DC Deck-Building Game

Today's review is of the 2012 game, DC Deck-Building Game. For 2-5 players, it takes 45 minutes.

Overview

You are a superhero, intent on taking down super-villains. But your foes (other players) are too . . .

can you have the most victory points at the end of the game?

This deck-building game works like most in this genre. You start with a deck of 10 cards, drawing 5 to form your hand. The cards grant power (and sometimes other abilities), enabling you to buy cards from the central row ("lineup"): heroes, equipment, locations, superpowers, even villains. You will buy cards from the lineup, replenishing that from the main deck, each turn. Cards you buy, plus any in your hand or played to the table that turn, go into your discard pile. Then draw 5 cards to prepare for your next turn, shuffling your discard pile to form a new deck as needed. Play passes clockwise.

Setting up the game; image from here

You can also use power to fight super-villains. (The game comes with 12 but recommends you play with 8, placed in a stack next to the lineup.) If your power on a given turn equals or exceeds the super-villain on the top of the stack, you defeat them, putting them in your discard pile (yes, this means you can use them on a later turn). Once all super-villains have been defeated, each player tallies their victory points (printed on each card) to determine the victor.

Finally, you each have a unique superhero that grants specific abilities. Batman, shown below, grants +1 power for each Equipment you play during your turn. So the player with Batman will want to buy as much equipment from the lineup as possible during the game.

Review

I really like this game. It is easy to learn and fun to play. The thing that threw me was being able to buy villains from the lineup and use them in your deck—that felt weird (though understandable to more fully represent the DC universe). The other odd element was having multiple copies of cards in the main deck: multiple heroes (like Robin), villains (like Scarecrow), or equipment (like the Batmobile). From a gameplay perspective, that made sense, as it gave multiple players a chance to pick up key cards. From a thematic standpoint, it was strange, and it limited the characters in the game (my boys and I would have loved to see more heroes and villains from the Batman universe). Those quibbles aside, though, this is a winner.

Rating: A-

Ghostly (Audrey Niffenegger)

Ghostly is a collection of 16 ghost stories from 15 different authors (including stalwarts like Edgar Allan Poe, Edith Wharton, M.R. James, Neil Gaiman, Rudyard Kipling, and Ray Bradbury). The tales were selected, and each introduced, by Audrey Niffenegger. (Some of her illustrations feature throughout, too.) From her overall introduction: "Ghost stories are a literature of loneliness and longing." "The stories in this collection are English and American and range across more than 170 years. They are not diverse or representative; they are only stories I have chosen because I like them . . . [due to] their vivid evocations of order disrupted, sudden awful knowledge, . . ." and more.

I was pleasantly surprised with this collection; I really enjoyed most of the presented stories. Ghost stories as a genre are writings I think I like—I want to like—but often feel let down upon reading them. (I'm the same with folk tales.) There are a lot of bad ghost stories out there, but a lot of good ones, too, and I was impressed here. What grabbed me—and what makes a ghost story truly spooky—is what Niffenegger calls "their vivid evocations of order disrupted." It isn't tale of vampires, ghosts, or other such things. Rather, it is the evil in the world—and in me. The imposter we know shouldn't be here yet pervades this life. And, it is the consequences of evil that leave us empty and longing, and (when no solution is presented) can end in breakdowns and insanity. The tales presented here do a good job of exploring these difficult topics, even if they don't offer any solution (and indeed, many tales end in a state of uncertainty, which I found maddening but also appropriate). Overall, this is recommended.

Rating: A-

Tabletop Games Gift Guide

men playing chess; image from wikipedia

Black Friday! Christmas season is almost here. Need gift ideas? Consider a tabletop game. There is a lot of good in games as a hobby (and my game page has more information). This post offers suggestions on what to buy and where to buy it.

What to Buy

Below are 11 games I would recommend for nearly anyone who enjoys this hobby. The five criteria I apply: it must be solid, available, accessible, alternative, and fast.

