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  • Dice Temple: Rad Kickstarter Game Review - Enter The Zoneplex

Dice Temple: Rad Kickstarter Game Review - Enter The Zoneplex

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Dice Temple: Rad Kickstarter Game Review - Enter The Zoneplex
There Will Be Games

Far from here, deep into unknown realms, distant beyond the stars on which we gaze, in an ancient hall stands five monks. The most skilled of their respective orders, destined for this moment they wait, knowing all paths in time and space have led to this. Entered into shadows from which they cannot escape, knowing they can move only forward through the labyrinthine chambers in which they reside, they will tame their most horrendous fears, discover relics of which no imagination could dream, and enter the eye atop this mystical pyramid. Or perish. The Zoneplex awaits.

When I first came across Zoneplex on Kickstarter I immediately became intrigued for one reason. The premise of the game, and the way the art depicted this premise, captured my imagination in a way most board games fail to do. Mesmerized by the bizarre, other-worldly spirits, and the thoughts of exploring a hulking pyramid amidst the stars, I wanted to love this game. And ultimately I was not disappointed.

At the time however, I was put off by constant warnings of half-baked, amateur games plaguing Kickstarter. Patiently I waited for a third party review to appear before spending my precious game budget, but none came. And so I said screw it, and bought the game, hoping that it was as awesome as I wanted it to be. Lucky for you, because now you have an objective review to base your prospective purchase on. And so we begin. First, a basic overview.

In Zoneplex players will take turns building a pyramid from triangular tiles on a base built before the game begins (see photograph for completed pyramid). As the pyramid is discovered, players move their monk within its confines fighting various fears (monsters), discovering relics (items), and trying to undermine one another. This is the first mechanic that begins to shape strategy and gameplay, as players will attempt to inconvenience rivals with wall tiles, and place teleportation tiles for easy access to various sections of the pyramid - most importantly their designated spirit chamber tiles (your spirit chamber tiles have a symbol that corresponds with a symbol card obtained at game’s start).

Another vital mechanic used in Zoneplex is the use of spirit stones. Each player is given four spirit stones (tokens) that can be placed on any spirit chamber tile (which constitutes about two thirds of the pyramid tiles). Placed spirit stones award influence points (which inevitably win the game) and, if sacrificed, reduce a fear’s power in battle by one die roll (very necessary if you ever hope to defeat them).

Which brings me to the last notable aspect of the game I will discuss: how ridiculously hard most of the fears you battle are to beat. In most cases, if you attempt to fight them alone, they will tear the skin from your living body and wear it as a tiara on their deranged spirit heads while you fade from massive blood loss and trauma. Lucky however, you don’t have to fight them alone, and this is where things get interesting. When fighting a fear, you can offer the fear itself (you need three types to enter the top of the pyramid and win), or the relics the defeated fear awards, to anyone who will help you battle it. And even without offering any of these things you can still persuade others to assist, as monks gain strength with each successive kill (although this maxes at four levels). So ultimately, Zoneplex, a completely competitive game, forces you to cooperate, barter, bid, bluff, and screw your way through horrid nightmares and epic battles. Whats more, I’ve only played this game with the minimum three players, and already this player interaction was cutthroat and exciting. I can only imagine how fun its going to be with a full table of five players.

So, should you look into getting a copy of Zoneplex? Yay says I. If you like theme, games with a high level of social interaction, and capturing violent galactic beings in crystals (I love all of these things), then you’ll agree with me when I say this is a game that really stands as an example of a Kickstarter game gone right. The components are high quality, the art is wonderful (leaf through the pictures above if you haven’t), the game itself demands attention, medium strategy, a high level of bartering, and the tile laying mechanic imparts variance in gameplay. The only real complaint I have about the game is that there is no monk-on-monk combat. If I could karate chop my friend’s airway directly after he helped me take out a master fear, that would be pretty sweet. But ultimately petty fights aren’t what this combat system is all about anyhow. Its about the negotiation it takes to make that felling blow to an impending manifestation of your phobias. And reaching the final chamber at the apex of this sacred structure. The eye of what we know as…The Zoneplex.

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Thanks for reading Dice Temple! More reviews at dicetemple.tumblr.com. Questions, concerns, comments, and inquiries about possible review copies of games (much appreciated!) can be sent to maloney_andrew_t(at)yahoo.com

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