Till now.
A few months back Mantic started previewing a new board game based upon the Hellboy comics by Mike Mignola. Not too much was shown, just a couple of sneaky previews of the minis which were painted by Angel Giraldez and a rules feature here and there in the build up to the campaign launch on the blog of developer Jame Hewitt, who has a string of GW games to his credit and has actually set up his own game studio called Needy Cat Games.
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| Damn |
A few months back Mantic started previewing a new board game based upon the Hellboy comics by Mike Mignola. Not too much was shown, just a couple of sneaky previews of the minis which were painted by Angel Giraldez and a rules feature here and there in the build up to the campaign launch on the blog of developer Jame Hewitt, who has a string of GW games to his credit and has actually set up his own game studio called Needy Cat Games.
H:TBG plays as a mix between a dungeon crawler and investigation game, conscious that it needs to be more than just a brawler to be true to the comics. (and this IS insanely true to the comics.) Therefore the character is encouraged to investigate just as much as fight, in fact it is integral to the make up of the game, so much so that some characters are purely for investigation.
As you progress through the map you will come across both foes to be be bested and clues to be uncovered. Picking up more clues and progressing the investigation will make the final confrontation with the end Boss more manageable, but if you fail to eliminate the minions then you run the risk of accelerating the final confrontation not to mention your agents being wounded when you get there!
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| The minis look great! |
As you progress through the map you will come across both foes to be be bested and clues to be uncovered. Picking up more clues and progressing the investigation will make the final confrontation with the end Boss more manageable, but if you fail to eliminate the minions then you run the risk of accelerating the final confrontation not to mention your agents being wounded when you get there!
Each mission is represented by a differernt BPRD case file which contains the Boss that you will fight, the minions that you will encounter on the way and the investigation details. Originally the number of bosses was quite limited but the stretch goals on the Kickstarter have added to this considerably and there is now quite the menagerie of bosses.
Before you start each game you will select your agents and equip them. A number of items from the comics are represented including some that were suggested by backers. Each item of equipment has a value and you have an overall budget to spend. Spend carefully!
As well as upgrades you will need to choose your agents carefully to ensure you have a balanced team. For example. Hellboy is very good at punching things, Abe is the superior marksman and Johan is the master investigator. Liz on the other hand is very good at setting things on fire. In addition to this lots of other favourites from the comics have been added from Roger the Haemonculus to Kate Corrigan. There are also supporting characters that have been upgraded to fully playable agents!
So let’s have a quick look at the mechanics of HTBG. I’m not going to lie, some of them are adopted from other games and utilised or adapted in different ways. There’s nothing wrong with this of course a good idea is a good idea and mechanics are frequently reused.
First up is the Doom Track, the race against time mechanic. Timed elements have often featured in game but the Doom Track is most noticeably used in FFGs Arkham Horror series of Cthulhu themed games. Basically this is the length of the game and it will advance when heroes rest when or when certain conditions are met, it will also prompt the narrative as certain events will take place at prescribed points on the track.
Also taken from the Arkham Horror series is the Mythos Deck, here called the Deck of Doom. Basically after each round you will draw from this deck to see which event takes place, it might be an ambush or perhaps a panel from one of the comics like a monkey with a gun, alternatively it might be something good! (not likely, it IS called the deck of DOOM afterall)
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| All stuff from the comics |
So let’s have a quick look at the mechanics of HTBG. I’m not going to lie, some of them are adopted from other games and utilised or adapted in different ways. There’s nothing wrong with this of course a good idea is a good idea and mechanics are frequently reused.
First up is the Doom Track, the race against time mechanic. Timed elements have often featured in game but the Doom Track is most noticeably used in FFGs Arkham Horror series of Cthulhu themed games. Basically this is the length of the game and it will advance when heroes rest when or when certain conditions are met, it will also prompt the narrative as certain events will take place at prescribed points on the track.
