Crown of Ashes Board Game Review

Last week our text was about a very simple topic that can be played with children. However, this time we are going to do something more complex and above all, darker. “Crown of Ash” is also a working placement, but this time you will fight for territory with the help of the undead. The following lines will tell you how this part works in practice.

Number of players: 1-4 (the more the better)

Play time: 120 minutes

Price: 1034 CZK (Alsa)

Age: 14+

In Crown of Ashes, you fight for a fallen kingdom.

Do boardroom strategies have a story? Not very often. But this time, you get an interesting premise about a fallen kingdom and the quest to get the Citadel, which is the source of all power. Four dark figures, with endless torment behind them, enter the struggle for the royal throne. Each of you has four servants with whom you can work on behalf of your interests. A worker can be sent to a mining position, which will provide you with the raw materials you need to expand. You will work with blood, ash, sulfur, and also bones. No necromancer can operate without bones, right?

As is often the case, getting resources is just the beginning, as you will rarely win a strategy game by simply collecting materials. Another option you can choose is to build buildings. You can do this in an area where no one else has their own buildings, or where your building is located, which you will replace at this stage. Of course, the building is not free. Most of the time, its construction costs you money, but if you manage to place and maintain it, you can count on victory points, raw materials presented on the map, as well as taxes that are associated with the use of this composition.

Just because you’re building something doesn’t mean you’ll be the only one using it. The board is filled with spots for minions to move to, so it’s often a matter of who gets there first, since you can only place one minion each turn. Buildings can also be upgraded, so your minions will always have plenty of work ahead of them. Then, if they accidentally fail to build, you can send them into battle, or give them a refresh of their combat cards, which means you’ll get to keep the cards you used back in your hand.

What are you fighting for? During your turn, before passing the token to the next player, you have the opportunity to summon a beast or undead willing to fight for your cause. However, as always, nothing comes for free, so this event requires spending a certain amount of resources. If you have them, nothing prevents you from summoning the undead. You have access to different types of fighters, for which the game is well prepared, so nothing prevents you from combining them effectively and thus gaining the associated benefits. Each of them has a certain power. Then there is a battle, in which the attacker chooses one or two combat cards, while the defender waits for a lunge. The battle also involves cards of the same name, with which you can also influence the direction in which the clash will go. The winner takes all, and the loser’s troops merrily head to the graveyard.

In addition to the units that you have “forever”, there are also those whose loyalty is determined by the number of turns. One of the best points on the map is none other than the Citadel, which can be conquered. The owner of this position always gets a decent amount of victory points at the end of the round. Then the gameplay can be significantly improved by adding special abilities for these lords. The solo format or additional deluxe components that significantly improve the overall experience are not a bad choice. At least I found the addition of dice and tokens quite necessary, because the cardboard versions are sometimes not quite perfect, so in my opinion it is worth it.

Undead armies can change the tide of battle on the Crown of Ash.

After about ten games of Crown of Ashes, I have to admit that it is a really good thing. At first glance, the way this game is handled is immediately impressive. From the very beginning, the game surface suggests that this will be a brutal clash in dark conditions. The basic idea of ​​the gameplay is not too different from similarly tuned strategies, so the player is left to work with his workers and warriors. Only by acting correctly with both groups can you achieve victory.

Crown of Ashes is one of the interesting employment strategies. It offers an exciting journey into a world where “magnificent” undead armies fight. If you like this format and have nothing to add at the moment, this is an obvious choice. The overall impression is enhanced by the setting itself, which was chosen perfectly. In addition, the price tag is not high at all, so the set is definitely worth your attention.

We would like to thank Czech distributor Tlama Games for providing us with a copy of Crown of Ashes.