I just wanted to back up Tom's fine review. Beowulf is, in my opinion, a top-notch game that's taken a bit of a hammering in some of the online forums despite the great Knizia/Howe/Kosmos/Sophisticated Games pedigree.
I'd just add two very minor comments to Tom's review:
- The "3 wounds and you're dead" rule is trying, I think, to rein in some groups who really go nuts on the risking. If everyone is going all-out for most of the auctions and risking every chance they get (admittedly not very smart play), the game definitely loses some of its charm. I'm not sure the rule is effective, but my suspicion is, that's why it's there.
- Beowulf is a game of some subtlety, with more depth than it appears - especially on the whole subject of risking - and for some it can take a second game to start to appreciate it. From some reports, it appears that some groups are prone to risking at every opportunity their first time out. Again, this can make the game seem like a luck-fest. But if you play again - especially if you got burned by risking the first time - it becomes a lot easier to see the opportunities for planning and the big downsides of risking. The calculus of the risks is core to the game and very important to good play.
Anyway, a great game. There is some more commentary and some interesting discussion on the whole subject of risking on my site:
http://homepage.mac.com/c_farrell/ib...043/index.html
Chris
Linear Mode
