Krosmaster: Arena Board Game First Impressions

Had my eye on Krosmaster: Arena for a while but was unsure.

Plus, I’m a completionist and it could get expensive…

In Hormonde, a strange world deep in the folds of time, the Hour Demons have finally found a hobby worthy of their cruel hearts… the Arena! The idea is simple. They select warriors of all ages and lands and whisk them away to the Hormonde where the enslaved gladiators must fight for their souls and the chance to become the ultimate champion. Why don’t the gods put an end to this macabre circus? Why does Xelor himself turn a blind eye to the demons’ meddling with time’s delicate web? Well, you may ask, but it is not for us mortals to know the minds of the gods.

Having just played Cave Evil which is a PvP combat game almost entirely black & white, Krosmaster: Arena, a PvP combat game in cartoon colour was a shock to the system.

Firstly the game is beautiful with Chibi minis and 3D trees, crates and bushes.

Characters

We divided into 2 teams of 2 each with two characters. I had ‘Anna Tommy’ who switches places with a friendly character or with an enemy character after dealing damage to them. I also had Oscar Kass, who was my favourite mini and has the ability to essentially ‘drain life’.

Each mini has a card showing all the abilities they have and it is really summed up as Movement Points, Hit Points and Action Points, plus Abilities and Powers.

The game is won with an interesting ‘tug of war’ over a pile of tokens. Kill an opposing enemy character and gain tokens from the opponent, or buy them using gold.

Turns

On your turn, you can move and use your action points. These are mostly used to attack but are also used to pick up Gold and buy stuff.

Combat is done with dice where you automatically hit, but roll for extra hits. Then you always get to attempt a block with another dice roll. It works well with strong characters always getting that damage in and nimble fighters getting the chance to block.

Every character plays differently and has very unique abilities. You can also buy equipment to further customise your guys.

I ran in a little too quick. Oscar has an attack that drains life but you need to be adjacent to use it and Anna could switch places. My plan was to run Anna in and hit a ranged attack then swap her for Oscar who could then move and attack and be in melee range. Sadly, Oscar then got battered by a team that could summon token creatures and attack at a much longer range.

We lost very quickly.

Krosmaster: Arena Summary

I enjoyed Krosmaster: Arena, it’s much better than I thought it would be and looks beautiful. Sadly, there is a lot of it and probably more to come so it’s not one I will buy. I also have Kaosball coming soon which while different, fills a similar hole.

Still, Krosmaster: Arena is a very good game.

Jesta ThaRogue