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Claustrophobia

Claustrophobia Board Game

Game Information

Asmodee Editions

Hell gates are open…there’s no escape. 1634. Humanity wants more, Hell is the next target.

In this tactical survival game, one player controls the human group that explores the infernal underground and confronts a steady-stream troglodyte’s army, and your opponent plays the demon group who tries to stop them. In this game you will find high quality materials with pre-painted figurines, combined with easy to learn rules that allow you to set the game up quickly. This game takes some of the best features of Euro board games mechanisms, (character skill management) as well as American (random combat resolution). Be ready to make Claustrophobia you’re next favorite head-to-head board game. The six scenarios included in the game will provide you hours of gaming in the dark and gloomy New-Jerusalem Underground. When the scenarios no longer have any more secrets for you, you will be able to create your own or go on the Claustrophobia website where you will find unseen scenarios and a FAQ.


Editor reviews

2 reviews

Rating 
 
4.0
Rating 
 
4.0
First impressions are that this is walks a very impressive line between gibbering chaos and strategic choice, although for new players there's a bit too much information to easily digest at a glance. It also looks fabulous in play with the lovely tile art and painted figures. Tense. Exciting. Satanic. Mmmm.
MT
#1 Reviewer 286 reviews

User reviews

2 reviews

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Rating 
 
3.8
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Rating 
 
4.0
This distills most of the action I want from Descent into a shorter and more tense experience.

Available actions for players on the human side are bound to hit points. Lose a hit point, cancel an action slot. Rolled a die that would let you use that action slot? That character is exhausted (only able to sit and defend his exhausted self). As can be guessed, very little damage needs to be dealt in the game before the tension ramps up and choices start to get difficult. Since the opponent (demon) can never be substantially crippled beyond the span of one turn, time is definitely on the demon player's side. The only action boundary for the demons is the luck of the dice and how many threat points they've stockpiled during their mini game of demonic Kingsburg.

The combination of these two dynamics makes the game play very quickly and viciously. The decisions, while tense, are often very clear, so down time is minimal unless the demon player starts to get some AP over dice allocation (this goes away with more practice).

A negative: after playing several scenarios repeatedly, I'm starting to see just how much luck is involved in their unfolding. Each team has some ways of mitigating luck, but even some of those methods are themselves greatly affected by the item/action cards that are received at random before the game begins (another layer of luck). It comes down to making the best with what you have, but I can't help but think that some scenarios can sometimes just be screwed from the start for one of the players.
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Rating 
 
3.5
KG
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