Aeon's End 2e, Cooperative Deck Building Card Game for Game Night, 1

My wife and I decided to get some cooperative board and card games to play after our son goes to bed. This game was perfect. I did some research and bought Aeon's End and Spirit Island. We decided that Spirit Island is a bit too complex and the games are a bit too long for us now. We hope to play Spirit Island eventually, but it is a tough entry point into cooperative games. However, Aeon's End is perfect for us! Pros: - The game comes with separately packaged cards so we could set up our first game in just a few minutes and get started right away. We just set up according to the instructions and read the guidebook on how to play. - Games take about an hour, so we can play 1-2 games in the time it takes to watch a movie. - Gameplay is intense and thinky. - The game lasts another 10-15 minutes after play because we tend to discuss our future strategy. - The game has some randomness that could swing in your favor. Even if you are on the brink of failure, a few lucky breaks can save the game. - The game cards and pieces seem like they are very high quality. Cons: - The instructions weren't as clear as I'd prefer. We made several mistakes on the first playthrough that I think the instruction manual should have anticipated since it gives the prearranged first game setup. But after our first playthrough, we had a firm grasp on how to play. My wife and I really enjoyed Aeon's End. She already wants the expansions and says we should play it at least once a week! Not bad for our first coop game!! Some reviews say the game takes a long time to set up. I don't really mind the 3-5 minute setup time.

Great

I like to play co-op strategy games and am always looking for one that has a high level of strategy and variability. I can comfortably say that Aeon's End has these qualities in spades. I play with one other person very often and this is the best co-op game I have played yet. It requires serious teamwork and is also complex enough where one player cannot rule over the entire game. In other co-op games I've played, there's generally an optimal strategy that all the players must start following, so it's ends up less of each player contributing and more "this is the optimal strategy, do it". This is not the case in Aeon's End. The core mechanic of "never shuffling your deck" means that you must keep very close track of the order you purchase things, play things, and discard things. Even with two people, it becomes very complicated for one person to keep track of everything. Add in that each mage has a variety style of play, that each market opens up different play options, and each Nemesis requires different strategy, this mechanically simple game becomes very strategically complex. Playing with others actually requires each player to have their own strategy and intuition about the game, and winning requires communication and coordination that I haven't seen from other co-op games. Aeon's End is truly a masterpiece, and I'm looking forward to getting all the expansions!

This is my favorite board game!! The mages you play as are all intriguing and have backstories, have different abilities, and pros and cons to each. But every one that we’ve played so far has ended up being useful in their own way to claim a win. Setup takes a little bit, but otherwise the game is so fun that we have a hard time walking away from it! They even provide cards too to keep the box well-organized so you don’t have to spend an hour picking out the cards for your starting decks! We can’t wait to play it in a larger group soon, we only play it two player right now! We also love the game so far because we aren’t winning by any large margin and every game is won by the skin of our teeth, so there’s decent strategy involved in it and it keeps us engaged.

Aeon's End has a steep learning curve. There are, conservatively, about two million different sets of cards and a thousand rules to keep track of. The first setup took forever, and my wife and I were frustrated on our first play-through trying to figure everything out. We had to watch a 30 minute Youtube video because the included rules weren't particularly helpful. But once we got the hang of it, we really enjoyed it. My criteria were that I wanted a game that worked well with just two people, had a lot of replay value, and was cooperative instead of competitive. Aeon's End works well on all three counts. You can tailor each playing experience for different characters, enemies, levels of difficulty, and card decks, which means developing new strategies every time. Keeping track of every detail can be tough (in two turns the enemy unleashes four times its usual level of attack, don't forget!!!), but it also requires players to stay on top of things and work together. It's a great game for a rainy day when you've got time to master the rules and go for a couple of play-throughs. I'm glad we spent the money, I think we'll enjoy it for a long time to come.

I played this game for the first time as a 4 player game and have since played it solo as well. The first game we played against the Ragelord with the preset starter set of market cards. We didn't win, it isn't easy to win, but we had so much fun that we just switched characters around and played again! The market has 9 items in it, and there are a total of 27 market items that come with the base game. There are also a lot of different player characters and 4 nemeses. With all of the different market, character and nemeses combinations and playing with different people, no two games are alike! There are also plenty of expansions (I have since purchased the nameless expansion) and the legacy game and War Eternal game are also compatible with this version to add even more variety. This game will definitely be added to my favorites list!

Excellent collaborative game for 2-4 players. Comes with 4 bosses to beat. Difficulty level comes from both boss design, marketplace, and number of players. Hardest with 3 players. Each boss mechanics are unique and require new strategies which will keep you playing for some time! 5/5 recommend!

I bought this game after playing Battle of Hogwarts another cooperative deck building game. It got me hooked on the team work. I researched this one and thought that it looked the most fun - and that creature on the cover looks bomb and like something I needed to vanquish! It takes a lot of prep. I thought I could sit down and dive right in, but the rulebook was lengthy and complicated. Having played a deck building game before I wasn't expecting it to be as complicated but once I got into I loved it! It reminded me a lot of playing D&D but with more guidance and rules. You can pick from 8 different characters which is cool bringing a lot of variety. We ran out of time before finishing a game, but I can tell this is going to be challenging and fun! I can't wait to play again!

Para mí los juegos de mesa eran aburridos y se resumían tan solo a serpientes y escaleras, y la lotería, que equivocado estaba. Este es el primer juego que tengo de este estilo y es genial. Todas las partidas que he jugado han sido en solitario y ha sido fantástico. Tenía miedo de que estuviera en inglés pero después de la primera partida te acostumbras. Las reglas son simples aunque hay que tomar muchas cosas en cuenta. Me gustó tanto que ya encargue el de War Eternal. Sin duda lo recomiendo incluso para no iniciados en este mundo.

Cards and game boards are of good quality. Game is fun, with decent replayability (using various cards). Art design can be improved though

El juego en sí es muy bueno; fácil de explicar, pero cada personaje y enemigo tienen sus trucos que debes ir aprendiendo. Uno de los deckbuilders que más me ha gustado hasta ahora. Me llegó con una pieza de menos, desafortunadamente. Escribí a Indie Boards & Cards y me contestaron al momento que enviarían la pieza que faltaba. Menos de dos semanas después, ya la tengo - un servicio bien rápido.

Ce jeu est juste Excellent ! Addictif et preneur, je ne m'en lasse pas depuis qu'il est arrivé.

I've also purchased two of the game's expansions which add much more playability. If you like co-op deck builders, give this a go.