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True Messiah (2018) Board Game

ByMichail

True Messiah is a board game released in 2018, designed by Franklin Chan and Chenthooran Nambiarooran. It falls under the categories of Fighting, Horror, Religious, and Science Fiction, offering players a unique and immersive gaming experience. The game features a blend of auction/bidding, deck building, grid movement, hand management, and tile placement mechanics, making it an engaging and strategic experience for 2-4 players.

Game Components of True Messiah

  • 86 miracle cards** (56 x 87mm)
  • Followers and nonbeliever units**
  • Messiah and avatar units**
  • Temple and prosperity monolith tokens**
  • Holy city tokens**
  • Coins and bidding tokens**
  • Board featuring a wasteland with various spaces**

    How To Setup True Messiah

    To set up True Messiah, each player begins with 9 miracle cards, 7 followers, 5 coins, 1 holy city, and their chosen messiah. Players position their starting units on the board according to the game’s rules. Each player sets up their initial resources and followers on designated spaces, marking the beginning of the game.

    Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective

  • Deck-building: Players bid on unique miracle cards to expand their deck.
  • Board control: Manage followers and units to control spaces on the board, generating resources and building temples.
  • Deterministic tactical combat: Engage in combat with adjacent enemy units, with each unit having specific attack values.
  • Resource management: Use belief points to play miracles and spend coins to bid on new cards.
  • Objective: The first player to defeat an enemy player by slaying their messiah, capturing their holy city, reducing their followers to less than 4, or depleting their miracle cards to less than 8 wins the game.

    Player Experience

    True Messiah offers a deeply immersive and strategic experience, where players must balance resource generation, unit placement, and miracle deployment to outmaneuver their opponents. The game’s surreal art style, inspired by Zdzisław Beksiński and Salvador Dali, adds a unique and haunting atmosphere to the gameplay. Players must navigate the intricacies of bidding and resource management while maintaining a strong presence on the board.

    Pros

  • Unique Art Style: Evocative, bizarre, and horrifying artwork creates a distinct atmosphere.
  • Deep Strategy: Combines deck-building, board control, and tactical combat for a rich gaming experience.
  • High Replayability: Unique miracle cards ensure each game is different.
  • Engaging Theme: Post-apocalyptic setting with religious and surreal elements.

    Cons

  • Complex Rules: Steep learning curve due to the combination of multiple mechanics.
  • Long Playtime: Games can last between 60-120 minutes.
  • Component Management: Managing various tokens and cards can be cumbersome.

    Personal Thoughts on True Messiah

    True Messiah is ideal for fans of complex strategy games and those who enjoy a blend of deck-building and board control. It is best suited for experienced gamers who can appreciate the depth and intricacy of its mechanics. The game’s unique theme and artwork make it a standout in the strategy board game genre, but it may not be the best choice for casual or new gamers due to its complexity.

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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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