My family has had a lot of fun playing the tabletop role playing game collaboration from CMON and Spinmaster Games called MARVEL UNITED. There are a variety of box sets for this game system ranging from an Avengers themed core box to expansion sets focused on Spider-Man, Black Panther, Deadpool, Guardians of the Galaxy and the X-Men. We've had family game nights recreating battles from television shows like Netflix's "Defenders", Disney+ "She-Hulk", Disney+ "Ms. Marvel" and Marvel Cinematic Universe movies including Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania with the Marvel United gaming system. Now CMON and Spinmaster Games are expanding on the format by launching a DC SUPER HEROES UNITED variation of the game.
From now through July 31, 2024 they are crowdfunding the publishing of the game via Gamefound. Those who purchase the game through the crowdfunding campaign will have access to obtaining exclusive characters and game play accessories that won't be available when DC SUPER HEROES UNITED eventually becomes available from retail stores. Purchasing the game from retail will be slightly less expensive than the crowdsourcing route but doesn't include the extras, like a bonus box full of playable heroes and villains, that are going to be only available through investing in the Gamefound campaign. Most of the customized game scenarios I've played have involved characters obtained as rewards in crowdfunding campaigns; so I'll probably be making a pledge to get DC SUPER HEROES UNITED during this current Gamefound campaign.
In DC SUPER HEROES UNITED, one to five players team up to take on the roles of Aquaman, Batman, Cyborg, The Flash, Wonder Woman and Superman to tackle the master plan of a villain. Villains included with these heroes in the core set that can be the super heroes adversaries include Lex Luther, the Joker, Darkseid and Cheetah. A comic book story is played out by utilizing decks of cards to complete goals and engage in combat.
Villains and heroes alternate adding their cards to the storyline. Heroes work together to coordinate strategies and attacks while villains are managed by an AI system of rules to compete with players. In the spirit of cooperation and teamwork that is necessary for players to win the game, a player not only can use the designated action moves on a card they played but also those posted on the card a teammate used just before them.
The game isn't just a fight with the big bad guy though. Your team must overcome challenges before you can confront the primary villain of a game head on. Rescue civilians, defeat thugs, and eliminate threats. Then the battle really heats up! Fighting the boss villain is no push over but if it was the game wouldn't be that fun to play would it.
The game is recommended for ages 14+ but I've played it with my kids when they were twelve. It is a nice family game because parents and kids can equally enjoy the game and have fun playing together. An average game doesn't take all night either but can be played in around a half hour with minimal setup time. From my experiences with the Marvel United games, I absolutely recommend you check out DC SUPER HEROES UNITED either via the Gamefound campaign or when the game hits retail store shelves.
If you haven't participated in a tabletop gaming crowdfunding campaign, heed this word of warning. They will be heavily marketing the campaign using awesome looking images of the game pieces painted by very talented professional artists. The game pieces come unpainted. While there are numerous disclaimers about the game pieces not being painted it is impossible not to become captivated by their marketing images. In reality you will either be playing the game with unpainted pieces or paint them yourself with results that will be nowhere as nice as what you see promoted in the campaign. Be careful not to get hooked in to making purchases based upon awesome imagery that you most likely won't be able to replicate. Just saying!
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Normally in a game of Zombicide players work together to cooperatively overcome challenges as one united team. It is players versus zombies. Over the Easter weekend though, game maker CMON released a free add-on scenario for the Marvel Zombies edition of the game. In "Good Egg Hunting" players are divided into two teams of heroes competing against one another to gather the most Easter Eggs hidden within a zombie infested mansion that once housed Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.
This new Easter Egg themed scenario utilizes the components and rules of the X-Men Resistance hero box for Marvel Zombies gameplay. Two to four players divide into two teams of X-Men to see who can come out on top in this Marvel Zombies challenge. Race around the mansion trying to pick up as many of the objective cards that Professor Xavier hid throughout it. Don't linger because whichever teams scores the most points in 8 rounds is the winner.
Watch out for the zombies, but also the players on the other team! This Marvel Zombies add-on scenario allows players on the other team to steal your Easter Eggs from you. Earn one point for each red egg collected, two points for the rare blue egg and three points for the green one. Plus earn bonus points for rescuing bystanders and eliminating zombies. Whichever team has the most cumulative points after 8 rounds wins the game and gets Zombicide bragging rights.
