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Asmodee – Abyss – Game of Strategy.

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That’s the theme behind today’s review of Abyss, a eurogame designed by Bruno Cathala ( 5 Tribes, Shadows over Camelot) and Charles Chevallier ( Sultaniya), and published by Asmodee Games. Is this game of undersea strategy just a pretty face or does it have what it takes to earn a spot on your gaming shelf? Let’s find out! Note: A player who controls a Lord decides at which point during their turn the Lord's semi-permanent Power is applied. Refill The Court:

Andean Abyss | Board Game | BoardGameGeek Andean Abyss | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

Draw 1,2,3, or 4 Locations and choose one from among those drawn. Then, place the rest face up beside the board, making them available for later turns. In this way, the more options you give yourself, the more choices you provide for your opponents! The game ends when a player completes their Senate Chamber by placing their 15th Lord. Influence points are awarded from the players Lords, locations, greatest connected Lords Coalition from one colour and the Pearl Master token. The player with the most points is the winner. Final Thoughts In my opinion, the rulebook would have been stronger if the “clarifying” section hit on each Lord and Location instead of just a handful. I can understand how different players might interpret some of these cards differently and we should never have to go to an auxiliary source to get accurate information. This aside, the rest of the rules are laid out perfectly and there are plenty of detailed pictures to help walk the user through the varying actions one might take.

Components

I ended up really enjoying Abyss and seemed to constantly wanting to give it another play. I know 5 Tribes was Bruno Cathala’s hit game to come out of Gen Con 2014, but I think Abyss shouldn’t be overlooked. It ended up being a really clever card game with a good mix of interaction between players and mechanics. At its heart it may just be a simple set collection game, but there is a surprising amount of depth in this medium weight game. What kind of abilities can these lords give you though? Well that is determined by which faction type they come from, the red military lords will have adverse effects on your opponents. Things like making them discard pearls or cards. The green lords will gain you pearls, the blue ones will let you gain additional lords or swap lords around with the Court. Some are one time bonuses and some of the lords have ongoing abilities which are active until the lord is covered by a location tile. Some of the lords will also have keys in the top right of the card. Once you collect three keys be those from fighting monsters or from your lords, you must choose and take a location to control. As soon as you gather three Keys (Keys are gained when you recruit a Lord with a Key symbol or by fighting a Monster while Exploration) you must immediately take control of a Location. The active player reveals the 1st card and offers it to their opponents who do not wish to buy it. The player can then take it for themselves but would rather continue Exploring. The last action you can choose as your mandatory action is to Recruit a Lord. At the bottom of the board, there are spaces to hold up to seven Lord cards. Each Lord card has a few things to pay attention on it, most importantly the cost to recruit the Lord. This is a part I really enjoy about Abyss and one that I think sets it apart from other set collection games. The cost is comprised of a couple different parts. One, there will be a certain number of bubbles printed on the card. The number of bubbles represents the exact number of Ally races you have to use to recruit the Lord. Next, there is sometimes a larger bubble with an icon inside it. This icon represents a race that you must have as part of your Allies when recruiting a Lord. Lastly, there is a number printed below the bubbles, representing the sum that the Ally cards have to at least add up to when recruiting the Lord. I love the fact that you don’t just have to have X number of Y-colored cards. The recruitment costs give you some flexibility especially if a Lord you wanted is scooped up before you have a chance.

Abyss Review - Board Game Breakdown Abyss Review - Board Game Breakdown

Abyss is a game about undersea politics (yes, that's a thing) where two to four players compete to have the most influence, by affiliating allies, defeating monsters, lobbying the council, recruiting lords, and controlling locations. Components Depending on race, the Lords each belong to one of the 6 different guilds, each with their own specialty: When you have finished your mandatory actions, your turn is over. The player to your left now begins their turn, following the same steps as above. Players continue taking turns until one of the end-of-the-game conditions is met.Plot the Court (optional): You may spend a pearl to add a Lord to the court (if there are open spots). Abyss stands up to multiple plays as the combinations of lords and locations seen during each game will be different, and the more you play, the more you can try out different strategies for gaining influence (e.g I prefer recruiting farmer lords who have no powers but high influence, and trying to combine them with locations to multiply up those points). The currency of the game is represented by opaque white pearls, which do a great job of carrying on the undersea theme. Players store their pearls in oyster shaped dishes, another great touch in line with the theme. Abyss is set in an underwater city where you and your fellow players are vying for control in a game of underwater politics. You will use all of your cunning and wits to buy and win votes in the council. You will need to recruit the most influential Lords to utilise their powers and take control of territories. Allies, Lords and Monsters leave it in its space on the board and reveal the next card. You must then offer the new card for sale, and so on.

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