BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER BOARD GAME

Product Information

I was playing as Buffy and Adam's minions had me pinned in the University Library, with Adam and each of his cronies blocking a doorway out. The Evil cards include Sire a Vampire, which is identical to the process of Staking a Vampire, replacing stakes with fangs, though. BtVSBG has the players assume the roles of either the titular Buffy – or Angel, Willow, Xander, Giles, or Spike. Each of these plot cards is similar to monsters of the week in that they require two items and a fight check on the Big Bad's space.

This adds a clue collecting aspect to the game that is reminiscent of Buffy and is a reliable, effective mechanic. For a Buffy game, though, it’s surprising to see a few key characters missing from the lineup; Tara, Anya, Dawn, Faith and Oz are all entirely absent, their presence sorely missed.

This is quick, and the challenge is getting weapons to do it, or using other special items or abilities. It never taxes the brain but it’s still engaging and moves along at a brisk pace, a game usually lasting around an hour in my experience. It also includes spells like The Living Flame, which is nearly essential in The Judge's game and The Mayor's game, if you want to prevent the resurrection of The Judge or the ascenscion of The Mayor.

The rest of the setup including starting Townies and Minions is all listed in the rulebook in a separate setup area. This is such an odd review for me because even when an Unmatched set isn’t a “home run” for us, it’s still pretty great.

Angel, meanwhile, can draw three artifacts, keep one and place the rest on top or on the bottom of the deck. Fans of Buffy will find a lot to enjoy about this set, but for us it’s one of the weaker line ups so far. Watch our reviews, listen to Top 10 lists highlighting the best games in different topics, and learn what games might just be your next favorite game.