An Ashes Reborn Campaign Against the Corpse of Viros
Progress through a short campaign to defeat a Chimera and work through the interesting puzzle presented by Ashes Reborn.
Onward with Aradel Summergaard! My short campaign through Ashes Reborn: Rise of the Phoenixborn started to heat up as I increased the difficulty level. This system has tons of content, yet each play can be set up with a pre-constructed deck to limit the feeling of being overwhelmed. I had a Chimera to take out, and I was quite invested in using some neat cards!
Game Overview
Game Name: Ashes Reborn: Rise of the Phoenixborn
Publication Year: 2015
Designer: Isaac Vega
Artists: Thander Lin, David Richards, & Fernanda Suárez
Publisher: Plaid Hat Games
Solo Mode: Included in Red Rains – The Corpse of Viros
A Chimera acts as an opponent with all sorts of abilities within an aspect set, while a Phoenixborn character does battle. Dice and cards offer combinations and options. There is a lot to unravel in the layers, yet it’s not too daunting to pick up a deck and start playing… Which is just what I did!
First Play
May 18, 2023
Complexity
3
Latest Play
July 12, 2026
Expansions
30
Setup Time
10 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
13
Play Time
40 Minutes
High Score
N/A
Game Area
24" x 24"
Low Score
N/A
A Steady Gaze
As I spent more time with the same deck, I watched all of the elements come together. Some cards I didn’t consider to be all that helpful started to form more of a core strategy.
Look at those intense eyes! Aradel stared down some of the Chimera’s aspects, thereby helping to calm them down for a round. It was just what was needed to set up other elements.
I chose this deck due to its relative straightforward play style, but I wouldn’t classify it as boring or basic.
On the contrary, it was fun to identify the strengths, then figure out ways to layer on dice powers and side actions.
Into the Mist Typhoon
Whoosh! Mist Typhoon formed the core of my strategy. It wasn’t cheap, but dealt 1 damage to all target units and gave me a chance to draw another card. What was the best turn?
That time I drew another Mist Typhoon and had a lot of dice to use! Granted, the Chimera isn’t a unit and won’t take direct damage, but defeating aspects deals small wounds.
So it came down to figuring out when to strike out, when to defend, and when to save something up for the next round.
Naturally, these Calico Critters floated in to match the subtle butterflies on Aradel’s card. That’s how you win!
Massive Blue Jaguar
Alright… So maybe the overall strategy wasn’t just about the spells. Conjurations joined in the battle. I was already familiar with this set, but look at that Blue Jaguar!
I bided my time with a Massive Growth spell, which was fleeting… The attack needed to be quick! Yet with just a few health left, Aradel finally beat the second difficulty level.
The final form of the Chimera was the most challenging. It might look minimal, but tons of aspects are always tricky.
I found myself excited to play again and again, even when I was losing. Such a great time as I figured everything out!
The Corpse of a Corpse
Take that, Chimera! I claimed victory relatively quickly, although Aradel barely hung on with a single health point left. Talk about a close call! But… Campaign completed!
That was it: Just a trio of ever-increasing plays. I enjoyed the freedom to either stick with the pre-constructed deck, or start to try my hand at augmenting the set. Maybe someday.
Each play typically lasted around 3-5 rounds filled with lots of exciting action. I couldn’t believe how quickly time flew!
I have a whole collection of characters to try out, along with lots of other Chimeras and aspects to mix and match. Yeah!
Investing Time to See a Game Start to Shine
My first couple of plays getting back into this one didn’t seem all that great, and I wondered if it would turn out to be pretty repetitive. Not at all! I’m glad I decided to give it a chance so I could see the puzzle unravel a little more. There is a lot more going on than just spending dice to play cards. I felt like I had a chance to learn, and then used that knowledge to improve.
That’s all with a single character, too, and there are dozens… Along with a handful of different Chimeras and different aspects that add all sorts of variety. My goal isn’t to win in every way possible, yet this short campaign structure really feels awesome. I don’t have to invest a ton of time into playing, but can learn a lot to set up some amazing turns.
I don’t think every game opens up in this way, and I’m getting pretty good at identifying when I should spend a little more time with a single solo game. Glad I chose to do so here! I loved seeing it all come together and I got excited to start over again right away. I thought I would shy away from this one after struggling with the rules… But I figured it out, thankfully!
Session Overview
Play Number: 7-10
Expansion: Red Rains – The Corpse of Viros
Solo Mode: Included in Red Rains – The Corpse of Viros
Play Details: The Corpse of Viros Standard 2 & 3 (Fury)
Outcome: 2 Wins & 2 Losses
Dice powers to the rescue! Although it might seem best to always use dice to put cards into play, sometimes something like 1 damage is just what’s needed as a side action. I had such a great time! And this was all with a single character and Chimera. There was no time to waste… I knew this one wasn’t ready to leave my table just yet. Such a fun time!
%
10 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
8
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
9
Originality
Design & Theme
8
Quality
Components & Rules
4
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
10
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
8
+ Pros (Positives)
- It can take a couple of plays to figure out how to utilize a deck, which is an excellent and satisfying learning curve.
- Each character has a unique set of cards that can be used as a pre-constructed deck, or customized if desired.
- A short campaign against a Chimera offers a great way to solve a challenging puzzle without a big time investment.
- Admiring the artwork is an enjoyable part of gameplay, as each card captures something powerful, often in motion.
- Play time can vary based on the deck, but moves very quickly and is designed to last only a handful of rounds.
- Finding ways to whittle away the Chimera’s health is interesting, and isn’t guaranteed to always work the same way.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Getting started has a few hurdles with the rulebooks, which can be rather confusing and hard to learn at first.
- There usually aren’t a ton of cards in play, but it can be easy to forget about abilities or special triggers at odd times.
- Locating the full rules for a phase or keyword can be frustrating with the way information is spread out everywhere.
- Double-sided health tokens can be annoying to use at times in the values included, although this is pretty minor.
Victory Conditions
Defeat the Chimera
- Overall Goal Progress 10%
Goals and Milestones
Win a standard campaign against each aspect. (2/14)
Win a standard campaign against each Chimera. (1/7)
Win a standard campaign as each Phoenixborn. (2/30)
Continue the Conversation
Have you played through a campaign of Ashes Reborn: Rise of the Phoenixborn? Is there any matchup that was particularly memorable? I’ll have to remember how easy it is to get this one to my table, despite the size of the complete collection. This campaign as Aradel Summergaard was an awesome experience and I can’t wait to see how the game changes next time!
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