BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER BOARD GAME

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There is so much from the show that could have been incorporated here, even if only to leaven the experience with a bit of thematic set dressing. Along with Firefly the board game it is one of only two license board games I have ever played that was actually good. As a grown man I have no problem admitting that Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of my favorite TV shows ever, the marvelous imagination of geek icon Joss Whedon creating something that I have cherished. Also, there are effects triggered at the start of the turn when the Event Card is drawn (again, the effect triggered depends on the symbol of the Event Card).

To beat these guys you need to take the items shown on their cards to their current location and make an event check, done by flipping over an event card and seeing if its symbol matches one of the two shown on the Baddie of the Week card.Certain effects, as well as Minions and MotW, will deal damage to the Hero and these are added to a track.

Succeed and you defeat the bad guy, who helpfully leaves behind a clue token on their initial spawn point.Buffy and the gang mostly succeed in major confrontations against monsters of the week and the big-bad – but mostly is not always.

I mentioned Pandemic earlier in the review and it’s relevant here too… there is no equivalent in Buffy where you draw an epidemic card and get away with minimal problems only to draw another the next round. Each player takes one action at a time, resulting in very little down time for each, again adding to the great pace of the game where it feels like there is always something happening. The event cards have minimal artwork; the monster of the week cards have minimal artwork and the Big Bad plot cards are equally bereft of art. The board itself is Sunnydale, with numerous recognisable locations that have some special rules associated with each. Buffy the Vampire Slayer – the Board Game (BtVSBG) is the main thing I picked up at the UK Games Expo.and this does leave a gap in the game that could have easily been filled and added so much more to it. Buffy simply works within an established framework to deliver an experience of slaying vampires and defeating the Big Bad, instead of eradicating diseases or putting out a fire. I’ve been wanting it since it was announced, as it was described as Eldritch Horror, but less complex. Eventually, someone will fight the monster of the week, tougher than the baddies; having collected the needed items they go and confront it by discarding the items and we come to the first fight check - draw an event card and see if the symbol on it matches to one of two on the monster card. The answer is quite reasonably, although it’s fair to say that if were hoping for a more narrative-driven game then you’ll be disappointed as designer paints Buffy in broad strokes.