• Solid
• It is highly regarded. BoardGameGeek (BGG) permits user ratings; an average rating of 7 or higher is a safe threshold (though there are some great games in the mid-6 range).
• Available
• It is still published. It is readily available at or under MSRP at local game stores, online sellers, etc. There are many good games that are out of print and thus insanely expensive (or difficult) to find. 
• Accessible
• It is relatively simple. All games have a learning curve, but some require a lot of investment. As with ratings, BGG lets users rank games with a 'weight' from 1 to 5, with 5 being the most complex to learn. I look for games with an average weight of 2.5 or lower.
• Alternative
• It is not a common game. Not "old-school" games like Monopoly, Sorry, or Risk. And not industry staples like Catan, Carcassonne, or Dominion. These are good (or great) games, but very common, and a lot of people have them already. 
• Short
• It plays in an hour or less. (Once you get the hang of it, anyway. Those first sessions always go longer.)

With these in mind, here are 11 games (in no particular order) that I recommend. The link goes to my review.

Clank! A Deck-Building Adventure

2–4 players, 30–60 minutes

BGG Rating: 7.8

BGG Weight: 2.24

A deck-building game combined with dungeon crawler.

Isle of Skye

2–5 players, 30–50 minutes

BGG Rating: 7.4

BGG Weight: 2.25

An auction tile-placement game set in the Scottish Highlands.

Marvel United

1–4 players, 40 minutes

BGG Rating: 7.6

BGG Weight: 1.82

A cooperative game where you each are a Marvel hero battling against a foe of your choice. 

Parks

1–5 players, 30–60 minutes

BGG Rating: 7.7

BGG Weight: 2.13

You control two hikers exploring national parks.

Space Base

2–5 players, 60 minutes

BGG Rating: 7.5

BGG Weight: 2.12

A "dice chucker" where even your opponents' turns matter.

Oltree

2–4 players, 60 minutes

BGG Rating: 7.5

BGG Weight: 2.32

Cooperatively restore a fallen kingdom, using your specialty to great effect.

Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done

2–4 players, 40–60 minutes

BGG Rating: 7.5

BGG Weight: 2.45

Expand influence in Medieval Europe as one order of Knights preparing for the Crusades.

Pandemic: Fall of Rome

1–5 players, 45–60 minutes

BGG Rating: 7.6

BGG Weight: 2.43  

Cooperatively stave off the barbarian hordes as they seek to destroy the Roman Empire.

Archaeology: The New Expedition

2–5 players, 20 minutes

BGG Rating: 7.1

BGG Weight: 1.28

This is effectively a variant of Rummy, with a fun theme and fresh twists.

Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game

2 players, 30 minutes

BGG Rating: 8.0

BGG Weight: 2.02

A fast-playing, two-player deckbuilder. 

Dragonwood

2–4 players, 20 minutes

BGG Rating: 6.6

BGG Weight: 1.35

Though its BGG rating is lower, I argue that this game is sneakly good, and great for kids.

Where to Buy

Your Local Game Store (LGS) is always the first recommendation. Keep these stores in business; they offer the community a place for people to gather.

If you have no LGS, there are a few online options:

Miniature Market has a ton of games and generally good prices;

Cardhaus is the same.

Boardlandia is recommended; 

Gamenerdz is too.  (I've never used these last two).

Happy gaming!

The Games of Middle Earth

Gandalf, researching in Fellowship of the Ring

I have reviewed a few Lord of the Rings board games in recent months, and others in the past. I am on a quest to find a satisfying game experience based on this franchise; there are good options out there but I am finding the 'perfect' experience elusive. That is, in part, due to the nature of the stories.

Tolkien created a world, complete with history, languages, and more. Collections of his voluminous writings are still being published, decades after his death. The main stories (The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings) are of course the best known, but even in those, there is an impression of depth impossible to ignore. Middle Earth is big and ancient. There are many stories therein. How can one game encompass it all?

Tolkien's goal wasn't just "make an amazing place." He also incorporated a lot of wisdom into his stories—something the fantasy genre is uniquely suited to convey. (I discussed this concept, focusing on Tolkien and Lewis, in this post.) Wisdom requires judgment, which in the gaming world means meaningful decisions. It also involves dealing with chance, as nobody has all the information when making those decisions. A good game should have a blend of choice and chance. This means following a well-known story creates a problem.

In sum, the challenge with any game set in Middle Earth involves these two factors: scope and story.

