Cry Havoc Board Game

Takeaway: go ahead and get the game if you're thinking about it.I've only played the 2p version, but I can only see that having more players makes it even more fun. It would definitely increase action on the board. The game itself is not very complicated, but, as others have noted, the rule book could be a bit clearer. Luckily, you can find some FAQs online. After playing a few rounds, games speed up and you can see players catching on to their factions' strengths and weaknesses and amending their strategies. This is super fun for the right group of people; however, it could be a long nightmare for people who aren't familiar with playing games of this weight.I've seen several people comparing it to Blood Rage, while also saying they haven't played Cry Havoc--they're just assuming. Sure, there are a few similarities between the games: battling, card playing, recruiting. But each game does these things differently, and there are many more differences between the games that I don't see them being comparable by any real measure. You could own both and play both regularly with your group. Blood Rage does a good job of allowing players who are down to amend their strategies and try to score in a variety of ways, so the game can be volatile and suspenseful. Cry Havoc, on the other hand, is more traditional in that a well executed and sustained strategy is going to pay off, especially if that strategy considers the player's faction's strengths and weakness in relation to the other players. I have both games, and really like both games.

There are a lot of choices to make so don’t play with someone who suffers from analysis paralysis. But this game is fantastic. And don’t listen to people who say pilgrims can’t win. I won by 20+ last time I played as pilgrims. The game takes a lot of playing and experimenting to get to know the factions, but that is a plus for me. I will comment that it works best as 2 or 4 but still very good at 3. The rulebook is not well written or edited, but there are a lot of online resources and we found that creating a few house rules took no effort and added a little fun. I love the game. Great components, quick game, and easy to teach but still has a lot of depth. Big thumbs up here.

This game is wonderful with its unique combat system and asymmetric play. I personally, enjoy the deckbuilding aspect of the game very much, although it can be considered a "minor" mechanic. The only gripe that my gaming group has towards the game is that it can seem quite unbalanced when playing with 3 players. The Humans are typically seen within my group, as having an unfair advantage, expecially with their ability to take over unoccupied spaces without actively being in that location. The Machines have yet to win, but that may be more likely to player error and not fully understanding the nuances of their abilities. The Pilgrims are overall a great race with not much to complain about currently. Overall, this game is a wonderful take on asymmetric play, combat, and is a wonderful addition to any collection. I recommend this game highly and to try to play with 4 players whenever possible (games are usually more fun with more people anyway!)Will update with pictures and any further developments from future game plays.

Have only played this game a handful of times with one other player, and it's... interesting.I tend to like to settle in and play games for an extended duration. So far, this game hasn't allowed me to really "settle". The pace is much quicker with each game lasting no more than 12ish turns. Obviously, a big plus for those who are not looking for something that takes 2+ hrs per game.The combat is neat and works well imo. It doesn't depend on the luck of die, but can still be unpredictable.I want to play with 3+ players and see how the dynamic changes. I feel like the game wants to be more combat oriented, but with only 2 players, it's easy to battle just one to two times and then the game is suddenly over.I don't feel like this is a full review, only because I feel like I need to play it several more times with a few more players to really see it's potential. But with what I've experienced so far, it's enjoyable and a game I'd grab over the likes of Sorry or Connect 4.

This area control combat game is unique in the genre, and Portal games has done an excellent job, so much so, that it could be in my top 10 of 2016. With a never before seen combat system, this game pits 4 factions vying for control of a planets resources. Each faction, works in an individualized way to achieve victory, making it, one of the most asymmetrical games out there, and can be quite challenging. Knowledge of how the factions best operates is key to victory. The components are solid, the basic mechanics are deck building and miniature movement on the board for area control. Combat is done without dice but on a board where each player places forces in one of 3 sections; Region control, prisoners, or Attrition. The majority on each section wins that area. First player with the most points once the 50 point trigger is hit is the winner.

This game is a lot of fun. I enjoy having an AI style character to fight when using 2 or 3 players. Each race is different and presents unique paths of success. I know that I was worried about each race and different times because of what they could do. One down side, the standard main power of the Pilgrims seems very week and I wouldn't suggest using that as your only special. I never used it, but still won.PORTAL GAMES was fantastic. I lost/couldn't find the exploration tokens for the game. I emailed them and asked if they could send me more and I received them 2 weeks later. No questions and no delays.