Over the years, there have been many attempts to combine RPGs and Board Games, with varying degrees of success. So pervasive is this pattern that it can only be concluded that it’s a far harder bridge to cross than seems initially apparent.

Attempts…

…like Monopoly, for which I developed variant rules within 6 months of exposure to RPGs, as a way of introducing some of the key concepts to my family. This simply gave each playing piece an individual special ability. I don’t remember most of them, these days, but let’s see… The boot could take one of his movement dice and give it to another player (before rolling). The thimble could advance to the next red property anytime they rolled double-sixes, collecting money if they passed go. The iron could add one free house per turn to a dark purple property (Old Kent Road and the other one), even if they didn’t own both of them. The train could advance to any other railway station if they landed on one; if un-owned, they could buy it from the bank, if owned then they had to pay the owner as usual, adding the extra movement to their die roll. The top hat earned $5 every turn for each Dark Blue (Mayfair, Park Lane) property they, or anyone else, owned. The Cannon could prevent any other piece from landing on the space they currently occupied, forcing them to move one space less. The dog could, if they landed on a space one behind another piece, choose to follow that piece instead of rolling next turn, and didn’t have to decide until that player rolled for movement. Hey, what do you know – I think that’s all of them! But there isn’t much roleplay to it.

…like Illuminati, which gave individual (and secret) victory conditions to each player. Like the monopoly variant described, this influenced in-game behavior to at least some extent, but that extent was quite limited – especially if tactical deception and misdirection were employed to disguise the victory condition. Again, there wasn’t a whole lot of roleplaying involved.

…like Gloomhaven, which is a more modern representative of the concept (review at gamecows.com/best-RPG-board-games/) and promise to unite the two, but reading the review, it seems more like an RPG with a tactically-abstract combat engine than a true Board Game. Still, coming at the problem from the other direction and putting the shoe on the other foot is an interesting approach.

…like Mice & Mystics (review, same location), which certainly evokes D&D and a number of other RPGs with its name! But when you dig into the review, it starts to seem more like a Board Game with story elements that are more or less central to the game-play – any roleplay involved is something you bring with you and tack onto the top, and neither inherent in, or central to, the game.

…like Descent, which takes the player-vs-GM ethos (of which Campaign Mastery has been critical in the past as bad GMing) and formalizes it by building a board game around it that takes the form of a dungeon-bash. No matter how well it might play as a board game, it’s so far removed from real RPGs that it rings hollow as a true union of the gaming spheres.

…like Mage Knight, which started as a miniatures game and got rebooted into an RPG that uses a deck-building mechanic to customize characters. But in terms of personalities and the expression of the same? – it’s still a tactical card / board game. There’s no enforcement of personality, nor even definition.

There are others, but the above give a sense of the state of things – there’s still a gap between RPG and Board Game elements, the two don’t seem to quite join up. “Puerto Rico” (now available in a Deluxe expanded edition, link is to the Amazon page) is as much an RPG as some of them, however great they might be as board game or as an RPG.

Into this sphere now comes Euthia: Torment Of Resurrection, which describes itself as “a board game” and an “open-world Fantasy RPG”. Given the existing examples of such hybrids, the question has to be posed: has someone finally nailed the brass ring?

Well, it certainly looks impressive:


…. but to really answer that question, we’ll have to dig a little deeper.

Convergence

Gaming formats have been converging for quite a while, now, so the time might be right for a successful blending of the two forms. Computer RPGs have been around for donkey’s years, and starting looking a LOT like tabletop RPGs from around the time of the SSI games of the 90s, starting with Pool Of Radiance.

More recently, online communications have reached the point of permitting the playing of true RPGs through an online interface, like Roll20 (Wikipedia page).

This convergence is significant, because Euthia isn’t actually trying to bridge the gap between Tabletop RPGs and Board Games; instead, it wants to connect to computer RPGs.

But It’s just possible that the Computer-game definition of an RPG is the perfect middleman for a shotgun wedding between a tabletop RPG and a board-game.

Certainly, when you look at some of the game elements, what springs to mind most readily are the ‘rulebooks’ that accompanied those old SSI computer games, transformed into a board game.