My daughter and I battled it out in this Marvel Zombies Easter Egg Hunt. I selected Colossus and Wolverine to be my heroes. She selected Rogue and Storm.
There are four types of zombie enemies to battle in Marvel Zombies: X-Men Resistance. James Madrox, the Multiple Man, became infected by the zombie virus and now keeps replicating creating an ever growing herd of walkers. The Hellfire Club's cybernetically enhanced tank-like Reavers now are lumbering brutes of zombies. And with the zombies in the Marvel universe retaining some semblance of intelligence, the Hellfire Club assassins are more dangerous then ever now they have turned into monsters that are running all over the place.
If those three types of zombies weren't bad enough, also lurking around are heroes and villains that have turned into zombies overwhelmed with hunger. Players potentially have to face off against Cyclops, Dark Phoenix, Iceman, Juggernaut, Pyslocke and Sabretooth who are roaming the X-Men mansion grounds as zombies. All these zombies have their own special abilities and traits to strike fear in even the most powerful of the Avengers or X-Men. Don't let the fact they are zombies now have you let your guard down. These zombies are uncannily dangerous!
So how did we fare in our "Good Egg Hunting" challenge? It was a close contest, but Colossus and Wolverine prevailed over Rogue and Storm ... by 2 points. My grabbing both the blue and green eggs plus stealing a red one from my daughter were what put me over the top in the points total. All in all though we both won because it was a fun family game night playing CMON Zombicide Marvel Zombies edition.
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When I heard that CMON GAMES fantastic Zombicide tabletop role playing game was doing a mashup with Marvel superheroes there was no doubt in my mind that I would be going ALL IN on a pledge for its Kickstarter campaign. This resulted in a gigantic Galactus game piece and ten boxes of goodies including two core game play boxes, eleven expansion packs with themes that include Fantastic Four and Guardians of the Galaxy adventures, board tiles for various scenarios, and a ton of stretch goal characters to play with arriving at my doorstep. Time for an unboxing!
A zombie plague strikes and not even Earth’s mightiest heroes are safe. Marvel Zombies is a cooperative board game for 1 to 6 players, based on the core mechanics of the popular Zombicide series, bringing non-stop zombie action to the Marvel universe. Original art by comics legend Marco Checchetto is incorporated into amazing game pieces and playing cards depicting iconic Marvel characters in glorious (and often gory) detail.
In the primary Marvel Zombies Core Box, players take on the role of superheroes who have been infected and succumbed to the virus. Unlike other variations of Zombicide by CMON, in this game instead of battling zombies you take on the role of them. Players' mission is to spread the zombie plague far and wide. Heroes retain twisted versions of their former personalities but are now enslaved to an insatiable hunger. Players face off against other heroes who have yet to succumb to the infection, along with the relentless members of S.H.I.E.L.D., in a battle of survival. Game missions are inspired by the scripts of Marvel Zombies comic books. Are you ready to destroy the world?
If you prefer the traditional hero role of superheroes, Marvel Zombies also has a second core box, X-MEN RESISTENCE, that lets players be survivors battling in classic Zombicide mode. This core box has mutant superheroes take a stand against the relentless zombie plague. It also opens the door for gameplay that lets a variety of other Marvel superheroes battle zombies instead of having to play the game as one.
Which of the core boxes will you prefer to play in: zombie mode or survivor mode? There are also expansion packs for extended game play that include Fantastic 4: Under Siege; Guardians of the Galaxy; Clash of the Sinister Six; Hydra Resurrection; and Sentinel Strike. Plus there is a Galactus mode that was exclusive to the Kickstarter campaign but you can still potentially get your hands on through the secondary market like E-Bay or select game stores.
Immerse yourself in the chaos of a zombie-infested New York and the Baxter Building in the "Marvel Zombies: A Zombicide Game - Fantastic Four: Under Siege" expansion. Choose your path as you can play as either Zombie or Survivor Modes. Use the Fantastic Four to save New York or lead them into the ranks of the undead.
