Originally posted on February 9, 2013:
"Quarriors! The Game of Uber Strategic Hexahedron Monster Combat Mayhem!". It can't be as good as it sounds, right? Quarriors is a dice building game, which means it's kind of like Nightfall but with dice(and not as many creatures of darkness). For this post I will be reviewing, providing some tips, and listing my favorite lineup of characters for a very fun and original game. I will however, only be looking at the base game; if you like it and want more you're on your own.
To start off, you can find the complete rules text here. In essence the goal of the game is to gain the most victory points by buying and summoning creatures(dice). At the beginning of your turn you roll dice in order to gain Quiddity which you use to purchase other dice. Each turn you have a mandatory attack period where you attack your opponents creatures in order to hinder their progress. After the end of each round, the creatures that have survived against your opponents attacks are put out of play and you gain points. There are also spells you can buy that activate at different times and can aid you in your quest. Each creature and spell have 5 dice that are used in round for purchase and use. Each creature also has 3 different versions of it's card, which all change the effect of the die when you roll it. The spells similarly have different versions, with a little more variety. It sounds a little confusing at first but once you get used to it, it really is a good way of ensuring no two games are alike.
Now for a few strategy tips.Now on to a few strategy tips. For those of you that have played the game you should know that there is not a lot of strategy involved because of all the dice rolling. What dice you buy when is the more important factor. For instance on your first turn if you use your Quiddity to buy a spell that gives you more Quiddity when you roll it (for instance, one of the versions of the Growth spells) you will have more Quiddity later to spend once that die has been rolled (obviously). One thing I’ve noticed is that the person who spends the most Quiddity the fastest usually has more success. A little like tempo in magic the gathering, if you use as much as is available for your purchasing phase, you are more likely to win. In some cases this does not work because there are more factors like summoning creatures and the limit of only one purchase per turn. It comes down to how useful the card will be later in the game. On that note, you need to remember to cull. One of the best ways to ensure victory is to get rid of your unnecessary dice as fast as possible. Without a doubt the least useful creature late game is the Assistant. While he can be of help in the first couple of rounds you really should be rid of him by turn 7 or 8. By that time you should have some far more efficient creatures in your dice bag of Quidditude. The Quiddity you should keep for a while, and shouldn't throw much of it away, unless there are a certain few dice you really want to pull out.
The top 5 best Quarriors Dice(According to Kid Batman)
#5) Deathdealer The Deathdealer is a great play, early or late game, because of his ability to swap for another die an opponent has after the Deathdealer been killed. Furthermore, in the text it says you may trade him out, witch means it is optional, so you don’t have to use it if nobody else has anything good. His powers in battle are formidable as well, a 4/4 if you roll him right.
#4) Death CharmThis is an instant power up for your favorite creatures. There’s not much more to it. Because of the cool rule that you can cast/attach spells at any time, your opponents will always have to be on the lookout in fear you might boost the strength of your seemingly harmless defenders or attackers. It’s not a one-time thing either; these are straight up performance enhancing drugs.
#3) Mighty Defender of the Pale The Defender of the Pale is one of the only creatures that can stand up to the Quake Dragon in battle (more on him later). His battle prowess is not the only thing amazing about this warrior however. This excellent defender has an ability that is used to slow your opponents down when summoning creatures. The fewer creatures they can get out, the less points they will score. On top of that if your opponents do summon said creatures, they will not be in a position to capture an expensive die.
#2) Shaping Incantation Once again, spells can be a valuable asset for any player in any situation, and no spell is of more use in evolving your army than this one. With it, you can trade a creature (post-mortem) for another more expensive creature or spell. Even though it’s only useful if the creature scores, trading out a creature for anything of a higher cost is always good, especially because of the one-purchase-per-turn rule.
