Cooperative series - Defenders of the Realm

(image by Gryphon Eagle @ BGG)
Matt Leacock's Pandemic sort of took the gaming world by storm. There had been other successful cooperative games in the past but Pandemic proved there was serious demand for purely cooperative gaming. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery so we're starting to see a rush of cooperative games hit the market and Defenders of the Realm is one of the newest entries.

Four evil generals are marching towards Monarch City, sending their minions out to defile the land and bring about a new era of evil. Players are the heroes of Monarch City, stepping out to defeat the generals and maybe earn a little extra glory along the way. Defenders of the Realm is mechanically very similar to Pandemic: four colors of generals, minions that spread across the board when too many fill one area and players collecting sets of colored cards to defeat the generals. The heroes save the day if they defeat the generals; unfortunately if any general marches to Monarch City, if their minions taint too much of the countryside or become too populous the heroes lose. Like many cooperative games there are many ways to lose but only one way to win.

At a glance it is easy to see Defenders of the Realm as a Pandemic clone. Once you dig into the game a bit, though, you'll see that Defenders has enough to stand on its own:

(image by rsolow @ BGG)

+ Hero Abilities - Each player controls a unique hero with special abilities, not unlike the roles in Pandemic. All of the heroes are very powerful and have fairly unique abilities, though, so every turn you feel like you are doing really awesome stuff that nobody else at the table can do. Some of the heroes are certainly more powerful than others but I think they all give you the satisfaction of contributing something special to the team.

+ Dice-based Combat - Some purely cooperative games break down into a group puzzle solving exercise, leaving little room for individual decisions. Defenders of the Realm certainly has some of that but combat against minions and generals is dice-based. Nothing is guaranteed so it is much more difficult to determine the optimal move for any given player. Sometimes there are clear actions you need to take but other times - especially early in the game - players are more free to do what they want. Some will go for big risks, others will play the safer odds.

+ Taking Down Generals - In order to take down generals you need to collect cards matching their color which determines how many dice you roll in the epic showdown. What I really like is that multiple heroes may meet up and take on the general at the same time, giving a nice epic feel to battles against generals. Players run around the countryside keeping minions at bay and when they are ready to strike they meet up and assault the big bad guy. It's also crucial to be prepared because failure against a general can be devastating.

+ King's Champion - This small competitive aspect may be more important to some groups than others. Players win or lose as a whole but individually earn points for completing quests and slaying generals. At the end the most renown hero is declared the King's Champion. This is generally a fun little bonus for our group but I could see where other more competitive groups might play to become MVP. It's a small touch but I think it works well and doesn't add any extra complexity.

As much as I enjoy Defenders of the Realm, the game isn't without fault:

(image by Titus SWE @ BGG)
- Graphic Design - Eagle Games always seems to struggle with graphic design. Larry Elmore's artwork is great but the font choices are questionable at best and the map is a hindrance. It's a map of a fictional fantasy world and the locations on cards are referenced only by name. Each time you read off a location players have to scan the board to figure out where they go. Familiarity does come with time but it would've been nice had the cards given you some reference on where on the map to look. A small complaint perhaps but it is an annoyance.

- Game Length - Unlike other cooperative games there's no real built-in timer for Defenders of the Realm. The game only escalates as you kill generals so it's possible to get into maintenance mode where you are just keeping up with everything that's going on without making any real progress. Sometimes it can take awhile to get the right mix of cards to take on a general, so you spend a lot of time cleaning up the countryside hoping to draw the cards you need. Depending on the number of players a game can easily take 1 1/2 to 2 hours. I don't feel that the game outstays its welcome but it does play long compared to similarly styled game.

- Story Arc - I feel that great boardgames follow some sort of story arc. You build over the course of the game to the climax with spikes of tension along the way, ending with a quick winding down to the conclusion. Due to the game's pacing being mostly in the player's hands, I feel that there's not a very strong arc in Defenders of the Realm. The game is highly oppressive which adds to its challenge and sense of urgency but you don't always get a very nice progression. Constantly being at that heightened state can make the game feel relatively flat.

(image by EndersGame @ BGG)

Overall I'm very pleased with Defenders of the Realm. It is challenging - giving the game plenty of replay value - and each game seems to play out a little differently. Sometimes the generals march straight on to Monarch City, forcing you to content with them quickly. Other times minions spread out of control, sending the heroes scrambling across the countryside. It really evokes the fantasy theme and offers what seems to be a fairly well-balanced gaming experience. Unfortunately I think the game's length may turn some away from it, especially with similarly-styled games running much shorter. It's also too bad that Eagle Games still struggles with graphic design issues.

If you have the time to play a longer cooperative game and can live with some poor graphic design choices, I think there's a lot of fun to be had in Defenders of the Realm.