Putting these in question form:

• Do I want an epic experience or a tactical adventure?
• Do I want something that involves all of Middle Earth, or a 'skirmish' focused on specific elements?
• How immersive do I want either to be? The more immersive, the longer the game. 
• Do I want to experience in The Lord of the Rings story, other stories in Tolkien's writings, or simply enjoy the Middle Earth setting?
• A game focused on The Lord of the Rings story will be familiar to players but constrained; to be faithful to the texts, it must follow a specific track. It is hard to incorporate meaningful decisions into that construct.
• A game simply set in Middle Earth can more easily feature meaningful decisions and encourage exploration of the map. It hits against other challenges: should it include familiar characters or not? Should it incorporate other Tolkien writings? Should the goal be something familiar to players, or completely independent? Answering 'yes' to any of these will make it feel more authentic, yet also inject constraints similar to that mentioned above. Answering 'no' to all of them gives the most freedom, but at that point, it becomes a generic fantasy setting with no tie to the books.

As I reflect on this, I realize the problem: I want it all. I want to capture the epic nature of the books, but in an immersive way that "zooms in" to specific portions. I also want meaningful decisions, so I'm not treading a familiar road each game, but I don't want it to violate the spirit of Middle Earth's story. These things are all in tension with each other, and no game can deliver on all fronts. Each game must make high-level choices.

A final factor is the dual nature of the books. They feature both large-scale battles and the individual journey of Frodo & Sam. It is hard to capture both in one experience.

There are 350 games tagged 'Tolkien' on BoardGameGeek, but that number is misleading (it includes updated edisions of the same game or expansions of the same game system, for example). Still, it shows how often this property has been explored. Here is the list, in rank order. 

I have reviewed eight Lord of the Rings games on this blog, played a few others in my pre-blogging days, and am aware of other popular options linked below. Below I list 13 games, covering both the well-regarded and/or the most available, and categorize them using the following delineations:

- Epic or Tactical: Epic games try to encompass all of Middle Earth. Tactical ones focus on specific elements.

- Story or Setting: Story games follow events from The Hobbit and/or The Lord of the Rings stories. Setting games are set in Middle Earth but make little or no mention of them.

Epic/Story games:

War of the Ring. 

(Link goes to BGG site.) I used to own this but never played, as I was overwhelmed by the complexity and play time (3+ hours). This is sort of like Risk, with armies clashing across the map of Middle Earth, but with a separate component to feature Frodo & Sam's journey. It is very highly regarded, and I would love to try sometime, but doubt I will find anyone with enough time to do this in one sitting. 

War of the Ring: The Card Game

This simplifies and shortens the aforementioned board game, but remains a medium/heavy complexity experience. It is solid, but constraining it to the story and limiting what cards characters can play at a given location makes it frustrating at times.

Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation

(Link goes to BGG site.) I have never played this highly-regarded two player game. It plays quickly and looks a bit like Stratego, with a heavy bluffing/deduction component.

Lord of the Rings: Duels in Middle-Earth

This two-player game is new (as of 2024) and an enjoyable, light take on the whole story.

Lord of the Rings Adventure Book Game

This simple cooperative game takes a [literally] novel approach: break the epic story into 8 tactical skirmishes, each with unique rules and objectives. It is possible to play this in one sitting or do a few chapters at a time. While it doesn't capture the large-scale battles well, this unique approach does have value, and makes for an enjoyable, light/medium-weight experience.

Lord of the Rings

(Link goes to BGG site.) This cooperative game is similar to the Adventure Book Game, but with 4 game boards instead of 8. The focus is on the hobbits.

Lord of the Rings: Adventure to Mount Doom

This very simple cooperative game follows the fellowship through the major locations of the books, forcing them to face familiar foes along the way. It is less faithful to the texts, and has a heavy luck component, but remains a light and fast experience, suitable for the whole family. It is very hard to win.

Lord of the Rings: Journey to Mordor

There's not much to this game, which tries to re-create the movies as simply and quickly as possible by rolling lots of dice. It is a "push-your-luck" racing game. Not recommended.

Tactical/story games:

Battle of the Five Armies

(Link goes to BGG site.) From the makers of War of the Ring comes a game focused on the final battle in The Hobbit. Like its parent game, this is complex and takes a long time (up to 4 hours). It is for two players only and is highly regarded.

Hunt for the Ring

(Link goes to BGG site.) Also from the makers of War of the Ring, this one-vs.-many game focuses on the Hobbits' flight from the Nazgul in The Fellowship of the Ring. It is complex and takes 2-3 hours to play.

Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game 

This story-driven collectible card game was done well, though you had to select (and build decks to) only one book of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Here, for the book you chose, there were 9 locations that your fellowship would travel, with your opponent trying to stop you at every turn. No longer produced, it is hard to collect today.

Epic/setting games:

Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle Earth

This app-assisted cooperative game is epic (over many play sessions that make up a campaign) and not tied to the movies (though it features familiar characters). It is a fun way to experience Middle Earth.

Tactical/setting games:

Lord of the Rings: The Card Game

This cooperative living card game has many expansions, each set in a different region of Middle Earth. The goal is to complete a quest, encountering varied threats, before your threat level increases beyond a certain point. It is fun.

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There are many other games I could mention, many of which have The Lord of the Rings theme pasted on an existing game system (like Risk, Monopoly, and so on). The above are the 'original' games players can try if you want to enjoy Middle Earth.

The Well of Ascension (Brandon Sanderson)

Shortly after Mistborn . . . [warning: the below review spoils events from that book]

The Lord Ruler is dead. Elend Venture, Vin, and Kelsier's ragtag band have proven victorious against all odds. But . . . now what? The Final Empire is in disarray, with its leader dead. The Inquisitors have disappaeared. Armies gather around Luthadel. Though Elend rules as king in Luthadel, setting up an idealistic government and proclaiming freedom to the skaa, there is terror without and traitors within. And the mists . . . the mists are becoming deadly. 

I started this book over three months ago. The first third was dreadfully slow, and felt more like a political discourse in a fantasy setting (yes, it is interesting to explore the aftermath of toppling a tyrant, but the political part of it didn't grab me). The middle third was better, if formulaic fantasy. And the last third was excellent, featuring all sorts of fascinating developments that I cannot speak of without spoiling it. I am surprisingly excited to read the trilogy's conclusion.

Rating: B+

The Lord of the Rings Adventure Book Game

Today's review is of the 2023 release, The Lord of the Rings Adventure Book Game. For 1-4 players, it takes 20 minutes per chapter. With eight chapters total, the entire experience could take almost three hours.

Overview

In this cooperative game, you and your friends will navigate through eight mini-games as you re-live The Lord of the Rings movies (yes, it is based on the Peter Jackson films). There are common and unique rules:

Common rules apply to every chapter. The basic turn structure is constant for each player: 

- Move: two characters one space each or one character two spaces

- Storytelling (do any of the following, in any order, multiple times if you wish): discard cards to move characters one extra space, complete challenges (see next paragraph), play special cards, trade one card with another player

- Draw 2 cards from the story deck

- Draw a plot card and do the action that correponds to its number on the chapter's plot chart

- Discard your hand down to 6 cards

Unique rules are chapter-specific. The game 'board' is a chapter book, with each chapter on a separate cardboard map. There are chapter setup and unique rules on the left, and unique challenges on the right. A chapter is completed when the challenges are completed.

Game contents; image from here

Each chapter starts with some characters (or tokens) from The Lord of the Rings movies being placed in their indicated spaces on that chapter's map. Each player draws four story cards and the round begins, following the common rules above and any unique rules for that chapter. Play proceeds clockwise until the chapter is over. Then remaining cards in hands are discarded, the story card deck is re-shuffled, the page is turned, you set up the next chapter, and the game continues.

A closer look at a chapter; image from here

Completing challenges generally have some side benefit, like drawing story cards or special cards. Special cards have powerful abilities, and better yet, they get shuffled into the story deck for future chapters. But that's not the only thing that persists from chapter to chapter . . . the corruption track marker, which can rise by using the powerful ring cards, also persists. If that marker ever hits 15, you lose the game. And, if you fail a chapter (by not completing it by the time all plot cards have been played, or by the chapter-specific failure condition), the corruption marker stays at the current value—but you have to return any special cards you gained that chapter to the special card deck. Thus, there is tension: you may need to use ring cards at key points in the game, but what brings you closer to victory also gets you perilously close to defeat. Can you manage to survive?

Review

This game, though produced by a major publisher and based on the beloved movie franchise, is supposedly available only at Target. (You can pick it up at the Ravensburger store, too, through Amazon.) I picked it up on a whim, and I am glad I did. This is an enjoyable re-creation of the movies in a multi-game format. The common rules were simple and consistent enough to ease play; the unique setup and rules were also straightforward. The miniatures are of surprising quality and detail. The corruption track is a good representation of the rising suspense in the films, and the plot cards are a nice feature.

