RPG Review - ‘Epic Encounters: Island of the Crab Archon’
When Steamforged Games kindly sent us a copy of their Epic Encounters: Cove of the Dragon Turtle (read our review for more details) they were kind enough to send along a copy of the companion set, Epic Encounters: Island of the Crab Archon. Since we enjoyed the last one, surely we’ll like this one too, right? Read on to find out.
A quick refresher course in case you didn’t read the last review first. Epic Encounters is a line of 5th Edition compatible miniatures and rules. Each set can be used as a stand alone adventure or used to enhance your current game’s narrative. They can also be combined within themselves, such as Island of the Crab Archon and Cove of the Dragon Turtle. Some of the sets will include multiple miniatures, while some will include a single gargantuan model, as well as a double-sided playmat and adventure guide.
All caught up? Good.
Epic Encounters: Island of the Crab Archon includes an astounding 21 miniatures, incorporating 7 unique designs. They include:
Scuttler Crab (x3)
Karkinos Netter (x5)
Karkinos Infantry (x5)
Karkinos Stalwart (x3)
Karkinos Kingsguard (x3)
Karkinos Oracle (x1)
Karkinos Archon (x1)
Each of the miniatures are incredibly detailed and offer some amazing opportunities for gamers who enjoy painting their models. In particular, for us at least, the Karkinos Stalwart and Karkinos Oracle look the most fun to paint. The Karkinos Oracle in particular looks like some Lovecraftian horror brought to life.
Another nice little aspect of each model is that there is some form of base detail. Many miniature game companies simply leave the bases bare and let the players do as they wish, but we love these smaller details. It helps bring a more 3D aspect to spectating a game session as the basing detail elevates the printed details.
As with our previous Epic Encounter review, we want to remain as spoiler free as possible. That being said, the adventure book does a fantastic job of giving dungeon masters the tools and resources needed to run this box. The big selling point of this line is that these are adventures that can be effortlessly added to a group’s existing narrative or played on their own. For us, we find the idea of running these solo a much more interesting and attractive proposition. Everything one would need for a game night session is in this box, albeit character sheets will still be needed. If the group gets done with the game of the night and there is still time, just pull the box off the shelf, spread out the playmat, and start rolling some dice. End of the night, just put it back in the box and up on the shelf. It is truly a win-win.
With the Cove of the Dragon Turtle, we knocked it a little bit on its price point. While the model is gorgeous and we are currently obsessing over painting it, the $49.95 price tag felt a tad high. Island of the Crab Archon is just a few dollars more at $54.95 and we feel that that is an absolute steal. That is a price of $2.29 per miniature. Looking at prices for comparable miniature ranges and most of them run in the $8+ range per miniature (not accounting for sales or discounts). Add in the amount of detail in the miniatures, along with the adventure book and double-sided playmat, and we would happily pay this price hand over fist every time.
Final Thoughts:
We have said time and time again that the Epic Encounters line is one of the finer things in Steamforged Games’ portfolio. Island of the Crab Archon is a shining example of that. Fantastic miniatures and a fun scenario wrapped in a package that can appeal to new, casual, or invested tabletop role-players.
Pros:
21 incredibly detailed miniatures in a variety of poses.
Combines with Cove of the Dragon Turtle for a truly epic encounter.
No cardboard tokens, all plastic.
The price per miniature makes this a fantastic deal.
Cons:
“Crab people, crab people. Taste like crab, talk like people.”*
Verdict: 5/5 - A Must Have For Any Collection
Over on our YouTube channel, we posted a quick unboxing video for Epic Encounters: Island of the Crab Archon. If you like this sort of stuff, head over to the channel and give it a like or subscribe. It may seem silly, but it does help let us gauge what is gaining traction with our audience. Feedback is always welcomed and encouraged.
Epic Encounters: Island of the Crab Archon is published by Steamforged Games and 2 or more players, ages 11 and up, and plays in 2+ hours. The set can be purchased at your local game store or through Steamforged Games’ webstore. Steamforged Games provided a review copy of the game, but no compensation was provided for this review.
* We were struggling to find something negative to say about the set, as we believe nothing is truly ever perfect. However, the only real negative about this set is that it constantly makes a little chant from a extremely popular cartoon pop in our head when we read the title. If you know, you know.