War Chest Review - A Tactically Strong Abstract Battle In A Box

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War Chest is an all-new bag-building war game! At the start of the game, raise your banner call (drafting) several various units into your army, which you then use to capture key points on the board. To succeed in War Chest, you must successfully manage not only your armies on the battlefield, but those that are waiting to be deployed.
Each round you draw three unit coins from your bag, then take turns using them to perform actions. Each coin shows a military unit on one side and can be used for one of several actions. The game ends when one player — or one team in the case of a four-player game — has placed all of their control markers. That player or team wins!

TimeStamps:
0:00:00 - Overview
0:07:33 - Ease of Play
0:08:37 - What I Like
0:10:24 - What I Don't Like
0:12:32 - What I Can See Others Not Liking
0:13:52 - Final Thoughts
0:16:00 - Recommendations

5.0 - My absolutely favorite games. You can pry them out of my cold dead hands.
4.5 - Love this game! At the same time missing something that would make it a 5. Could be hard to table, lacking variability, a little light, etc.
4.0 - Really great game, almost always keeping, although has meaningful complaints as to what takes away from the experience.
3.5 - Really enjoyed, don't love it, may lose out to better games but the idea of never playing again is a bit sad.
3.0 - A good game, would play and suggest with the right people, if I never played it again wouldn't lose any sleep.
2.5 - A game I'd play again , but will never suggest it myself
2.0 - A game I don't want to play again
1.5 - A game I can't find any reason to recommend
1.0 - A game that is just bad.

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[talhaiqbal]

This game is absolutely brilliant. Been in my top 3 since I played it in 2020

[brentboyer]

Did anyone else notice this was recorded some time ago? I think I might watch this channel too much.

[dodong_daniel]

This is my number 1 game. I hear from a lot of people that they like undaunted more, but for me there is too much luck (in the dice rolling) compared to War Chest.
You can anticipate on a double chip draw, especially when your opponent has already played some chips. Getting hit multiple times by potshots on a roll of 9+ while your machine gunners miss everything however...

Glad you liked War Chest at least. I totally understand where you're criticism on the bag building.

[papiloteBoy]

I own and love Undaunted Normandy. I'm still interested in War Chest. The simplicity and the chips I think are what are drawing me to it. Mainly the chips lol.

[jeffreydunford]

War Chest is a good game, but it is often incorrectly described as a tactical abstract strategy game. It *looks* like an abstract strategy game because the units are represented as disks on a board, but that's really a graphical design choice that makes the presentation appear more "abstract". It's a deck/bag-building skirmish game that has more in common with Summoner Wars than it does with Chess. The game has information hidden to both players, with randomness incorporated through the luck of the draw from the bag, which can play a major factor in some outcomes. Same is true for The Duke and Tash Kalar, but I digress.

[a.c.s.]

Hmmm Tamashii has moved 🤔 are you finally reviewing it? I'm excited if you are.

Edit: nvm just read the comments and apparently this was recorded awhile ago as others picked out. I knew something was off lol

[kenkosten]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I have always liked the game, but also had problems with it. I think you accurately describe the problems that I was having with the game (I especially hate the lost troop when you run out of a very limited supply of tokens)

[Max-pjkm]

I´m glad you are reviewing such a great game. One of my favorites 2 players game. If I can take only one game to a desert island, will be War Chest.

[KingMePlease]

Ah, the good old days with Dead Reckoning on the shelf. Still my favorite game of all time and can't wait for the new expansion coming to kickstarter this summer. Oh yeah, War Chest is really good too :). BGA implementation is so smooth.

[megalodon]

Wow, it's like traveling back in time lol

[ea_gaming]

It’s a spectacular game, but the expansions are terrible IMO- the base game is all you need! That and the geek bits to replace the control markers, if they ever get released