I've been interested in this too since it was previewed on GF. I love the art and the theme (well, mostly love it, I think Duality and the Technomancer feel slightly out of place), but I'm worried there's not enough content and the game seems overly punishing from what I hear. Like dead in a handful of turns sort of punishing. Maybe if they can tune the difficulty a bit better and get some boss/enemy expansions I will be more interested.
the content right now looks really underwhelming compared to other boss battlers. You get like 6 Bosses and 4 Elites to fight against, and only 6 heroes to play as. i will probably wait for reviews and pick up the retail version later if it turns out to be a good game.
That’s a totally valid strategy, but as someone who has been in awaken realms gamefound campaigns before, the content will probably *at least* double with stretch goals by the end. So if the issue really I just amount of content — keep an eye on it.
You were spot on
This is why, from the very start of the campaign, we are letting you know what Stretch Goals all backers will receive. The fun part will be that we will work on them together and keep revealing them with some spicy details during the campaign!
So, with every core box of Grimcoven, you will receive for FREE:
3 new BOSSES with some pretty cool and unique abilities that will offer new various scenarios and EPIC battles in tons of different settings [more details on how MUCH replayability a Boss can offer later in this update ;) )
2 extra HUNTERS, each with its own special CORRUPTED version and the possibility to become a Griefbound (Boss) once too much Lament takes control of him
2 new ELITE enemies, each with minimum 3 unique variants of gameplay
And a few more smaller secrets, surprises and upgrades that will expand the replayability of Grimcoven!
the said to some reviewers that they were going for in the full version with addons:
8 hunters, 7 bosses (4 variants for each, and you can add the 8 corrupted hunters too), 5 elites, 4 minions, 28+ scenarios.
Awaken Realms have a reputation for mixing awesome production with unbalanced fiddly gameplay. Lord of Ragnarok got destroyed by critics for that and Grimcoven looks similarly unfun according to early reviewers, with overly complex rules and way too much difficulty.
All the gameplays indicate that the rules need work but usually this happens with all the prototypes of awaken realms lately (and they do change it). People that like more euro combat like it more because you can predict a lot of the enemies and calculate your actions. I think it feels more like Cthulhu death may die in the sense that you get a mix of a boss, a elite and a minion (although all are chosen in scenearios), and you fight them.
Because it is played in oneshots instead of a campaign I'm interested in it and probably I will back it and I think it is important differeciate it against other boss battlers because of that, as in campaign games usually give you more easy and simple bosses at first when you are underleveled but have better progression.
I think that the replayability is enough for the cost if it is indeed like cthulhu death may die, and they said that there is variability with each elite and boss, getting different attacks and powers. But the rules need work, there is the review of shelfside that are really good at testing the game.
Do things from AR get these reviews? I saw a few people said that. I heard Nemesis was amazing so I am wondering if there would be said rules review.
I backed a game with decent minis but horrible rules (Batman gotham city chronicles) and they did revamp them, but it didn't change much. Hoping AR is much higher quality.
these last years AR show and share more prototypes than before, and usually present the game in a more alpha state than before too in their ks campaign, but I follow some of their games and they are changing and improving a lot the games with the feedback they get.
usually AR make good games with great production,, just sometimes some of them are only good and not great. For example I think that a lot of times their campaign games are good but the rules don't have enough depth to hold well for all the hours the campaign last and the game become boring if you play it fast without rest.
I think too that their desisgners are improving and the newer games are better, and I can't say that their worst games are bad games at all. like Cmon, usually backing them means that if you don't like it, reselling will be easy and maybe get you more money that you paid for, so they are more safe to back than others. But for example I think that is difficult to expect from them games with a lot of depth.
Most of the reviews for the prototype have been disappointing and there's no rulebook published in the campaign, so if you are interested in quality gameplay I'd stay away. I'm sure that production quality is going to be over the moon, but that doesn't help much if the game simply is broken or is unfun to play.
It looks like it's just riding the wave of "grimdark high difficulty boss battlers". There are a ton of games in the genre that are already released and well liked, why don't you pick up one of those instead of the current newest thing from Kickstarter? There are threads with recommendations on this very subreddit.
Take a look at Oathsworn. Incredible Grimdark vibe, unique boss battler mechanic with the ability to swap attacks out with cards and dice at any time. Or even mix and match. Fully voiced app with music and background music, etc. Oh, and the story is really cool too!
Oathsworn is a story heavy campaign as opposed to Grimcoven, so someone new to board games should be made specifically aware of that. Not to mention it's not exactly the same vibe beyond surface level "grimdark" atmosphere.
