The Basics
Rampage the board game… no wait, King of Tokyo, is a competitive game where players take their giant monster on a rampage through Tokyo.
Victory is achieved in one of two ways, by scoring victory points, or by being the last monster standing. King of Tokyo was designed by Richard Garfield and published by Iello Games. This game can be great to play with kids. It has won several awards including the 2012 Golden Geek Award for Best Family Game, Best Children’s Game, and Best Party Game.
From the Box
King of Tokyo is for ages 8+, supports 2-6 players and has a run time of 30 minutes. This game is quick; if you’re playing with a full group or several first timers, expect to take longer. The first game I played only had one experienced player and took about 90 minutes. Set up is quick and painless with just some dice, a deck of cards, various tokens, and player figures.
Gameplay
This game uses a simple dice mechanic at its core. Each player takes the 6 black dice and gets an initial roll, and two rerolls. A player can reroll any combination of the dice. Once rolling is complete the dice are resolved with the results of:
- Victory Points
A result of 1, 2, or 3 on the dice represents possible points that can be earned. You need to roll 3 of the same number to score that many victory points. You also gain an additional point for every roll of that type over the 3. - Energy
Energy is gained on a one to one ratio. Saving up energy allows you to buy cards which have various effects that add different dynamics to the game. - Health
Each result allows you to heal a single point of damage. - Attack
At the beginning of the game the first player to end with an attack result moves into Tokyo rather than deal damage. When you move into Tokyo you gain a victory point. If a player stays in Tokyo for an entire round they get two extra victory points at the start of their turn. If a player rolls an attack and there is a monster in Tokyo then that monster takes damage. If the player in Tokyo rolls an attack, all the creatures outside of Tokyo take the damage. If the monster in Tokyo takes damage the player can choose to exit Tokyo. If they do the person who dealt the damage must replace them. Keep an eye on the other player’s health. If someone attacks you, forcing them into Tokyo may just allow you to eliminate them from the game. I know a few people who’ve made that mistake. A monster occupying Tokyo cannot gain the benefit of health dice.
After rolling the dice, a player can then choose to buy cards or simply end their turn.
Buying cards is where the strategy comes into play. There are two types of cards, Discard and Keep. The discards are one-off effects, usually gaining victory points. The Keepers have lasting effects that can create some pretty awesome combinations. With the right cards, you can really start banking energy and victory points (and make you the envy of the table).
Conclusion
King of Tokyo is simple to set up and play. The basic mechanics are easy to learn, making it great to play with kids or people who don’t play a lot of board games. Its fast pace and relatively short run time will keep everyone engaged. Despite its numerous awards as a children’s game it can be enjoyable for a group of adults as well. I give King of Tokyo two thumbs, way up!
Justin
Latest posts by Justin (see all)
- Campaigns to Play: The Dark not so Distant Future - July 11, 2016