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| More doomy than a very doomy thing. |
Also taken from the Arkham Horror series is the Mythos Deck, here called the Deck of Doom. Basically after each round you will draw from this deck to see which event takes place, it might be an ambush or perhaps a panel from one of the comics like a monkey with a gun, alternatively it might be something good! (not likely, it IS called the deck of DOOM afterall)
The dice mechanic is pretty cool, there are different ranks of dice, each having more successes than the last. The final colour ranking was up for debate till right until the end of the campaign but I think they had settled on Red being highest, followed by Orange and Yellow. You can also upgrade dice using skills and equipment so there is one level higher than red and one level lower than yellow (Black and White respectively I THINK- don’t quote me on that) as enemies and effects, (and probably the Deck of DOOM) can degrade dice. In addition every time you roll you roll an extra dice (probably the DOOM dice) which can further skew the results either positively or negatively.
There are a number of other minor mechanics and nuances that are covered by James in Detail on his Needy Cats Games site HERE including a number of refinements made post campaign like more variation in minion types which is most welcome. I recommend you check them out, they are informative and entertaining.
However, I need to start summarising or else I’m going to miss the late pledge window which is the entire point of this article!
HtBG looks to be an intriguing and fun proposition. Devoutly true to the comics it almagamates a number of existing mechanics into it’s make up whilst maintaining something of a freshness at the same time.
I can’t say that there is anything particularly groundbreaking here and the licence is the main draw but James does seem to have created something very promising and there is a lot of engagement and replayability present. The narrative focus of the Case files and investigation is appealing and I really like the dice mechanic and way they have implemented the characters into the game. The Deck of DOOM should mix things up during gameplay ensuring that the missions don’t get too stale.
Contents wise there is a BUNDLE here, it looks like really good value. Everything is styled from the comics and it frequently looks like the panels come to life. An exception to this is the minis which are far more detailed than the artwork but I’m actually aiming to paint mine in a more comic true style anyway. The minis are probably the main reason people were getting confused and thinking the game was based on the movies. I lost count of the amount of people asking for stuff from The Golden Army. Just to be clear, this is PURELY the Dark Horse Comics.
There are a lot of miniatures in the base pledge and these should be at least as good as those in Mantic’s The Walking Dead game, not going to be troubling GW’s minis in a hurry but among the best you will have ever seen in a board game. They certainly can’t be worse than the ones in the Turtles Board Game. There are resin versions available for dedicated painters as add ons.
In addition a lot of the components were upgraded over the course of the Kickstarter campaign, from the cards to the Agent boards to the Tokens (several of which were upgraded to 3D plastic versions.) even some models have been tweaked based upon backer feedback.
Numerous characters and Bosses have been added to the game as well, really bumping up the value and replayability. A little more variety in minions wouldn’t have gone a miss as a lot of them are doubled up but I guess you can’t have everything.
In addition to the core box and conqueror worm expansion the base pledge comes with the BPRD files box which allows you to construct your own missions. How exactly this will work hasn’t been revealed but it’s a cool idea and I hope it’s as exciting as it sounds.
Of course there are also a plethora of add ons available, some of which are Kickstarter (or Late Pledge) exclusive so this is your last chance to get them. These vary from 3D scenery to dice, dicebags resin versions of the minis, a diorama, and expansions based upon other comic stories such as the celebrated Hellboy in Mexico.
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| Even more doomy than the thing that was more doomy than a very doomy thing. |
There are a number of other minor mechanics and nuances that are covered by James in Detail on his Needy Cats Games site HERE including a number of refinements made post campaign like more variation in minion types which is most welcome. I recommend you check them out, they are informative and entertaining.
However, I need to start summarising or else I’m going to miss the late pledge window which is the entire point of this article!
HtBG looks to be an intriguing and fun proposition. Devoutly true to the comics it almagamates a number of existing mechanics into it’s make up whilst maintaining something of a freshness at the same time.
 |
| why not a dimly lit hazardous room? |
I can’t say that there is anything particularly groundbreaking here and the licence is the main draw but James does seem to have created something very promising and there is a lot of engagement and replayability present. The narrative focus of the Case files and investigation is appealing and I really like the dice mechanic and way they have implemented the characters into the game. The Deck of DOOM should mix things up during gameplay ensuring that the missions don’t get too stale.
