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Description
A witch named Hester was hung, burned, and buried under a tree. Some time later, the family of Hester come to Harrow County to destroy it, but standing in their way is eighteen-year-old Emmy who mysteriously has powers of her own.
In the asymmetric combat game Harrow County: The Game of Gothic Conflict, players can play as one of the Protectors, trying to rescue townsfolk, or as one of the family, trying to destroy Harrow County. You can instead play as a third faction that originates from the surprise return of Emmy's twin sister, Kammi, who wants to rule Harrow County. Players activate mason jars to move their haints (undead creatures) around the hex-based board as they try to accomplish their missions. Combat is resolved using a never-before-seen cube tower that's built into the actual box.
Finally, a third player can enter the game: Hester, the dead witch buried under the tree. She controls the roots of the tree and using the cube tower, Hester can infect haints on her roots, which causes a snake to be placed into its ear. That player can still control this haint, but now so can Hester. If Hester comes back to life, then she needs to eat the other legends to gain all her power back to win.
In short, Harrow County is a thematic, tactical game of territory control and enemy elimination to determine the fate of Harrow County.
—description from the publisher
Year Published
2024
Featured Videos
Playthrough
Harrow County - Playthrough
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 2
This page: 2
Sentiment:
pos 2 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–2 of 2
Video krliYGD5KhY
Board Game Coffee game_review at 0:24 sentiment: positive
video_pk 12969 · mention_pk 37938
Click to watch at 0:24 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Strong thematic integration with a gothic comic-book vibe and atmosphere that sells the setting.
- Chapter-based design offers structured progression, pacing, and substantial replay value.
- Distinct faction identities with meaningful, well-developed ability trees.
- Tactile and innovative combat mechanic using the drop-tower and jars that adds a memorable focal point to battles.
- Upgradeable cards and tiered mechanics provide meaningful long-term strategic depth.
Cons
- Complexity and asymmetry can be intimidating for newcomers; learning curve is non-trivial.
- Longer session times due to multi-chapter structure and rich interactions.
- Some interactions and rule nuances may require careful bookkeeping or a strong player group to avoid confusion.
- Bag-draw mechanism for the Family faction introduces randomness that may feel unpredictable or frustrating to some players.
Thematic elements
- Dark fantasy conflict between two opposing factions as they vie to control key locations, manipulate storms and haints, and shape the fate of the townsfolk.
- Gothic horror setting in Hero County, a cursed rural county teeming with supernatural forces, haunted landscapes, and a looming sense of dread as factions maneuver toward their agendas.
- Chapter-based campaign with evolving characters and powers, drawing inspiration from a linked Harrow County comic-book universe while remaining accessible to players who haven’t read the source material.
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Players vie for board control by creating or blocking routes, connecting home bases to critical buildings, and shaping the flow of influence across the map.
- area control and path-building — Players vie for board control by creating or blocking routes, connecting home bases to critical buildings, and shaping the flow of influence across the map.
- asymmetric faction play — Two distinct factions (Protectors and Family) with unique goals, abilities, and victory conditions, creating divergent strategic paths and heavy interaction.
- bag-draw and randomization for Family — Family faction relies on blind tile draws from a bag to determine subsequent actions, injecting risk and adaptive play into their planning.
- chapter progression with new mechanics — Progression through chapters introduces upgrades, new cards, and fresh tactical options, expanding the strategic toolkit and keeping play dynamic.
- Cube tower — Engagements are resolved by dropping cubes from a physical tower into jars, turning combat into a tactile, suspenseful event with chance and planning in tension.
- dice-based combat via a drop-tower — Engagements are resolved by dropping cubes from a physical tower into jars, turning combat into a tactile, suspenseful event with chance and planning in tension.
- Special character powers — Characters unlock unique abilities that alter play each turn, enabling dramatic shifts in strategy (e.g., Corbin's minion-spawn, Bernice's nails, Malachi's range-based attacks).
- token economy and action jars — Wild tokens and power tiles fuel spawning, movement, and strengthening of units, while action jars provide varied, choice-based actions that shape tempo and momentum.
- Unique player powers — Characters unlock unique abilities that alter play each turn, enabling dramatic shifts in strategy (e.g., Corbin's minion-spawn, Bernice's nails, Malachi's range-based attacks).
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the creepiest part about Hester is she can take control of your hands by sticking snakes in their ears
- this is pretty damn entertaining
- the game of Gothic conflict is a one to three player asymmetric nightmare that will haunt you in your sleep
- Once you feel you're ready to move on past the first chapter you'll encounter not just new characters with new powers but also new mechanics like upgrade cards
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video r4BgDItSnB8
Board Game Coffee playthrough at 0:08 sentiment: positive
video_pk 9715 · mention_pk 98336
Click to watch at 0:08 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- asymmetric design with distinct faction identities and upgrade paths
- multi-chapter structure adds depth while still allowing learning to occur progressively
- solid thematic cohesion with a clear Gothic setting
- tangible components (including a cube tower) and scalable play through chapters
- promises fast-sense depth for a game of this weight once players learn the system
Cons
- prototype condition led to misalignment of some components (bottom bits not lining up as in final) and potential rule clarifications
- complex learning curve and many moving parts can slow first plays
- balance considerations are still evolving across chapters and factions
Thematic elements
- gothic horror with asymmetric faction goals and supernatural elements
- Gothic rural town of Harrow County, central conflict between a family bent on destruction and town protectors
- chapter-based progression where mechanics and characters expand across five chapters; asymmetric perspective per faction
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action jars and draw-them-and-apply — actions are represented by jars; players draw a token to determine their action each turn
- asymmetric faction design — families (destructive faction) vs. protectors (defensive faction) have distinct abilities and upgrade paths that diverge gameplay
- lantern/first-player mechanic — a lantern token determines first player, granting extra turns or strategic tempo shifts
- spawn, move, and strengthen — units (hints) are spawned, moved, and strengthened via token-based actions and upgrades
- special abilities and faction upgrades — each legend/character has a special ability; factions upgrade traits to permanently improve capabilities
- storms and brambles — storms act as threats; brambles (terrain) constrain movement and grant end-round bonuses; destroying buildings vs saving towns drives scoring
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this game is designed by Jay Cormier and Chad Miller
- it's a turn-based strategy game where it's a race to Seven Points first
- Harrow County is asymmetric
- the brambles definitely made a big difference
- this is a prototype
- coming to Kickstarter in October
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–2 of 2