Reverse RPG – review of the card game “Boss Monster: Rise of the Miniboss”

A pinch of history

Before we move on to the rules of Boss Monster: Rise of the Minibosses , a few words should be said about its previous parts. Well, the prototype made its debut on the market in 2012. The money was raised by Kickstarter for its release, and the title quickly became a hit. In 2017, an expansion that can be used as a standalone game, Boss Monster: The Next Level , was released . Now we get the third installment, which can also be played separately, without having to have the previous parts.

Pixel dungeon

Boss Monster: Rise of the Minibosslike the previous titles in this series, it is a card game. We receive a total of 166 cards, 35 coin tokens, instructions and the so-called “Quick introduction to the game.” The graphics are the most striking. The packaging itself shows pixelated 8-bit illustrations of monsters and the hero fighting each other. The pictures on the cards are presented in the same style. All of them were created in a quite humorous way. The descriptions and names of the cards themselves are similar. We can find here, for example, the Queen’s Pumpkin Gourd, Mortimer of the Evil Genius or the Joyful Nurse Farrier. It was in this form that the unusual atmosphere was introduced to the game. It is a pleasure to look at the illustrations, looking for details that can make you even more amused, and at the same time we feel like we are playing some retro game, straight from Pegasus or Amiga.

Straight to the Boss

Boss Monster Rules : Miniboss Risethey are very easy and practically after the first time we go through the manual, we will stop needing it anymore. In case of doubt, a cheat sheet in the form of a two-sided “Quick introduction to the game” will suffice. Unlike most card games in which we play the role of heroes whose task is to cross the dungeons and defeat the monster, here we are those monsters. Depending on the drawing, we will become a dragon, vampire, death knight or wizard. Our task will be to build a tunnel consisting of dangerous chambers and deadly traps. In addition, we will be served by mini-bosses, whose task is to protect us from combat-ready adventurers. The point is that no daredevil should reach us, but die along the way, and then we will be able to take his soul. The first one who manages to defeat ten heroes will win the entire game. But woe to him who is attacked five times by the opponents. Then the person is out of the game. In addition to the daredevils in the form of priests, mages and warriors, we will also be disturbed by other co-players. With the help of coins, they will be able to strengthen heroes, and thanks to spells, they will effectively prevent us from building chambers or improving minibosses. And so will be the fight to become the best Boss among monsters. and thanks to spells, effectively prevent us from building chambers or improving minibosses. And so it will be a fight to become the best Boss among monsters. and thanks to spells, effectively prevent us from building chambers or improving minibosses. And so will be the fight to become the best Boss among monsters.

Select, build, kill, repeat

Mechanically, Boss Monster: Rise of the Minibosslooks worse than the game description suggests. We start with drawing a Boss and five chamber cards. Among them, in turn, we will find the chambers of monsters and traps, unforgettable chambers of monsters and traps, and minibosses. In addition, we will also receive two spell cards. At the beginning, we can choose whether to build a chamber of monsters or traps. Only in it in the future will we be able to place a miniboss or expand it to the status of a wasteland. Interestingly, we don’t have to pay anything for our construction. So we can freely choose what we like and suit more. The only limitation is that you can build one chamber per round. It is also worth adding that they have their own abilities that can be activated at the right moment to help you win. Then our dungeon will be attacked by heroes. Each of them has been marked with an appropriate symbol, as well as our chambers. They will go where there are more identical tokens that they have. The next step is to consider the daredevil’s health points and the amount of damage we deal. If the damage equals or exceeds the adventurer’s life, then the adventurer is killed and we take his soul. If, however, he manages to survive, he will attack our Boss, inflicting a wound on him. During these phases, both you and your teammates can cast spells to help or harm us. After the duel is over, the other participants consider their fights, and then we start everything from the beginning. We draw a card, build a chamber, look at the symbols and fight. And so until someone has accumulated ten souls. The only thing that will change is the level of the heroes.

Summary

Boss Monster: Rise of the Minibosses is certainly a very interesting title. However, it does not bring too many changes compared to its predecessors. Novelty here are mini-bosses and a few new spells and chambers. The game is primarily based on an atmosphere that is perceptible and really great. It introduces a sentiment that is almost always welcomed. In addition, simple rules allow you to quickly familiarize yourself with the mechanics of the person who is with the Boss Monsterhave not had contact so far. Thanks to the high randomness, their chances of winning will be similar to those of already experienced players. Unfortunately, the manual is a bit of a disappointment, in which a few things are not clear and need to be looked for on the Internet. At first, I did not know if the awesome room was connected to the basic one, and their power added up, or if one replaced the other until it was demolished. I also missed a bit of interaction, because unfortunately most of the time we build a dungeon ourselves, and the opponents can disturb us only thanks to spells, and not all of them. However, the biggest drawback here is the repeatability, which makes us quickly bored. Fortunately, the games don’t last very long and we can always take a break before we decide to play again. UltimatelyBoss Monster: The Rise of Miniboss has more advantages than disadvantages and I can confidently recommend it to anyone who loves card games, but also to people who are just starting their adventure with board games.