The game comes in two variants – one with Miniatures, and a (less-expensive) one without. For their display and development set, these were painted by Zbynek SibalZbynek Sibal (sorry for mangling your name into the English character set, the accents just wouldn’t display properly for me), who (like the other creators, hails from the Czech Republic). I think he’s done an incredible job.

Characters

Some computer-based RPGs offer character generation; others do not. The primary concept of most of them is that the computer assumes the role of the GM and the player is, well, the player. In some cases, the character is pre-ordained, such as was the case with The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy computer game.

Character generation is a key attribute of tabletop RPGs.

Or is it? It’s quite normal for convention gaming to feature pre-generated characters that the participants then have to interpret.

Euthia has fixed characters, one to a player – but the definitions are as much a question of defining those characters as though they were the representatives of an entire character class in a Tabletop game as defining them as individuals.

Beyond that foundation, a character’s personality as an individual is up to the player. Unlike other games, there’s the potential for these personalities to actually impact game-play – so Euthia is actually more like a tabletop RPG than a computer game, at least in this respect. In terms of meeting the brief of a merger between these two forms of gaming, Euthia gets a big tick, then.

Even more significant is that there Euthia can accommodate from 1-4 players – but there are 5 archetypes (and a sixth is likely to soon be unlocked as a stretch goal).

For example, “Ael” is described as “a kind-hearted person who likes to help others” despite “being punished for using magic”. “Dral” is a “master of fighting,” whose “skill in handling weapons is unparalleled”. There’s lots of scope for further refinement in those descriptions – I can’t even tell, from reading them, whether or not the two would get along. What I can see is a situation in which they find common purpose, seeking the same outcome for different reasons..

Cooperation

Which brings me to the subject of cooperation. This is one of the strongest points of distinction about tabletop RPGs – that they are more cooperative and collaborative than traditional board games.

The PCs in Euthia are all rivals, but can nevertheless come to agreements with each other for short-term alliances. Trustworthiness as allies would obviously be informed by the preset character traits, but those pre-definitions are not the final word on the subject. Beyond those, the personality and competitiveness of the player becomes a contributing influence. It doesn’t matter how trustworthy the character description says the character is – if the player is one of those cut-throat ultra-competitive types, how much would you trust them?

Sound familiar? These are the same issues that RPGs have struggled with from the day someone first decided to pick the pocket of another PC.

Packaged Scenarios

Unlike most board games, there are multiple adventures and side-quests in Euthia, like volumes in a multi-novel epic. This makes it more like a tabletop RPG than most board games.

Unlike tabletop RPGs, a GM doesn’t get to design adventures; but you don’t get to design adventures in a computer RPG, either, and I know of several RPG campaigns that rely exclusively on canned adventures. This erodes the distinction between the different forms of game.

And the playing time is significant:

• Main story scenario Farruga: 60 minutes per player.
• Main story scenario Mirrezil: 90 minutes per player.
• Main story scenario Brasath: 120 minutes per player.
• Side-quest scenario The Hunt: 30 minutes per player.
• Side-quest scenario Faer Invocation: 50 minutes per player.
• Side-quest scenario Eminent Threat: 40 minutes per player.
• A main plot with 5 chapters and 12+ individual tiles for each.
• 86 Quest Cards like “Bring Raw Demonium to the Sorceror”.

Add all those up and you get a lot more than 390 minutes per player (6 1/2 hours). You might be able to get through the whole thing with two players in one extended gaming day, but I doubt it. Four? No way.

No, this is more like a campaign than an individual adventure. The more players you add, the more true this is.

And there are so many random elements – like those 86 quest cards, or the 40 different monsters (+4 more added on), plus encounter cards, plus dragons, plus spells and equipment, that the game could be played multiple times with each occasion bearing little-or-no resemblance to any other.

“Every hero has a different starting point, unique abilities, and a different learning curve. You will never see the same map twice.” – More like an RPG than like a typical board game, then.

Game Contents

Make no mistake, Euthia is still a high-end modern board game. Take a good look at the components shown in the photo at the start of this article.

