Court of the Dead: Mourners Call

Product Information

Court of the Dead is good worldbuilding. Imagined by Tom Gilliland and written by Landry Walker and Corinna Bechko, with stellar art by give or take thirty different artists. Guild Figures are moved around the board by spending influence of a type dictated by the area moving to, Bone, Flesh or Spirit. This influence is part of the game's final score, so balancing spending with earning is an essential part of the gameplay. Based on an all-original design by Sideshow, threezero are proud to introduce the 1/6 Demithyle fully articulated figure from Court of the Dead. So, is there fun? There is some in the calculating way to deploy figures each round and which cards to draft. Players can plan and execute a strategy to gain resources and delicately force other players to spend more to defend their own plans. But on the whole, the interaction is very passive, even for area majority games which this reviewer is a big fan of. And, in addition to all of the above, the game is clearly meant for 3-4 players, not two. Final Thoughts: Court of the Dead Mourners Call is a board game brought about from the combined creative might of Project Raygun and Sideshow Collectibles. The game is based on the setting by Tom Gilliland and sees a blending of area control gameplay and beautiful components.

I got this to review through NetGalley. This was an incredibly creative book with some beautiful illustration throughout. This book is basically a tour of and guide to the Underworld. We meet the members of the Court of the Dead and learn about different factions there. The book is broken up into sections about the court, factions, daily life in the land of the dead, and the relation of the land of the dead to human and celestial realms. That was the first thing Bookworm said upon the completion of this book. One of the greatest mysteries that has stirred the imaginations of men since the dawn of history is what happens to our beings once we depart the world of the living. Tales abound in the creative sphere that attempt to answer that question and this book answers it in a way that is both familiar and unique. So far the Court of the Dead collection has introduced a cast of extremely diverse characters. Following the debut of the first Reaper General, the Queen of the Dead and Red Death made a huge impact last summer at San Diego Comic-Con. They garnered further enthusiasm during Sideshow’s October Spooktacular event, and again at the Burbank horror-themed convention, Monsterpalooza, where visitors saw a gallery of new artwork and sculptures including Shieve, the Arbiter of Bone, Gallevarbe, Death’s Siren, and the Templar of Bone. Court Card Drafting– The main action cards are drafted similar to other card drafting mechanisms with each player keeping a card and passing the rest of their hand.

Off The Shelf

You are a Mourner – an allegiant of Death – dedicated to realizing his noble ambition to end the celestial war and restore balance to the universe. However, Death’s purpose includes your own ulterior motives. You and your fellow Mourners must unite and rise, or fall together. But only one Mourner will achieve their particular vision of the Underworld united. Your task will not be easy. While the Underworld is united in its purpose, it is divided in its strategy to achieve that aim. There are three factions in the Land of the Dead: Bone, Flesh, Spirit. Each is a unique path to rise up against Heaven and Hell. Only Death and his Court of the Dead can save us from the savage war between Heaven and Hell that is eating up the souls of mankind. ” Rarely will a reviewer complain about a game’s theme, but here it is due. Others may see the story inherent in the theme as some epic struggle against the ignorant powers that be. In reality, having seen the source material, nothing is further from the truth. The short stories in the graphic novel merely serve as a vehicle for the absolutely amazing and wonderful art, but offer no real substance for the (intended) mighty struggle in the game. As such, Court of the Dead is a game woefully devoid of meaning and motivation. In some ways, that’s worse than a pasted on theme. Etherea Distribution– The first player rolls dice to determine the total amount of Etherea, then divides it with an “I split, you choose” mechanic.

Some readers can skip this introduction entirely. The next game to weigh on the scales of Anubis is Court of the Dead with arguably the strangest theme this reviewer has ever come across. For those who are already familiar, skip to the Final Thoughts. (Insert Vincent Price voice-over) For the uninitiated who dare to plumb the depths of the ghastly, underworldly theme, read on. Empowered by souls taken from the Mortal Realm, Death bids his scions of Flesh, Bone, and Spirit to fashion for him an army of the undead — one hundred arcane warrior reapers, each singularly gifted and compelled by loyalty and familial bond to stand in defense of their realm.Action Phase– Players will play the action cards, recruit figures, place figures at locations, or activate their specific powers. Some actions also cost Etherea. Kit is the owner of ABZ Games, Aberdeen’s gaming community hub. He has been playing board/card/war/role-playing games for near on 25 years. Currently, his favorite game is Wild West Exodus by Warcradle. The book has a few things to offer readers, namely its mythology and artwork. The writing here is interesting enough and for what it is (a guidebook to the Underworld and its occupants) it's pretty well detailed. If you did want to use this as the base for a RPG, you wouldn't be disappointed since all of the basics are covered. Readers are given just enough to know what's going on, although I'll say that the best portions come when the creepy court jester Malavestros inserts his own opinions and reflections that frequently contradict the narrator, an official Underworld historian.

An intricate game that reveals itself as straightforward, with enough dramatic flourishes to offer a little bit of over-the-table theatrics. Oh, and gorgeous to look at. Those that look upon me see a form most pleasing to their desires, for it is easier to blind oneself with guile than to bear witness to the truth of our nature.”-Gethsemoni, the Dead Queen Overall, Court of the Dead: Mourners Call has plenty of unforced errors that make for an uninspiring whole. It doesn’t make any mistakes so large that it should be relegated to the bottom shelf of gaming, but it’s not digging deep enough into the theme to find the real game. This feels very much like a game made for an IP, not a game designed with mechanisms as the central draw. Players who like the Court of the Dead theme will be satiated. Gamers looking for the next Blood Rage will be disappointed. Here’s the concept: Heaven and Hell are in a war that has raged since the beginning of time. And, since Heaven and Hell no longer represent good and evil, the war is nothing more than an ongoing battle for supremacy while consuming Etherea, energy provided by mortal souls. To gain this resource, these forces rely on Death himself (a big Charon-esque figure) to harvest souls. The art is ON POINTTT. Reminded me of Keith Thompson and Requiem Vampire Knight Vol. 1: Resurrection

The leader of Spirit Faction, Ellianastis, invites mourners to focus on what is truly important: unity, not war. The Great Oracle spends the majority of her time in Illverness’ great library, the Higst Athenaeum, studying ancient philosophies. Welcoming all to learn with her, Ellianastis is a mentor to many mourners. Her greatest protege is the de facto leader of the Spirit Faction, Kier.