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Description
Cthulhu Wars is a strategy boardgame in which the players take the part of alien races and gods taken from the Cthulhu mythos created by H. P. Lovecraft. The game is physically large, and includes sixty-four figurines of the cultists, monsters, aliens, and Great Old Ones that range in height from approximately 20 mm to nearly 180 mm.
The game takes place on a map of Earth. Each player takes the part of one of four factions included in the base game. At the start of a turn, players Gather Power, then, during a series of Action Rounds, they spend this Power to accomplish various tasks, such as recruiting Cultists, moving units, engaging in battle, summoning monsters, building Gates, casting spells, and Awakening their Great Old One. When all players run out of Power, the Action phase ends and the next turn begins. Victory is determined by accumulating points on the Doom Track. The first player to 30 is the lone victor *if* he has unlocked all six of spell books.
Driving the strategy are a player's wish to expand his power base, and his need to accomplish six tasks to acquire his faction's spell books. Each faction has a unique set of monsters, spell books, and special abilities, and has different requirements to acquire its spell books. All factions have multiple strategies open to them.
The base game supports 2-4 players (the map supports 5 players), but with new factions and maps released as expansions it can support up to 8 players.
Year Published
2015
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 6
This page: 6
Sentiment:
pos 6 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–6 of 6
Video yyh3AEk4Jvg
Adam Porter's Board Game Channel top_10_list at 0:03 sentiment: positive
video_pk 12868 · mention_pk 37590
Click to watch at 0:03
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- massive impressive miniatures
- dominates table presence
- engaging gameplay despite complexity
Cons
- Cthulhu theme doesn't resonate with reviewer
- big and complicated
- wouldn't play again
Thematic elements
- Cthulhu mythos
- cosmic horror
- area control
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- these games have amazing table presence by which i mean people are going to glance across the room and go what is that person playing and i want to play all these games
- stacking games have table presence like nothing else
- looks beautiful it looks like a load of sweets on the board
- one of my favorite games of all time
- i don't like that sort of game i find that one of the most frustrating game mechanisms
- the central marble dispenser is your main draw in this game
- absolutely brilliant strategic game quite complex game
- it's actually my favorite of the mask trilogy
- i'm almost scared to say this but i don't really like azul very much
- biggest most overlooked game on this list
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video S-oEoLZMKGE
Cardboard Herald top_10_list at 31:33 sentiment: positive
video_pk 11588 · mention_pk 34058
Click to watch at 31:33
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- high thematic depth and depth of asymmetry
- spectacular components and visuals
Cons
- very high learning curve
- big upfront cost and setup
Thematic elements
- layered asymmetry, cosmic horror, epic confrontation
- Lovecraftian apocalypse with eldritch gods
- thematic, cinematic
Comparison games
- Blood Rage
- Chaos in the Old World
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area control via presence of monsters — holding spaces relies on monster presence and control tokens
- extremely asymmetric play — factions have unique abilities and win conditions
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Diplomacy by email explicitly by email
- i don't want to sit at a table with you and play that game
- it's such a minimalistic game where the players themselves drive all of the fun and interaction of the game
- it's the first time in a game where i felt incentivized for certain strategies to die
- a box of cardboard chits that does everything that i want a game that is full of Twilight Imperium-esque plastic armies marching across the board
- there's room for betrayals, there's room for deal making
- the apex of like pure dudes on a map area control games
- my blood rage to me is where area control was starting to get played with
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video S-oEoLZMKGE
Cardboard Herald top_10_list at 31:33 sentiment: positive
video_pk 11588 · mention_pk 34060
Click to watch at 31:33
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- spectacular production and theme
- deep, tense play with constant pressure
Cons
- high cost and learning curve
- intense for casual players
Thematic elements
- multiplayer confrontation with powerful monsters
- eldritch apocalypse
- grand, horror-meets-boardgame spectacle
Comparison games
- Blood Rage
- Chaos in the Old World
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- energy/round structure — energy economy drives actions and intensity
- massive plastic minis — a centerpiece for the table with layered minis
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Diplomacy by email explicitly by email
- i don't want to sit at a table with you and play that game
- it's such a minimalistic game where the players themselves drive all of the fun and interaction of the game
- it's the first time in a game where i felt incentivized for certain strategies to die
- a box of cardboard chits that does everything that i want a game that is full of Twilight Imperium-esque plastic armies marching across the board
- there's room for betrayals, there's room for deal making
- the apex of like pure dudes on a map area control games
- my blood rage to me is where area control was starting to get played with
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video dSoHrRM8-AY
Undead Viking game_review at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 7500 · mention_pk 22277
Click to watch at 0:00
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Strong thematic flavor and Lovecraftian mythos
- Fast, tense combat with clear rules
- Non-elimination design keeps players engaged
- Huge map and minis with strong visual impact
- Rich strategic depth and asymmetrical faction powers
Cons
- Rules can be complex and intimidating for new players
- Combat can slow the game during big battles
- Dependence on kickstarter components and future expansions
- Print-and-play map is a placeholder; minis and final components may alter experience
Thematic elements
- Lovecraftian cosmic horror with elder gods, cults, gates, and dimensional monsters
- Global mythos world where Great Old Ones vie for dominion and ultimately the end of the world via gates, rituals, and armies
- epic, cinematic, heavily thematic with asymmetrical factions
Comparison games
- Chaos in the Old World
- Arkham Horror
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Players vie for control of territories with cultists, monsters, and gates.
