Tabletop Thursday Review - Boss Monster

In most games you are the hero. The bright-eyed, well intentioned savior of the land. But what if we took a moment to see things from a different perspective. Wouldn't it be fun to create a dungeon, lure heroes and slay them? What about a competition between you and your other monster friends, who can lure and defeat the most heroes before falling victim to your hubris. That, my friends, is Boss Monster.

The first thing that caught my eye with Boss Monster was the design of the box. Modelled after an NES game box (and the expansion taking after a Game Boy game box), my attention was hooked from the moment I saw it at Sketchbook Comics.

The game begins by each of the two to four players selecting, or being dealt, a Boss Monster to control.

And if the box art wasn't enough of a give away, this is a parody game playing on video game tropes. The bosses spoof a variety of classics, from Dracula to Mother Brain to King K. Rool and more.

From here, players take turns placing room cards to build their dungeon. Heroes begin to populate the nearby town, and the room card draw heroes of certain types. Treasure rooms draw thieves and rogues, while monster rooms bring warriors. The goal is to entice heroes to your dungeon, defeat them and collect their souls.

Like the bosses, the heroes are also parodies. Above we see spoofs of Pit, Link, Arthur, Jon Snow, Nariko and Tom Cruise('s character in The Last Samurai). Many more exist in the game and it's expansion and sequel.

One initial drawback to Boss Monster is the perceived complexity of the game. To combat this, the game comes with a handy, quick start guide in addition to the larger rule book.

I say perceived complexity because the game is easy to pick up once you begin. Without knowing a thing about it before playing, my sister and I had a good grasp of the game's mechanics after only one round of play.

With the set up out of the way...

Boss Monster is a game that seems more difficult than it is. Everything you need to know about how to play the game is found (in order) on the quick start guide, and within a round or two, you'll know exactly what to be doing.

As a parody of video games and other pop culture, the humour is on point. Boss Monster isn't an ultra complex game of wit and strategy, though there are elements of both as you craft your dungeon and outplay your opponents.

The game can be played on its own, or combined with the expansion and/or sequel. The sequel is a stand alone game as well, able to be played without the original. The games typically last anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes, depending on the amount of players. In our very first game, which had three players, we were able to complete in between ordering and receiving our dinner at Boston Pizza.

With that said, Boss Monster gets a Board of Dice rating of: 3/5 - Nostalgia Blast

Not the most complex game, but not the easiest either. Still, Boss Monster can be a lot of fun for 2-4 players who are looking to kill a little bit of time (and a few heroes).

Boss Monster can be purchased on the creator's shop page or at your local game store.

Stay tuned next Tabletop Thursday, where Board of Dice will be reviewing Resistance.