Sweat, Blood & Snouts - Super Fantasy: Ugly Snout Assault Review

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016 – Sweat,

Blood & Snouts

Psssst!

Adventurers.

Over here.

Word on the cobblestone is that you have been on a quest to find a new dungeon delving, hack & slash board game.

Shhhhhhhh! Not so loud. What I have is not for the common sheeple.

Here, you may find this scroll interesting. The Great Grognard himself has put ink to parchment and transcribed his thoughts about a game that just may be the next one you are looking for. The Twenty-Sided Warriors themselves have opened this “Pandorian Box” of action dice and player boards and took the challenge!

Read and learn adventurers. Learn the tale bards have spun of this journey and judge for yourself whether this truly is a...

Super Fantasy:

Ugly Snout Assault

(Second Edition)

Designers: Marco Valtriani

Artists: Guido Favaro

Graphics: Federico Dumas

Publisher: Golden Egg Games, LLC

Produced By: Red Glove Edizioni Year Published: 2013

Manufacturer Suggested Player Age: 8+ Number of Players: 1 - 6 Average Play Time: 90 – 120 minutes Game Type: Exploration, Fantasy, Fighting, Humor, Role-Playing

Game Mechanics: Co-operative play, Dice Rolling, Grid movement, Modular board, Role playing, Variable player powers MSRP: $54.00

SKU: GEG1012 Weight: 2.49 lbs.

The Box

The graphic design of the Super Fantasy: Ugly Snout Assault game box really leaps out at you. I find it almost reminiscent of a mix between the package art in the style of a 90’s style home video game meets an American Saturday morning cartoon version of Record of the Lodoss War with a dash of Cartoon Network’s Teen Titans.

I find the box itself to be a bit on the flimsy side in comparison to most miniature based board games. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t foresee it ripping or tearing easily but it does feel… thin. Because of this I have been handling the moving and opening of the box with care just to play it safe. I may not have to but why take the chance.

A final point I would like to make here, a lead-in to the next section if you will, is that there is no insert to store the components in. When you open the box everything is just sitting there kind of willy-nilly. There are some items in their own clear zip-lock bags but no tray to compartmentalize everything. If you stand the box up, they way everything falls to the bottom, you could fit the game in a box half as tall (OK, the player boards would have to be a bit smaller). This may not be a point of disinterest for some, or most, but I thought it may be worth mentioning.

The Components

Tiles, tiles, tiles!

Do you like tiles? I hope so because this game has a lot of them since it is a modular board game system. The art on these tiles is very good; the shadowing and line technique are great and it evokes the feeling and atmosphere of a light-hearted fantasy romp quite well. Unfortunately, I found that several of the boards were a bit warped, arced – right out of the box the first time it was opened. Now I’m not talking about all of them but still, I thought the quality could have been sturdier. Perhaps it is a flaw created by the seller, IDK, maybe it was stored in a warm place for a long time?

But that’s not all! Just when you thought there were a lot of tiles wait until you see all the tokens and chits! Enough to choke a hobbit! Now, because of the smaller size the tokens and chits are more durable than the tiles.

The player Hero Boards are well designed and are arranged in a very easy way for players to find all the information they need with a quick glance. Again, the art work is stunning for its theme.

I like the wooden dice; the way they feel, how they roll, and even the sound they make as they clack across the table. At first I thought the unique images on these dice were just simply painted on each face but upon closer inspection I discovered the outline of the images is actually lightly engraved.

OK. As I have stated in other reviews I love games that come with cool 3D miniature $#!+

I will play almost any game that has a 3D board or really cool miniature terrain items. This love of mine is definitely a holdover from my early days of playing Hero Quest in the 1980s. I have to say this game really brings back that feeling to me with all the miniature chests, barrels, and the almost Doric-style columns pieces. These are great and can be used by you for so many other board games and RPGs if you choose. I wish the doors were made of wood and not cardboard but I can live with it or just use plastic or metal doors from other sets. No big deal.

One thing I know I have heard complaints about is the fact that this game looks, feels, and was actually designed as a light tactical fantasy game yet it does not include miniatures. Yes, I admit that that feels like a bit of a letdown to most gamers but keep in mind that many other companies use cardboard stand-ups instead of plastic mini, including FFG. I found these stand-ups to be just fine. Would I rather see cool designed minis moving across the game board tiles? Yes, yes I would. HOWEVER, Please remember, that doesn’t really take away from the game itself.

