Matthew BaileyAs is often the case, our Christmas marathon ended with a soft whimper and a bit of a parody post, rather than the big crescendo I always hoped for, largely due to the business of the season and the fact that we all got norovirus.
Either way, normal service resumes with today’s review, which is “Once Upon a Plunder,” played with Jack (.8.) and Toby (5).
I must admit that when I read through the rules for “Once Upon a Plunder,” I was not overly excited about the concept. However, after a few games, it became genuinely compelling, and both Jack and Toby ended up really enjoying it.
“Once Upon a Plunder” is an asymmetrical bluffing game where one person plays as the dragon, and the rest of the players act as the heroes. Firstly, it’s worth noting that due to this setup, the minimum number of players is three, with six being the maximum.
You set up the board, which features a round timer consisting of 10 theoretically possible rounds, a flame icon for whoever is playing the dragon, and four neutral location cards. These cards include shields, treasure, apples, and houses.
The game ends when the heroes manage to place all of the house tokens onto the village location or collect all tokens from two of the three other locations, resulting in a hero win. Alternatively, the dragon wins if it manages to move the fire counter to the far right of the track.
On their turn, the heroes select one of the four areas from which they can either take a resource or build a house. Similarly, the dragon tries to predict which of the four areas the heroes will choose. The heroes are not allowed to discuss their choices. All players reveal their chosen location simultaneously. Depending on the section they choose, the heroes either take a token or add a village token. If the dragon selects the same location as the heroes, the heroes cannot resolve that event and must skip a turn.
The game itself is brief, but it becomes quite compelling as you try to anticipate and second-guess your opponents’ moves. What I also appreciated was that often in asymmetrical games, I end up playing solo. Still, due to the game’s relatively simple nature, even Toby (5) was eager to play as the dragon. The game feels balanced, with the heroes and the dragon winning about 50% of the time over the 10 or so games we played, and the boys really enjoyed it.
The component quality is good; the cards are printed on nice cardstock, and the wooden tokens are a pleasant addition.
After some initial hesitation, we ended up really enjoying “Once Upon a Plunder.” I would confidently recommend it as an excellent travel game. While a part of me wished for a few more mechanics, overall, it was a fun and positive experience.
“Once upon a Plunder” was generously provided by Hachette Games at no cost as part of a donation to the school where I work, with the understanding that I would review it here.
