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Board Game Review: Fate of the Elder Gods

I picked up Fate of the Elder Gods from the friendly staff at Greater Than Games during a gaming convention visit. I've played the game on four or five different occasions since then and absolutely loved it each time.


Let's start with the artwork. It's beautiful! Great detail on the figures, the board is well-designed, and the Elder God cards are lovely. Even the artwork contained in the rule book demonstrates an investment in time and the application of creativity and skill. 



 The components (thick cards, dice, Elder sign tokens, and various plastic figures) are sturdy and made to last. 

The rule book is easy to understand. The only issue our play team bumped up against was that per the rule book, the control actions are supposed to be done after the basic actions, but in at least one case the instructions contradict themselves and indicate it should be done before the basic actions.  A minor issue all things considered and one it should be easy to get clarification on from the designers through Instagram or BoardGameGeek.com. 

The play moves quickly so the game is not prone to analysis paralysis. It's fun, highly interactive, with just the right amount of "take that" built in. 


And the theme - I LOVE the Cthulhu horror theme! As typical for this genre, we have the cultists versus the investigators and in Fate of the Elder Gods we are on the side of the cultists. Too many investigators in your cultist lodge and you get raided and penalized with elder sign seals that represent the success of the investigators in sealing off the eldritch horrors. Pile up too many and you lose the game. 

This game is well balanced both under two player and three player games (we did not have the opportunity to play with four players) and the only potential improvement I can see is the addition of some kind of bonus to the second, third, and fourth players to compensate for turn order. Perhaps an extra turn at the end of the game or an extra cultist placed initially. 

I have 740+ board games in my collection. Because of its strengths and engaging game play, Fate of the Elder Gods is one of the top 20 games I reach for when friends come over to play. I recently picked up the expansion for the base game, Beasts From Beyond, and I am beyond excited to get it to the table as well.

Go get this game. Go get it now. 
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Publisher: Greater Than Games
Players: 1-4 (We played with 2 and 3)
Actual Playing Time (vs the guideline on the box): About 90 minutes
Game type: area control, dice rolling, worker placement
Rating:


Jenni’s rating scale:

OUI: I would play this game again; this game is ok. I probably would not buy this game myself but I would play it with those who own it and if someone gave it to me I would keep it.

OUI OUI: I would play this game again; this game is good. I would buy this game.

OUI OUI OUI: I LOVE THIS GAME. I MUST HAVE THIS GAME.  

NON: I would not play this game again. I would return this game or give it away if it was given to me.

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