Giant robotic Sentinels can be added to any scenario to bring an extra challenge to the players. These robots, programmed to hunt down and exterminate any mutant lifeforms, do not care about the distinction between living and dead. If it’s still moving, it’s a threat that must be eliminated. This expansion will contain a few Sentinel-centered scenarios for both Zombie Mode (using the New York tiles from the Marvel Zombies core box) and Hero Mode (using the X-Mansion tiles from the X-Men Resistance core box). Each of the Sentinels has a unique, highly detailed game piece, measuring a whopping 12cm high.
Join the Guardians of the Galaxy, even as some of their own have succumbed to the relentless zombie virus, in "Marvel Zombies: A Zombicide Game - Guardians of the Galaxy." Face the terror of a zombie outbreak in the far reaches of space, where the Guardians must confront not only their zombified comrades but also the formidable zombie Thanos wielding the Infinity Stones.
Witness the ultimate showdown in "Marvel Zombies: A Zombicide Game - Clash of the Sinister Six" as heroes and villains unite against a relentless zombie outbreak! The Sinister Six, longtime enemies of Spider-Man, must join forces with Super Heroes to combat their infected comrades and halt the zombie plague. This expansion pack introduces Team vs. Team mode, where players confront one another across the undead divide, determining the fate of New York City in a thrilling, high-stakes battle.
Confront the ultimate evil as the Red Skull takes control of legions of Hydra zombie soldiers, posing a dire threat to the world. This expansion adds character pieces and board game tiles to allow the creation of new scenarios to play.
Stay tune for more posts on ageekdaddy.com as I dive into this game! Also give a @Geekdad248 a follow on Instagram and Twitter for extra content to be geeked about.
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Giddy-up! My crate of goodies from participating in the CMON Games Zombicide: Undead or Alive Kickstarter campaign has arrived. A zombie apocalypse has infested within the Wild West and it is up to you to help a group of survivors get out of Dodge in this new variation of the Zombicide tabletop game. By purchasing Zombicide: Undead or Alive through Kickstarter rather than retail not only did I lasso the core game, but I also wrangled an exclusive Dead West expansion kit that includes 79 extra character pieces to enhance game play. Plus, I unboxed a few extra goodies to add to the Wild West theme of the Undead or Alive Zombicide adventures.
In this standalone game, instead of trying to survive a zombie infestation of a modern day city, players are transported back to the American West of the 1800s as they attempt to survive swarms of the undead. Carried by infected travelers aboard trains, the plague quickly spread across the Wild West. Horses became meals to the zombie hoard causing the surviving people to be isolated in overwhelmed frontier towns.
Zombicide: Undead or Alive is a cooperative game where players work together to face scenarios involving them confronting and escaping a zombie menace. Players make their own decisions to utilize weapons and abilities while the zombies are controlled by the game itself using simple rules and a deck of cards. This tabletop game can be played for 1 - 6 players and is recommended for those aged 14+.
The Undead or Alive core box includes 14 characters that players can choose to play as divided up as four different classes: Brawler, Faithful, Gunslinger and Townsfolk.
Brawlers are hand-to-hand specialists who use melee weapons to bring down zombies. Being tough as nails, they can also endure more wounds than other survivors.
Faithfuls use their faith and conviction to paralyze zombies and destroy zombie spawning points.
Gunslingers are able to unload a heap of lead in a split second by fanning a hoard with pistol fire. This ability can devastate large bands of zombies at short range.
Townsfolk know where to search for supplies and find everything needed for killing zombies.
Also included in the core box are 64 zombie game pieces to utilize in the game. There are four types of zombies players will encounter in Undead or Alive: Walkers, Brutes, Runners and Abominations.
Walkers slowly trudge towards you in a deadly mob. Beware that though they aren't speedy, walkers can quickly overwhelm you.
Brutes are hard to kill making them nasty menaces. Watch out because they are often shielding other zombies hiding behind them!
Runners often catch survivors by surprise. You don't think of zombies as fast but this type is quick. They move twice as fast as other zombies!
Abominations can be the worst nightmare of survivors, plus they aren't always zombies! Sometimes abominations are mutated monsters or worse. These are the toughest, ugliest adversaries your posse will come across. They can only be hurt by dynamite. Moreover, their mere presence stirs the dead to come to an abomination's aid. As soon as one enters the game board, special places called Abomination Spawn Zones become active causing even more zombies come after players.