The rule book is put together in a fun manner with silly cartoonish editorials by the Ugly Snouts themselves. The layout of the book flows somewhat easily but at times it can seem a bit disjointed.

If you can’t find a particular rule don’t forget to check the sidebars.

A “Missions Book” also comes with the game which contains six fantasy quests to run yourself and your friends through. Unfortunately these adventures do not link together on their own as a campaign. At the end of this book are outlines to play this game as a team vs team version called “Arena: Dodge-Tome” that can be played by of to 6 players. An additional Arena mode is also presented called “Big Hunting” which is an all vs all game where the players compete to defeat the most Ugly Snouts.

Game Play

Now, before I explain the phases and actions that make up each round let me discuss the dice and their “roll” in the game. The six black dice are called "Action Dice". These dice are given to each player on their turn and form their dice pool. Unless otherwise instructed, you must expend (roll) a die (or several – how many is up to you!) from your remaining pool for any action you take; moving, attacking, picking locks, bashing things, etc. The "Action Dice" have a single sword glyph, a double sword glyph, and a star. One glyph equals one success, two glyphs equate to two successes. The Star is special. When the Star glyph is rolled you compare the attribute of the action you are attempting (Moving = Speed, Bashing = Strength, Lock Picking = Cunning, Defending = Defense, etc.) and that is the value of the Star. Example, if you are trying to pick a lock and you use 4 of your action dice and roll 1 glyph, 2 glyphs, and 2 Stars you check your Cunning attribute. Let's say it is three. Your roll would equal 9 (3 for the sword glyphs rolled [1+2] and 3 for each for the two Stars because that is your Cunning score).

The game consists of two phases per round. The first phase is the "Hero Phase". During each players' turn they may take as many actions as they wish to use Action Dice for. They may; Move, Open a door, Bash a barrel, Pick a lock chest, Attack, Defend, Charge up, or Disarm a trap. Let's say you want to move to a barrel and try to bash it to see what item you get (yeah, think of all the endless fun you've had playing video games where you can break boxes and items to get gear!) You decide to use three Action Dice for your move and roll a 1 sword glyph, 1 sword glyph, and a Star. You move your Hero's speed for the Star (let's say it is a 2) and 2 more grids, one for each sword glyph rolled, for a grand total of 4 grid spaces on the tiles.

You move 4 grids on the tile and that leaves you next to a chest. You take two more dice and attempt to bash the chest since you have Strength of 4. You roll 2 glyphs and one Star. That is a total of a six which means you successfully bash the chest open (6 or more successes is the standard difficulty score to meet or beat in order to succeed at your action.) Now you get to draw one Small Item token and put it face up on the backpack space on your Hero Board (you can have up to 2 Small Items in your backpack at a time). Small Items are one-shot effects that can really help save the day in a pinch, let me tell you.

Hey! That's only 5 dice. What about the last one? One thing you may opt to do is use that remaining die for Charging Up. Roll that remaining die and each success rolled allows you to increase the energy level of a single Special Ability by one space (each hero has three Special Abilities that can be charged up to use - like a video game!) When the ability reaches the top space it is primed and ready to use. These abilities may grant you combat or skill bonuses, perhaps extra movement, a way to draw aggro, even a way to retrieve an Action Die already used. Don't worry; using Action Dice is not the only way to increase the energy level of your Special Abilities and get them ready to use. The energy levels increase passively during the game because anytime you roll a Star for any reason you gain a level in any of your three Special Abilities. Hold on, one last thing about Special Abilities... they increase, evolve, become stronger versions of themselves as the game progresses. Each of the three Special Abilities has 3 levels of power. Each time you gain enough experience on your XP tracker to gain a level you choose one Special Ability to increase to its next highest level!

Very cool, very video game like.

Well, besides moving, bashing, lockpicking, disarming traps, and charging up there is another use for your Action Dice; Defending (we’ll get to attacking in a quick moment).

As many Action Dice as you wish may be allocated from your available Dice Pool and converted into Defense. Each die that you discard without rolling gives you a nice little shield icon chit to place on you Hero Board. These come in real handy since basically every attack against you is an automatic hit for 1 point of damage unless you have shield chits.

OK, now on to what many may consider the “meat” of any tactical dungeoneering board game... Combat!