The components (some of which I’ve mentioned already) include:

• 4 Game Boards
• Starting Map Tile
• 12 Chapter I Map Tiles
• 12 Chapter II Map Tiles
• 12 Chapter III Map Tiles
• 14 Chapter IV Map Tiles
• 12 Chapter V Map Tiles
• 40 Monster Cards
• 24 Gold cards
• 24 Silver cards
• 21 Control cards
• 66 Merchant tiles (goods the merchant has to sell, not all available at once)
• 68 Alchemist tiles (magic items the Alchemist has to sell, not all available etc)
• 51 Dragonslayer tiles (rewards for killing dragons)
• 68 gold tokens
• 42 treasure tiles
• 64 gem tokens
• 25 Mountain resource tiles
• 25 Lake resource tiles
• 24 Cave resource tiles
• 4 Elemental Cards
• 86 Quest Cards
• 31 Quest Tiles
• 5 Hero Boards
• 5 Hero Standees
• 22 Hero Tiles for Ael
• 21 Hero Tiles for Dral
• 21 Hero Tiles for Maeldur
• 21 Hero Tiles for Keleia
• 23 Hero Tiles for Taesiri
• 30 Action tokens
• 130 Shield Tokens
• 60 Damage Tokens
• 50 Trade Tokens
• 150 Interaction Tokens
• 10 Hero Dice
• 19 Dragon Cards
• “Die Of Hope”
• 36 Combat Cards for solo play
• Rulebook & Appendix
• 80 Other components!

And that’s without any add-ons, and without the miniatures and stretch-goal inclusions! They even have a tutorial video on how to unbox the game!

From a roleplaying perspective, perhaps the most interesting inclusion is the game setting itself – a bespoke game world with its own lore and legends. You get some of this information through the game elements and rules/appendix, but still more will be unlocked as part of the stretch-goal-after-next.

You can even give yourself a sneak preview by downloading the draft versions of the rule-book and appendix from the Kickstarter page!

Yes, there’s a very good reason for my including this graphic from the Kickstarter campaign page. Don’t worry, I’ll get there.

Gameplay

“Euthia: Torment of Resurrection is a competitive strategic role-playing board game set in an open fantasy world. Players choose one of five heroes and uncover a modular map full of quests, precious natural resources, and dangerous enemies. The heroes gain experience, learn unique skills, obtain new equipment and treasure, and explore places of elemental power.”

The key elements of the gameplay are:

• Explore and Search
• Mine Resources
• Trade with Merchants
• Gain a reputation by defeating Monsters
• Complete Quests
• Interact With Elementals
• Unveil and Train to Level Up
• Specialize and Enhance your abilities
• Face the ultimate challenge of the Scenario
• Start another scenario
• Other players are rivals and enemies – but cooperation is possible

One form of roleplaying of which Campaign Mastery has been critical has been described using the rather derogatory term, “Roll-playing”. Despite that, there is an element of “roll-playing” in every RPG – players who will roll a die for an interaction with an NPC because they have an interpersonal skill rather than using that skill to guide what the character says and does.

And, to some extent, that’s entirely acceptable; it has to be, because the player is not the character. The game mechanics function as an interface between the player’s capabilities and those of the character that they are portraying.

Good Roleplaying is acting as though you had the interpersonal skill even if you don’t.

When PCs come to town and find a merchant, they will want to look over his wares. If there’s something there that catches their eye, they are just as likely to roll a die for their attempt to buy it as they are to take up valuable table time talking to a “nobody important”.

Now, as a GM, I don’t want the players to know which NPCs are important and which are not, so I’ll want them to talk with all of them. The practical line to walk is somewhere in between. But, setting that aside – in what way is the process of rolling a die in an attempt to buy something to determine the outcome of the negotiations any different to any other resolution mechanic – including the one in Euthia? Rhetorical question.

There are those who will decry the board game aspects of Euthia as not being those of an RPG – and they are missing the above point, or ignoring it out of some sense of “purity”. The problem is that no board game could ever meet such narrow definitions, and neither can a lot of RPGs.

