For the Emperor and Slambo! - Board Game Review
- Daniel Nixon
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
Allplay Tiny Box series provides gamers with games that are easy to teach and learn, quick to play and cheaply priced. They continue to add games to this collection. Two of those new games were recently provided to Comic Book Yeti and we are happy to provide our thoughts.
FOR THE EMPEROR
Type of Game: Dueling Lane Battle
Number of Players: 2
Age: 8+
Designer: Whitney Loraine
Art Direction: Sai Beppu
Publisher: Allplay
Two ancient clans battle for control of seven battlefields. Ancient warriors sent by you, the player, add their strength and a special ability in hopes to gain control of the most battle fields and be the winner and favored in the Emperors eyes.
Players have an identical deck of nine warrior cards valued one through nine and each with a special ability. Abilities can take effect when played or at game end or be ongoing. Examples of abilities are adding a +1 token to another battlefield or preventing the eight or nine warrior on a specific battlefield.
Staring with an opening hand of three warriors, each turn, players will alternately take the following steps:
Play a warrior on a battlefield
Warriors add their number strength to the battlefield and if possess a "When Played" ability perform that.
Assign banners if necessary
Seven banners (values of 4, 3, 3, 2, 2, 1) determine the number of warriors allowed at a battlefield.
When the first battlefield has four warriors placed, the four banner is assigned. Next see if a battlefield has three warriors, if so, assign a three banner. Repeat until no banners are assigned.
Draw 1 warrior card
The seven battlefields will eventually all be assigned banners and filled with warriors and you will be left with one warrior in had. Compare the strengths of both sides and highest wins that battlefield. The one warrior left in your hand will be the tiebreaker in the event of a tie.
I love a good lane battler game and For the Emperor is a good lane battler game. Just like other Allplay Tiny Box game, Slambo, it's easy to learn and quick to play. Most lane battler games are quick to pick up and you can find some that have more depth to them. The seasoned gamer may enjoy For the Emperor, but will it stay with them? Or would they rather play a longer, slightly more complex version? For the Emperor could be a great way of introducing the mechanism to non-gamers, new gamers or kids. "Wanna play a game, it's only 5-10 minutes and I can teach it in less time." Sounds like a great pitch to me!
SLAMBO!
Type of Game: Hand Management
Number of Players: 2-4
Age: 6+
Designer: Ryan Richford
Artist: Sai Beppu
Publisher: Allplay
In Slambo, players start at a value of five and are trying to keep the balance number between zero and ten. With a starting hand of 7 cards, players play a card that either raises or lowers the balance, based on the number and color of the card played. First player that plays a card bringing the balance below zero or above ten is shamed and earns the Haji card. If both players empty their hands and the value stays within the allowed range, it is a tie. A Haji card is added and next round the loser will collect both! First player to earn three Haji cards, loses.
A variant is given also for three and four players adding more cards to the mix. These six cards add a slight twist as well. Two cards can be plus or minus, the value. Two cards reverse the player order. Two cards copy the previous card played.
Slambo is super-fast. The box says a game lasts five minutes and sometimes is even quicker. Of course, you can always change the number of Haji cards needed to lose, shortening or lengthening your win conditions. It also is a sneaky way to get kids to do quick addition and subtraction.
With my kids is my preferred way to play this game. We can sneak it in almost at any time and we play as long as their interest holds. They get a little stuck up on adding their played card to the previous cards value, not the balance number, but that's a small gripe.
What Slambo sets out to do, it does. Easy to learn and fast to play. It will now live in the center console of the car, waiting for the ten minute break
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