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If murdering dragons and turning them into a pair of pants on-screen isn't enough, you'll soon be able to do it in tabletop form thanks to a new Monster Hunter World board game.
This adaptation features miniatures that are over a foot tall, and its campaign is live on Kickstarter until April 30, 2021. Not that there's any question of whether it'll succeed; the Monster Hunter World board game has already passed $4 million in support with a few days left to go, well beyond its target (19 times more, if you want to be precise). This has unlocked various new tiers that include the Kickstarter-exclusive Kulu-Ya-Ku pack and adorable Palico cat miniatures.
Designed by the folks over at Steamforged Games (the team behind the Horizon Zero Dawn board game, Godtear, and Epic Encounters), Monster Hunter World: The Board Game tasks you with going up against some of the franchise's nastiest creatures. A co-op experience based on the video game of the same name, it features numerous miniatures and more tokens than is strictly healthy. It also promises to be a sprawling experience that can match the series in terms of sheer scope. It's playable solo as well, so there's no need to worry if you're lacking a group to try it out with. You know, when we can do all that again.
Showdown in stages
As noted in a press release, Monster Hunter World: The Board Game will take place over the course of three phases. The first allows you to track your quarry through the environment or find resources to get an advantage in the inevitable showdown. This includes a quest book "to determine what state [players] encounter the monster in." It also provides you with five unique ways to approach each creature.
Once you've rooted out an unlucky monster, the hunting phase begins. This is where you square off with your quarry and attempt to slay them. The ensuing clash is resolved via combat that makes "full use of the board and miniatures," and it seems to lean on positioning to go with card abilities.
No matter what, things wind down afterward with the HQ phase. This represents hunters heading back to base, giving players time to make new weapons and armor from the loot they've retrieved. Presumably, the cycle then starts over.
Extra-large
As for the Kickstarter itself, there are three tiers available. All of them will get you Monster Hunter World: The Board Game, but they offer a variety of rewards that get increasingly humongous. The first is the Entry pledge, and it provides a replayable 30hr campaign set in the Ancient Forest for $70 / £51 (it also contains eight minis, over 600 cards, and everything else you need to play). Next up is the Core pledge for $140 / £102, netting you a 70hr campaign, 17 miniatures - including an 'extra-large' monster - 1,200+ cards, and two double-sided boards instead of one. Finally, the All-In pledge gets you a replayable 75hr campaign, all unlocks revealed throughout the Kickstarter's lifespan, and 24 figures including the biggest model of the lot - Kushala. Understandably, this mammoth package will set you back $279 / £203.
Because Steamforged has a good track-record when it comes to adaptations (their Ni No Kuni 2 board game is arguably one of the top board games for 2 players), this is a project worth keeping an eye on. We'll have to wait and see if the result earns a place on the list of the best cooperative board games (or the best board games overall, for that matter), but the Monster Hunter World board game is doing pretty well for itself so far in terms of scope.
Now, everyone cross their fingers and hope for the inclusion of miniature cat chefs...
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