Eschaton is a board game released in 2016 that offers players a strategic and immersive experience in a fantasy medieval world. Designed by Tracy Burnham, Diha, and Adam Watts, the game features beautiful artwork by Archon Games. With a mix of card game elements, territory building, and hand management, Eschaton provides a unique gameplay experience for 2 to 6 players.
Game Components of Eschaton
Game Board: A screen-printed cloth board with a wood cut art style, depicting a medieval landscape.Event and Arcana Decks: Large decks containing cards that introduce random events, relics, demons, and other elements that impact gameplay.Cult Member Cards: Each player starts with a hand of seven cards, representing different follower archetypes like Thrall, Supplicant, Zealot, Seer, and Acolyte.Territory Control Tokens: Used to mark player control over regions on the board.Influence and Military Strength Tokens: Used for recruiting new followers and deploying units on the board.Omen Cards: Special cards that introduce objectives for players to compete over.
How To Setup Eschaton
To set up Eschaton, players begin by shuffling the Event and Arcana decks and combining them with Omen cards and the Armageddon card, which marks the game’s end. Each player receives a starting hand of seven cult member cards. The game board is laid out, and players place their initial units on designated starting territories. The Event deck is shuffled, and a set number of Event cards are drawn to start the game.
Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective
Deck Building: Players draw cards and add them to their deck to enhance their abilities and recruit new followers.Area Control: Players use influence and military strength to deploy and move units on the board to control territories.Event Phase: Each round begins with an Event card being drawn, introducing random events or objectives.Omen Cards: Players compete to fulfill the objectives of Omen cards to gain significant point boons.Objective: The goal is to curry the most favor with “The Dark One” by accumulating victory points through controlling territories, acquiring sacred relics, and fulfilling Omens before the Armageddon card is drawn.
Player Experience
Playing Eschaton is an immersive experience, with a richly themed setting and engaging mechanics. The game’s art and design, particularly the wood cut style, enhance the dark medieval atmosphere. Players must balance deck building, area control, and responding to random events to succeed. The game’s pacing can be a challenge, with turns potentially becoming lengthy as players build complex deck engines. However, the unpredictability of the Event and Omen cards keeps the game exciting and volatile.
Pros
Immersive Theme: The game’s dark, medieval setting and artwork are highly thematic and engaging.Deep Mechanics: Combines deck building with area control, offering a complex and strategic gameplay experience.Unpredictable Events: The Event and Omen decks introduce unexpected challenges and opportunities, keeping the game fresh.High Replayability: With a large pool of Event and Arcana cards, no two games are the same.
Cons
Lengthy Turns: As players build powerful deck engines, turns can become very long, leading to significant wait times.Randomness: The high degree of randomness from the Event deck can sometimes feel unfair or wipe out progress.Area Control Issues: The mechanics for controlling territories can feel counterintuitive and less engaging than other aspects of the game.
Personal Thoughts on Eschaton
Eschaton is a game for fans of complex, strategic gameplay and those who enjoy a deep, immersive theme. It is ideal for players who like deck-building games and are not deterred by a high level of randomness and potential long play sessions. While it may not be the best fit for casual gamers due to its complexity and length, it offers a rich and engaging experience for those willing to invest the time and effort.
We are supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission, at no extra cost for you. Learn more.