There are ten missions included with the core box that can be played with included character pieces and twelve double-sided game board tiles. Players can also just create their own random scenarios as well utilizing the Zombicide A.I. system and their own tile layouts. Click here to check out the rule book for yourself.
By participating in the Kickstarter campaign, I also received an exclusive Dead West expansion kit that includes 79 more character pieces adding more survivors and zombies with their own unique quirks and qualities to enhance gameplay. This is particularly nice for adding new challenges to the game with its inclusion of some impressive abominations that range from a cactus monster to a wendigo. The expansion kit also includes some outlaws that can provide some extra firepower to your team of survivors including Butch Cassidy, Billy the Kid and Jesse James. For those who missed the Kickstarter campaign it is possible to find Dead West in the secondary market for an elevated price to what it was originally sold for.
In addition to the Dead West expansion pack, I also picked up a few other exclusive content goodies in the Kickstarter campaign. I harnessed a Deadstock Pack that includes mutated abominations of a buffalo, grizzly bear and longhorn cow for survivors to battle. I also dug up a Long Dead Walkers Pack that has skeleton versions of the zombies from the core box. This game can be more than just a zombie encounter with a variety of different monsters led by the Great Trickster Spirit available through Kickstarter exclusives to fight against players. The quality of exclusives are one of the main hooks for me when it comes to joining a Kickstarter campaign and these had me biting at the Zombicide: Undead or Alive one.
Keep an eye out for more updates as I delve into the contents of Zombicide: Undead or Alive and begin playing the game. The core box is available now at retail. For more information about this and other games in the franchise, head over to zombicide.com
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Inspired by Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, my family had a MARVEL UNITED game night featuring the heroes from the movie. In Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the Marvel Cinematic Universe unlocks the Multiverse and pushes its boundaries further than ever before. The film journeys into the unknown with Doctor Strange, who, with the help of mystical allies both old and new, traverses the mind-bending and dangerous alternate realities of the Multiverse to confront a mysterious new adversary.
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, frightening images, and some language by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness stars Benedict Cumberbach (Dr. Strange), Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch), Xochitl Gomez (America Chavez). The villain of the movie is still somewhat shrouded and secrecy, but could it be Kang the Conqueror who has already been connected to the Loki tv series and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania movie setting up the time traveling and dimension jumping bad guy as the next major Thanos-level nemesis for the MCU?
So, we set up a Marvel United battle pitting Kang versus America Chavez, Dr. Strange and the Scarlet Witch. In the Marvel United tabletop game, 2 to 4 players take on the role of a team of heroes working together to thwart the master plan of a villain. This is a cooperative game produced by a partnership between CMON and Spin Master Games, in which the players either all win or lose together so instead of competing against one another to come out on top, Marvel United is about teamwork. Have a super time roleplaying as your favorite Marvel superheroes tackling the villainous plots of dangerous foes.
From Sanctum Sanctorum, Dr. Strange senses that something odd is going on in New York City. Temporal anomalies are appearing at locations ranging from the Daily Bugle to Stark Industries. Futuristic warriors are creating chaos in the city! Kang the Conqueror who has mastered traveling through time and space is up to some sort of scheme attempting to implement a master plan.
KANG THE CONQUEROR
Heralding from the far distant future of an alternate dimension, his quest to rule all universes has him crossing timelines brining him to our reality as Kang attempts to accomplish his master plan. He commands a time army of henchman consisting of warriors from across the galaxy of his future, multiverse origins. Both he and his thugs are equipped with advance technology and weaponry. Our team of heroes must defeat Kang's henchmen, rescue civilians, and eliminate threats at New York City locations around the gameboard before being able to directly attack the villain.
What heroes will team up to stop Kang's master plan in our game of Marvel United? We brought together the heroes from Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness! Can America Chavez, Dr. Strange, and Wanda Maximoff defeat the master plan of Kang the Conqueror?
Players utilize cards from a deck that each has to take actions and use special abilities within the game. Each turn, a player adds a card to the game's storyline that allows characters to complete tasks and battle enemies. Players also pass on some of their card actions to be used by teammates in super combo moves. Teamwork is so important in Marvel United!
