The Wargamer

Introduction

Board game conversions of computer games have been around since the day computers became small enough to fit on a desk. The opposite, however, was unheard of until recently. Not only were computer games rarely recognized as marketable franchises outside of the machine, but the sheer flexibility of computer design is a daunting consideration when compared to abstract board games. Eagle Games designer and President Glenn Drover has been taking on this unusual challenge of late. Capitalizing on strong relationships developed during his tenure with Microprose, Drover first released a conversion of Sid Meier's Civilization last year. This year, he consummated a deal with Ensemble Studio's Bruce Shelley to bring their popular RTS, Age of Mythology, to board game form.

Unlike a computer conversion of a board game, Age of Mythology - The Boardgame does not seek to replicate the same experience in a different medium. It takes broad concepts from the computer game: resource gathering, city (or base) development, and the building and deployment of an army containing both mortal and mythological creatures. Even the concept of "god powers" is reflected in the game, as are different ages: Archaic, Classical, Heroic and Mythic. And the pressure of an RTS is abstracted into the design: just as a player cannot be everywhere and do everything all of the time in the computer game, there are limits to what can be accomplished in a game turn. The flow of the game also naturally moves along at a snappy (but thankfully, not frantically so) pace.

Components

Like the computer game, Age of Mythology - The Boardgame features three races: Greek, Egyptian and Norse. Component-wise, the contents of the box reminds me of the hotdog and bun paradox. The box says the game is for 2-4 players, but expandable to 8. However, it contains six player boards (two for each mythology), six sets of plastic units, and only enough resource cubes for four players. The eight dice are enough to handle about 80% of combat rolls, although there are times when 9-12 dice are required (not a big deal, re-rolling the difference works fine). Also included are three decks of action and attack cards, one for each race, with two sets of "permanent action cards" for each. A single reference sheet is included that has all of the unit details for all of the races; one for each player would have been welcome. A second set of attack cards would also have been welcome for more than three-player games; although this would have been less necessary if additional reference sheets were available. If played with 5-8 players, a second copy of the game is mandatory; with four players, it isn't necessary but useful.

The rule book is fifteen pages and full color. It is lavishly illustrated, with numerous play examples and strategy tips. The rules are simple enough for children to understand (the age minimum listed on the box is 10 years old). During the play tests, we did not encounter any ambiguous rules; although it appeared in several instances that special circumstances for four or more players were not always thoroughly addressed (nothing insurmountable for our group, then again, we did not have any hard-line "rules lawyers" playing). An experienced player should be able to teach a new person to play in about ten minutes.

Three's Company

Given the unusual mix of components, Age of Mythology - The Boardgame is perhaps most comfortably played as a three player game. As more players are added, other restrictions are necessary: players of the same race cannot sit next to each other, and players can only attack their neighbors to either side; eliminating the possibility of Egyptians facing each other in a civil war (a second game set is needed to lift this restriction). This can yield some unusual strategic decisions when a player is faced with the dilemma of challenging a non-neighboring opponent by proxy. Victory conditions are also affected in a significant manner, as detailed below. The general consensus among my gaming group (all with 20+ years experience) is that Age of Mythology - The Boardgame is the ideal three-player game; a niche that it sparsely occupied with most multiplayer games calling for 4-8 players.