Dungeons and Dragons, another highly recommended game. What are some of your favorite games with a fantasy theme? What are some that I should checkout?

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5 – The Reckoners
The only YA (young adult) series on the list, and one of the two series by Brandon Sanderson. The Reckoners is a super power series, but done in an interesting way. Super powers became a thing, but they weren’t heroes, in fact, they were all villains. There is a team, called The Reckoners who are out there figuring out the weakness of bad guys and trying to take them down to basically free the normal people from being under the super powers thumbs. David, isn’t a Reckoner, but he desperately ones to become one. Is he going to be able to help them in a way to get into the group? It’s a well done series and while it’s a bit darker in how it handles super powers as compared to Marvel or DC, it doesn’t beat you down with bring dark.

4 – Stardust
The lightest book on the list in terms of tone, Stardust is just a fun romp through a wild and crazy fantasy world. I generally like Neil Gaiman’s works, but they can be pretty big and heavy, Stardust is a much smaller work, but tells an interesting and light story. The blend of the real world and this amazing fantasy and how they interact is interesting. There are a few lines that just crack me up when I read them in the book, and you really do feel the sense of adventure that is being created in the book. The movie, while different, is also not bad and keeps a similar tone to the book. If you want a lighter fantasy read, Stardust is a lot of fun.

3 – The Stormlight Archive
Another series, I kind of feel like I’m cheating by putting them on the list, but I feel like sometimes the whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts, and if I were to talk about it separately, it wouldn’t fully tell the story. The Stormlight Archive is an epic fantasy story by Brandon Sanderson. You get prophecy, you get visions, intrigue, and so much more, but it’s all put together well. Sanderson is probably better known for Mistborn, but I like Stormlight Archive considerably better. The scale is just so big, but the story is well done, and the characters are flawed. You’re going to see this as a theme, characters who are flawed who feel more real, and in Stormlight Archive, you have heroes who do great things, but they are still flawed characters.

2 – IT
I love Stephen King. And IT is my favorite out of the books that he’s written. The structure of interweaving the kids and adults stories together works well. It’s an interesting horror story but also has an epic story as well. Pennywise is a great antagonist. I sometimes, also, have an issue with Stephen King’s work because he doesn’t always land the story as well as he could in the end, and I think in IT, you get a good complete story. Again, with complex characters who have flaws and because of those flaws you care about them more. Now, IT is a beast of a book to read and is definitely weird and disturbing, so it isn’t going to be for everyone, but if you are interested in trying horror, I highly recommend it

1 – The Dresden Files
I’ve talked about this series before, and I’m completely caught up series finally this year. Thus far, there are 15 books in the series, and it’s a ton of fun to see the series come together. The start of the series is a bit more of a stand alone, but when Jim Butcher hits his stride, the story is quite complex and well written. It’s a massive fantasy world with interesting characters and flawed characters, which I think really makes the series work. Harry Dresden is a good guy in general, but he has his flaws and you get to see the character grow in realization without fixing all of his problems. To me, that’s what I want in good story telling, good depth of character and characters who feel real. The series, since it is so long, does have a hiccup or two in the storytelling, but as a whole, it is telling a very interesting story.

Nothing new to this year, besides finishing off The Dresden Files this year, but let’s see in the honorable mentions?

The Wheel of Time
Harry Potter
Ascend Online
Lord of the Rings
Daughter of Smoke and Bones

Any books from my top reads that you love? Any that you’ve been wanting to check out? Let me know in the comments below.

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