HEROES WIN if they eliminate all of a villain's health points. To do this though they must first accomplish 2 of 3 tasks (rescue civilians, defeat thugs or eliminate threats) before they can attack a villain head on. Beware that there is no such restriction on the villain directly attacking your heroes with a BAM! while they are unlocking tasks!
HEROES LOSE if the villain completes the master plan. This happens if any of the following occurs:
The conditions of the Villainous Plot on the villain's dashboard are completed;
the villain places all of the Master Plan cards within the storyline;
any hero starts their turn with no cards in both their deck and hand.
DR STRANGE
Formerly a renowned surgeon, Doctor Stephen Strange now serves as the Sorcerer Supreme—Earth's foremost protector against magical and mystical threats.
SCARLET WITCH
Superhuman genes allow the Scarlet Witch to utilize energy and reality manipulation and provides powerful access to magical energies, such as chaos magic.
AMERICA CHAVEZ
Possesses superhuman strength, durability and the power of flight. America Chavez also has the power to kick open holes in reality, allowing her and her teammates to travel through the multiverse and into other dimensions.
GAME TIP
Each hero character normally has one or two cards that bestow an extraordinary ability. You will want to make sure to strategically play these cards to maximize the benefit. Be alert that if the villain knocks out your character all cards in your hand are reshuffled into the down-sided deck so no assurance when the hero may be able to access that card into you up hand as a playable ability. While a KO doesn't end the game for a character it does throw your card use into chaos!
ORB OF AGAMOTTO
Placing this Dr. Strange card into the storyline provides the team an advance look at all of the villain's Master Plan cards before they are put into play. This ability to see into the future is invaluable for positioning characters around the game board and determining what actions to take during a turn. An invaluable ability to give your heroes and edge over the game's artificial intelligence controlling the villain's moves against you.
INVULNERABILITY
When the game is nearing its end and there isn't much room for error, the invulnerability card of America Chavez avoids a KO at an inopportune time.
CHAOS MAGIC
Have bad card options in your hand and wish you could replay one that is already in the storyline? With the Scarlett Witch's Chaos Magic she enables a teammate to swap one card from their hand with a faceup card in the storyline.
The game started out with a fairly quick KO of the Scarlet Witch by Kang. But after that the heroes held their own and knocked out two of the three missions they needed to accomplish to be able to allow them to try and KO Kang themselves. Yet Kang avoided a head-on confrontation with the heroes with his Time Master card coming into play within the storyline. This allowed the villain to phase out of our reality and avoid losing health points to hero attacks.
With only three cards left in Kang's Master Plan deck, there was no guarantee another Time Master card would appear allowing the villain to phase back into gameplay. Without that happening there was no way the heroes could inflict damage to eliminate his health points. That would leave them with no way to win the game!
Dr. Strange came to the rescue as he was able to add his Eye of Agamotto card into the storyline. This allowed him to pull out one of the previously drawn Time Master cards from Kang's Master Plan deck from the storyline. The heroes were able to replace that card in a reshuffled Kang Master Plan deck thanks to the Eye of Agamotto!
Yet the heroes were running out of time with Kang only having four cards left to play now. If he plays all his Master Plan cards before the heroes eliminate his health points, the villain wins. Two turns later, the Time Master card returned to the storyline setting up a Kang showdown with Dr. Strange, America Chavez and the Scarlet Witch in Central Park. With only two turns left before Kang could play his last Master Plan card to win the game it came down to one last battle.
Being able to play Dr. Strange's Orb of Agamotto card in the closing moments of the game, the heroes were able to know exactly where to position themselves to quickly inflict the most damage on Kang. Scarlet Witch utilized a powerful attack from an adjoining location cutting Kang's health in half. America Chavez then used some combo effects passed on from cards in the storyline to provide the final body blows to take out the rest of the villain's health points.
With no time left, the heroes make a last second comeback to tackle the Master Plan and defeat Kang. Whew! That was too close for comfort! America Chavez, Dr. Strange and Scarlet Witch save the day and stopped Kang's Master Plan. We achieved a Marvel United family game night victory!
One last note. Playing pieces come unpainted with the Marvel United game. The characters shown in this post were decorated with my own amateurish skills. Be nice!
