Preview of Nerath

I got to play through a few rounds of Conquest of Nerath. The game looks like so much fun with all the cool minis and elaborate board- it screams "PLAY ME!"  Then you do and you realize that you've played the game before, only back then it was called Risk (really more like Risk 2210.)

The game is so basic that it would easily be palatable for non gamers to play- and maybe that was the purpose.

The game play is:

Move your dudes: (most units move 2, dragons 3, and soldiers and catapults move 1)

Fight: Roll a 6 or better. Units have different dice and some have special powers (Wizards get 1st strike, catapults roll two D8 when attacking...ect)

Reinforce: After combat movement

Buy: Score your total territories and buy new units.

Two units (the wizard and the warrior) may also explore the numerous dungeons on the board. IT consists of flipping over the door and fighting the monsters on the back. OH NO!! A mind flayer! He's rolling two d12's!

Successfully completing a dungeon provides gold and magic items which greatly help in your conquest. That is right, you can be toting around that Keogtom’s Ointment ( and save two of your units each turn from extinction.)

Now I've been poking fun at how unsophisticated the game is, but in truth I'd play it in a heartbeat. It is a total dice fest with nods to classic D&D. And it is friggin gorgeous. Each sculpt for the four separate factions is different (something like 10 different units per player  so maybe 40 sculpts.)  I like the rich colors and graphic design. The board is laid out similarly to Quest for the Dragonlords with a central island and the four factions spilling out of the four corners to take up every bit of space. 

I'm looking forward to playing a full game to see how it plays. I suspect there is great carnage early on as many of the units that clutter the board are killed off. Then there will be boarders that are traded off while each player tries to hold multiple fronts. Lastly there will be the ol' take down the leader while still trying to cover yourself from opportunistic allies.