Agemonia, a cooperative fantasy board game by Lautapelit.fi brings together a world on the edge of new beginnings. As civil war threatens the Republic of Benem, and with ancient devices surfacing — the ragtag group of heroes must unite and bring about change. Choose to save the world, or bring it to its knees. Each character in this game has not only wonderfully drawn art, but the rich lore that unravels the deeper players dive into their stories.
Playing Agemonia’s campaigns was an adventure in itself. The tutorial box came with three different scenarios, each building upon the game’s mechanics and story. Each campaign was played upon a double-paged printed map, and I picked out four adventurers to experience the game with. They were Zuva’Sai, Torrax, Lunara Bryndelion, and Drenosh Eight-Songs. Each character was a joy to look at — the painterly art brought their personalities to life. Each came with specific character tokens, pieces, and, of course, a miniature in stunning detail.
Agemonia’s first map simply had the heroes moving about a flooding tavern in an attempt to help the tavern and its patrons. It was a simple, effective introduction to the movement mechanics of the game. The usual mana and health stats were combined into a single stat called Vitae. Each player had the ability to manoeuvre at least once, and perform an action or take an additional manoeuvre. Dots across each area of the meaning only a set number of heroes could be in a particular space at any one time.
This meant that in larger, open spaces more heroes could fit, but a narrow road meant only one person could pass at a time. Players are made to plan out their movements in advance to make the best of what the campaign has to offer. On certain spots, marked story points have you unveiling a story card, and in some cases, rolling dice to pass checks. You don’t have to spend action points to be able to unveil these stories — sometimes being in a set distance from the story tile was enough.
Heading into the second tutorial, I am taught basic combat skills and given tools that would aid me in my mission. This particular scenario simply eased me into the flow of combat, and the enjoyment that came out of deducing which enemies were to attack gave my brain a workout. The enigmatic Shantor leads my party by way of her wagon Birdie — before rushing off to investigate the source of a red light glowing upon the horizon. We soon meet the Skitterers, bug-like creatures that seem to have overrun the kingdom.
The third and final tutorial scenario improved upon the mechanics of the first two, but as a player, I was now able to change my character’s selected action — handy for when circumstances are constantly in flux. The Hive Mother was an interesting character to do battle with — a War of the Worlds type of boss.
At the end of the tutorials, I felt as though I understood the story of Agemonia just a little bit better. The game also came with a companion voice application that helped with immersion — I could really feel as though I was in the thick of the journey. The components were sturdy and provided a sense of unity between the game and its characters. Each character stamina disc was lovingly designed with insignia, and that attention to detail made me smile.
Rounding it all off with high-quality art and storytelling had me looking forward to Agemonia’s full breadth. If this game is up your alley, their Kickstarter is in full swing from now till September 28th!