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Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game (2014) Board Game

ByMichail

Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game is a card game based on the popular Alien franchise. Released in 2014 by Upper Deck Entertainment, it allows players to take on the roles of characters from the movies and work together to fight off the Xenomorph threat.

Game Components of Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game

  • 600 total Original Art Card Set**
  • Full Color Game Board (mat)**
  • Full Color Rule Book**
  • Card inserts for easy organization**
  • Customizable card organization with removable foam inserts**

    How To Setup Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game

    Setting up the game involves preparing the Hive deck, which contains enemies, events, and hazards, and the Barracks, a market comprised of four different decks representing characters from the Alien movies. Each player selects an avatar and starts with a basic deck. The game board, or play mat, is laid out to represent the complex through which the aliens will move. Players organize their cards using the provided inserts and foam blocks to ease setup and teardown.

    Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective

  • Cooperative Play: Players work together to survive against alien threats.
  • Deck Building: Players recruit cards for their deck from the central selection to improve their abilities.
  • Card Drafting: Players draw cards from the Hive deck and the Barracks.
  • Objective-Based Gameplay: Players must complete three objective cards, which get progressively harder, culminating in an end game boss battle.
  • Hive Deck Management: Players draw a facedown Hive card each turn, adding it to the Complex path, which represents the aliens moving towards them.
  • Combat Zone: When cards reach the Combat Zone, players draw Strike cards, causing damage and potential player elimination.

    Player Experience

    Playing **Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game** is a highly thematic and immersive experience, capturing the escalation and fear from the Alien movies. The game requires successful coordination and optimal crisis management among players. It features a hand-drawn comic book style artwork, enhancing the action hero feel. However, the game is known for its challenging co-op play, especially at higher player counts, and can be brutal and unforgiving.

    Pros

  • Captivating Theme: Strongly thematic and immersive, especially for Alien franchise fans.
  • Challenging Gameplay: Requires strategy and coordination among players.
  • Character Building: Characters improve as the game progresses.
  • Replayability: Offers varied gameplay with different objectives and card combinations.
  • Easy to Teach: Despite deep strategy, the gameplay is easy to learn.

    Cons

  • Setup and Teardown: Can be time-consuming and cumbersome.
  • Randomness: The game’s randomness can sometimes lead to unfair situations.
  • Card Quality: Some players have noted poor card finish and erratic art.
  • Player Elimination: The game encourages player elimination, which some players may not enjoy.
  • Variant Integration: Some variant mechanics, like the traitor mechanism, do not integrate well with the main game.

    Personal Thoughts on Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game

    **Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game** is ideal for fans of the Alien franchise and those who enjoy cooperative deck-building games. It offers a rich, thematic experience with deep strategic elements, making it a great choice for players looking for a challenging and immersive game. However, it may not be the best fit for those who prefer gentler cooperative games or are sensitive to player elimination mechanics. Despite some drawbacks, the game is highly regarded for its thematic application of deck-building mechanics and its ability to recreate the tense atmosphere of the Alien movies.

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    • Michail, a seasoned tabletop enthusiast, dives headfirst into worlds of fantasy and strategy. Whether commanding a party of adventurers through perilous dungeons or engaging in tactical showdowns on the board, Michail is the maestro of the tabletop realm. Michail's gaming table is a realm where the clatter of dice and the shuffle of cards create a symphony of strategic chaos.

    Hobby: Miniature painting guru, turning pewter into masterpieces
    Preferred Game: Dungeons & Dragons, but always up for a board game brawl

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