Game Overview

Game Name: Legends of Andor
Publication Year: 2012
Designer: Michael Menzel
Artists: Michaela Kienle and Michael Menzel
Publisher: KOSMOS
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game (Cooperative)

With absolutely stunning artwork and a play area that stretches far and wide, each scenario plays very differently. Heroes must complete tasks and battle enemies, yet it’s important not to advance the story too quickly. It’s all about planning every move. So much fun!

A Full Party

To play solo, 2-4 characters must be utilized. However, I rather like this as it feels like managing a single group.

There are individual turns, but overall planning is about ensuring everyone works together. Most certainly a cooperative adventure about finding solutions!

Although 4 characters require the most effort, this has always been my preferred way to play. Each person has a special ability and a different way to contribute.

My team consisted of Chada, Kram, Liphardus, and Mairen. All simply ready to jump right into the action!

Gorgeous Artwork

I almost felt a little guilty for considering if this map was better than my long-standing favorite in Thurn and Taxis. And then came a mind-boggling moment…

Both come from the same artist! What’s more, Michael Menzel is also the designer of this series. Whoa!

So technically, I can have a tie for my favorite map. Ha! There is just so much detail in a lovely color palette.

Take this bridge, for instance. It’s an important part of the numbered map, yet look closely. One of the statues has broken off! What happened? We may never know.

To the Beginning

Now, returning to the first legend might seem pointless. After all, it’s an introductory scenario that also acts as a tutorial. I won in the past, so why go back to the start?

My last play was close to 2 years ago and I forgot some of the important concepts. It happens! There’s also a great sense of camaraderie that develops from the first legend.

I saw it as an opportunity for a fairly quick and simple win as I got back into the system. A little familiarity is good!

And so it began. The first few turns were quick and simple… But then the adventure really began.

Special Delivery

The beauty of the tutorial is how in-depth it is without feeling complex. It starts out with simple tasks, mostly related to exploring the map and moving around.

Gradually, it introduces almost all of the mechanics in ways that are focused and intuitive. It teaches through play in an excellent way that’s far from difficult.

Concepts eventually get layered to create difficult choices, yet each element is introduced at a good pace.

In the end, Chada completed the final task at the last possible moment before defeat. So very exciting!

Parade of Monsters

By the time the first legend was over, the defeated Gors made up quite the group! Yet this isn’t all about fighting off every enemy that begins to advance toward the castle.

Each round of combat costs time, so this can take away from important tasks. More importantly, though, success advances the legend along its track from A to N.

Events might trigger, yet a legend typically ends on spot N. Fight too many enemies, and it’s all over very quickly!

This makes every decision strategic. It isn’t possible to attack every Gor… So which one makes the most sense?

The Tower of Skral

Up next was a legend that took all sorts of careful plotting and planning. New concepts continued to expand the full set of mechanics, yet I still never felt overwhelmed.

Yet again, it looked dangerously close to the end as the final battle loomed in sight. I was in much better shape this time, but victory was still far from a simple matter.

Liphardus was off on his own defending the castle against the enemies that were closing in from the south and east.

Everyone else had just a few rounds to defeat a powerful Skral. Their willpower was low… Could their luck hold out?

Aid from the Skies

It actually came down to some clever decisions earlier on. Chada bought a falcon at the merchant, which allowed her to trade small items with another character once per day.

Kram gladly accepted the delivery! With his new set of items, his combat die turned into a single black die with values from 6 to 12. Now that was an upgrade!

He also used a lot of gold at the dwarf mine to gain strength points at a discount. He could add 22 in combat!

That’s precisely what happened. He carried most of the battle, but Chada and Mairen assisted. Victory!

Cruel Twist of Fate

As I started the next legend, things looked rather doomed from the start. Farmers are an integral part of defending the castle, and fate called for most of them to be used.

Each character had their own fate that needed to be fulfilled. Yet of these, I needed 3 farmers to be occupied.

Things were much worse, though. A Skral was camped out at the wedding site, so a great battle had to take place before that easier fate could be completed. How cruel!

I did my best, but failure was imminent. There was a small chance of success, yet I was glad to restart the legend.

Return to the Falcon

Every item in the game has some sort of use, and the challenge of trying them out is often very fulfilling. I wasn’t sure if the falcon would be a good choice again.

Yet there was Chada with her trusty friend! This time, the fate cards were more diverse and none blocked the others.

Another collection of special stones upgraded Chada’s combat die. As an archer, she had more opportunities to participate in different battles. Very useful, indeed!

Even though everyone was off to a good start, time kept ticking away at an alarmingly fast pace.

Rietburg Under Attack

With fates to complete far away from the castle, it was left vulnerable to attack. Its own defenses and extra farmers could hold out, but only for a short time.

The path to Castle Rietburg was marked with giant footprints as a troll stalked across the countryside.

I had little time to decide. Did it make sense to race to complete the fate cards, or send everyone back to the castle for a troll battle? Not an easy choice!

With any luck, the final hidden battle would be closer to the castle. I left the troll, hopeful it wouldn’t get far.

A Different Troll

As it happened, the group did have a showdown with a troll… Only it was a completely different one in the mountains! And time was short, so this was it.

I retraced a couple of turns before this battle because I completely overlooked someone. The witch, who offers special brews, was right on the path to this troll.

Properly equipped, this was still an exceptionally close fight. The troll was strong and damage was minimal.

Yet everyone clawed their way to the end, finding ways to contribute strength to every round. Another victory!

To the Underground

It was at this point that I entered uncharted territory. Previously, I played legends 1, 2, and 3 at least once. With this legend, I was excited to experience something new!

Talk about completely new! The fourth legend took me to the other side of the board into a new map. So cool!

I struggled a little bit with the space numbers since they’re not exactly in order. It’s often a puzzle just to locate them!

This was an entirely different sort of scenario with surprises around every corner. There was a new element of stealth to try to avoid raising the alarm too early…

Familiar Friends

I promise that Liphardus and Mairen had integral roles in these adventures! But when it came to the art of falconry, Chada and Kram were the legendary masters.

Unexpected issues and sudden turns put me in a tough spot. I was almost out of time and almost everyone was on the edge of being knocked out. What to do?!

It suddenly became clear: This was the last day. We needed to get the treasure out of the mines right away. Oh, Kram…

He was just next to the merchant, and thankfully, a falcon was available! Through the tunnels she flew like an arrow.

The Treasure Pile

By sheer luck, Liphardus got stuck near the entrance and worked to clear away a bunch of rubble. I thought he would be wasted so far away. Quite the opposite!

He picked up a little gold on his own, yet it was the delivery from Kram’s falcon that gave him all he needed.

And it was just the right amount: I collected just 1 more than the bare minimum, nearly resulting in defeat! I think the witch was laughing at my scrambling. Ha ha!

This was yet another very tense race to the end where everything felt meaningful. Also, falcons are amazing!

Session Overview

Play Number: 7-12
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game (Cooperative)
Play Details: Legends 1-5 at the Standard Difficulty Level
Outcome: 5 Wins and 1 Loss

Suffice to say the final legend tied everything together and came down to an epic battle against a dragon! A bit of luck helped, but this was a battle where everyone could partake. Each round I was only ahead by about 1-4 combat points to provide context as to how close this was. Such an exciting conclusion to this small set of legends! I loved every moment of it and plan to explore the expansions!

Affordability

Price & Value

10

Functionality

Challenges & Mechanics

10

Originality

Design & Theme

7

Quality

Components & Rules

9