MARVEL UNITED WELCOME TO WAKANDA

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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Marvel Black Panther Slammer Plush

My kids were really impressed by the Black Panther's appearance in Marvel Studios' CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR and have been excited that the character is being featured in his own movie.  They're not alone in enthusiastically anticipating the theatrical release of BLACK PANTHER on February 16, 2018 as the film is setting records in advance ticket sales for a comic book themed movie.  Helping to build my son and daughter's excitement for the movie, JUST PLAY sent them some BLACK PANTHER toys they've been having fun playing with while waiting for the movie to arrive at theaters.

Just Play's Marvel Slammers Plush toys are great for pretending to have your own action-packed adventures with characters from Marvel Studios' BLACK PANTHER.  Both the movie's hero, Black Panther, and his adversary, Killmonger, are available as plush figures made from deluxe fabrics.  You can find both of these Slammers Plush at Toys R Us!

These toys from Just Play are called Slammers because when you slam or squeeze them the plushes talk.  These Slammers Plush add extra fun to playing with them by exclaiming phrases from the movie!  Their sound effects combined with the soft-to-touch plush bodies of these collectible toys have provided my kids with a lot of enjoyment.  Just Play Marvel Black Panther Slammers Plush are great not just for playing but also for decoratively displaying.



Black Panther and Killmonger are each sold separately.  Recommended for ages 3+ they are powered by 3 x AG13 batteries that are included sewn within each plush toy.  Other Slammers Plush representing characters from Marvel Studios' cinematic universe include Ant-Man, Captain America, Ironman, Spider-Man, and four members of Guardians of the Galaxy (Groot, Rocket, Gamora & Starlord).  These really are fun toys that are sure to thrill any fan of a Marvel's comic book themed movies whether they may be an adult or a child.

Following the death of his father in the movie CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, T'Challa returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to take on both the role of king and the land's protector as the Black Panther.  But when powerful enemies appear within the BLACK PANTHER film, T'Challa's mettle as king and super hero is tested when he is drawn into a formidable conflict that put the fate of both Wakanda and the entire world at risk.  Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes, ensure his people's safety and preserve his claim to the throne.

Trying to usurp T'Challa as king in BLACK PANTHER is a character named Erik Killmonger.  While just a boy his family was exiled from Wakanda by T'Challa's father.  Now that boy is a man and with the death of the king who exiled his family, Killmonger has revenge on his mind wanting to challenge T'Challa for the throne of the African nation they both consider home.  Years as an American black-ops soldier and mercenary make Killmonger a formidable foe.  With his knowledge of Wakanda and equipped with both deadly tactical skills and his own Black Panther style fighting suit, Killmonger presents a very dangerous challenge for T'Challa to overcome.

Courtesy of Marvel Studios here are some fun facts about BLACK PANTHER:

• Marvel’s Black Panther character made his debut in the comic book world in “Fantastic Four Vol. 1” Issue 52, published in 1966.
• It was decided that Xhosa, one of the official languages of South Africa, would be the language of Wakanda. A precedent had been set in Marvel Studios’ “Captain America: Civil War,” when celebrated South African actor John Kani, who portrayed King T’Chaka, used his native accent. Chadwick Boseman, who plays T’Challa/Black Panther, picked it up from him as well.
• The cast and stunt team practiced with African drums played by musician Jabari Exum so that their movements would have a musical quality found in many African-based martial arts.
• The cast actually did the bulk of the fight work that will be seen on film. Chadwick Boseman, whose skill set includes a comprehensive martial arts background, knew what he was in for when he and all the other actors had to attend a “boot camp” to prepare them for the physical aspects of their roles.
• Michael B. Jordan, who plays Erik Killmonger, spent about two and a half hours in the special effects makeup chair every day, while makeup designer Joel Harlow and three other makeup artists applied close to 90 individually sculpted silicone molds to his upper body. This “scarification” application process entails transferring each mold and then blending and painting them to match Jordan’s skin tone. Each of Killmonger’s scars represents a “notch” of his kills over the years.
• Young Zuri is played by Denzel Whitaker. While he shares the same last name with Forest Whitaker, who plays the older Zuri, they are not related. However, they did play father and son in Denzel Washington’s “The Great Debaters.”
• The majority of the Wakanda sets were constructed on sound stages at Pinewood Studios in Atlanta, including the Tribal Council; the Wakandan Design Group, Shuri’s hive of research and development of the vibranium rich country; the ancient subterranean Hall of Kings; and most notably Warrior Falls, the ceremonial heart of Wakanda’s revered traditions. 

BLACK PANTHER is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America based upon prolonged sequences of action violence and a brief rude gesture.  For more information about the movie visit marvel.com/blackpanther.  To learn more about Just Play's collection of Marvel toys head over to justplayproducts.com