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A rhino is on the loose in New York City! He is rampaging through sites ranging from Central Park to Time Square with the goal of stealing technology from OSCORP and Stark Industries labs in Manhattan to sell to the highest bidder. Stopping this villain's masterplan is our challenge in this Marvel United family game night!
Aleksei Sytsevich, also known by the alias RHINO, was an enforcer with the Russian mob when one of his oligarch bossed "volunteered" him to have an experimental combat suit grafted to his skin. He possesses extraordinary strength and is amazingly fast making him as dangerous as a charging rhino. Aleksei is now an independent contractor providing muscle for mercenary work and burglaries. Rhino charges around the game board with a BAM! that both KOs heroes that oppose this super villain and forces them to waste turns by placing action cards facedown within the storyline.
In the MARVEL UNITED tabletop game players each assume the role of superheroes cooperating to stop the master plan of a powerful opponent controlled by a deck of cards that serve as artificial intelligence competing against the real-life players. The supervillain's master plan is unveiled as cards are played that trigger different effects and threats are activated that pose challenges across the locations on the game board. Players cultivate their own deck of special effects cards that are placed in a storyline along with the villain's cards to create your Marvel United adventure. Cards placed within the storyline activate superpowers that individual characters can use or can be passed on to teammates for extra powerful combo moves. Build your storyline, unite your powers, save the day!
Who will stand up to Rhino and save New Your City from his crime spree? It appears the Avengers and Spider-Man are tied up dealing with other threats to the world. So, the fate of the city is up to an unlikely trio of heroes: Black Cat, Howard the Duck and the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl!
Black Cat
One of the most talented thieves on the planet, Felicia Hardy is an anti-hero who will standup against wrongdoers committing evil acts and hurting the innocent while also picking the pockets of the ultra wealthy to finance her own lavish lifestyle. She will standup to Rhino to protect civilians in his path, but is she out to do good or simply trying to take his score for herself. This cat burglar has feline-type abilities that include enhanced agility and the power to project bad luck onto others.
Howard the Duck
Howard was transported to Earth from another dimension where water fowl are the planet's leading intelligent form of life. Howard has no superpowers but is skilled in the martial art of Quak-Fu which allows him to hold his own against much larger and more powerful opponents. He also carries a big freaking gun that can be used to clear locations on the gameboard of the thugs that are serving as henchmen for the Rhino's masterplan.
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Squirrel Girl
Not intimidated by the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl? You should be! Doreen Green has squirrel-like abilities that include super speed, strength and senses. She has the sharp teeth and jaw strength that allows her to chew through almost any material including metal. She can also communicate with and command squirrels to assist her. Plus, she has a big, fluffy tail! Most importantly, in a nut shell Squirrel Girl has some of the best cards available in her deck to provide the final blow for a hero victory in the game.
The heroes in our game were having a rough time with Rhino stampeding theme preventing them from getting any traction against him. In Marvel United, players must unlock two of three objectives involving rescuing civilians, stopping henchmen and eliminating threats before they can combat the villain straight on. Things were looking bleak as the Rhino knocked out Black Cat over and over again with his charge move and the villain's masterplan kept resulting in player's not being able to play their special effects cards.
Black Cat, Squirrel Girl and Howard the Duck remained persistent though. They kept fighting! The team held out long enough that Squirrel Girl was able to play an action card from her deck that squashed Rhino's masterplan. She used her Common Sense ability → If the number of your Special Effects cards in the Storyline is greater than the Villain's current Health, the Heroes win the game.
While our heroes hadn't been able to unlock the accomplishments needed to attack Rhino directly, Squirrel Girl's common sense was his undoing. Rhino had 8 health points, but the team had played 9 special effect cards within the Storyline when Squirrel Girl's turn came up. Luckily, she had been able to hold onto that card in her deck without it being drained during the gameplay. Tossing that tenth special effects card down won the game!
Just in the nick of time too! If a villain, expends all of its A.I. action cards that completes the masterplan and ends the game with a loss for the heroes. Rhino only had 2 cards left when Squirrel Girl made her move! Whew ... that was close! Doreen Green really did earn the name Unbeatable Squirrel Girl with that game winning move.