You probably won't play this in one sitting, so have a method handy to track the corruption marker and chapter you're on. It is a light game, though not as light as the last LOTR game I reviewed, and I like it better—there is less luck and more meaningful decisions. Though playtime is longer, this is a winner.

Rating: A-

The Thirty Years War

Every year, my church puts on a speaking event called "Ignite." Similar to TEDD talks (but limited to 5 minutes instead of 20), it is a great time. This year, I presented on the Thirty Years War. A transcript is below, with the PowerPoint slides interspersed.

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I’d like to share the story of the Thirty Years War, “one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history,” (W) and it starts with the Holy Roman Empire.

HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE
The Holy Roman Empire (962-1806) was a shifting territory that included all of present-day Germany and much adjoining territory besides. The HRE was not a centralized state, but a “limited elective monarchy composed of hundreds of sub-units: kingdoms, principalities, duchies, counties, prince-bishoprics, Free Imperial Cities, and other domains.” (W) Within the HRE, there were about 300 of these different territories, some as small as a few square miles! The rulers of these sub-units owed the emperor allegiance, but also possessed a high degree of independence, with some of the larger areas striking their own coin and raising their own armies.

The Emperor was chosen by seven electors (3 religious, 4 secular), and often ruled a portion of the lands himself, thus holding other titles. Though elected, the Austrian house of Hapsburg would come to dominate the Empire over the years, having a string of Emperors that would last 300 years (1440-1740) and moving the center of power to Vienna and Prague.

THIRTY YEARS WAR (1618-1648)
One hundred years after Luther, religious diversity was rampant. Tensions had certainly existed between the various traditions, but the Peace of Augsburg in 1555 had established a policy where the ruler of a given region determined that region’s religion. As a result, some areas of the HRE were Catholic, Lutheran, Calvinists, and various permutations.

One Emperor, Ferdinand II (a Hapbsburg), also gained the title King of Bohemia, and he wanted to impose Catholicism in that largely-Protestant region. The Protestants in Bohemia revolted, throwing the emperor’s advisors out of a window and electing their own king. This didn’t go over well, and the Catholic areas of the HRE gathered armies to put down that rebellion, causing other Protestant areas to come to Bohemia’s aid and a predictable chain reaction occurred. The Thirty Years War had begun.

What started as a German war grew. Protestant Denmark and Sweden would intervene in 1625 and 1630, respectively, to assist the Protestant parts of the HRE. And then, something mysterious happened: in 1635, even Catholic France would join to help the Protestants. Why? Because the war had widened in scope beyond religion to encompass commercial interests and a political struggle: the Habsburg (family who ruled HRE & Spain) vs. Bourbon (France) jockeying for dominance on the continent.

By the time it ended, the war proved the most destructive conflict in Europe outside of the world wars; over 8 million Germans died, and some areas lost over 50% of their population. Some scholars suggest that this war set Germany back hundreds of years and allowed France to be the dominant power for a long time to come. And the outcome? Stalemate. Basically, the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 was remarkably similar to the pre-existing 1555 agreement. It did recognize Calvinism, though, as a “legitimate belief system,” and some consider it the end of the Protestant Reformation.

WHY IT MATTERS
Why do we fight? The HRE had worked for its first 650 years as a political patchwork that could accommodate religious differences and compromise. War broke out when one tried to impose their beliefs on all, which morphed into general desire for control, and ultimately caused only devastation. It shows our fallenness and futility: we desire to rule others: their territories, interests, resources, and minds. How does that work in a pluralistic society? How should we then live?

I don’t have the answers. But as we approach a contentious 2024 election, I pray that the Lord would give us the wisdom to live and work with those who have differing convictions. How to, as we read in Jeremiah 29:7, “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”

REFERENCES
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirty_Years%27_War (W)
https://www.worldhistory.org/Thirty_Years'_War/ (H)

Oltree

Today's review is of the 2021 release, Oltree. For 2-4 players, it takes 60 minutes per chronicle.

Overview

In this cooperative game, you are rangers charged to watch over inhabitants of a decimated empire. During setup, players choose a chronicle (there are six included; one short, five long) and assignment (easy, moderate, and hard, and tailored towards the chronicle length). Each chooses a ranger (with profession and ability), places incidents in each location and sets up other areas, and the game begins.

