Relic is a board game in which two to four players each assume the role of a powerful hero from the Warhammer 40,000 universe and bravely venture forth to shield the Antian Sector from certain doom. By completing missions and defeating enemies, characters compete to gain rewards and experience, furthering their chance of being the first to defeat whatever evil lies beyond the Warp rift.
Building on the foundations of the Talisman system, Relic is an adventure game in which seemingly straightforward choices mask scores of possibilities. For those who haven't played the classic fantasy adventure game Talisman, this means that on each turn, a player rolls a single six-sided die before moving his playing piece that number of spaces clockwise or counter-clockwise around the region (outer, middle, or inner) of the board it currently occupies. That player then draws a card or cards to see what he's encountered, pitting his heroic persona against foul enemies, dangerous locations, and fantastic strangers. And all the while, these intrepid heroes rise in power, as they work their way toward the ultimate goal at the center of the board.
—description from the publisher
- Updated version of Talisman with Warhammer theme
- Good for casual play with friends
- Fun mindless entertainment
- Cozy game for tired groups
- Heavily random
- Not a deep game
- Space marine quest
- Warhammer 40,000 universe
- Dungeon adventure
- Talisman
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card draw — Draw counter cards for equipment and power-ups
- Character progression — Level up and gain wargear
- roll and move — Move characters around the board
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- It's delightfully simple and still delightfully a good game.
- Everyone has a different journey here. Everyone starts off playing different games and ends up with different favorite games.
- It had some of the most amazing world building I've ever seen for a game.
- I think the fact that it's rooted in a single D6 system is just going to hamper it for all time.
- This game got me through a pretty rough period of time.
- I am never getting rid of Arkham Horror second edition unless an Arkham Horror fourth edition comes out.
- I was immediately hooked by it.
- It's an absolute banger of a game.
- I could see myself playing that more.
- There's so many layers and mind games to it that player skill and the ability to read your opponent counts for so much more than just having an awesome deck.
References (from this video)
- large, expressive busts that are fun to paint
- clear visual readability on the table due to distinct miniatures
- painted figures add dramatic presentation
- described as a 'nothing game' with relatively light skill requirements
- noted as similar to Talisman, thus potentially regimen-lite gameplay
- Talisman
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- achievement_goal — mission/quest style progression toward victory
- card_draw — cards drive events or encounters
- dice-rolling — core random event resolution through dice rolls
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- paint for functionality over style and paint for speed when you can
- three minute board games does not do paid content keep us Independent by supporting us on patreon
- I'm not an expert painter
- the best thing is to paint the models so they look good while you're playing