Ares Games - Battle of Five Armies is coming

Crickets...

I thought this title would get a lot more attention around here. I blame the ERP. No, but seriously, does it stink or what? Middle Earth O.D'ed?

Yeah, it really did hit with a resounding...*puff*

I think some of it is definitely ME fatigue...despite the Hobbit movies (and possibly because of them), Tolkien properties are kind of on the wane in gaming and elsewhere. It's all material that is WELL covered, and for a lot of folks War of the Ring is still very much a currently played game. There's also the issue that there are simply so many games vying for attention and money (thanks a lot, Kickstarter) that something massive has to come out like Imperial Assault for it to really register. There's _not_ really been a game like that with that setting, which is in contrast to Bo5A.

I haven't heard any chatter about it at all, and no one in my immediate circle even bought it.

I'm enjoying it. I dig the War of the Ring action dice thing and the battles can be pretty tense. The characters on the Free people side are interesting and really change up the feel of the game with their abilities.

If I don't get it for Christmas, I will be afterward.

I did have a look at it at Spiel. There were several reasons it didn't whip me into a frenzy:



- it looks and feels very much like Battles of Middle Earth: the board, the minis, the rules
- I still have only played BoME only once or twice
- level of action: Bot5A is really only the battle plain, while BoME has Rohan. Difference between tactical and strategic choices. The balance in the Rohan scenarion for the bad guys between mobilisation and combat is very good. Not sure the decisions in Bot5A will be as interesting
- 65-80 euro price tag (depending on language version)

so I passed but may be tempted when price goes down and opportunity to play it goes up

I liked the battles of Middle Earth but I only played twice because if I'm going to play battles of middle earth I might as well play War of the Ring. If I wasn't buying a Crokinole board for Christmas I might have bought 5 armies or catacombs.

BoME is a different beast than WotR.

I've played it a couple times. Never played the two battle games from Battle of the Third Age expansion from WotR. Overall, I like it, as its a bit shorter than WotR. It lacks the epic scope and play variability of WotR, but it can also play faster and set up/take down faster. Mechanically, I think its also a bit simpler.

I do agree with Barnes though that perhaps the Tolkein license may be getting a bit played out as of late. In combination with WotR being a long standing classic in the eyes of many players, I can see where this one gets sort of lost in the shuffle.

Yeah, it does kind of seem like an odd release I suppose. Could be interesting to hear opinions from someone who's never played War of the Ring. (Or if that even matters since everybody already has and thus has a bias.)

Anyway, if this would have come out two years ago I would have been all over it. For whatever reason there is no sense of urgency at this point. A lack of raves or any buzz at all doesn't help.

Hex Sinister wrote: Yeah, it does kind of seem like an odd release I suppose. Could be interesting to hear opinions from someone who's never played War of the Ring. (Or if that even matters since everybody already has and thus has a bias.)

Anyway, if this would have come out two years ago I would have been all over it. For whatever reason there is no sense of urgency at this point. A lack of raves or any buzz at all doesn't help.

I have never played War of the Ring (*ducks*) and like Battle of Five Armies. I like the action dice system and the card play is interesting. It's a very tactical game with strategic considerations but you have to go where the game takes you, making the best of your situation.

The heroes are the best part as there's tons of flavor and reverence to the source material. They all have interesting abilities and have a solid and enjoyable effect on the game. The game also feels pretty good with the Shadow player kind of flowing into the valley or down the mountains and trying to overwhelm but on a clock before the Free People heavy hitters arrive. Beorn is scary.

My main problem is that I don't often get to play 2 player games and I really wish this would have been 3 or 4 player. I think I will keep it in my collection but it has to compete with Queen's Gambit, Claustrophobia, and Twilight Struggle in that regard.

It's a good game but I think what really stands to push it over the edge is your attachment to the Hobbit. It's very evocative of its theme and there's lots of little touches that pay homage.

I will be reviewing this fully, just a matter of time.