When a Hero attacks an Ugly Snout the roll is governed by the type of attack used; Strength (swords, hammers, daggers, etc.), Aim (bows, guns, crossbows, etc.), or Magic (Spells, Wands, etc.) in the case of a Star resulting in a roll.

Strength Attacks can only be used against opponents within 1 range of you (any of the eight grids directly in contact with the grid the attacking Hero is occupying).

Aim Attacks can ONLY be used against opponents exactly the range written in the top upper right-hand corner of the item. For an Aim Attack this will only be a 2 or 3. If it is listed as 2 you can ONLY attack targets exactly 2 grids away from you.

Magic Attacks can ONLY target opponents 1, 2, or 3 grids away. Again, as with an Aim Attack, whatever the listed range is on the Magic Attack is the exact range away you have to be in order to use the attack. Choose as many remaining unused Action Dice from your pool as you wish and roll them. In order to actually hit an Ugly Snout you must score at least as many successes as the number listed for that opponent’s Protection Value. Remember to add in any and all applicable bonuses you may have due to weapons, abilities, or items to determine your total attack score. By meeting or beating the Ugly’s Protection Value you score 1 damage to it (or more if listed so by your weapon, ability, or an item). When the Ugly is reduced to at least zero Life Points you have defeated it.

Now Don’t Forget that every successful hit you score grants you an experience point. Every time you level up you get to increase one of your Hero’s three unique a Special Abilities to its next highest level!

The second, and final phase, is the Monster Phase.

Their phase is always done in a specific order...

1) Waking Up The Rooms.

This starts every Monster Phase. Every monster filled room (which seems to be every room – YAY!) is considered “Sleeping”. A room will awaken any time a Hero enters it, bashes down the door to the room, or if the Hero Luckylock uses his Special Ability to shot out a wall which leads into the “Sleeping” room.

Alternatively, the monsters in a room adjacent to or connected to a room you were fighting in during your Hero Phase may awaken. Any time you are engaging in combat and there is a “Sleeping” room – or hallway – with Uglies in it – next to the room you are in you begin the Monster Phase by rolling the white Fate Die. This die has several symbols on it and if the symbol rolled matches the symbol type depicted on the mission’s Ugly list then those Uglies awaken and can take their actions during the Moving & Attacking portion of the Monster Phase.

2) New Monsters Come Out.

Hey, has anyone reading this review ever played the classic arcade game, or simulation of, Gauntlet? Remember how much fun it was to sit at the monster generators and just whack away at everything that got spewed out? This part of the Monster Phase is just like that. Several Portals lie in most Mission set-ups. These portals constantly spew out a seemingly endless supply of Uglies for you to hit and get XP for.

3) Moving & Attacking.

The individual missions list the stats for all the Uglies used for that particular mission. Just as the Hero Boards list abilities for the players, the Uglies have their own stats as well; Initiative, Steps, Life Points, Star, Attack, and Protection.

When a Hero is being attacked you are automatically hit for 1 damage (or more if a higher number is listed in the Mission Book’s description of the adventure and the Ugly Snouts involved in it). If you were smart enough to convert any rolled Action Dice into Defense chits then you will be lucky enough to make a Defense roll against the incoming attack.

Each of the little shield chits you throw back into the general pool gains you one Acton Die to roll against the attack. Add up your glyphs and Star ratings to gain your Protection Score against the incoming attack. Then, roll the number of Action Dice listed as the Ugly Snout’s Protection. If the attack against your Hero is equal to or greater than your Protection Score you take the 1 damage (or more if listed higher on the Ugly’s chart). Otherwise you have successfully blocked, side-stepped, dodged, the attack.

IF A HERO Reaches Zero Life Points then they are considered downed for the rest of the turn and are unable to take any action OR BE TARGETED for the remainder of the current turn.

Unfortunately, when this happens the Turns Board increases (as it also does at the end of each round.)

Oh, did I fail to mention that each turn advanced the Turns Board. When it reaches 20 the players lose as they are swamped with an endless swarm of Ugly Snouts and all hope is lost!

4) Clearing Away The Tokens.

This is always the final part of the Monster Phase. Now is the time to discard all the useless tokens and chits. This includes Any and ALL shield chits that went unused during the round. Also, tokens and chits such as; Fortress, Aim, Wolf, and ALL monster Status tokens.

At this point you will also stand up any Hero who had fallen in combat during the round.

Move the wooden marker one space along the previously mentioned Turns Board. REMEMBER; when it gets to 20 the players lose the game!

