Legends of Andor: Part III - The Last Hope

This is the last "chapter" in the Legends of Andor series. Sweeping epic story game that has an easy mechanism to learn as you play. I have had tons of fun with this game.

Legends of Andor: Part III, the Last Hope is a fantasy board game for 2 to 4 players, ages 10+, by Kosmos. The rule suggests that the average game last from 60 to 90 minutes, but I would put a typical game more in the 3 to 4 hour category. I would also move the age up from 10 to either 12 or 14.The game is epic in every sense of the word. It is a fantasy board game, and the players take on the roles of traditional heroes – a wizard, a fighter, a thief… The game comes with a giant, two-sided board, and literally 405 pieces. (Please see the pictures of the components.) The game also comes with some handy plastic baggies to hold the pieces in between sessions, but I recommend that you put this game on the table where it will be safe between sessions as one gaming session is a precursor for the next.As you progress from turn to turn, the players are given quests for their characters to fulfill. How you choose to fulfill the quest (or whether you do it all) has impact on later turns and sessions.On to the Dr. games criteria!GO/NO GO Criterion• Complexity: (GO) The game gets a GO for complexity, but you need to understand that this is a complex game with a lot of depth, and you are not going to finish it in 30 minutes to an hour.• Balanced: (GO ) The scenarios presented in the game are completely balanced. The players are working together both for common quests as well as to achieve their own individual objectives. I played this four times with my gaming groups, and there was a high level of interest in each decision made at the gaming table. The actions of one player will affect the entire group.• Chance (GO) There is randomness in the game, but largely the events and effects of various items and conditions are fixed. You draw some random cards, and there is random placement of some creatures within defined boundaries. Also, you roll dice to figure out some of the effects and placement of things. Still, a good head for strategy is the main prerequisite for this game.• Clarity: (GO) The rules come with the full up rule book as well as a quick start guide. There are also some good YouTube videos on how to play. You’ll want to look at all these things before you start your first game. The rules are well written, but that there is just a lot to this awesome game.• Reasonable Time: (GO) You are going to spend 3 to 4 hours playing the main scenarios for this game. Starting scenario probably does take about 90 minutes on average. Additionally, you will be playing more than one scenario over time, and each scenario is different and builds on the previous scenarios.Bonus Criteria• Social: This game is wildly social. Each turn, your colleagues are going to be trying to convince you to take or not to take certain actions. The success of the group is dependent on the success of the individuals and that requires coordination and cooperation.• Unique/Interesting Mechanics: Wow! Where to begin? The sheer scale of the game is a quality all of its own. Each of the characters has a more advanced side of their player board, and the map flips over for the more intense second set of scenarios. This is the kind of game that might’ve taken my gaming group in college a semester to complete, and then we may have decided to play it again, making different choices during the next semester.• Informed: The game teaches the players about Andor. I was not familiar with it prior to playing the game.• Rewards Throughout: Each turn has its challenges and rewards. The various player objectives and goals are reached at different points in the play.All in all, this is a very good game, and I highly recommend it for the hard-core, fantasy board game players out there! Well done Kosmos!

The kids loved this game. We were planning on trying it out in the evening and after watching YouTube walk through, the kids started without me. It totally held the attention of our older two kids and the younger two came an went, but watching them play I can see why they loved it so much. It basically is an RPG where the "dungeon master" role is completely automated. There is a brilliant system of randomized events in various parts of the game along with prewritten cards that narrate seven narrative legends. Also brilliant is that the whole game runs kind of like a tutorial so you barely need to sit down and read an instruction manual (although we did and did need to reference back a little.)The pieces are cardboard but fantastic both in illustrative details and design. There are wonderful little 3d elements that come up during the legends, again with amazing little details. My oldest spent twenty minutes sorting all the pieces and showing me the details. He also showed me the wonderful system of equipping your character with arms and armor which has quality cardboard equipment over your character card.All in all, this is an accessibly easy to learn, fun to play, wonderfully collaborative role playing game brought to a board game where no one has to sit out as game master. Lots of brilliant art and brilliant game design going on here.If there is anything bad I can say about this game, it is that halfway through the first legend in this box, the kids were begging to get the first two games in this series. I guess that is another sign of success for this game. It has really captured their imaginations.

This game is the last of the Legends of Andor trilogy, is a stand alone game (not just an expansion), and is far more ambitious than the previous two games. The game comes with seven Legends (scenarios), as opposed to five in the previous games, so I felt like I was getting a lot of content, not only in the number of Legends, but also in the thought and planning of the new mechanics and interesting puzzles.The ambitious nature of this game comes in introducing many new mechanics. In some ways, they feel really epic, and in other ways they can feel really crowded and crammed together. The complexity of the game significantly increases from the other two, so I don't recommend this game to those who have never played a Legends of Andor game before.Like the other games, the art is fantastic (especially the board) it is fun (and sometimes frustrating), and the payoff for completing a Legend is really rewarding. The narrative aspect of the game is also fun. I gave this 4 out of 5 stars for some problems with the rules and for some mechanics that feel a bit crowded at times.

I've played Legends of Andor games at other folk's house when we had game nights, but never owned one myself before this one. This game, being the third in the series, has a bit more depth to it than the previous games. There are more scenarios and there seems to be a couple new features, but I might be overlooking them from previous games I'm not super familiar with.The game runs on a tight timetable and winning can be challenging. We really enjoy playing this on game nights with several friends over, but this can also be played with just two people on a night in.The game calls for ages 10+, but there's some wiggle room on this depending on how interested they are and how strong their reading comprehension is. Strategy is going to be challenging for most of the younger kiddos (and even adults, too!).Overall, this is a CLASSIC to add to your game closet. You'll get possibly hundreds of play time out of it if you're a gaming family, and play varies enough to keep things interesting for each new play-through.

The products were delivered in pristine condition and without any delays. Would recommend.

The grand finale to a truly epic journey!