by cphpitts
King of Tokyo is fast becoming one of my favorite light, filler games. It plays fast, has a great sense of humor about it and just feels great smaking around your friends. The game was designed by Richard Garfield of Magic: The Gathering fame and published by IELLO. It was published in 2011 and quickly sold out. A second printing recently hit store shelves.Kinda Like Godzilla
The premise of the game is that each player is a monster that is invading Tokyo. In the middle of the table is a small board with space for one monster (two in a 5-6 player game). Players try to occupy Tokyo for as long as possible in order to accumulate points. The game ends when one player earns 20 points or (even better) knocks out all the other monsters from the game.
On each player's turn, they roll six dice up to three times. The dice have symbols that can earn players additional points, attack other players, heal or collect energy cubes. The cubes are used to buy special power cards than have a variety of effects such as dealing damage or even gaining a second chance in the game if eliminated. These cards can easily turn the tide of a game if used correctly.
The way attacking works in this game is a great mechanic that keeps the game light and fast. If you are not in Tokyo, you deal damage to whoever is. If you are in the hot seat, then you deal damage to all other players simultaneous. This is a great way to remove a potential source of analysis paralysis as well as ganging up on a player. The game just moves at a nice clip and plays fast enough that you can easily get a couple games in before the night is over. I also enjoy that there are multiple ways to play and win. You can be aggressive and stand your ground in Tokyo for as long as you can, or you can stay in the outskirts and get points through dice and cards.
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