Now you are ready to begin a new round with the Hero Phase.

This covers most of all the rules you really need to know to play Super Fantasy: Ugly Snouts Assault. There are a few minor points I have not touched upon such as the Condition Marker chits, and what each Hero’s Special Ability actually is, or the Magic Items and Small Items gained during the course of a mission but let’s move on to the...

Final Thoughts

We really enjoyed the dice management mechanic of Super Fantasy: Ugly Snouts Assault. At its core it is little different than card management but with the added element of luck thrown in as you're never sure what you'll roll. This adds a type of strategy most games don't incorporate; how many dice to gamble from your limited pool each turn. Is bashing that barrel this turn worth using the last of your dice for or do you want to cash in some unused Action Dice for defense purposes?

Charging Up Special Abilities, getting items from bashing objects in the environment, the way your Special Abilities increase in level, and the endless supply of enemies being portaled in really captures the feel of a 90s style video game. This added a sense of excitement is something that most games don't achieve.

The RPG feel of this game is almost impressive. I want to like it more than I actually do. RPGs have always been a major part of my life and that alone can draw me to a board game. So, why don’t I like it as much as I want to? I’ve narrowed it down to these three thoughts... 1 - Although the art style is quite good and fun it is not a style that calls out to me personally. Yes, I can see that the style is well crafted and captures both the theme and feel of the game perfectly. It is not for me personally. I know many gamers will like the art more than I do but I prefer my hack & slash dungeons delving games to look a bit more serious and less cartoony. 2 - The hero background stories are a bit silly. One of the heroes lost a baking contest, for example. This point, along with the previous one concerning the art, is only a problem for me because it is geared to capture the excitement and imagination of Players younger than me. I do not believe these will even be detraction for younger players. 3 - Guns are in this fantasy game. I know, they appear in many fantasy games. RAEX, Warhammer, and Shadowrun are just three examples of systems that make this idea work. My problem here is there is no contextual reason for guns in this game. With the exception of the actual guns themselves nothing in the setting of this game would lead you to believe there is any industrial technology in this world. Take guns out of Shadowrun and you still have a world of magic and technology. Is this really a problem with the game itself? No. It is still, however, something that bothers me.

On the other hand, the way Super Fantasy incorporates lock picking, door bashing, gaining magical items, dealing with traps, and even your XP tracking really does make this game feel a little bit more like an RPG than a board game.

Well, maybe an early RPG video game.

The way the phases and their actions play out flow rather well with one annoyance, how range works. Myself and the Twenty-Sided Warriors just didn't feel this system worked logically. If an opponent is 2 grids away I can't hit it with a 3 range weapon. Huh? If a gun can fire and someone let's say is thirty feet away from you how can you not also shoot a target twenty feet away from you? We found this to be quite irksome and irritating. It just makes no sense. Sure you can house rule it otherwise but it still is a terrible combat mechanic for guns.

Special Abilities are really, really Fun! These, and the way they charge up during combat really bring a video-game level of excitement to Super Fantasy: Ugly Snouts Assault that most tabletop board games lack. We also enjoyed the way that each of the Heroes' three Special Abilities can also level up or "evolve" also adds to this incredibly.

Dealing with iron cage traps, falling rocks, and spiked holes was very exciting and definitely added to the Fantasy/High Adventure feel of the game. So much fun! But where were the braziers of fire to knock over and the giant rolling bolder to run away from? LOL! Maybe in an expansion?

I love games that come with player boards and these are very well designed. The four wooden markers that track your special abilities and experience are all placed in very easy to see places. The art, again as mentioned earlier, is very good and evokes the feeling of the game with great success. I myself find it to be a little cartoonish but it really one work well for this game and its style.

Besides the “campaign” mode outlined in the rule book there are also variant rules supplied in case you want to run the game solo or team vs team. This really increases the game’s replay ability.

Keep in mind that this is a tactical dungeon crawl game and set-up time can be a tad long but no more so than any game of its type.

There may be no rules presented for players to create their own unique dungeon missions there is no reason you cannot do this. Although I have not done this yet it seems like it will be quite simple.

If you enjoy dungeon delving dice tossers with a dash of video game excitement and Saturday morning cartoons you will want to check this game out.

We did enjoy this game and understand there is a sequel called Super Fantasy: Night of the Badly Dead and we can’t wait to try it and bring you all a review.