Session: King of Tokyo:: An unfortunate session of King of Tokyo

by iNano78

I'll start with a disclaimer. I love King of Tokyo (KoT). It has become our go-to filler / light finisher game. It's easy to teach, quick to learn, has a few meaningful choices ("do I stay or do I go"; do I keep my health up or go for points; do I go for the kill"; etc) and provides enough variety through cards and different win conditions to be replayable. Unfortunately, we had our first bad experience with this game when I tried to introduce it to my parents this weekend.

They play a lot of card games and have recently gotten into Carcassonne (and its expansions). I figured a quick game of KoT should go over well.

We explained the rules, read the three available cards ("Dedicated News Team", "Smoke Cloud" and "Healing Ray") and I (Alienoid) took the first turn. I often go first with new players so I can demonstrate a typical turn and explain my decision process regarding what dice I chose to re-roll. I went for fame (points) after starting with two 's, and I ended up getting three fame and a couple of energy.

Next up was my GF (the Kraken). She rolled four 's and one hit, moving into Tokyo with 5 fame points. Not too shabby. My parents (Cyber Bunny and Meka Dragon) were up next, and they too focused on fame and energy. When it came back to the Alienoid, I figured I'd best do some damage to the Kraken to make her decision to stay a little bit more difficult. Alienoid ended up dealing two hits and gained an energy or two. After taking two damage, the Kraken opted to stay, scoring two fame for holding Tokyo.

So far, we'd each had at least one turn and most rules had been explained. Everything was going smoothly. Then the Kraken took the game off course. Her first roll of her second turn revealed three hits and she opted to keep them. Her second roll resulted in two more hits. And her final roll... YAHTZEE!! SIX HITS! Since she was in Tokyo, that blow knocked all of us down to 4 health points. Doh!

For Cyber Bunny, Meka Dragon and Alienoid, our new goal was to roll hearts and re-roll non-hearts in hopes of recovering some life points. Cyber Bunny got a couple of hearts (up to 6) and dealt two damage. The Kraken fled (at 6 health), leaving Tokyo to the Bunny. Next, Meka Dragon rolled some points and a couple of damage. That knocked the Bunny back to 4, and she yielded Tokyo to the Dragon, who was still at 4 health. Alienoid was up next and I chanted "Hearts! Hearts! Hearts!" First roll... no hearts. Re-rolled all six dice... no hearts. Re-rolled all six dice... 1 heart and a couple of energy. OK, I'll purchase "Smoke Cloud", which grants 3 re-roll tokens to be used on future turn(s), just 'cause "that's how I roll."

The Kraken, still in the lead in both fame and health, went for the kill. She ended up with 4 hearts (more than enough to fully heal) and got some energy. Next, the Bunny rolled some points and some energy, but failed to get any hearts (still at 4). The Dragon, who scored 2 fame for holding Tokyo, went for three 's but rolled two hits instead. Alienoid, down to 3 health, again chanted "Hearts! Hearts! Hearts!" First roll, 1 heart. Looking good so far. Second roll... no hearts. Third roll... no hearts. "Time to use the 'Smoke Cloud.'" Fourth roll... no hearts. Fifth roll... no hearts. Sixth roll... no hearts! So be it. Back up to 4 health.

Then came the dreaded Kraken. Three hearts healed the Kraken and three hits slew the Dragon, claiming Tokyo for another point of fame. (In defeat, Meka Dragon stated "I'm dead. Hurray. What a horrible game." All Bunny and Alienoid could do was hope for some hearts, but we failed to roll any. When it came back to Kraken's turn, she rolled 3 hits on her first roll, then a fourth with her re-roll, and the game was OVER!

Four rounds in, one player left standing, and only one card purchased (which proved completely ineffective). It actually took longer to explain the rules than to play the game. We tried to explain that the game usually lasts longer, that normally you don't get knocked down to 4 life points so soon, and normally it's more fun with more back-and-forth and a good chance to win via fame points. Alas, the parental consensus was "We'll never play that terrible game again."

My GF and I will obviously continue to play this game with both experienced and new players. If there's a lesson to be learned, I guess it's that KoT does involve player elimination and could leave a bad taste in the mouths of monsters players if they get stomped on too hard too early.