There have been 10 previous reviews posted for Claustrophobia, so why in the world would I write another? That's the question I asked myself, and the quick answer was, if all I can do is repeat what the others have said, with slightly different phrasing, I won't write one. Either I come up with something different, or I forget it.
I didn't want to forget it, though, because I really like this game, and want to share my enthusiasm. I mulled it over for a long while, and eventually came up with something different, which I hope some at least will find worthwhile.
All the other reviewers have remarked on the gorgeous figures, the beautiful artwork on the tiles, etc. They've all posted pictures to underscore that point. I agree, but it's been done enough already, so I won't go there. Instead, I'll proceed from a simple premise: the game itself is so good that I would find it interesting to play even if it had pedestrian components. I confess that it was the glitz that first drew me in, so I don't discount that factor. But the glitz angle has been beaten to death.
What I'm going to do is focus 100% on how the game plays, and the decisions that players are presented with when they sit down to play. No pretty pictures to lure you in. I'm after the pure, brain-to-brain connection, one gamer to another. Imagine Claustrophobiaas a super model who wants to be appreciated for her intellect. Would you still love her if she wasn't beautiful? Forget the killer good looks, let's talk game play.
So how do I walk you through the game without pretty pictures? It may seem weird, in this graphical age, to revert to ASCII diagrams like we used to employ on usenet, but I think that's the way to prove my point. If you follow a game in text mode and find it interesting, it must be a good game indeed. If it's beautiful too, that's just gravy.
I've played the first scenario half a dozen times previously, and it hasn't played out the same way twice. 511
What each play had in common was plenty of excitement, with unexpected events and twists of fate aplenty. I could tell you about one of those previous games, but I won't for two reasons:
1) I played them with an opponent, so only knew the thought process from one side of the table.
-and-
2) I don't remember all the details.
The thought process and details are the keys, because while my subjective view is that the game presents you with a steady stream of fascinating decision points, that's an entirely subjective evaluation. Would you find them as interesting as I do? We're about to find out.
I'm going to play the first scenario, The Survivors, solo. I'll record it here as I play, so at the moment I'm typing this I don't know what is going to happen. I will play both sides, describing the choices I make with a bit of the 'why' thrown in. I won't go through all the rules in advance, but will try to provide you with enough info as we go that you can follow along even if you haven't read them. If you prefer to read them first,
here is the link in English (you can find links in other languages in the Files section).
Why the Title?
A movie called The Dirty Dozen came out when I was 17 years old. Great action flick. <PERSON> played a World War II Army officer who selected and trained a dozen condemned military prisoners, and led them on a suicide commando mission, behind enemy lines in France, against the Germans.
In Claustrophobia, The Redeemer, a 17th century military leader, takes condemned prisoners on suicide missions, which take place in tunnels underneath a city in France, against monsters from Hell. The game provides four condemned prisoner figures, two each of two different types, but The Redeemer only gets to take 3 (1/4 Dozen) to help him in most scenarios.
Dramatis Personae - Human Player
The Redeemer is the leader of the Humans. He has a talent, Blessed, which he can use on one of his companions, once per game. The recipient can heal one damaged Action Line, and gets either +1 movement (MVT) or +2 combat (CBT) for that turn. In this particular scenario, The Redeemer also has the Aura of Courage and Aura of Precognition as gifts. As you will see in a moment, each Human character gets assigned an Action Die each turn, and The Redeemer's gifts are triggered if they match specific Action Die values. An Action Die of 2 enables Aura of Courage, which he can bestow on one companion to add +1 to each of that companion's three attributes for that turn. 366