MARVEL UNITED combines strategy, teamwork and luck in an entertaining combination of board game, RPG and card decking building competitive play. It provides a nice time having players engage in cooperative play where no individual wins the game but rather everyone wins or losses as a team. We've had some great family time playing the Marvel United tabletop game. It has absolutely earned a Geek Daddy nod of approval!
One last note. Playing pieces come unpainted with the Marvel United MARVEL UNITED game. The characters shown in this post were decorated with my own amateurish skills. Be nice!
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Welcome to Wakanda! We had a marvelous game night playing the RISE OF THE BLACK PANTHER expansion to Marvel United. Marvel United allows players to role play as their favorite superheroes attempting to stop a villain's evil master plan. Combing strategic elements from both board and card games, Marvel United provides a fantastic tabletop gaming experience.
What I particularly appreciate about Marvel United is that the rules are simple enough for kids to join in to play with parents for a family game night, but it is challenging enough that adults can have as much fun as their children in playing it. Plus, it is a cooperative game, so all the players work together instead of competing against each other trying to win. So, you are all on the same team going for a joint win in Marvel United.
Our most recent bout in Marvel United took us to Wakanda with the RISE OF THE BLACK PANTHER expansion that I picked up by investing in a CMON / Spin Master Games Kickstarter campaign. Our team consisted of my son who took on the role of Black Panther, my daughter who played as Princess Shuri and myself who joined the team as Okoye, captain of the Dora Milaje Wakandan royal guard. I painted up our game pieces and we were ready to go to Wakanda. Let the battle begin!
Despite its technological prowess and wealth, the kingdom of Wakanda finds itself embroiled in a struggle for its throne. Erik Killmonger has taken an oath of vengeance against the royal bloodline for the killing of his father and has a master plan to take control of Wakanda as its new ruler. To that end Killmonger seeks to radicalize the population against their king, smuggling weapons and mercenaries into the country in preparation for an uprising that would place him on the throne. Can Black Panther, Shuri, and Okoye stop Killmonger's master plan?
Our heroes are defeated if Killmonger earns three crisis tokens being placed on four or more locations on the game board. Crisis tokens are earned when villain cards pulled result in more thugs or civilians being placed on a location than available slots. Also, the heroes lose if they or the Killmonger expend all of their action cards before the villain's health points are depleted.
The heroes win if they deplete Killmonger of all his health points. They just can't attack the villain right away though. Before attacking the villain directly, players must first complete two of three task cards by rescuing civilians, defeating thugs or clearing threats. Keep in mind Killmonger can knock out our characters and earn crisis tokens from the start of the game but until we complete a few tasks the villain has an advantage on us.
Killmonger also has another bit of an edge on our heroes in an aspect that is unique to the RISE OF THE BLACK PANTHER Marvel United expansion. During setup, each player is given an endangered location token. Each hero selects a different location on the board to place their token. If the villain's actions result in there being more civilian or thug tokens on a location then there are allocated spaces, a hero who has his or her endangered location takes 1 damage each turn until the overflow is reversed. Heroes need to protect these endangered locations or risk being KO'd.
The advantages of the villain though are the heroes can strategize and work together to win the game. From cooperating to achieve objectives or passing on action tokens from one turn to another for other players to utilize, teamwork is very important when it comes to winning in Marvel United. We've found it really takes a united effort to be competitive in Marvel United.
Black Panther, Shuri and Okoye held their own in our game, but Killmonger was able to keep filling locations with thugs that kept us off kilter and unable to achieve completing the two tasks needed to engage him one on one. Killmonger was able to KO Black Panther, Shuri and Okoye as our being aggressive to complete tasks opened our heroes up to taking damage. Knock outs can really throw you off your game plan and we never really recovered from those setbacks.
In the end Killmonger outlasted us and achieved his master plan to become ruler of Wakanda. While he didn't win by accomplishing his villainous plot, our team of heroes exhausted all our action cards without eliminating all of Killmonger's health points. Doah!
While we weren't victorious this game of Marvel United, the kids and I had a blast having a super time battling Killmonger. We are geeked about having a rematch! And actually since my kids look forward to game nights playing Marvel United in the end we actually do win every time we spend quality family time together. Wakanda Forever!
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