Atop the Turrets and Amidst the Battles of Siege of Valeria
Peer over the wall and lead defensive forces against the constant waves of enemies in a trio of battles in Siege of Valeria.
Alas, my first attempt at the campaign mode for Siege of Valeria ended in a mediocre final score. The queen was lost, and although it wasn’t the worst outcome, I had a lot to learn! So it was back to the beginning of another fairly quick campaign that would last for 3 battles. What bosses might lurk out beyond the siege engines? Time to defeat them!
Game Overview
Game Name: Siege of Valeria
Publication Year: 2022
Designer: Glenn Flaherty
Artist: Mihajlo Dimitrievski
Publisher: Daily Magic Games
Solo Mode: Designed for Solo (Included in the Base Game)
With a trusty duke to lead the way, battle outcomes change the ongoing story. The city is always in danger from enemy troops, while siege engines inch closer and closer to impending doom. Only the proper use of dice and planning can overcome the campaign challenge!
First Play
January 19, 2023
Complexity
2
Latest Play
December 23, 2023
Expansions
1
Setup Time
5 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
12
Play Time
35 Minutes
High Score
5
Game Area
24" x 24"
Low Score
0
Adding the Heroes
It wasn’t long before I knew what I needed… Calico Critters! And this was the perfect time to bring out the meerkats… I almost missed picking up this family!
Their arrival made me think of them peering over the wall every now and then. Definitely useful! I switched tactics slightly and allowed some damage to the turrets.
So very challenging! The first battle wasn’t even close when Vermithrax showed up again and caused havoc.
I didn’t even defeat the boss, much less all of the siege engines. Quite the initial defeat, indeed. Hello, heroes?!
Making the Dice Work
It was the final battle where things finally started to take a turn for the better. Pharaoh’s Curse didn’t look like a nice sort of friend to meet on the battlefield. Yikes!
The troop cards needed to come out in the right order to get the dice… And I wasn’t entirely in love with my luck.
Still, the final battle ended in triumph with all of the siege engines defeated and the boss sent back to the underworld. Victory! Well, only in a partial sense.
My final campaign score remained the same, but I liked to imagine that the momentum carried through!
Over the Wall
My meerkats were riveted by the view from the turrets… Rather, it was a most frightening sight! But I reassured them all that I had it all under control. Disperse!
It came down to luck again, though, which isn’t too unheard of with dice mechanics. Yet the order of the troop cards made a big deal with what I could do early on.
The turret spaces still took a small amount of damage as I chose the best troops to defeat during each round.
Overall, it was still a fun time! And despite the bad luck, a 3-game campaign was easy to get through.
Important Dukes
My favorite element came down to the very unique characters. Not only did I make a mortal enemy of the shapeshifter, but the dukes all brought something new!
The Inventor allowed me to take out siege engines more easily, particularly when they weren’t attacking. I could just picture the inventive explosives and contraptions.
Now, this definitely didn’t provide some deep narrative. Yet it gave me just what I needed to enjoy the game more.
I’ll say it again… The expansion should have been included with the base game to provide the full game from the start.
The Difference in Ratings & Recommendations
At a glance, it looks like the base game and campaign expansion scored well in my system… And that would be correct! I enjoyed the game a lot, especially once I got to see the battles connect. Yet I also think it’s important to recognize that some highly rated games aren’t necessarily ones I recommend most of the time for a variety of reasons.
Risking repeating myself again, this is a clear case where the expansion should have been included in the base game. It’s very hard for me to recommend it because both products are required for the full game experience. Just trying out the core mechanics isn’t likely to showcase what the game can be, but many don’t add expansions in from the start.
Do I recommend the game? Not entirely. I paid for it via crowdfunding, which made my costs a little more bearable. At retail, it’s relatively costly for what it is. Make sure to understand what’s included in the base game and the expansion… And that the expansion is mainly a bunch of cards, plus a simple wooden token to mark some boss damage.
This isn’t meant to be overly negative, but realistic. I often recommend games that are out-of-print, which are likely pretty expensive to find. Never go overboard with paying those prices, yet if a decent deal comes along, those are games I highly recommend! In this case, I would only recommend picking up the base game and expansion at a discount.
Session Overview
Play Number: 8-10
Expansion: Siege of Valeria: Campaign Expansion
Solo Mode: Designed for Solo (Included in the Base Game)
Play Details: Campaign Mode
Outcome: 1 Win and 2 Losses
At least I survived to successfully defend the capital city! Alas, that just wasn’t enough to make this campaign a victory. Next time! I don’t imagine I would want to play this over and over, yet it features a memorable trio of battles I plan to try out again. Someday, perhaps I’ll finally be Defender of the Realm again! It will definitely happen…
%
10 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
8
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
9
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
9
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
7
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
4
+ Pros (Positives)
- Connected battles create a memorable campaign with characters, yet 3 plays can fly by within a short time.
- Dukes, commanders, and bosses offer a ton of variety in the different ways they act and add small storylines.
- There are plenty of decisions to make with the dice each round, and the combinations can be quite interesting.
- Almost every game is decided on the final day with exciting moments and careful plans that get rather intricate.
- Most of the iconography is intuitive after a few plays, while the round summary card makes gameplay quick.
- Balancing turret damage adds another strategic layer about accepting some attacks in order to survive.
– Cons (Negatives)
- There is a general formula to win, but this can feel too dependent on the right dice rolls and early troop cards.
- Although the base game can be fun, the campaign expansion seems necessary to experience the full game.
- Elite troops aren’t always useful in all situations and can swing certain battles purely due to shuffling.
- Losing a single battle doesn’t end the campaign, yet the best scoring tier requires perfect scores across all battles.
Victory Conditions
Score 9+ Campaign Points
- Overall Goal Progress 67%
Goals and Milestones
Score at least 13 points with the base game.
Win at least 1 game at the standard difficulty level.
Score at least 6 points with the campaign expansion.
Continue the Conversation
What are some of the things you like about Siege of Valeria? I enjoyed it a lot more with the campaign, if that wasn’t obvious enough! Yet that surprised me, since committing to campaigns isn’t a usual thing I do. Have you been surprised by any other solo games recently? I’ll be putting my defensive skills on hold as I explore some new games next!
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