Weekend Game: Defenders of the Realm!

Hey Geekshelfers!  Just wanted to take a quick second to tell you about a board game I played this weekend.  It's called Defenders of the Realm.  I happened to win this through a promotional give-away by Eagle Games several months back so a special "Thanks" goes out to them first and foremost!

Anyway, Defenders of the Realm is a co-op game that has you and up to 3 of your friends playing fantasy D&D style characters (read: Mage, Rogue, Paladin, etc.) trying to protect Monarch City from falling to the hands of some evil monsters and their minions!

Here's what the board looks like at the beginning of the game. 

Yup, I ALWAYS play the rogue!

As the game progressed, we defeated some minions.... 

...But in the end, General Gorgutt marched into Monarch City and slayed us.

Okay, so even though we lost (and played a few rules wrong here and there), Joy and I had a ton of fun playing the game.  It shares some striking similarities with Pandemic, another board game in which you play virologists who try to wipe out diseases on a map.  The fantasy theme of Defenders actually works quite well with the different character abilities and quest cards that add a bit of randomness to each game.

One of the notable downsides to the game is it's HIGH retail price ($85...OUCH).  I like the game and I did win a free copy but I don't know if I'd actually pay that much money to get the game.  Also, set up time was a bit long and  you'll need ample table space to get this one played.

Quibbles aside, Defenders of the Realm is a solid game.  Larry Elmore's artwork is a nice throwback to 80's fantasy art and the plastic mini's give the game a nice tactile feel. I'm really looking forward to playing this with our regular game group at work over some beers and pizzas for sure!

For more information on Defenders of the Realm, please visit www.boardgamegeek.com or http://www.eaglegames.net/