The Board Life

Game review number 2 is finally here. I picked this game up a few weeks ago at the Boardwalk Hobby Shop in Cincinnati. Its for two players and it follows in the Rio Grande Games series of "Games for Two" (which includes another great game called Lost Cities - review to come later). The game is based on Bram Stoker's classic. The players assume the role of either Dracula or Dr. Van Helsing. The board is simply laid out with a 4x3 grid of homes in London. Each player has a set of cards which contains either coffins and vampires or victims and vampire slayers. As you might guess the goal is to collect the opponents coffins or victims (Dracula collects victims and Van Helsing collects coffins). The game requires a sharp memory of where you have seen specific cards and where your opponent has been. It is a very unique game of memory and strategy. Gameplay lasts 20-30 minutes. This is not a game to play with the television on it requires your full attention. It is a little cumbersome to learn and the directions are not always clear. After a few games anyone can catch on. I recommend this game to anyone looking for a relatively short 2 person evening of focused fun!