Contents wise there is a BUNDLE here, it looks like really good value. Everything is styled from the comics and it frequently looks like the panels come to life. An exception to this is the minis which are far more detailed than the artwork but I’m actually aiming to paint mine in a more comic true style anyway. The minis are probably the main reason people were getting confused and thinking the game was based on the movies. I lost count of the amount of people asking for stuff from The Golden Army. Just to be clear, this is PURELY the Dark Horse Comics.
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| a lot of bang for your buck |
There are a lot of miniatures in the base pledge and these should be at least as good as those in Mantic’s The Walking Dead game, not going to be troubling GW’s minis in a hurry but among the best you will have ever seen in a board game. They certainly can’t be worse than the ones in the Turtles Board Game. There are resin versions available for dedicated painters as add ons.
In addition a lot of the components were upgraded over the course of the Kickstarter campaign, from the cards to the Agent boards to the Tokens (several of which were upgraded to 3D plastic versions.) even some models have been tweaked based upon backer feedback.
Numerous characters and Bosses have been added to the game as well, really bumping up the value and replayability. A little more variety in minions wouldn’t have gone a miss as a lot of them are doubled up but I guess you can’t have everything.
 |
| who doesn't like tentacles? Hellboy, that's who! |
In addition to the core box and conqueror worm expansion the base pledge comes with the BPRD files box which allows you to construct your own missions. How exactly this will work hasn’t been revealed but it’s a cool idea and I hope it’s as exciting as it sounds.
Of course there are also a plethora of add ons available, some of which are Kickstarter (or Late Pledge) exclusive so this is your last chance to get them. These vary from 3D scenery to dice, dicebags resin versions of the minis, a diorama, and expansions based upon other comic stories such as the celebrated Hellboy in Mexico.
Overall HtBG is a must buy if you are a die hard fan of the comics and should be seriously considered by casual fans and interested parties. The gameplay looks solid with bundles of elements designed to drive narrative gameplay and ensure replayability. This looks like it will be a lot of fun.
However the main reason that I backed this, breaking my Kickstarter ban was that I trust Mantic. This is far from their first Rodeo (although I think this may be their first dedicated licensed BOARD game) as opposed to miniatures game) and I have faith that they will deliver a decent product.
The models have come a long way from their Kings of War days and although Ronnie Renton’s philosophy of Cheap and Cheerful (at least in comparison to GW) endures, Hellboy looks like a top quality premium product. Plus the way Mantic have interacted on the Kickstarter comments board was exemplary and they have responded to comments and feedback to an extent that I was worried at one point that it was going to be a game designed by committee (it wasn’t)
So the good news is that if you missed out on the Kickstarter the late pledge is open NOW till August 13th so you can still get in and grab all the stretch goals and Kickstarter exclusives that have been unlocked thus far.
The link is HERE. So what are you waiting for? Hell Awaits!
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| The case file concept is intriguing and should add a nice narrative. |
However the main reason that I backed this, breaking my Kickstarter ban was that I trust Mantic. This is far from their first Rodeo (although I think this may be their first dedicated licensed BOARD game) as opposed to miniatures game) and I have faith that they will deliver a decent product.
The models have come a long way from their Kings of War days and although Ronnie Renton’s philosophy of Cheap and Cheerful (at least in comparison to GW) endures, Hellboy looks like a top quality premium product. Plus the way Mantic have interacted on the Kickstarter comments board was exemplary and they have responded to comments and feedback to an extent that I was worried at one point that it was going to be a game designed by committee (it wasn’t)
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| Thankfully Mantic's miniatures got a lot better.... |
So the good news is that if you missed out on the Kickstarter the late pledge is open NOW till August 13th so you can still get in and grab all the stretch goals and Kickstarter exclusives that have been unlocked thus far.
The link is HERE. So what are you waiting for? Hell Awaits!
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