Siege of Valeria (2022) Board Game

Siege of Valeria is a fantasy card game that was released in 2022 by Daily Magic Games. Designed by Glenn Flaherty and illustrated by Mihajlo Dimitrievski, this game takes players on a thrilling campaign where they must defend the kingdom of Valeria from invaders.

Game Components of Siege of Valeria

Card Decks: Enemy troops, siege engines, and champion cards.

Dice: Soldier and Holy dice for attacking and defeating enemies.

Tokens: Impact tokens for tracking damage to the fortress.

Fortress Sections: Representing the five towers that can take damage.

Rulebook and Reference Card: For quick gameplay guidance.

How To Setup Siege of Valeria

To set up Siege of Valeria, begin by organizing the enemy cards into a 5×5 grid, with the first four rows consisting of enemy troops and the top row comprising siege engines. Each column starts with five enemy cards, and five siege engines are placed in the deck. The player’s fortress is set up with five towers, each capable of taking three damage points. Shuffle the enemy deck and draw the initial set of cards to populate the grid.

Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective

Rolling Dice: Players roll a pool of Soldier and Holy dice to assign for attacks.

Attacking Enemies: Use dice to defeat enemy troops and siege engines, with each card requiring specific strength and magic values.

Enemy Cards: Defeated enemy cards are added to the player’s hand, providing special abilities and bonuses.

Siege Engines: Defeating siege engines earns champion cards with unique abilities.

Advancing Enemies: Remaining enemy cards move closer to the fortress, and new cards are added to fill gaps.

Damage and Defeat: The game is lost if a fortress section takes four damage points, a siege engine reaches the vanguard, or the enemy deck is exhausted.

Winning Condition: The game is won by defeating all 13 siege engines.

Player Experience

Siege of Valeria offers a challenging and engaging solo experience with a blend of dice rolling and strategic card play. Each round involves seven phases, including rolling dice, activating siege engines, taking actions, advancing enemies, and resolving attacks. The game requires careful resource management and timely use of special abilities to mitigate bad dice rolls and optimize attacks. Despite the potential for repetitive gameplay, the addition of champion cards and the campaign expansion introduces more variety and complexity.

Pros

Dice Manipulation: Players can use enemy cards and champion abilities to manipulate dice rolls.

Tough Decisions: Balancing attacks between enemy troops and siege engines requires strategic thinking.

Variety with Expansion: The campaign expansion adds new content, including boss cards, commanders, and elite troops.

Exciting Card Combinations: Discovering new card abilities and combinations is a highlight of the game.

Quick Setup and Reference: The game has a quick setup time and a helpful reference card for easy gameplay.

Cons

Repetitive Gameplay: The base game can feel samey from play to play.

Limited Variety: Despite many cards, the gameplay progression can be quite similar.

Luck of the Dice: Continuous bad dice rolls can significantly impact the game’s outcome.

Weak Campaign: The campaign mode is somewhat underwhelming, lacking a robust campaign structure.

Personal Thoughts on Siege of Valeria

Siege of Valeria is ideal for solo gamers who enjoy a mix of dice rolling and strategic card play. It offers a tight action economy and challenging gameplay, making it a solid choice for those looking for a solo experience. While the base game may feel repetitive, the expansion content helps add variety and depth. This game is perfect for players who enjoy tower defense mechanics and are up for a challenging, thinky game.

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