Aeon's End

A 1-4 player cooperative deck-builder where each player takes on their own character with unique abilities to defend the city of Gravehold and defeat The Nameless.

Playtime

Year

9.99 BGG Score

BGG Rank

99 Mechanics

Designers

OVERVIEW

The Good

With hundreds of cards in the box, mixing and matching new combinations keeps the game endlessly replayable
Scalable difficulty keeps every game tense and close
Novel turn order system that rewards preparation and quick strategy
The artwork is extremely well done

The Bad

Fairly long set up and take down, especially as you get more expansions
While there are plenty of different deck-building cards, there are a limited number of villain cards, which can make the villains repetitive after several plays (though this can be fixed with expansions).

Diagnosis

9 out of 10 Board Game Doctors Recommend

The turn order deck randomly selects the turn order each round, which adds an extra level of spontaneity and unpredictability that will keep you on your toes. I have had many games where the turn order deck made the difference between a win and a loss. If I drew my own turn, victory was assured, if I drew the nemesis, game over.

While most board/card games involve shuffling, this one does not. Instead, when you run out of cards, you simply flip your used card pile back over and start from the top (previously bottom). This creates an extra element of strategy where you plan the order of cards you discard and cards you buy. Such a simple mechanic that leads to such deep strategy.

While this game is one that is responsible for a majority of my losses, its remarkable how much I enjoy it each time. Win or lose, the camaraderie and synergy of our characters and the end of game tension is unparalleled in most other games.

Even though the game is called Aeon’s End, the fun certainly won’t.

You may also like: Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle, Marvel Champions, Gloomhaven

The information above is based on my plays of 1, 2, 3, and 4 player games.