Court of the Dead: Mourners Call

Product Information

Final Score: 2.5 stars – A beautifully executed theme can’t save the desperate mechanisms from hanging limp on the gallows. The leader of Spirit Faction, Ellianastis, invites mourners to focus on what is truly important: unity, not war. The Great Oracle spends the majority of her time in Illverness’ great library, the Higst Athenaeum, studying ancient philosophies. Welcoming all to learn with her, Ellianastis is a mentor to many mourners. Her greatest protege is the de facto leader of the Spirit Faction, Kier. I got this to review through NetGalley. This was an incredibly creative book with some beautiful illustration throughout. This book is basically a tour of and guide to the Underworld. We meet the members of the Court of the Dead and learn about different factions there. The book is broken up into sections about the court, factions, daily life in the land of the dead, and the relation of the land of the dead to human and celestial realms. Court Card Drafting– The main action cards are drafted similar to other card drafting mechanisms with each player keeping a card and passing the rest of their hand.

A fictional non-fiction tome exploring the world, characters and factions of the Underworld, from the original creations of Sideshow Collectibles. Adam: The components for Court of the Dead are beautiful. The sculpts, the art, the quality of the paper for the rulebook, the incredibly well-designed box (everyone knows how much I love a well-designed box and Court of the Dead's is up near the top). But the game itself didn't grab me. I can't fault it, everything works smoothly and there are some fantastic elements with the card drafting, multiple ways to work towards victory. It just didn't feel like there was anything new. It was a very close run game in the end. I swarmed the board early game, but Kyla very successfully managed to control the Deadsbane Token, giving her forces immunity to the Dreadsgrip threat, which decimated my forces late game. Kit and I drew with 36 points, and Kyla came in close with 34 points. Kyla and Adam battle for control of the locations on the board. Player Thoughts Some readers can skip this introduction entirely. The next game to weigh on the scales of Anubis is Court of the Dead with arguably the strangest theme this reviewer has ever come across. For those who are already familiar, skip to the Final Thoughts. (Insert Vincent Price voice-over) For the uninitiated who dare to plumb the depths of the ghastly, underworldly theme, read on.Here’s the concept: Heaven and Hell are in a war that has raged since the beginning of time. And, since Heaven and Hell no longer represent good and evil, the war is nothing more than an ongoing battle for supremacy while consuming Etherea, energy provided by mortal souls. To gain this resource, these forces rely on Death himself (a big Charon-esque figure) to harvest souls. Members of Flesh Faction could seek to unite the aspects of each Faction as well as their own lives with some teachings from Bone, who promote structure. The Spirit Faction would offer these anarchic beings lives without greed or abundance, to further connect them with their inner selves rather than filling themselves with external pleasures or validation.

The Final Verdict: At the time of this writing, this book had only been out for a little over a year and it appears that Court of the Dead has not been out for much longer either. Bookworm could not be more excited! Normally, when they have discovered a franchise, it already has a dedicated fanbase and Bookworm has to struggle to keep up! Here, Bookworm is right at the beginning. Bookworm cannot wait to explore more of the Underworld and the Court of the Dead. Court of the Dead Mourners Call is a board game brought about from the combined creative might of Project Raygun and Sideshow Collectibles. The game is based on the setting by Tom Gilliland and sees a blending of area control gameplay and beautiful components. I did like the drafting of cards at the start of each round, however again I was only looking for cards that would grant me unity at the expense of all else. The artwork is utterly gorgeous on the cards, the mainboard, the character boards. Some of the card art I’d even want as art prints on a wall. Xiall, The Great Osteomancer, leads Bone Faction. This authoritative leader adheres to tradition and believes Bone is the only true path, the only Underworld Faction that will ensure a productive and successful future. With Xiall’s might, knowledge of arcane arts, and unwavering will, Illverness will be safe from the Celestial War. Sideshow is excited to present the Relic Ravlatch: Paladin of the Dead Premium Format™ Figure. Relic Ravlatch is a deliciously irreverent adventurer from Sideshow’s original dark fantasy horror property, the Court of the Dead.If a highly interactive, but accessible, big centrepiece is needed for your games evening, then Court of the Dead is bang to rights.