OUR REVIEW

Magical Art of Combat, fantastic Creatures

Die Arena von Tash Kalar

CHeering spectators, strong opponents

When I saw the first images for Tash-Kalar, I was not really taken with them. Only the name of the designer, Vlaada Chvátil, lured me to on to take a closer look at the game, which had received good reviews in Essen and on BBG. Pictures showed a board, similar to a Chess board, together with a few red and green squares, a few card board markers and a stack of cards. A strategic position game was mentioned again and again, or a card-driven kind of Chess. Well, nothing for me, or so I thought….

A few weeks later I held a game with an exceedingly beautiful cover in my hands, on which two imposing fantasy creatures were shown to be fighting each other in an arena, the Arena of Tash-Kalar.

In the game we represent magicians, who try to place stones made from Kalarite, which is concentrated magical energy, in the Arena in a way that distinctive different patterns emerge. Those patterns summon fantastic creatures like Gryphon Riders, Fire Dragons or Centaurs. These creatures can then get involved in the conflicts. When they are done with their actions they disappear and leave their mark in the arena in the guise of more Kalarite stones.

The enthusiasm of the spectators increases which each magnificent creature that we cause to appear and also with each opposing Kalarite stone that we destroy. The spectators roar when we have weakened our opponent to the point that his last resort is to light a magical Flare in order to have at least some magical energy in the Arena.

But we need to take care. What if that was only a tactical move to seem to be weakened to then use the Flare to summon even more powerful creatures? Is he now retaliating with full force and we have nothing much left to counter that? It has happened often that an opponent you seemed already defeated has turned the table with the help of a cleverly lighted Flare and acquired the laurels of a winner.

So the battle goes this way and that until there is only one winner at the end ….

Components

Well, I have to admit that I have fun with the game, despite the fact that the board looks like a spotted chess board at first glance. Despite the magical Kalarite stones being only cardboard markers. But the cards are ingeniously drawn, the components are of good quality and functional. And there are also score tracks and and a target tableau included. The rules are, as usually is the case with Czech Games Edition, a pleasure to read. But due to the different colors for the different versions of the game they can at times be a bit confusing.

The game is intended for 2-4 players. The cardboard markers, our Kalarite stones, come in four different colors and they are marked with a single weapons symbol for recruits and with a double symbol for heroes. Special markers with an additional legends symbol represent the Kalarite stones of the summoned legends.

The cards come in four sets, each including 18 cards with this number of different creatures, and are assigned to four different Schools of Magic. The cards show patterns of how the Kalarite stones must be arranged to summon the respective creature, the patters represents the summoning spell for a creature.

The Legends cards are not needed for the introductory games, they work like the creature cards, but have a more complex composition and the creatures are more difficult to summon.

The Flare cards offer up to two additional actions, when a player should be under too much pressure from his opponents. Those actions vary from the placement of an additional stone to the resolving of an additional action.

Easy access

The basic rules are explained rather easily and quickly. Each player is given a set of cards for "his" School, shuffles them and draws three cards from this deck. He also takes the markers in his color and, in the complete game, a Flare card and two Legends cards.

Each player has two actions in his turn, for which he can choose from the following options and he can combine them in any way he wants: Place a single stone (or recruit) or summon a creature.

You can only place a stone on an empty square of the board. You can only summon a creature when the placement of your stones corresponds to the pattern depicted on one of the cards in your hand, whereby the pattern can be rotated or mirrored. When you have a congruence of a pattern, you can usually place a hero marker onto the place of summoning and implement the action that is listed on the card. This might be a battle jump in which a stone is relocated to another square of the board and destroys stones of the same or lower value there, or a standard move, in which a stone moves onto adjacent squares and only destroys stones of lower value. So you try to place the stone in corresponding patters to summon as many creatures as possible and to use their actions.

A Flare can be ignited when one or both conditions that are listed on the card are fulfilled. That would be, for instance, to have x heroes or y stones less than your opponent. If this is the case you can implement one or two additional actions. Then the card is discarded and a new one is drawn at the end of the turn. This is one of the game-propelling elements in Tash-Kalar and can swing a game that you thought lost already.

Several ways to play and variants

The game can be played in three different ways. In the High Form you try to acquire nine victory points as quickly as you can, by completing different task - for instance to control the middle area of the board or to form a connection across the Arena with your stones. In the Duel and The Deathmatch Melee you score points for destroying opposing Kalarite stones.

In the Duel for four players two teams oppose each other, whereby each team is given two Legends cards. You can involve your partner into your own turn by handing control and both Legends cards to him. Your partner can then only place remaining recruit pieces or implement left-over effects, but he can maybe plan and prepare better for his own turn. This could enable him to begin with the summoning of a Legend which can have devastating consequences for the opponent.

Those three versions can each be played in a simpler variant without the use of Legends, but either with or without Flare cards, and each of those versions play differently. So that you really have three different games with three levels of difficulties for each game, all in one box!

Players, who do not like combat games at all find their game in the High Form of Tash-Kalar, casual players and beginners can be spared the additional rules for Flares and Legends.

The game ends at the end of the round in which a player has drawn his last cards or - in the High Form - when the nine victory points have been achieved.

You must try it out!

The 30 minutes that are given for the duration of a game can only be achieved in the simple variant without Legends, otherwise you should plan for an hour in the Two-Player mode and for the team game.

The battle for three or four individual combatants surely takes longer, as a plan can go awry quickly due to opponents' actions.

Tash-Kalar is definitely not a game for each and every player. If you look for a fantasy game with pretty figurines you will only find them here depicted on the cards. For beginners the game is too deep, for family gamers it is too tactical, despite simple core rules. Experienced gamers and fans of complex games will find a game that fits their bill.

For such players the game is fun with any number of players and, when opportunity offers, you should try a simple variant for a first game!

Heinz Frühwirth

Players: 2-4

Age: 13+

Time: 30+

Designer: Vlaada Chvátil

Artist: David Cochard

Price: ca. 30 Euro

Publisher: CGE / Heidelberger Spieleverlag 2013

Web: www.heidelbaer.de

Genre: Tactical, position

Users: With friends

Version: de

Rules: cz de en fr it

In-game text: no

Comments:

Fantastic design

Standard components

Three games, each in three levels of difficulty

Compares to:

Chess, Kamisado, Go and all games with pattern formation for results

Other editions:

Cranio Creations, Hobby Japan, iello, Z-Man

My rating: 6

Heinz Frühwirth:

Very interesting card-driven board game offering easy access and lots of in-game depth. Decidedly worth to take a look at!

Chance (pink): 0

Tactic (turquoise): 3

Strategy (blue): 1

Creativity (dark blue): 0

Knowledge (yellow): 0

Memory (orange): 0

Communication (red): 0

Interaction (brown): 3

Dexterity (green): 0

Action (dark green): 0