They ravaged their Mother, the Earth, and bound Her with sorcerous chains. The moon caught fire; the sun froze. In the veins of the world, her lifeblood choked to dust. The oceans boiled to miasmas that clotted the skies. Rocks fanged up from the stubble of dying forests. As She began to rot, Her creatures, Her children, survived as best they could. Tearing at each other, prowling in Her fetid hollows, breeding abominations. Feasting on Her, Fungi and moulds become sentient.
And, as the ages pass, some lineages of men grow monstrous, even as others diminish, weaken and become easily their slaves. These "higher" men feed on the lesser, growing in strength, and hurl their tribes one upon the other in terrible truceless wars — until one tribe crushes the others into kneeling submission, under a lord, nameless save for his title: Tyrant!
But though decayed, She was not slain. With the little strength remaining, She seduces Worm; the least, the most abject of those creatures bred for meat. Unlikely savior, through sorcery, and helped by unlooked for allies, Worm follows the thread of his fate to Her. If he can free Her, Her blood will spout into a flood and frenzy of returning Life. And her hatred will swell Worm into being Her champion, Her consort, and Her AVENGER, the Horned God!
Based on the graphic novels by the acclaimed Adrian Smith, HATE is a highly kinetic, endlessly brutal campaign game of post-apocalyptic survival. Up to six players battle through a multi-game Chronicle where they use their unique clan to savagely plunder, mutilate, and demoralize their opponents. Death is permanent for clan members; once they die, they are out of the game. The player who most expertly uses savagery (gained by doing unspeakable violence upon their foes) to upgrade their warriors and resources (gained by plundering the land) to unlock powerful new abilities from their village will win the game, but only the player with the most hate will become the Tyrant and rule over the rest!
—description from the publisher
- Fun multiplayer campaign experience
- Multiple clans with different playstyles
- Rich gameplay experiences
- Very long gameplay (8+ hours noted)
- Steep learning curve
- Much setup and complexity
- Clan warfare and territorial control
- Fantasy terrain with clans
- Campaign-based multiplayer warfare
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Clans fighting for territorial dominance
- Campaign — Long multiplayer campaign gameplay
- terrain — Modular terrain pieces affect gameplay
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- you can recruit monsters to your army that give you super powers
- it's a beautiful scary, it's a beautiful looking game
- this game is just a mini explosion, it's great
- gizmos is a lot of fun so we're giving this away our very first giveaway gizmos
- this little box the game when you see it it's not very pretty but it's so fun
- blood rage is a fantastic game
- massive Darkness two is freaking amazing
- the origami zombie side black plague is by far our favorite zombie side
- if you're gonna buy any zombie side game off the shelf Black Plague favorite one favorite one
- Cthulhu death may die is absolutely fabulous
- we can't stop playing this game
- zombie side Gear Up is getting another board game coffee seal of approval this game is so much fun
References (from this video)
- Incredible, highly detailed miniatures with intense thematic fidelity
- Massive amount of content and accessories for the price
- Excellent 3D terrain pieces and modular board elements
- Strong art direction and cohesive dark theme
- Thoughtful organization and packaging helps setup
- Very large, heavy box that is difficult to store and transport
- Rulebook is dense and potentially intimidating for new players
- Quality issues in production can occur (e.g., base alignment, parts separation)
- cannibal clans, ritual combat, brutal survival
- post-apocalyptic world where clans clash in brutal, cannibal-themed warfare
- grimdark, visceral, gory
- Rising Sun
- Betrayal at House on the Hill
- Pit Fighter
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card-based stat modifiers with overlays — overlay plastic stat modifiers on character cards to adjust abilities and movement
- Dice-based combat — attacks are resolved with dice; skull icons boost damage or outcome
- faction minis with distinct aesthetics — multiple clans, each with unique miniatures and art style
- modular battleground with terrain — grid-based battlefield with huts and 3D terrain pieces; terrain affects tactics
- scenario-driven play — scenario book and cards drive setup, objectives, and events
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- This game is heavy
- The artwork is great by the way, as you can see for yourself
- Holy crap do they give you like what you pay for and more
- This is going to be the longest unboxing of all time
- These minis, these things are amazeballs
- You get so much stuff you don't get this kind of quality with most other games
References (from this video)
- engaging 1v1 clan battles
- cool minis and strong start to the core box
- Kickstarter exclusivity may limit access in retail
- grim, brutal territory battles and self-survival
- apocalyptic, clan-based conflict within a dying world
- dark, competitive warfare with siege-like clashes
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- 1v1 combat strategy — players control rival clans and fight for dominance across a modular map
- Territory control — scoring and upgrades hinge on controlling key locations and defeating opponents
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Vegas II like yes except with superpowers
- I love the narrative love the story feel
- it's a great game
- this is art you're looking at right now
- if you're a Harry Potter fan check this game out
- it's the best aliens board game I've ever experienced