Turns proceed clockwise and are straightforward.

1. Determine the adversity. Roll the adversity die and move it the appropriate number of spaces on its track. It will land on chronicle (turn over the next card in the chronicle stack and perform its instructions), incident, problem, or event. For incident and problem cards, roll the location die to put the card on the corresponding area (there are eight, each adjacent to the central fortress), plus any other actions as indicated in the rules. For event cards, flip the top one over and perform its effect (either one-time or enduring as indicated on the card).

2. Perform two different actions. I won't cover these in detail, but you can move, rest, call on the community (gain a resource particular to your ranger's location if there isn't a problem card there), handle a problem (flip over the problem card at your ranger's location and handle it), experience an incident (flip over the topmost incident card at your ranger's location and do what it says), build or repair buildings or towers (in the fortress only), or do unique or temporary actions.

game in progress; image from here

Many chronicle cards, incidents, and problems will have you doing profession checks, wherein you roll a number of dice equal to your ranger's value in that area. Buildings in the fortress (constructed using resources) can give all rangers additional dice, increasing odds of success. Building towers (and clearing incidents) is key to securing areas, which helps complete assignments and accomplish the chronicle's ultimate goal. If you survive to the end (complete the chronicle goal + keep your prestige and fortification levels about zero), you win!

 

Review

This is a fun game; I liked it a lot (we played the short chronicle on moderate difficulty and won by the skin of our teeth). The artwork is great, and mechanics are solid, and there is a nice range of meaningful decisions. I can't speak to its replayability—once you go through all six chronicles, it might get boring—but all other decks are shuffled and random, so I think it would be okay each time. This is a winner.

Rating: A

The Phantom of the Opera (Gaston Leroux)

The Paris Opera is a joy for many, but some feel differently. For voices, tragedies, and other mysterious events have given rise to dark rumors of a ghost. What menace lies in the many levels below stage?

The talented Christine Daaé enjoys dazzling success as a singer in the Opera while harboring a secret: she is getting lessons from the 'Angel of Music.' When she rekindles a childhood friendship that blossoms to romance, though, this Angel's jealousy may prove him to be a demon. What, exactly, is going on at the Opera House?

This is a good book, called a "unique mix of Gothic horror and tragic romance" (from the back cover of the Penguin Classics edition). I enjoyed the suspense and story. And the point: while the phantom is clearly a monster, he also conveys a heartbreaking yearning we all display. "To be good, all I ever needed was to be loved for myself." (Meaning to be loved as he is—a disfigured yet gifted person.) In this, he echoes the gospel: "We love because he [God] first loved us." (1 John 4:19) I'd like to say more, but will avoid spoilers. I'll say this: the ending is satisfying, the point is good, and I enjoyed the concept of an Opera House with secrets. I have some unanswered questions about the Phantom himself, but that is a minor ding.

The musical based on the book is obviously quite popular. I should see it some day. 

Rating: A-

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

After losing his wife to red wizards, the bard Edgin does his best to raise his daughter as he thieves with the barbarian Holga, sorceror Simon, and rogue Forge. Some of them are captured and imprisoned; upon their escape, they try to reunite the band in search of the mysterious 'tablet of reawakening,' a relic Edgin wants to use to resurrect his wife. But all is not as it seems; friends and foes alike cannot be trusted. They'll need a druid and some other allies if they have any hope of success. But can this ordinary, flawed team make it happen?

I have no background in Dungeons & Dragons outside of one book and a Magic: the Gathering expansion. So I can't speak to how accurately this movie portrays characters, locales, or storylines. That said: I really liked this movie. It was a humorous and whimsical look at this fantasy world, packed with fantastic beasts and objects (as you'd expect), but also a surprisingly poignant theme (which you wouldn't). That theme is failure and what we do with it. Edgin has the quote of the movie:

We must never stop failing, because the minute we do, we've failed.

The point, of course, isn't to try to fail, but highlights the reality of failure in all we do. We're inadequate. We fall short. All the time. We're also commanded to put our failures aside and strive for excellence, obedience, holiness, etc. All the time. And so, to his point, we're in this weird situation where we know failures will happen—a lot—but we need to keep going. Awesome.

Rating: A