Tiniest Epics, vol. 6: Cyber-gladiators. But, like, actual gladiators.

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I love this game and I think I’d rank it among the top couple of TE games.. I just wish I could get my kids to understand that you want to work out the best opportunity to attack rather than take every opportunity to attack.

I usually don’t like programmed move stuff much but this does it well. You might get out-thunk and wind up on a mine or turret, but mistakes really aren’t terribly punitive. I really like the RPS combat- the country system adds some depth to making the decision to go into battle. And of course the upgrade mechanics are a blast- when somebody gets a tooled Mighty Mech they can be a real terror.

Like all TEs, it’s not the best game in its class. But what it offers for $20 in 1/10 the size is pretty remarkable. It’s a no BS design, but there are tons of details and variety packed in.

I was wondering about some of the mini expansions...most look pretty superfluous. Was thinking about getting this one and the Zombies one since they are the house favorites.

I played Western over the weekend and it is probably the most compelling design I’ve seen yet from these...it’s really kind of heavy, and it does the whole “Poker mechanics in a Western game” thing better than anything else I’ve seen, I think. Liked it a whole lot. Played Kingdoms too- liked it too! Almost a précis of the DOAM experience.

Michael Barnes wrote: I love this game and I think I’d rank it among the top couple of TE games.. I just wish I could get my kids to understand that you want to work out the best opportunity to attack rather than take every opportunity to attack.

Exactly. This is the main thing I try to stress to everyone. It's not a "go in with all cannons firing!" kind of game. That's what most people were expecting (among them, Tom Vasel, who was disappointed that it wasn't that kind of game) and I think it's suffered from a lot of the expectations.

Michael Barnes wrote: I was wondering about some of the mini expansions...most look pretty superfluous. Was thinking about getting this one and the Zombies one since they are the house favorites.

Most of them are superfluous. I rarely use any but the ones that simply added new characters, factions, or enemies, which are already included in mine. That's partially because I'm usually teaching to new players, but also because most don't add a whole lot. Spotlight is pretty cool here, though, and it really melds well with the theme (more points because you're fighting in the 'off' rounds and the crowd loves it.) The other mini is also interesting for the extra complexity it adds to the programmed movement. The treasure boxes are free stuff, so it makes it more compelling to move there, on top of other reasons.

Michael Barnes wrote: I played Western over the weekend and it is probably the most compelling design I’ve seen yet from these...it’s really kind of heavy, and it does the whole “Poker mechanics in a Western game” thing better than anything else I’ve seen, I think. Liked it a whole lot.

Same. That's why I saved what may be the best for last.

This is an excellent review for someone who knows little about the game---I came in with virtually every preconception about the game you outline from a first glance so having them specifically discussed and redirected was useful as hell.

Thanks! I know I've been kind of meandering about, style-wise, with a lot of these, but this is one I began with that intent kind of firmly in mind, because I think it's gotten kind of a poor reputation, undeservedly.