Licho is awake – review of the board game “Gathering of the Wicked”

Gathering of the Wicked (2021) from Rebel is a proposition for fans of The Werewolves  Miller’s Hollow and Disney movies also for players seeking solid entertainment! What is the game about and will it work at a party? It’s time to find out!

A rally of bad guys . Game rules

Gathering of the Wicked by Philppe des Pallières and Hervé Marty (creator of The Werewolves of Miller’s) is a combination of atmospheric narrative with dynamic gameplay. In a seemingly tiny box we find 40 cards (including 18 images of characters: villains and henchmen), instructions and an introduction. Our main goal is to win the team of chaos sowers or schemers, because we are divided into such groups during the game.

Interestingly, in the case of the former, all opponents should be eliminated. By directing others, we must bring about a situation in which the number of their representatives is equal to or greater than the number of the sowers of chaos. Each of the participants of the game receives a sheet proving that they belong (the so-called alliance card), as well as a character card. The first one is placed facedown in front of him, and the second is left faceup.

The character depictions differ from each other and many players – especially Disney fans – will appreciate their design. An interesting solution is the possibility of cooperation (or lack of it) of character cards with the so-called henchmen (e.g. Prince John and Sir Syk or Diabolina and the sinister crow Diablo).

A very important role during the game is played by the Narrator, who is responsible not only for creating a magical atmosphere (e.g. by means of appropriate voice modulation during the presentation of the lines in the introduction by means of paper RPG fans), but also for coordinating the actions of the game participants. It’s a good idea to cast the person most familiar with the rules of the game in this role.

Perfect entertainment for Halloween and more!

“When the sun slowly hides below the horizon, darkness creeps out of the darkest recesses and slowly envelops all participants of the Assembly of the Wicked …” – with these words begins the fictional night, during which the players close their eyes and the weaving story evokes other characters with their special abilities. In a given round, they may, but do not have to (!), Use their additional advantages (eg Hades has the ability to resurrect a previously excluded tactic, but does not have to lose it immediately). At some point, the Narrator also awakens the schemers.

As the day arrives, all players open to look and opt for who should be eliminated from the game. They infer this from the directions they got from the Narrator, while the rest of the evil was in Morpheus’ embrace. The sowers want to expose the intriguer in their ranks, while the latter doubles and goes out of their way to remove suspicions. Rally participants decide who they want to deprive of the possibility of further fun, talking about their guesses beforehand on the basis of suspicious behavior or the sounds of the participants. The turn is over and the game continues.

This slightly laconic description reflects the atmosphere of the game, which is engaging and allows you to move to the dark world of Disney troublemakers for several minutes. I recommend the item with full conviction, so I am a great fan of them! Theirs, as well as positive escapism and good fun in a solid version. We’ll find all of these things in the Rebel proposal. Due to its dynamism, it is perfect for a party (not only with the scarecrow theme).

Good to know: The original game was released by over 30-year-old publisher Zygomatic, responsible for such hits as Dobble , Timeline , Story Cubes , Abalone and Jungle Speed .