I recently mentioned in, ‘I love the postman’ thread, the arrival of
Mouse Guard: Swords and Strongholds, an abstract game for two players.
http://www.carcassonnecentral.com/community/index.php?topic=1205.1440
This had a successful Kickstarter run sometime back but that’s not where I came across it. I saw it while looking for potential items to add to an on-line order where I wanted to optimize shipping. I saw this in a ‘new arrivals’ listing and did some research on BGG and ultimately on Mouse Guards creators David Petersen’s, YouTube channel, where he has tutorials and play through videos with co-designer, Luke Crane.
Throughout the Graphic novel series the mouse adventurers are seen playing a game and the creative duo set out to make an actual game of the imagined drawings.
If you’re not familiar with the Graphic series, here is a snippet from Wikipedia:
Mouse Guard is set in a world of sentient mice that live in a medieval era, paralleling the same age in human history, though in their world there are no humans. Its stories revolve around a brotherhood of mice known as the "Mouse Guard" who have sworn an oath to serve their fellow civilian mice in times of need, including making safe passage for them through the wilderness and protecting them from predators.
In the game both players have four mice that are positioned on the board and move along at the intersection points. (The inside of a square can be occupied but only when a Stronghold cards is played.)
There are three types of cards that can be played on a turn,
Swords, Strongholds or Diplomacy. Each has a unique function. There are 30 cards in the deck (10 of each type), players draw and keep 3 cards into their hands at all times.
On a turn players can make a basic move of one intersection point then (optionally) play a Sword or Stronghold card from their hand, (more on Diplomacy later). If they play a card they will get an additional action.
To play the
Sword card, first make a single intersection move of one space in the desired direction then move an additional two intersection points in an L shaped manor, (similar to a Knight move in chess). At this point discard that card and draw a new one in hand.
Along the way and as you move a mouse it is possible to move another of your pieces or that of an opponents. If an opponents Mouse is moved off the board edge it is captured and removed from play. If you are able to remove all your opponents’ mice, you win the game. The other end condition is much more likely and that is to build a Stronghold on your opponents opposite end of the board in one of the two corner spots.
The second card to highlight are
Stronghold cards, this is the only time one can move off the grid and occupy a centre of a square. This is a desirable position because the mouse is not easily moved from that spot.
A mouse can come out of a Stronghold (or be moved out by an opponent) if the
Diplomacy card is played. In this instance if you play the card and move the mouse out of the Stronghold onto an adjoining intersection point, (he can then move one intersection point but cannot play a card on that turn.
The other function of the Diplomacy card is to switch places on the board of two opposing mice that are nearest each other. This can get you out of a tight spot quickly.
There are several exceptions and little intricacies that aren’t mentioned here but can be easily learned by the rules and tutorials.
I should also mention that a captured mouse could be returned to the board if you have a set of the three different cards in your hand (and discarded on your turn). The lost mouse is replaced on your side of the board in any of the applicable start positions and you draw up to three cards once again.
My initial thoughts on the game so far:With the random card draw this is not a pure abstract game but our first play showed it to be enjoyable and I liked the extra challenge of dealing with the cards you are dealt. I had at least two occasions in our game where all three cards were the same in my hand. Sometimes you have to make a bit of a side play just to get to the draw deck.
My wife and I are not strangers to Abstract games so took to this fairly easily. We quite often get into a stalemate kind of position but again the random card elements helps to mitigate this. The very few game play videos I watched looked to be quick games but our initial try took about 45 minutes and we had to reshuffle the deck. I was able to take the game in the end but only after a bit of a miss play from my partner.
All three cards are important but we found the Strongholds to be a key in the game. It mostly has a defensive posture as you measure keeping your side of the board safe from invasion and keeping you from being bumped from the board as you approach the opposite side of the board with the goal of placing a Stronghold in a corner.
Overall the game has a nice esthetic that keeps to the medieval theme. Though the box is nicely designed with a plastic insert to hold the cards, mice and board. I found the box to be one of those that are extremely tight and difficult to open. The insert is also very tight and the board is tucked under the plastic mold. I’ve opted for a more portable option as shown. As it turns out I have an extra Carc blue bag from a recent Cundco purchase. I also like to sleeve cards because I find them easier to shuffle and they also keep the cards pristine.
I can easily imagine our beloved Carcassonne Meeples enjoying a game of
Swords and Strongholds in their free time.
Linkback: https://www.carcassonnecentral.com/community/index.php?topic=2753.0
Share Topic
October 25, 2014, 05:53:56 AM