Conan board game - In the Clutches of the Picts

'...let me tell you of the days of high adventure!'

After painting up everything needed for the 1st scenario - 'In the Clutches of the Picts', some friends and I sat down to give the game a first whirl at one of our game days. For this post I'll just share a few photos of the game and some initial thoughts. This is not a review!

In this scenario, Conan and his partners Shevatas the thief and Hadrathus the mage must find and rescue a princess from a Pictish village. They know she is in one of the huts, but not which one. As well as finding her, they need to kill Zogar Sag and take his head as proof of the deed.

To start, let's take a look at some pictures of the heroes in action.

You'll see:

• A giant snake
• Pict hunters and warriors (green, red, and purple bases)
• Conan
• Shevatas
• Hadrathus
• Zogar Sag

The giant snake awakes...

The pict village board.

Conan faces some picts, while Hadrathus looks on.

Board and dice...only 9 in the core set.
Some player aids I downloaded are visible.

Shevatas and Conan are outnumbered!

The man himself...

Picts in their huts, along with their treasure chests.

The pict village from above.

Hadrathus is in danger here!

Conan finishes off the giant snake. Another victim

We actually played two games. There were three of us, so one player took control of two of the heroes each time we played. Naturally we didn't get the rules right the first time - even though I had watched lots of videos and run through the rulebook many times! Still, by the end of the second game the mechanics were pretty clear and thanks to my fellow players the game was shaping up.

I really enjoyed getting these models on the table. The maps are really high quality. Great printing, very detailed and atmospheric. The minis looked good for the tabletop (even if I do say so myself!) and I didn't mind the different coloured unit markers that you clip onto the bases (however they will chip off any paint on the rim of your mini - even with varnish.)

Aside from getting the rules wrong, a couple of frustrations crystallized.

1. During the game there are not enough dice in the core set. You get nine (three of each necessary type), and you often end up managing multiple re-rolls and having to remember your total attacks etc.
2. Two players managing three heroes is not ideal (at least for beginners). I guess that this can't be helped as each scenario seems to be very different and written carefully. There was no 2 player version provided (for this particular scenario).

After the game, my friends and I started to appreciate the tactical challenges the Conan boardgame presents. The overlord and the players both have a fair amount to think about and plenty of options, and the characters have different skills and equipment loadouts which certainly affect play.

So what's next?

I decided to make some additional dice (extra dice were made available separately but are now very expensive on eBay.) Also, I'll see if I can find any fan-made or official scenarios for two heroes. There ARE a few in the core scenarios book, but hopefully there will be others online. 

Finally, to prep for those pirates, I need to paint up some new enemies - the pirate captain Zaporavo awaits!

Happy holiday gaming.

:-)