CHALLENGERS
An unexpected tournament
Designer: Johannes Krenner & Markus Slawitscheck | Publisher: Z-Man Games
I was totally ready to dislike Challengers. A sort-of capture the flag game with very variable set-ups and a Fortnite ‘wacky but somehow a bit bland’ aesthetic. Then I realised what Challengers actually is: it’s an ‘auto-battler’ in the style of Hearthstone’s ‘Battlegrounds’ mode. It’s a tabletop version of my favourite extremely lazy gaming experience. During the early days of parenthood it was a vital way of staying awake while on ‘shift’. These games offer a kind of ‘hands off’ card game experience where the combat isn’t directed by the player, and is instead random. The fun comes from creating good combinations of cards and general team composition. The strategy is what comes before the luck-based ‘battle’ – the key is making sure that battle makes sense too.