MIREMARSH
Squelch squerch, squelch squerch…
Designer: Matt Green, Sam Mercer | Artist: Andres Martinez, Mary Safro
Goblins are, without a doubt, fantasy’s ultimate underdogs. They’re small, they’re smelly (probably), they’re very easy to kill, but they’re nothing if not viciously persistent. Miremarsh does little to subvert this species stereotype. In fact, it positively revels in it.
This murky, lurky game of miniature-based, dice-fuelled swamp exploration and combat gives each player a bog-goblin who starts with a specific set of custom dice and a unique power. Poker, for example, can roll an extra die when attacked by the swamp creature which stalks the board, while Lugger can hold one more piece of equipment than the other goblins (each piece providing a precious bonus die). Don’t get too attached to them, though. Because, unless you’re uncommonly lucky, your goblin will die.
The aim is to be the first goblin to complete one of four horrible quests (“Slay the last unicorn”, “Desecrate the halfling’s garden”, and so on), located at each of this strikingly-rendered, double-thickness board’s corners. Or to be the last goblin standing (we’ll come back to that later). However, there’s a time limit, set by the fact that, at the end of each turn, you have to consume – i.e. discard – one of the nine flsh you start with. If you ever need a flsh and don’t have one, you’re out of the game (again, we’ll come back to that).
All your actions are determined by a dice roll at the start of your turn. Roll a foot? That’s a move. Roll an eye? You can turn a tile and spy what random dangers await. Roll a sword? That’s a hit. Roll a pentagram? That’s any action you want it to be. Roll a tentacle? Oh dear: that means the player to your left activates the swamp creature, which moves around the board, inconveniently attacking whoever it comes into contact with.
Most locations, including the quest tiles, require passing a multi-tiered, push-yourluck challenge – usually flghting a creature or dodging a trap. If you don’t have the required symbols on your dice, you can roll the remaining cubes once more. If you fail the challenge, you’re dead.
But you’re not necessarily out of the game. There are other goblins waiting to join the squelchy fray, drawn from a limited deck. Just grab a new set of dice, a new miniature and carry on; perhaps on the very spot your other goblin died, thereby picking up some of their dropped loot, if you’re happy to spend a fish to do so. Although, if the goblin deck’s empty then – you guessed it – you’re out of the game.
Like the green-hued antagonists themselves, Miremarsh is nasty, brutish and short. And, with its dark sense of humour, pretty fun too, if you don’t mind lots of dice-throwing and possibly winning or losing on a single roll. It also involves player elimination, which for many gamers is an understandable no-no. However, the game is calibrated in such a way that this all comes very close to the game’s end, with players dropping out quickly, providing a great burst of climactic drama.
It’s hardly sophisticated, tactical, groundbreaking stuff, but does it really need to be? It’s goblins, innit?
DAN JOLIN
WE SAY
An impressive product with high-quality components (albeit with text that’s a little hard to discern in dim light) whose comedy-fantasy theme is well matched by its breezy mechanics. Though it might be a tad too frothy for some players’ tastes, and it’s hard to strategise when so much depends on the dice.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX?
► Game board
► 42 swamp location tiles
► 19 monster tiles
► 15 goblin miniatures
► Two swamp creature miniatures Five coloured bases
► 23 Custom dice
► 15 Goblin cards
► Nine pet cards
► 14 Knick-knack cards
► Nine spell cards
► 40 equipment tokens
► 20 gold tokens
► Nine bones tokens
► 45 fish tokens
TRY THIS IF YOU LIKED… WELCOME TO THE DUNGEON
Another ‘toony fantasy title that dares its players to push their luck and involves player elimination — though it comes in a much smaller box and will cost you much less.