Tyrants of the Underdark – Game of the Week

Every since Dominion rocketed onto the market in 2008, there have been no shortage of Deck Building games clamoring for our attention. And I’m ok with that. The foundation that designer Donald X. Vaccarino laid with Dominion has produced some highly entertaining board games: Legendary, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle, and Hero Realms just to name a few.

Tyrants of the Underdark

I always like it when new deck building game brings something original to the table (pun intended). Many times, a new game will just be a clone of an existing game with only a few minor tweaks or a slightly different theme. Well our newest Game of the Week found a way to make itself stand out in a crowded genre by combining the great deck building game play we’ve all come to know and love with some solid area control mechanics.

What is the Game?

In Tyrants of the Underdark, players control one of the famed Drow (a race of Dark Elves from the Dungeons and Dragons RPG) houses, vying for control of the Underdark, the cavernous region below the Forgotten Realms. During the game, players will be building out their starter deck by recruiting a variety of denizens from the Undedark: Demons, dragons, and elementals to name a few. They then use those cards to control as much of the game board as possible, earning victory points which will be used to hopefully win the game.

Why Should You Play It?

Other than the fact that it’s really fun, Tyrants of the Underdark helps set itself apart being being a really unique deck building board game. There haven’t been too many games out there that have successfully merged the deck building mechanic with area control, and it works fanatically in Tyrants of the Underdark.

Add on to the fact that Tyrants of the Udnerdark both scales well and is highly interactive. This is not a game where you can sit by yourself in the corner collecting victory points. It pays to be mean in Tyrants of the Underdark, because let’s face it, your Drow. Backstabbing and intrigue are kinda their hallmarks. So yes, competition will be fierce, so for those of us that love a good amount of player interaction in our games, you can have a lot of fun with Tyrants of the Underdark.

2-4 PLAYERS • AGES 12+ • 60 MINUTES • $50