One of the issues I had with the first two Adventure Book Games was that they were a bit too easy, so I was pretty excited when I first realized that this one wouldn’t be such a cakewalk. It’s not a super challenging game by any means, but there are plenty of tense moments and you definitely can lose. The threat of drawing the Calamity card, which usually activates a nasty effect, also keeps the tension level pretty high. With that in mind, is it fair to expect the most well-known board gaming trade fair in the world to translate into a digital format that which it does so well on the traditional convention platform? Given Essen’s considerable event experience and enviable resources, perhaps it is a legitimate expectation. On the other hand, without notice and limited online experience, why should Essen Spiel be held to a higher standard than any other organisation doing their best to adapt to the new normal?

In my opinion, this card-based action system is so much better than the dice system used in Stuffed Fables and Comanauts. The card draws themselves are random, of course, but the system feels a lot less random since you know the cards’ values ahead of time and you can use them in different ways. Plus, you have more “wilds” in this game, giving you even more flexibility. Play in glorious 4K|60 FPS. Endure endless waves of increasingly difficult zombies in the new Horde Mode XL game mode, featuring hundreds more zombies on screen than ever before possible. Horde Mode XL will arrive in a free post-launch update on PS5._x000D_ Return to your colony with resources and information that will help your friends and family survive. Grow your colony and keep it safe by building structures and improvements with the spoils of your adventures, but plan accordingly, for the colony will face hardship each time you leave it... Unique Character Personalities: Choose from a diverse cast of critter characters, each with their own distinct personality, playstyle, and personal goals. Whether you’re a guinea pig with anger issues or a mysterious vole, every character adds depth and excitement to the game.

Experience a heart-pounding new perspective with Aftermath's immersive new First-Person Mode option. Level up eight unique classes - the Gunslinger, Hellraiser, Slasher, Medic, Fixer, Exterminator, Dronemaster, and all-new Vanguard class - each with their own perks and playstyles. Customize your weapons to survive any challenge, and conquer new daily missions with special modifiers for bonus rewards.

Some of the maps’ spaces are pretty tiny and can’t fit multiple miniatures very well. It’s not a huge problem, but it’s still kind of annoying. Some designers are flirts, who like to play the mechanical field. Others prefer to focus on one concept or genre. Watching them work, refining that precious core over iterative releases, can be a special pleasure. One such designer is Jerry Hawthorne of Plaid Hat Games. His particular niche is co-operative fantasy adventure titles featuring cute anthropomorphic critters. One of the best things about the game is the story behind it. Therefore, I will not go into too much detail as to avoid spoilers!

Although the SPIEL.digital headlines proclaimed 1400+ new releases, I found this statement a little confused. Many coveted titles were already well known and some won’t actually be available until well into 2021. On this basis, were SPIEL.digital’s claims linguistic licence or hyperbolic? I’ll let you decide. It must be considered that hosting a digital convention on this scale was no easy feat. World War Z: Aftermath also includes all content from the Game of the Year Edition of World War Z._x000D_ I like that there are group tasks and that you can share cards with other players, but I wish there were more cooperative actions. For example, it’d be great if you could gain bonuses when you share a space with other characters. The whole game has a really nice look to it. The miniatures are fantastic, the maps look great, and that box cover is one of the best I’ve seen.

I was blown away by the quality of the miniatures in this game. I have a few different games with miniatures, but none that felt as high a quality as these did. The detail in the characters is great, they are quite chunky with a nice weight to them, and they have been glazed with a sort of ‘Nuln oil’ type effect so that they look pretty good straight out the box, with no real need of a paint job. In a similar vein, the availability of premium online gaming through Board Game Arena and Tabletopia during SPIEL.digital was a great way to try and capture a little of the magic that coming together to play new releases with thousands of other like-minded people usually casts. The artwork throughout the book and on the cards is beautiful, and really captures the feeling of the world the story is building. I absolutely loved one of the missions (trying not to give too much away), where a water bottle token is placed on the book amongst other bottles depicted on the artwork. It all blended seamlessly and was such a simple but effective concept. Gameplay Aftermath is not a true legacy game in the sense that the players will destroy components, but it does provide an episodic campaign that will introduce numbered cards and send players to different areas of the storybook board, some of which will differ depending on your actions and choices. If you’ve played either Stuffed Fables or Comanauts, the system in Aftermath is very similar in terms of how the story unfolds, albeit simplified in comparison to Comanauts and with none of the dice rolling that occasionally ruined Stuffed Fables. You'll leave the safety of your colony and venture out into the abandoned world on one of 20+ story-driven missions and side missions. Scavenge the ruins of mankind in search of food and supplies for your colony, but beware, the world is filled with bandits and predators, and you must fight or flee to stay alive.In broad, general terms (and without any major spoilers) each player will take control of one or two characters. Each is named and has their own miniature, starting items and special skills, as well as a box that keeps their progress organised from one game to the next. As I mentioned earlier, Aftermath is an episodic game but not a legacy game in the sense that any items are destroyed, so the game can be completely reset once you’ve finished playing it. Theoretically, the players will retain the same character from game to game, however there are ways around this if one player drops out or wants to introduce a different character mid way through. So, what was it like? Well, starting strong with a surprising opening speech from the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel. The bar was set high. Overall, I found it a bit of a mixed bag.

Aftermath was designed by Jerry Hawthorne and is published by Plaid Hat Games. This is the third game in the Adventure Book Games series after Stuffed Fables and Comanauts. This Aftermath review was made after playing through one campaign. We were sent a copy of this game by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I really like that you get to choose the missions you go on throughout the Aftermath campaign. It makes you feel like you have some control over how the story plays out. Play in glorious 4K/60 FPS. Endure endless waves of increasingly difficult zombies in the new Horde Mode XL game mode, featuring hundreds more zombies on screen than ever before possible. Horde Mode XL will arrive in a free post-launch update on PC.Step into a post-apocalyptic world where nature reigns and critters have inherited the Earth. Aftermath board game is an immersive adventure board game that will test your skills, strategy, and survival instincts. As a member of a misfit critter colony, it’s up to you to scavenge, explore, and fight to defend and grow your community.