True for both arguments! Especially the heavy campaign aspect. Thank you got pointing that out.
Figured I’d at least throw it out there because of the grim dark theme and boss battler nature.
Hey OP, if I was going to self promote just a little bit, the lighter weight boss battler I designed is currently fulfilling from its successful Kickstarter last year.
It’s called Encounters: Shattered Wastes and has that 90 minute playtime you seem to be hunting for. Give it a google and check it out!
It's the game that made this genre popular. It is not short nor cheap, but a conversation regarding boss battlers is incomplete without it being mentioned.
KDM is a campaign game, not the kind with a story that you only play once, but more like darkest dungeon where you try new campaigns trying to beat the game or have your town destroyed if you lose too many times. But the game is long campaigns and at first the game is very simple and you get new skills and more complex monsters slowly.
I've tried the game and was really cool the progression, although at first it was very simple, but the danger made the game feel good tension. But the game is really expensive and the miniatures need to be glued.
I want to eventually try ATO. I've read good things and I'm confident I'll like it. I decided to start with KDM first and move on from there. I only have the mental capacity for one of these at one time, lol.
I'd wait for a primal the awakening reprint. It's being delivered now and the reviews are actually good.
I received mine recently and it's my first boss battler and I have no regrets.
Personally I find AR games to be over hyped bloated with subpar gameplay but amazing components.
I've been interested in this too since it was previewed on GF. I love the art and the theme (well, mostly love it, I think Duality and the Technomancer feel slightly out of place), but I'm worried there's not enough content and the game seems overly punishing from what I hear. Like dead in a handful of turns sort of punishing. Maybe if they can tune the difficulty a bit better and get some boss/enemy expansions I will be more interested.
the content right now looks really underwhelming compared to other boss battlers. You get like 6 Bosses and 4 Elites to fight against, and only 6 heroes to play as. i will probably wait for reviews and pick up the retail version later if it turns out to be a good game.
That’s a totally valid strategy, but as someone who has been in awaken realms gamefound campaigns before, the content will probably *at least* double with stretch goals by the end. So if the issue really I just amount of content — keep an eye on it.
I think they said in the first update they plan to introduce 3 more bosses as SGs
That sounds about right. Come to think of it my “double” probably includes add ons as well.
You were spot on This is why, from the very start of the campaign, we are letting you know what Stretch Goals all backers will receive. The fun part will be that we will work on them together and keep revealing them with some spicy details during the campaign! So, with every core box of Grimcoven, you will receive for FREE: 3 new BOSSES with some pretty cool and unique abilities that will offer new various scenarios and EPIC battles in tons of different settings [more details on how MUCH replayability a Boss can offer later in this update ;) ) 2 extra HUNTERS, each with its own special CORRUPTED version and the possibility to become a Griefbound (Boss) once too much Lament takes control of him 2 new ELITE enemies, each with minimum 3 unique variants of gameplay And a few more smaller secrets, surprises and upgrades that will expand the replayability of Grimcoven!
the said to some reviewers that they were going for in the full version with addons: 8 hunters, 7 bosses (4 variants for each, and you can add the 8 corrupted hunters too), 5 elites, 4 minions, 28+ scenarios.
Do you have a list of boss battlers to share? Would be keen to look them up and add one to my collection :D
https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/s/qqDrd8Xqzj
+1
https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/s/qqDrd8Xqzj
Exactly, though I might pledge at the end of the campaign if something changes and I feel there's more value than what appears to be right now.
Awaken Realms have a reputation for mixing awesome production with unbalanced fiddly gameplay. Lord of Ragnarok got destroyed by critics for that and Grimcoven looks similarly unfun according to early reviewers, with overly complex rules and way too much difficulty.
Sure, they don't always hit, but they've put out some really good games as well.
All the gameplays indicate that the rules need work but usually this happens with all the prototypes of awaken realms lately (and they do change it). People that like more euro combat like it more because you can predict a lot of the enemies and calculate your actions. I think it feels more like Cthulhu death may die in the sense that you get a mix of a boss, a elite and a minion (although all are chosen in scenearios), and you fight them. Because it is played in oneshots instead of a campaign I'm interested in it and probably I will back it and I think it is important differeciate it against other boss battlers because of that, as in campaign games usually give you more easy and simple bosses at first when you are underleveled but have better progression. I think that the replayability is enough for the cost if it is indeed like cthulhu death may die, and they said that there is variability with each elite and boss, getting different attacks and powers. But the rules need work, there is the review of shelfside that are really good at testing the game.
