In many ways Claustrophobia is the perfect two player game. It’s asymmetrical. It offers somewhat deep tactical choices yet is easy to digest. It boasts astounding variety through a multitude of scenarios and effects. If you would have asked me in 2010 how the game could possibly be improved I would have shot back – “Improved?”. Then De Profundis came out and my world was rocked. In 2014 it’s happened again with Furor Sanguinis, which has taken things in an altogether different direction.
Furor Sanguinis includes a new unit, Kartikeya, 3 new tiles and a group of new tokens used across its 6 scenarios. Kartikeya is an enormous Demon-Sized bipedal lizard whose race is known as Squamata. He was born human and has been warped into the bestial monstrosity he is now while taking up residence in the tunnels below New Jerusalem. He is searching for freedom and evolution by consuming the essence of Demons as he works his way up the hierarchy of hell. It’s a compelling and bizarre narrative that unfolds across a half dozen scenarios that follow this horrific endeavor.
Kartikeya is first and foremost a beast. If you ever wanted to <PERSON> smash your way through the dungeon, tossing aside Troglodytes and Humans like discarded toys, then this is the expansion for you. Mechanically he functions like a cross between the Demon and Humans, rolling a dice pool to assign to areas that build up wounds as the game progresses. You are able to beef up his combat ability or boost his speed and cunning. He’s more flexibile than either previous faction and feels well bulked out as a single threat with a dynamic and nuanced play style that affords the ability to tackle many problems in creative fashion.
The Squamata’s Instinct board is similar to the Demon’s board but is divided up into sections corresponding to specific body parts. 366
The head has several abilities including one that offers Frantic, one that allows you to roll additional dice in the Instinct phase, and one that makes you Impressive. The body allows for Regeneration and Elusive. Arms control Combat ability and the Legs buff movement. It all works rather seamlessly, offering those juicy signature tactical dilemmas of whether you go all out offense, worry about speed and pushing towards the goal, or sit back and take things slow while you maintain a safer crawl.
When you receive damage you must assign the damage to a specific body part. Each section can take 3 or 4 wounds and once a body part has taken its maximum number you can no longer assign dice to abilities in that area or heal wounds there. Because you can heal 1 wound a turn, the Demon or Human player can’t quite push for the death by a thousand cut strategy that works on the Humans. The enemy will want to pick and choose his offensive moments, looking to overwhelm and provide a torrent of damage to mitigate the slow drip of the Squamata’s healing powers. It’s an interesting pace that kind of mixes up the feel of the base game and really provides for a distinct combat experience.
One of my favorite elements of the previous expansion was the bevy of new scenarios that stretched the boundaries of the mechanics. Likewise, Furor Sanguinis features scenarios that are a touch more creative and interesting than the base game. You have opportunities to push through like a beast just slaughtering every foe in your path as you look to confront a tough new <PERSON>, you also have missions where you will be navigating a delicate maze looking to locate Troglodyte eggs, one scenario even has you fielding chained Human slaves that can’t venture more than a tile away from the <PERSON> (think <PERSON> but the Walkers actually have jaws). They’re varied, interesting, and leave you wanting to replay them to attempt different strategies and approaches.
Some of the early buzz abounding this expansion in the rumor mill was that it would allow for the possibility of 3 players. This has always been a desire bandied about by a vocal group and it’s certainly not one I would begrudge. However, the initial talk is not altogether accurate as there is only a single scenario that features all three factions and supports a possible three participants. The mission itself never references three players though and it assumes the Squamata player will control the new lizard-beast as well as the Redeemer’s forces. It works fine with the full complement of three players but this is not at all an expansion geared towards adding a third player to the table, rather, that is an added benefit of a single scenario, albeit one that is very engaging and perhaps the most memorable of the six.
What is quite fascinating about the three faction scenario and those that follow it is the winding narrative of <PERSON> and how he interacts with the previous two groups. 884