- Capture mechanic — Capturing enemy cultists to gain power; various restrictions based on monsters present.
- Dice-based combat — Simultaneous dice rolls determine outcomes in battles, with 'kill' and 'pain' results.
- Doom and Ritual tracks — Doom track leads to endgame; ritual track determines end conditions and scoring.
- Elder Sign tokens — Tokens used to advance on the Doom track and endgame; can be kept secret.
- Gate control — Gates can be opened and controlled to gain power and access new territories.
- Power economy — Power is generated from cultists, gates, captured cultists, and actions, and is spent to perform actions.
- Spell library — A six-slot spell library that grants special abilities; completing it unlocks battles for free.
- Summoning monsters — Monsters can be summoned by spending power in gates you control.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The Miniatures themselves look stupendous.
- the game is going to just be huge and epic and Beautiful on top of the fact that the game is just a blast to play.
- there's no player elimination in this game.
- I would really really like the human player... to fight not only one great old one but five.
- the combat is quick and it's simple and it's short and it's sweet.
- the first player token is going to have like a two-sided coin.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video TDZmbj-uF84
The Discriminating Gamer top_10_list at 5:10 sentiment: positive
video_pk 5275 · mention_pk 15675
Click to watch at 5:10
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Fantastic
- Light war game
- Great combat
- Interesting gameplay
- Will never give away
- Huge minis
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Cosmic horror
- Apocalyptic Earth
- Cthulhu mythology
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Light war game where players move huge miniatures around board
- Spell book fulfillment — Players have spell books with objectives to fulfill
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I'd have to change my name.
- Wings for the Baron was an outstanding game.
- I was kicking myself.
- It's tremendous fun. This is really a good game.
- Forbidden Stars is a game that's out of print. For many, it's a grail game.
- I loved the artwork. I loved the the gameplay, the mechanics, those tokens.
- Churchill from GMT Games had one of the most interesting balancing systems I ever had.
- Cthulhu Wars is a fantastic fantastic kind of light war game area control game.
- The board game is super fun.
- I love love love Star Wars Armada. Love the theme. Love the game play.
- Armada was much more strategic and there was more things you could do.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video yZbZKUGPz98
unknown top_3_list at 1:21 sentiment: positive
video_pk 2102 · mention_pk 6168
Click to watch at 1:21
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- impressive scale and minis
- strong asymmetry and faction identity
- deep Lovecraftian theming with emergent play
Cons
- high complexity and learning curve
- long setup and playtime
- heavy component management
Thematic elements
- cosmic horror and grand strategic confrontation
- Lovecraftian eldritch cosmos; cults v. cults attempting to summon elder creatures
- mythic-epic, emergent faction storytelling
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — players compete for control of regions on a map to maximize point generation.
- asymmetric faction design — each faction has unique abilities and goals, creating distinct playstyles.
- combat resolution with powerful eldritch entities — conflicts involve powerful elder beings and cultist forces.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- you are going to be astounded and a little bit afraid of the enormous miniatures
- there is a fantastic game underneath you see in Cthulhu Wars
- this game takes a symmetry beyond anything that I have ever seen in a area control game of its kind
- the main social thrust of the game everyone is a little bit suspicious of one another because you are having to make selfish decisions even if you're a good guy in order to try and fill your own secret objective
- the game is packed full of Awesome emerging gameplay
- this is a fully cooperative game that means that enemies are controlled through an AI system
- demons from world war ii is not a new concept but it is not something that's really present in board games
- highly recommend this Halloween you check out Fireteam Zero
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
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