I’m a sucker for anything Marvel. I’m also a sucker for anything board gaming. Well, when two new Marvel-themed board games are announced, then you know they’ve sucked in this sucker. Let’s take a look.
Marvel: Crisis Protocol is an upcoming miniatures game set in the Marvel Comics Universe. Players choose Marvel comic book characters to create their own Marvel character dream team and then pit their forces against each other on the tabletop. It’s by the upstart Atomic Mass Games but is distributed by Fantasy Flight / Asmodee.
Rules allow the very terrain itself to be thrown, crashed into, and destroyed during the battle, because of course cars will be thrown. Players assemble and paint their own 40mm scale miniatures.
The Marvel Crisis Protocol Core Set will set you back $99.99, but comes with cards, tokens, and terrain pieces like the aforementioned cars or even the Daily Bugle! The Core Set also comes with ten Marvel characters: Black Widow, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Red Skull, Crossbones, Doctor Octopus, Baron Zemo, and Ultron.
Additional character packs will release simultaneously or shortly thereafter: Miles Morales Spider-Man and Ghost Spider, Hulk, M.O.D.O.K., Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon and Groot, Gamora and Nebula, Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight, Thor and Valkyrie, Loki and Hela, Black Panther and Killmonger, Okoye and Shuri, Vision and Winter Soldier, and Venom. The character packs will range in price from $24.99 to $39.99.
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Having a Marvel miniatures game is amazing, particularly one that looks so sharp. An early look at the rules is here. And make a note of the 44mm scale, which is different than a typical minis game. (My guess is to differentiate it from Heroclix.)
Finally, you can watch the announcement video here (starts at approx. 45 minute mark):
Marvel Champions: The Card Game is a new Marvel-themed co-operative Living Card Game (LCG) from Fantasy Flight Games. Players will create a deck representing their superhero, and then join forces with other friends to battle a villain, which is also a deck.
Players will all start as their character’s alter-ego, whether that’s Peter Parker or Tony Stark, but during the game players will have to repeatedly change costumes, swapping into superhero mode to pummel the villain.
Marvel Champions: The Card Game Core Set is $59.95 and comes with over 350 cards, 100 tokens, and five hit point trackers, everything you need to get playing. You can choose to play as Iron Man, Captain Marvel, Spider-Man, Black Panther, or She-Hulk! You’ll battle villains like Rhino, Klaw, or Ultron.
Scenario Packs will release at regular intervals afterward to support the game. The first is the Green Goblin Scenario pack, which contains 78 cards that introduce two new scenarios and four modular encounter sets that showcase Norman Osborn and his sadistic alter-ego, the Green Goblin.
Watch the intro video here, starting at the 30 minute mark:
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