Reasons To Be Cheerful, Part IV

There are an awful lot of good reasons to be enthusiastic about Euthia, then. In addition to those I’ve highlighted already, I’d like to touch on a few more:

• Game Craftsmanship – you don’t have to look at many of the illustrations on the Kickstarter to realize that this is first-class quality. And, while the game’s pieces are not a conclusive indicator, it would be very strange if that level of Craftsmanship did not extend to other areas of the project.
• Game Substance – the mere existence of what I think of as the “supplementary material” – lore and world-building notes and the like – suggests that this will be a game of substance.
• Sense Of Style – the whole Kickstarter page reeks of quality and style. There is nothing amateurish about it. And that, in turn, bodes well for the quality of that substance. A graphic demonstration is provided by the “Gameplay” title above.
• Sense Of Humor – there’s a gentle undercurrent of humor in the content of the fundraising page; never at the expense of the important business, but layered on top of it, a constant reminder that people play games like this to have fun. Well, Campaign Mastery puts a pretty high value on fun, too.

You can see an example of that sense of humor in the breezy attitude taken in the “Why This Might Not Be The Game For You” section, which I have excerpted from the Kickstarter text:

• Storytelling – Can’t live without flavor texts on cards? Then this might not be the game for you. That’s not to say, however, that we don’t have plenty of Lore behind Euthia and its characters to brighten your mood.
• Preference for Cooperation – As stated in our introduction, Euthia is a competitive, not cooperative, game. There are some changes in the Rulebook you can try to cooperate with other players, but note that it could change the game experience.
• Small Kitchen Table – Can you hardly eat lunch with four people present at your kitchen table? You might need to buy a bigger one for your living room!
• Time per Player – If you hate planning your moves, watching your opponents develop their strategies, or want to be playing every minute of the game, you may want to avoid playing a three- or four-player game.
• In-Game Over-thinkers – Do you know anyone who overthinks their strategies? I personally don’t, but others hate me for it. There are many situations which might require thinking through the best move to play, but that’s the fun part, right?
• Can’t Handle Dying – If you’ve read the story behind Euthia, you know that dying is a part of the game. If you can’t stand watching your hero die, be warned. While it is possible to stay alive, it’s going to be a challenge.
• Rivalry Between Players – When others take all [the] trading places and you have to pay them for trading, it sucks. But when they steal your treasures and quests right in front of you and kill you with a monster in combat, always remember, they can be next!
• Dice In-Game – Are you scared of dice? Don’t tell me, same here. But we manage to make it fun & fair. Shii’s blessing will help you on your journey.
• Long Rulebook – It’s long, we know. But let me assure you that you will find everything that you need to know. If you don’t want to read it, just watch [the] How to Play video.
• Tons of Components – When it comes to cleaning up the table after the game, you will hate us. We hate us! If you don’t like tons of components but still want to play the game, head over to Tabletopia and give it a try. One mouse-click and your table is clean and ready to start over again.

The Campaign Mastery verdict

In terms of being a tabletop RPG – board game hybrid, Euthia comes as close as anything else on the market – with caveats. Those caveats are mostly an expression of that not being what the game is even trying to achieve – bringing the flavor of a computer-based RPG into a board game.

That, they seem to have achieved, in spades.

Yes, it’s a lot of money – but look at the quantity of game components that you get for the money.

I have been assured by those behind the game that even if the fundraising campaign has ended, there will still be purchase options available for those who need them. They may not be as cool as the package a supporter gets, but don’t let the price deter you any longer than necessary.

The Public Verdict

The public at large seem to have no doubts. Not only have podcasters been falling over themselves to review the game, it met it’s fundraising target in just four hours and is presently 247.6% funded – it may well be 250% by the time you read this. That means that they have blow through four stretch goals in 6 days and are closing in on a fifth (US$14,789 to go as I type this).

I don’t know that Euthia is successful enough as a design entity to be called a game-changer; that appellation is thrown around all-too-casually for my liking.

This is clearly a significant event in the history of board games. Whether it proves to be one in the history of RPGs is harder to judge – but with success, there will be imitators and encouragement for others to try. And that can only mean that Euthia will deserve some of the credit, should any of them succeed.

Unfortunately, the launch was just a day or so too late for me to cover it last week, though we have been advertising it for the last couple of weeks. So anyone deciding to join the party after this review will be fashionably late.

As a GM and an RPG enthusiast, I can heartily recommend this board game. Take from that what you will!