Necromolds ($60, two players, ages 9 and up) is a devilishly fun tabletop wargame where you make and field armies of monstrous golems cast from clay. If you've been looking for a game that introduces younger players to the world of miniature tabletop wargaming, this is a fantastic choice. I've been playing it with my 7-year-old granddaughter, Ocean, and she loves it. It's officially rated 9+, but Ocean is special :-).
The premise of Necromolds is simple for kids and non-wargamers to grasp, but offers enough depth to keep things engaging for players of any age or experience. Players take on the role of dueling wizards using magical grimoires to cast armies of golems using "Spell Clay" (think: Play-Doh). The tactile nature of this part of the game was especially appealing to Ocean, who loved crafting her golem army. A clever part of the mechanic is that you have a set volume of clay and can cast as many golems as you like from that clay. Each golem type has different attack, defense, movement, and special abilities, so choosing which golem to cast becomes part of the strategy. Ocean did have some trouble figuring out how to successfully cast golems—perhaps a bit tricky for smaller hands—but she loved the payoff of creating her own little army of monsters.
Once the golems are ready for battle, the game shifts into a streamlined and intuitive movement and combat phase. Designer Clint Bohaty has done a superb job of incorporating the basic wargaming mechanics of measured movement, melee and ranged combat, attack and defense, different creature abilities, line of sight and cover, etc. One of the more satisfying features of the game is the ability to squish banished enemy golems with your wizard's Caster Ring. This is easily the highlight for any young (okay, ANY) player, and Ocean loves every time she gets to flatten one of my poor, defeated conjurings.
One minor annoyance: the terrain standees, which act as cover during battle, tend to fall over too easily, knocking golems down, and disrupting the flow of the game. We had to come up with creative ways to keep them upright, but it's a minor quibble in an otherwise well-crafted game experience.
The game also has additional Monster Packs with new golems, spell clay, spell books, and caster rings. Ocean immediately insisted I get the Monster Pack that includes pink clay because she needed to field only pink horrors. There is also an upgrade pack that adds plastic weapons and new mechanics that deepen the strategy and gameplay. And there's also a 4-person expansion pack.
One of the truly impressive things about this indie game is how high-end and professional all of the components and packaging are. This looks like a game from a major publisher. All of the art is rendered in a lurid psychedelic horror style similar to Cryptozoic's Epic Spell Wars games and Sean Äaberg's Dungeon Degenerates. The components are all top-notch.
Necromolds is an excellent gateway into tabletop miniature gaming for kids, even young precocious ones like Ocean. The game is easy to learn, fun to play, and introduces classic wargame mechanics in a way that feels organic and exciting.
If you're looking to share the joy of wargaming with a new generation, Necromolds is a perfect place to start. And trust me, you won't beat the satisfaction of squashing your opponent's monstrous army flat with your ring of power!
One Big D'oh from Us: Ocean and I were in the middle of a game the other night and she needed to go to bed. I thought (as I've done for decades), we'll just leave the game on the table and pick it up in the morning. Um, no you won't, Einstein. It's (of course) air-drying clay! Both of our armies had turned to crusties by morning. But we weren't without golem for long. We broke out the Play-Doh and kept going.
Previously:
• Yakuza 3 reviewed by Yakuza
