The classic monster movie is reborn with Pacific Rim, and while we patiently wait for someone to create a decent game based around the licence, why not get involved with a much more comedy based affair filled with dice rolls and devastating overpowered attacks? King of Tokyo is here and it wants to destroy all that stand before it!
With the summer upon us, the cinemas are filled with blockbusters aplenty, and none are more shiny and aimed at the lucrative males aged 18-34 demographic than Pacific Rim. A modern take on the classic Japanese Kaiju monster movies that gave us Godzilla, Mothra and countless other giant beasts intent on breaking stuff, it's the perfect game theme to be converted into a game. However, as Repos Production's Rampage isn't due out until Essen this year, let's look back a little in time and check out the dice-rolling destruction-fest that is King of Tokyo from IELLO.
Now, first thing you'll notice is the name above the title - KoT was designed by one Richard Garfield. The very same Richard Garfield responsible for emptying the wallets of countless gamers around the planet thanks to his previous invention, Magic: The Gathering. However, as deep and convoluted at MTG is, King of Tokyo speeds into the opposite direction at a thousand miles an hour. It's a simple game with few rules, focusing on chucking a load of dice about and having plenty of fun.
As the game opens, each player chooses one of the six available Kaiju, most of which are close enough to classic monsters to be recognisable but still not infringe on copyright. There's also a giant Cyber Bunny, and much as I've tried, I can't think of a single movie involving an immense, floppy eared robot. Still, you grab your character and their accompanying tracking unit. This little item has two uses - as well as keeping tabs on your current health, you'll also be able to track your score - and both ways are relevant to how you can win the game. If you want to come out victorious, you'll be looking to do one of two things, either knock all of your opponents out by getting them down to zero health, or be the first to score twenty points. Manage to achieve one of those and you'll be the winner.
But how do you go about doing this? Well, this is where those glorious oversized dice come into play. At the start of each turn you'll get to roll all six up to a maximum of three times, 'locking' any dice that you're looking to keep a hold of. The different faces show the numbers 1, 2 and 3, and if you manage to roll three of these the same and you'll score yourself some points - the amount shown on the dice face, in fact. So, if you get three 3s at the end of your turn, you'll score three points. Any additional face showing the same scores you an extra point, so this is a great way to race towards that twenty point winning condition.
Lightning bolts will gain you one energy cube which can be traded in for special ability cards that will enhance your monstrous powers. Some will grant a one-off boost, perhaps gaining you some points or allowing you to whack an opponent, while others are more permanent and can do stuff such as bestowing re-rolls. Hearts, meanwhile, let you heal your beast back up to their maximum health if they happen to have taken some hits. Finally, the Claws are what you're looking to roll if you want to cause some damage... but it's not as simple as that.
You see, the Claws are a vital part of the game. Also included in the box is a small board representing Tokyo, and the first player to roll at least one Claw is declared "In Tokyo", albeit temporarily. Everyone else is "Not In Tokyo". This is important, because now things really start getting interesting as if you're In Tokyo your Claw Attacks effect EVERYONE who is Not In Tokyo. Meanwhile, everyone Not In Tokyo is piling in on top of whoever is currently in the city, meaning that there's a pretty major possibility that you're going to take a lot of damage in between taking your turns. Mercifully, the In Tokyo player has the chance to flee the city, passing the honour on to the attacking player. Oh, you also get a point the instant you manage to take over the city, adding to that ever-increasing points total.
"But Michael!" I hear you cry. "Why couldn't you just stay in the city and try to roll a bunch of those useful healing hearts?"
Well, there's the problem. You're a giant monster trying to hold on to controlling one of the busiest cities on earth! When will you have time to take care of yourself? The answer: YOU CAN'T. You're not allowed to use any rolled hearts while you're In Tokyo, a trade off against the fact that every attack you make hits all of the other players. The trick is to stay in there as long as you can, beating down the others then ceding control at the very best moment, then pray that you'll roll a LOT of hearts when you leave the city.
As you can probably tell, games can get pretty riotous. Leaving everything in the hands of the dice makes for a very random experience, and when the only way you can mitigate chance is getting hold of those ability cards (which in itself is in down to dice rolls), King of Tokyo is not a game you should ever be taking seriously. It's the equivalent of a massive schoolyard brawl, complete with dwindling numbers as players get knocked out. Games involving player elimination may not be to everyone's taste, but considering that even with six people you'll generally be done in about twenty minutes, fallen opponents won't be waiting around that long. In fact, most of the games I've played has seen people sticking around the table after they've been knocked out as they root for whoever is going up against the player who was the cause of their downfall. "The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend" has never been more true than when playing KoT.
From a production standpoint, it's a very nicely put together package. The monsters all come as large standees on thick-cut punchboard (though I know of a few people who have pimped their games up by using Monsterpocalypse miniatures - a nice idea!) and the cards are on a decent stock. The graphics throughout capture the silly, anime-level violence in style, but of all the things in that box, the dice are the stand-out items. Seriously, they're lovely: six large black dice with green symbols are accompanied by two extras in reverse colours (for use with special abilities), each one feeling weighty, solid and chunky. The clattering of a handful of these as they hit the table is immensely satisfying and well worth the asking price of the game alone.
All in all, King of Tokyo comes in as a well-recommended filler. Certainly not something to base your entire game night around, but ideal to crack open if you're waiting for folks to arrive or bring the evening to a close with something light and uproarious. Once again, I'll reiterate: do not take it too seriously. You WILL get beaten down in this game because it's all about getting rid of other players whether they like it or not, and sometimes you may not even get more than a couple of turns before you're kicked out of the game permanently, but hey - that's what happens with dice. Just get ready for the next time and plot the destruction of your enemies - you'll be the King (or Queen) eventually.