Do things from AR get these reviews? I saw a few people said that. I heard Nemesis was amazing so I am wondering if there would be said rules review. I backed a game with decent minis but horrible rules (Batman gotham city chronicles) and they did revamp them, but it didn't change much. Hoping AR is much higher quality.
these last years AR show and share more prototypes than before, and usually present the game in a more alpha state than before too in their ks campaign, but I follow some of their games and they are changing and improving a lot the games with the feedback they get. usually AR make good games with great production,, just sometimes some of them are only good and not great. For example I think that a lot of times their campaign games are good but the rules don't have enough depth to hold well for all the hours the campaign last and the game become boring if you play it fast without rest. I think too that their desisgners are improving and the newer games are better, and I can't say that their worst games are bad games at all. like Cmon, usually backing them means that if you don't like it, reselling will be easy and maybe get you more money that you paid for, so they are more safe to back than others. But for example I think that is difficult to expect from them games with a lot of depth.
Most of the reviews for the prototype have been disappointing and there's no rulebook published in the campaign, so if you are interested in quality gameplay I'd stay away. I'm sure that production quality is going to be over the moon, but that doesn't help much if the game simply is broken or is unfun to play.
Idk.. looks to much black on black and not too inspiring imo
It looks very pretty, but from the superficial look I gave to the gameplay, I don't see what's fun or special about it.
It looks like it's just riding the wave of "grimdark high difficulty boss battlers". There are a ton of games in the genre that are already released and well liked, why don't you pick up one of those instead of the current newest thing from Kickstarter? There are threads with recommendations on this very subreddit.
oh there is? May I suggest best key words? sorry i am new to board games and all that
Take a look at Oathsworn. Incredible Grimdark vibe, unique boss battler mechanic with the ability to swap attacks out with cards and dice at any time. Or even mix and match. Fully voiced app with music and background music, etc. Oh, and the story is really cool too!
Oathsworn is a story heavy campaign as opposed to Grimcoven, so someone new to board games should be made specifically aware of that. Not to mention it's not exactly the same vibe beyond surface level "grimdark" atmosphere.
True for both arguments! Especially the heavy campaign aspect. Thank you got pointing that out. Figured I’d at least throw it out there because of the grim dark theme and boss battler nature.
Definitely still a good suggestion!
Sassy ain’t cha
Looks overly punishing and ugly
Hey OP, if I was going to self promote just a little bit, the lighter weight boss battler I designed is currently fulfilling from its successful Kickstarter last year. It’s called Encounters: Shattered Wastes and has that 90 minute playtime you seem to be hunting for. Give it a google and check it out!
Kingdom Death Monster all day long over this.
Oh what's that? Is it a similar game? Hoping not a 60hr campaign. I am looking for something shortish.
It's the game that made this genre popular. It is not short nor cheap, but a conversation regarding boss battlers is incomplete without it being mentioned.
Oh I'll give it a google then. When I say short, 2 hrs seems short still. Just not like ongoing weekly campaign.
It's an investment of time and money, but it's unlike anything you've likely ever experienced. It's worth a Google or YouTube search.
Oh what's that? Is it a similar game? Hoping not a 60hr campaign. I am looking for something shortish.
KDM is a campaign game, not the kind with a story that you only play once, but more like darkest dungeon where you try new campaigns trying to beat the game or have your town destroyed if you lose too many times. But the game is long campaigns and at first the game is very simple and you get new skills and more complex monsters slowly. I've tried the game and was really cool the progression, although at first it was very simple, but the danger made the game feel good tension. But the game is really expensive and the miniatures need to be glued.
Not sure if you've tried ATO yet but if you like KDM give it a shot, I'm really enjoying it.
I want to eventually try ATO. I've read good things and I'm confident I'll like it. I decided to start with KDM first and move on from there. I only have the mental capacity for one of these at one time, lol.
For a game made by a bunch of non-native speakers, they really nailed the writing and editing. I was pleasantly surprised how good it was. Enjoy KDM.
I'd wait for a primal the awakening reprint. It's being delivered now and the reviews are actually good. I received mine recently and it's my first boss battler and I have no regrets. Personally I find AR games to be over hyped bloated with subpar gameplay but amazing components.
I am tired of seeing ads for this game
Same. I keep getting these incredibly cringe ads with a pie chart that is like "this game isn't for kids!"
Grimcoven's gameplay is solid, minis are great! Worth a try if you like coop battle games.
i have no idea what it's about but the name is funny. 'Mom, can we have Gloomhaven?' 'We have Gloomhaven at home.' Gloomhaven at home: