Game Overview

Game Name: Grimslingers
Publication Year: 2015
Designer: Stephen Gibson
Artist: Stephen Gibson
Publisher: Greenbrier Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game

Stunning artwork sets the stage for a campaign through various chapters and areas. Each character carries a curse that must be explored alongside a helpful sidekick. Both the story and mechanics are enhanced with Grimslingers: The Northern Territory. Into this wild, wild world!

Creatures of All Kinds

Amazing illustrations make all of the creature decks stand out, though keep in mind that this artwork is still fairly limited in terms of the total components.

A modifier creates a unique descriptor, while newer dispositions offer ways to earn bonuses in combat.

This is an excellent way to generate different opponents with a limited number of base creatures, but I’ll return to this concept later on. It can make combat too easy or hard.

Merely setting up this part of the game made me excited to get back into the world! Such an interesting lineup!

Just Call Me Cute Kipper

In the original, there are a plethora of different characters. Still, ask anyone, and the option to play as a cat or dog often tops the list! Or even a hen or red panda…

So I decided to take Cute Kipper out on his very own adventure! Adorable, but also quite dangerous to duel.

I enjoyed the new player board that served as a reference for all of the available actions during the phases of play. The original rulebook was a bit confusing.

That same sprinkling of humor I remembered was right there in my health tracker. Always good for a laugh!

My Anima and Catsbane

Another reminder of the original is the anima, or little sidekick that has a mysterious story around its connection to the main character. Just look at that face!

Animas are always sassy. The energy tracker statements are possibly even funnier! “Sad violin protocol” or “Disabling optimism module” were brilliant.

The new content offered a special item and tracker to Cute Kipper. Watch out for that deadly Catsbane sword!

In general, I was finally ready to go after spending a long time figuring out what rulebook to utilize. Onward!

An Alternate Map

I paused as soon as I saw the sheer size of the map I needed to create. Fate cards had to be sorted and shuffled, then laid out in a giant 9×4 grid. I didn’t have the space…

Fortunately, there are simple printouts from the designer to make this process easier. I wondered why, though, since this was far from visually attractive. Still, onward!

Rather than drawing from decks, I would roll some dice to determine random events. Much easier, thankfully.

Still, I was already hesitant about the experience. I wanted to love it, but my past attempts had fallen flat.

Organized Decks

Fortunately, there were other ways to help keep the play area organized. All of the item cards were properly organized with just a few decks off to the side.

The duel area would be easier to manage, too. This often got unruly in the past, so it was nice to have designated spaces for the various cards. Definite progress!

Yet it still wasn’t perfect. The reference to page numbers only mentioned “X” so I still had some digging to do.

I didn’t want to go in with a negative outlook, though, so I got myself interested in the lore again and set out!

Into the Dreams

Cute Kipper left the safety of the starting settlement to go out across the Valley. On his first evening, he encountered a strange sort of dream all about normal life. Oh, my!

I enjoyed this random nature of the events, yet the fact that each is resolved with a roll is quite random.

Personally, the very last option would have been the best as Cute Kipper wrestled with… Himself? Ha ha!

Since the energy tracker was already at its maximum, this had no effect. Which is another quibble I have. Why take all that time to read and roll for no change in the game?

Readying for Battle

A little further on, I was finally ready to jump into a duel! These creature battles form the basis for most combat and offer all sorts of different rewards for winning.

I eagerly set up the area and prepared, then rolled for a random modifier… Dead. Wait a second! So I ended up not dueling but just picking up the rewards for winning.

Modifiers are an excellent concept, yet they can make a battle far too easy or almost impossible. Just by luck.

Maybe this tied into the story, of course, but my main takeaway was how unsatisfying this was. I just got stuff.

Encountering a Fish

As I took Cute Kipper around the Valley to follow the first chapter of the campaign, events continued to happen out in the middle of nowhere. Like… A salmon in the desert?!

The lore and stories of this setting are quite intriguing, and I can’t find any fault with them. Who would have expected to find this sort of random event? Ha ha!

Yet I couldn’t help but feel the disconnect between a narrative campaign interspersed with weak combat.

I still hadn’t even entered battle beyond that first time against an already dead jackalope. Maybe the next turn…

Going for Bounties

Another new element is the bounties for each area. These provide additional side quests to pursue. So when Cute Kipper met the prerequisite, it was an alien encounter!

The story was excellent, the writing seemed interesting, but the choices were oddly lacking. I suppose if I wanted to get an achievement right away, I could discard a card.

Yet the way spell cards work in duels means that I needed as many in my hand as possible, and not discarded.

So it almost seemed required for me to follow the second option to help the alien. Not exactly a choice, was there?

Galloping Along

Another new event that popped up allowed Cute Kipper to move quicker than usual. I could just see him atop the caravan, driving the horses along across the sands!

But I still felt like I was missing something. Each turn was move, draw a card, and do nothing or roll the dice. It felt repetitive because I couldn’t find any creatures to duel.

To make matters worse, some of my event rolls were for the same ones I already encountered. Not so fun.

My achievement list was also lackluster. I checked things off and got some bonuses… But the fun wasn’t there.

A Long-Awaited Duel

At last, I drew an ace to trigger a new duel! It was a jackalope again, but fortunately, this one was alive.

The modifier made me think it was hiding everything I needed in its den. A-ha! The dispositions gave it more personality and provided me with ways to get ahead.

Alas, I forgot how I just didn’t like these sorts of battles. With numerical values to determine the order, I was still stuck with my starting options and would likely go last.

But Cute Kipper prevailed! It still felt like a lot of work to pick up items I didn’t have room for with my hand size.

Card Battles

In theory, the random creature decks combined with general creature cards make for interesting decisions. It’s important to learn about each foe to anticipate the cards.

Yet I found myself following a very similar pattern with how I approached each foe. The spells were often played in the same order after I recovered them. Rinse and repeat.

The creatures typically went first and Cute Kipper nearly died a few times due to bad luck. I was sadly unimpressed.

As the chapter continued on, I was amazed by how much time I was spending just to get through each section.

Session Overview

Play Number: 8
Expansion: Grimslingers: The Northern Territory
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Valley of Death, Chapter 1
Outcome: Win

As Cute Kipper won the final showdown at the end of the first chapter, I made the decision to retire. There were certainly some neat elements, but there was no joy in the monotony of each turn. My few battles only had glimmers of excitement that got stale all too quickly. I wish this worked for me, but sadly, this is the end of the road.

Affordability

Price & Value

4

Functionality

Challenges & Mechanics

6

Originality

Design & Theme

7

Quality

Components & Rules

4