Tabletop Spotlight: TMNT – Shadows of the Past
The Tabletop Spotlight is on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shadows of the Past – the new TMNT Board game from IDW Games!
After a successful Kickstarter campaign, TMNT Shadows of the Past is hitting retail store shelves! Our buddies over at Dragon’s Lair Comics & Fantasy brought over a copy for us to check out – the is the Kickstarter Exclusive copy so your final contents might be slightly different if you’re getting the regular copy. It pays to be a backer!
The Kickstarter version of this game is packed full of great TMNT stuff! It’s based off the comic book version of the turtles and less on the Saturday morning cartoon version – that doesn’t mean the game isn’t kid friendly, but that does influence the design and style of the art/miniatures.
This box basically has everything you’d expect for a new tile-based board game. Along with all the dice, accessories, rules and missions you’re also going to get a wide assortment of miniatures pictured below:
Now, I’m not 100% sure which miniatures were kickstarter exclusives, but if you’d to double check before you buy hit up their page for verification.
So now that the Kickstarter stuff is out of the way, lets talk about the game! It’s basically a 4v1 style game where up to 4 players take on missions of varying difficulty vs another player who controls the baddies. Naturally, the Ninja Turtles each have their own unique skills and abilities (represented by their own dice pool and stats) to take on their enemies. The Opposing player is there to stop the turtles from completing their mission – pretty straight forward, right? What’s cool about the game is the way the turtles can work together by sharing dice pools. I thought this was a really cool mechanic included in the game.
Combat is pretty straight forward – which makes sense considering this game is essentially the equivalent of a drawn-out D&D Combat encounter with different twists and tiles. That’s not a bad thing because sometimes all you want to do is roll some dice with some friends and beat stuff up. And just because the core gameplay is combat focused doesn’t mean it’s a cake-walk either. You are playing against another person and dice are involved. That can cause some dramatic tension right there!
Overall, this game is a great nod to the comic book origins of the TMNT franchise. It’s a relatively quick and simple board game to pick-up. At it’s core, it’s a fun beat-em-up style board game with various challenges along the way. The nostalgia factor is STRONG with this one if you’re old enough to have enjoyed the early TMNT cartoons and movies. So if you’re looking for a game to play while you and your friends eat some pizza and hang out, then check out Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shadows of the Past!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shadows of the Past
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shadows of the Past is a miniatures combat, scenario-driven campaign game that features story content from the IDW TMNT comic. Taking the role of their favorite Turtle or the ultimate villain Shredder, players battle their way through a series of 60-90 minute missions in which they develop their characters’ strengths, fighting styles, and equipment along the way to create a lasting story arc. Fan-favorite characters like Casey Jones and Alopex appear throughout the missions as the Turtles call on their closest allies for help in battling their deadliest foes. Designed by premiere game designer, Kevin Wilson (Descent, Arkham Horror) and featuring more than 40 sculpted miniatures, 12 unique maps and over 100 cards featuring all-new original artwork, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shadows of the Past is the definitive gaming experience.
Wait a minute…KICK starter….FOOT clan…you don’t think that Shredder is behind this, do you?!