#1) Strong Quake Dragon Undoubtedly the best creature in the game if you or your opponents have a multitude of creatures, this powerhouse is not only good on the offensive side, but on the defensive as well. Being immune to level 2 or lower creatures is a huge advantage, especially when only playing with the base game, as there are only 2 other classes of creatures that can get to level 3 anyways. The Quake Dragon is the most powerful creature in the game and (in my opinion) this is as good as he gets.
The Verdict Overall, about the only downside to Quarriors is the complexity of the rules, which can be hard to understand your first time through. One of the nice things about this game however, is that the rules are a little bit malleable. For instance, you could add more glory to the glory track so the game goes longer; you could take away the one capture a turn limit; you could even knit your own dice bags to add more players (just not in public hopefully). If you like rolling dice, competing with your friends and their armies, or just having a good time (after the initial confusion) this game is for you. A solid 5/5, Quarriors will be staying in my collection for a long time to come.
To start off, you can find the complete rules text here. In essence the goal of the game is to gain the most victory points by buying and summoning creatures(dice). At the beginning of your turn you roll dice in order to gain Quiddity which you use to purchase other dice. Each turn you have a mandatory attack period where you attack your opponents creatures in order to hinder their progress. After the end of each round, the creatures that have survived against your opponents attacks are put out of play and you gain points. There are also spells you can buy that activate at different times and can aid you in your quest. Each creature and spell have 5 dice that are used in round for purchase and use. Each creature also has 3 different versions of it's card, which all change the effect of the die when you roll it. The spells similarly have different versions, with a little more variety. It sounds a little confusing at first but once you get used to it, it really is a good way of ensuring no two games are alike. |
| As you can imagine, that's a lot of dice. |
The top 5 best Quarriors Dice(According to Kid Batman)
#5) Deathdealer The Deathdealer is a great play, early or late game, because of his ability to swap for another die an opponent has after the Deathdealer been killed. Furthermore, in the text it says you may trade him out, witch means it is optional, so you don’t have to use it if nobody else has anything good. His powers in battle are formidable as well, a 4/4 if you roll him right.
#4) Death CharmThis is an instant power up for your favorite creatures. There’s not much more to it. Because of the cool rule that you can cast/attach spells at any time, your opponents will always have to be on the lookout in fear you might boost the strength of your seemingly harmless defenders or attackers. It’s not a one-time thing either; these are straight up performance enhancing drugs.
#3) Mighty Defender of the Pale The Defender of the Pale is one of the only creatures that can stand up to the Quake Dragon in battle (more on him later). His battle prowess is not the only thing amazing about this warrior however. This excellent defender has an ability that is used to slow your opponents down when summoning creatures. The fewer creatures they can get out, the less points they will score. On top of that if your opponents do summon said creatures, they will not be in a position to capture an expensive die.
#2) Shaping Incantation Once again, spells can be a valuable asset for any player in any situation, and no spell is of more use in evolving your army than this one. With it, you can trade a creature (post-mortem) for another more expensive creature or spell. Even though it’s only useful if the creature scores, trading out a creature for anything of a higher cost is always good, especially because of the one-purchase-per-turn rule.#1) Strong Quake Dragon Undoubtedly the best creature in the game if you or your opponents have a multitude of creatures, this powerhouse is not only good on the offensive side, but on the defensive as well. Being immune to level 2 or lower creatures is a huge advantage, especially when only playing with the base game, as there are only 2 other classes of creatures that can get to level 3 anyways. The Quake Dragon is the most powerful creature in the game and (in my opinion) this is as good as he gets.The Verdict Overall, about the only downside to Quarriors is the complexity of the rules, which can be hard to understand your first time through. One of the nice things about this game however, is that the rules are a little bit malleable. For instance, you could add more glory to the glory track so the game goes longer; you could take away the one capture a turn limit; you could even knit your own dice bags to add more players (just not in public hopefully). If you like rolling dice, competing with your friends and their armies, or just having a good time (after the initial confusion) this game is for you. A solid 5/5, Quarriors will be staying in my collection for a long time to come.
