The classic game of tabletop battles returns after over 40 years witb better components and bigger … [+]
Restoration GamesThere’s a lot of fun in building toy castles. Whether using building blocks, LEGO bricks or whatever materials are at hand it’s fun to feel like royalty for a little while. I think this is a big part of the appeal of miniatures games with little armies ready to march on command.
It’s just as fun to knock everything down. Using a detailed set or rules works but sometimes it’s fun to just flick them over with your finger. All empires fall, even ones built from old takeout containers.
Crossbows & Catapults serves as a middle point between these two extremes. Players build cstles and field small plastic armies and then take turns knocking down their opponent with caroms launched from clever little devices. Restoration Games sent me home from Gen Con with review copies for this article
How To Play Crossbows & Catapults
Though the game has gone through many versions since its first release in 1983 the basics are the same. Each player builds a castle from a pile of plastic blocks to protect their plastic army men. They then each take turns trying to knock over their opponent’s pieces with miniature versions of the titular devices.
Restoration Games specializes in rescuing great games like this from the dustbins of history. They held a Kickstarter in 2023 that raised over $950, 000 to bing the game back to life. The company revised the rules, rebuilt the crossbows and the catapults and introduced two ways to get into the game.
Crossbows & Catapults Castle Battle
The Castle Battle contains everything two players need to play a game of Crossbows & Catapults. There are building bricks, dwarf and goblin armies, two crossbows and two catapults to use in their war. It’s a simple setup that leans into the joy of the game by focusing on getting castles up quickly and taking them down just as fast.
I played this version with some kids who were skeptical at first. It didn’t take long after the first castle collapse to get them on board for multiple games. The catapult is chaotic fun and destructive while the crossbow is more of a skill shot that was fun to watch the young ones master.
Crossbows & Catapults Fortress War
The Fortress War set contains more of everything. There are more castle pieces, bigger armies and even some cardboard terrain to scatter around the battlefield. This version included some battle cards for each army that can be used to introduce some very light strategy elements into the game.
This set is perfect for fans of the original game who want a version that harkens back to their memories while also improving the modern experience. It’s also a good choice for families who don’t want kids to squabble over pieces. But it really shines when adults are lining up a skill shot with one hand and a drink in the other after the kids have gone to bed.
Crossbows & Catapults Accessories
Fans who want even more have two accessory packs that expand the game. Builder’s Bounty adds more castle pieces for even bigger castles and the potential for secodary forts on the battlefield. Weapons Cache brings two bigger weapons onto the battlefield: the double disc flinging trebuchet and the low profile high powered ballista.
Crossbows & Catapults Impressions
In all my years of writing about games on the internet, I have not played a game that has elicited so may cackles of glee and howls of frustration in such a short period of time. The good news is, even when I’ve lost the game on a lucky bounce or an unexpected castle block crushing my general, setting up for another game is quick and easy. This is one of those games that plays quickly but generally has people in the mood to do two or three in a row before putting it all away.
Crossbows & Catapults continues the Restoration Games streak of mining the past for golden games to show off for a new generation of gamers. This is a fantastic dextery game for any skill level that appeals to something everyone agrees on. Building castles is good but knocking them down is great.
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