"King of Tokyo -- My First Impressions" Topic

Last night, I had a chance to try out King of Tokyo with my friends. It's a simple strategy game, designed by Richard Garfield. Players become giant monsters seeking to dominate Tokyo; only one can prevail!

The components consist of a board; six Monster cards and six corresponding stand-up tokens; eight specially-marked dice; cards, effect tokens, and energy tokens. Play is based on a "King of the Hill" mechanism with one player at a time able to enter Tokyo while the others unite to try to drive him out. The player in Tokyo can't be forced out involuntarily, but he can be killed -- and he gets no natural healing while in the city. The dice are rolled to gain Energy, Health, and Victory points. Three cards are turned face-up, which a player may buy on his turn with Energy tokens. The cards provide special abilities, some indefinite and some not.

The game is fun and quick to play; we got in two games in about an hour (bonus: setup is minimal). I did okay on the first try, but didn't win. In the second game I got killed! Everyone enjoyed it, with lots of monster-related puns flying across the table (I got to say "Release the Kraken!" in play). We were playing with three, but the game can be played with up to six players. The components are very good, except for the energy tokens (tiny plastic cubes, we found them too fiddly). It wouldn't be hard to replace the in-game monster tokens with your favorite kaiju miniatures, and the Tokyo board with 6mm scenics or Lego bricks if you like.

Ron

Yea, I like King of Tokyo, simple game but a lot of fun. Excellent 'filler' on a game night.

-Will

We've played it several times and it never ceases to please.

Thanks for pointing this game out. I did some reading on the game, looks like it says 8+ for the recommended age, but if I have a nephew turning 6 later this year who's a hardcore kaiju fan, do you think it's straightforward enough for a slightly younger audience?

its pretty straightforward. Its pretty much Yahtzee.

Roll a bunch of specialized d6. Match up the symbols to create your action.

Claws do damage
Energy gives you energy to buy things or do special actions
Hearts heal damage
Numbers give you victory points, but you need to match up 3 to get that number.

First one to 20pts or the last one standing wins

Add the Power-Up expansion for new powers/mutations for each monster (all monsters have a unique deck).

Yes, nice chunky dice, but the cubes are nice but way too fiddly. Ultimately, I will replace mine with something else.

I like it. I might pick up the first expansion in the near future.

GIGAZAUR RULES ALL!

Keep in mind it's not tactical at all. As haywire said, it's monster Yahtzee. The most strategizing you do is in selecting which power ups you purchase and which dice to keep or reroll. It's very much a game of odds, with an effective thematic veneer. The "fight" is all in your head rather than on the tabletop, but it's solid, silly fun.

Thanks guys. My nephew plays Mighty Monsters with me, but I'm sure he could use some monster gaming that he can recruit the rest of his family into.

King of Tokyo is great. I would highly recommend it for play. A single round takes about 10 minutes, so it's perfect for casual play between other, more lengthy games.

Although, since this is The Miniatures Page after all, I would like to see some miniatures to replace the monsters! I think it would add to the awesome, myself!

King of New York adds a bit more complexity and strategy, if you like KoT. And my 8 year old son plays with his neighbor boys regularly, so I am sure a 6 year old could be coached through it :")

Yuppers, Yahtzee with advanced rules for Kaiju flavour — super fun game!

And yes King of New York adds a bit more tactical flavour with the 5 burroughs.