by fuldhim
I just played two games using all of the monsters including Pandakai, so seven total. The games lasted an hour each, and we still had a great time. The reason is because this group enjoys each other's company. We've been friends for so long that two of the seven gamers last night are the daughters of one of the others, who I've known since before the young women were born. There are nights when I want to play Amun-Re or In the Year of the Dragon, but with this crowd I just turn that bit of my brain off and make monster noises. (I'd say "like everyone else", but I seem to be the only one to get that into the spirit of the thing.)On the question of randomness, no, this game is not as random as some people claim. Of course when the cards turn up affects the game, but at one point a really good, really expensive card came out and the current player didn't buy it. He looked around the table, saw how few energy points everybody else had, realized he could wait, and bought another card, instead. Of course chance is involved if you roll dice, but you get at least two chances to re-roll. I hate getting three 1s and will never try to build toward it. If I get three on my first roll, though, I have to seriously think--every additional 1 I roll is another victory point; is it worth it now? With the expansion, it gets even better because you get your monster's personal powers when you roll three hearts. Normally, hearts are useless when you're in Tokyo or at full strength; now you have to decide if it's worth keeping them, just the same.
So yes, if you can bear to play a game with dice that's not the deepest thing around, you should seriously consider King of Tokyo, especially if you can spring for the expansion as well. (Honestly, Pandakai is worth having just for its own cute self. Now I have to decide if I want to be Pandakai or Cyberbunny.) Really, the only honest criticism left is the fact that as the game gets longer, the first players knocked out have to wait longer before they can actually play again. Don't you guys allow kibbitzing?