The first convention we ever attended was Pax East 2014. It was only a few months after starting the podcast and we were excited to go to something local where we might run across unpublished or soon to be published board games, much like Super Fantasy Rumble. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to play Super Fantasy Rumble at the convention – Luis and Miguel Lugo were sharing it with the crowd but it was almost always booked up when we walked by.
Thankfully, a few months later, I got an email from them saying the game was ready and they forwarded us a copy to give it a go. I’m glad they did because this is a fantastic little game, borrowing heavily from a number of elements in other one on one tactical skirmish games, but streamlining in many other ways to create a quick, accessible game that forces you to think, but not to the point of AP.
How the Game Plays
Super Fantasy Rumble tasks you with building a deck of leaders and fighters who will battle against an opponent on a grid-style game board. The game starts with the full board more or less filled. As you play the special abilities of your characters, special one time ability cards, and the direct attacks indicated on each card, the field narrows down quickly. The playtime actually scales nicely because, while the first 15-20 minutes seems to drag, once you reach a certain point it kicks into gear and allows you to finish out quickly, something many other 2-player tactical games fail to do.
The game board even contracts at a certain point, limiting the space in which you can battle and forcing players to stay on the offensive. This is not a game for turtling, which makes it a perfect quick filler when you’re waiting for a table to open up.
The Bottom Line
You can listen to my full audio review below, but the bottom line is that Super Fantasy Rumble is a very solid, well crafted game that I’ve had quite a bit of fun playing, multiple times over. The rule book could use some work to clarify a handful of points, but the game isn’t so complex that this is a major hurdle to enjoyment. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys tactical two player games like Summoner Wars, Battlelore, or Pixel Tactics.
