Marvel United Board Game Review: I was attracted by the idea of Marvel United, CoolMiniOrNot’s original board game based on Marvel’s superheroes because I had played a lot of Zombicide. I was pleased with the outcomes because their experience with miniature-based games looked to be a fantastic fit for the Avengers’ universe.
Marvel United Board Game Review
Marvel United matches two to four players against a well-known foe. In order to foil the villain’s plans, players must navigate their chosen hero across six different places. Before the villain becomes exposed to injury, they must finish at least two out of three missions—taking down criminals, defending the innocent, or neutralising dangers at each location—and then exhaust their health before time runs out.
Cards In Marvel United Board Game
A deck of cards and a miniature are included with every hero. A player can utilise the actions listed on a card after setting it down from their hand to begin their turn. A player playing Captain America might place a card with the symbols for both an attack and a move on the table, enabling him to execute one of each action. The following player can then make use of both their own card’s symbols and those on the preceding hero’s card. For example, if it is Iron Man’s turn and he plays a card with a heroic action symbol, he can move, attack, and conduct a heroic action.
The wildcard symbols, which provide the player a choice between the three actions, are the most valuable ones. On some cards, each hero also has a unique set of skills. For instance, the Hulk can destroy everything on his square, Black Widow can examine the villain’s next card and toss it to the bottom of the deck, and Captain America can provide allies more actions in the form of consumable tokens.
A card from the villain’s deck is played after a predetermined number of hero turns, and it has the power to penalise the heroes, recruit additional thugs and commoners, or summon their minions. Heroes take damage by discarding cards from their hands back to their deck; if they run out of cards, they are knocked out for the remainder of the turn. If the villain’s requirements are fulfilled or the heroes play their complete decks, the game is over.
Superheros In Marvel United Board Game
The basic game includes the following heroes and villains: Red Skull, Taskmaster, and Ultron for the bad guys; Black Widow, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Hulk, and Iron Man for the good guys; and Ant Man and Venom in heroic form for the edition we reviewed. It is advised to start with Red Skull because his campaign board features a Fear Tracker as an alternative defeat condition. Ultron aims to swarm the board with thug and civilian tokens, while Taskmaster weights down heroes with Crisis Tokens that can bite players later.
The game is simple to set up and learn, and each playthrough is engaging thanks to the different factors. The incorrect concoction of dangers or an unlucky villain activation might lead to tragedy, but collaboration and each hero’s unique skills can make all the difference in the world. Success strikes a good balance between planning ahead and the randomness of dealing cards.
However, the actual contents of the main game box are somewhat constrained. There are eight location tiles, but since six must be randomly selected for each game, there isn’t much room for variety. In the same vein, since only two heroes can be used at once, if you play four-player games, you’ll frequently see the same cards. The villains give enough variation with their distinct aims, but the other aspects of the game could run staler first. To combat this, CMON provides a free Achievements Booklet that you can download. It contains some huntable achievements that will allow you play the game longer.
Taking damage by tossing out cards keeps the game straightforward but also limits players’ options. I noticed games typically started with heroes taking damage, which meant playing the whole game at a disadvantage. Instead, I would have preferred the added complexity that a health care system would have provided. On the other side, after utilising Venom and his Regenerate special ability to restore my hand to three cards, I felt like I used up the tiny 12-card deck quite rapidly.
Final Lines
The Marvel United Core Box May Become Boring Without Seeking Out Additional Expansions, Despite Being a Smooth Tabletop Experience That Balances Strategic and Random Elements.
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