So, have you tried King of Tokyo? What about the expansion set, Power Up? Let us know your thoughts on either or both right here!
With the summer upon us, the cinemas are filled with blockbusters aplenty, and none are more shiny and aimed at the lucrative males aged 18-34 demographic than Pacific Rim. A modern take on the classic Japanese Kaiju monster movies that gave us Godzilla, Mothra and countless other giant beasts intent on breaking stuff, it's the perfect game theme to be converted into a game. However, as Repos Production's Rampage isn't due out until Essen this year, let's look back a little in time and check out the dice-rolling destruction-fest that is King of Tokyo from IELLO.
Now, first thing you'll notice is the name above the title - KoT was designed by one Richard Garfield. The very same Richard Garfield responsible for emptying the wallets of countless gamers around the planet thanks to his previous invention, Magic: The Gathering. However, as deep and convoluted at MTG is, King of Tokyo speeds into the opposite direction at a thousand miles an hour. It's a simple game with few rules, focusing on chucking a load of dice about and having plenty of fun.
As the game opens, each player chooses one of the six available Kaiju, most of which are close enough to classic monsters to be recognisable but still not infringe on copyright. There's also a giant Cyber Bunny, and much as I've tried, I can't think of a single movie involving an immense, floppy eared robot. Still, you grab your character and their accompanying tracking unit. This little item has two uses - as well as keeping tabs on your current health, you'll also be able to track your score - and both ways are relevant to how you can win the game. If you want to come out victorious, you'll be looking to do one of two things, either knock all of your opponents out by getting them down to zero health, or be the first to score twenty points. Manage to achieve one of those and you'll be the winner.
But how do you go about doing this? Well, this is where those glorious oversized dice come into play. At the start of each turn you'll get to roll all six up to a maximum of three times, 'locking' any dice that you're looking to keep a hold of. The different faces show the numbers 1, 2 and 3, and if you manage to roll three of these the same and you'll score yourself some points - the amount shown on the dice face, in fact. So, if you get three 3s at the end of your turn, you'll score three points. Any additional face showing the same scores you an extra point, so this is a great way to race towards that twenty point winning condition.
Lightning bolts will gain you one energy cube which can be traded in for special ability cards that will enhance your monstrous powers. Some will grant a one-off boost, perhaps gaining you some points or allowing you to whack an opponent, while others are more permanent and can do stuff such as bestowing re-rolls. Hearts, meanwhile, let you heal your beast back up to their maximum health if they happen to have taken some hits. Finally, the Claws are what you're looking to roll if you want to cause some damage... but it's not as simple as that.
You see, the Claws are a vital part of the game. Also included in the box is a small board representing Tokyo, and the first player to roll at least one Claw is declared "In Tokyo", albeit temporarily. Everyone else is "Not In Tokyo". This is important, because now things really start getting interesting as if you're In Tokyo your Claw Attacks effect EVERYONE who is Not In Tokyo. Meanwhile, everyone Not In Tokyo is piling in on top of whoever is currently in the city, meaning that there's a pretty major possibility that you're going to take a lot of damage in between taking your turns. Mercifully, the In Tokyo player has the chance to flee the city, passing the honour on to the attacking player. Oh, you also get a point the instant you manage to take over the city, adding to that ever-increasing points total.
"But Michael!" I hear you cry. "Why couldn't you just stay in the city and try to roll a bunch of those useful healing hearts?"
Well, there's the problem. You're a giant monster trying to hold on to controlling one of the busiest cities on earth! When will you have time to take care of yourself? The answer: YOU CAN'T. You're not allowed to use any rolled hearts while you're In Tokyo, a trade off against the fact that every attack you make hits all of the other players. The trick is to stay in there as long as you can, beating down the others then ceding control at the very best moment, then pray that you'll roll a LOT of hearts when you leave the city.
As you can probably tell, games can get pretty riotous. Leaving everything in the hands of the dice makes for a very random experience, and when the only way you can mitigate chance is getting hold of those ability cards (which in itself is in down to dice rolls), King of Tokyo is not a game you should ever be taking seriously. It's the equivalent of a massive schoolyard brawl, complete with dwindling numbers as players get knocked out. Games involving player elimination may not be to everyone's taste, but considering that even with six people you'll generally be done in about twenty minutes, fallen opponents won't be waiting around that long. In fact, most of the games I've played has seen people sticking around the table after they've been knocked out as they root for whoever is going up against the player who was the cause of their downfall. "The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend" has never been more true than when playing KoT.
From a production standpoint, it's a very nicely put together package. The monsters all come as large standees on thick-cut punchboard (though I know of a few people who have pimped their games up by using Monsterpocalypse miniatures - a nice idea!) and the cards are on a decent stock. The graphics throughout capture the silly, anime-level violence in style, but of all the things in that box, the dice are the stand-out items. Seriously, they're lovely: six large black dice with green symbols are accompanied by two extras in reverse colours (for use with special abilities), each one feeling weighty, solid and chunky. The clattering of a handful of these as they hit the table is immensely satisfying and well worth the asking price of the game alone.
All in all, King of Tokyo comes in as a well-recommended filler. Certainly not something to base your entire game night around, but ideal to crack open if you're waiting for folks to arrive or bring the evening to a close with something light and uproarious. Once again, I'll reiterate: do not take it too seriously. You WILL get beaten down in this game because it's all about getting rid of other players whether they like it or not, and sometimes you may not even get more than a couple of turns before you're kicked out of the game permanently, but hey - that's what happens with dice. Just get ready for the next time and plot the destruction of your enemies - you'll be the King (or Queen) eventually.
So, have you tried King of Tokyo? What about the expansion set, Power Up? Let us know your thoughts on either or both right here!
