Game: Swordcrafters

• Publisher: Adam’s Apple Games
• Designer: Ryan Lambert, Chris Neuman, Adam Rehberg
• Illustrated by: Rodrigo Camilo Alves De Almeida
• 1-5 players
• Ages 6+
• 20-30 minutes

As I forge my blade, I look over to see a masterpiece, each side of blade made from the gods. Reds, blues and purples to be seen on different sides, rows of four gems each. It was at this moment that I knew this battle would be fierce to win.

Playing with a pre-teen is hard, especially when she has inherited your competitive nature when it comes to board games.

Swordcrafters is a one to five player game that follows the I slice you choose nature of games like New York Slice. The difference is that everyone gets a chance to slice. In Swordcrafters, you are trying to build the best sword and score the most victory points. Points are scored based on longest sword, gem quality and meeting the sword card requirements for extra points.

On the table will be different gems or non-gems as well as a first player anvil. On each players turn, they will divide up the gems by slicing along rows or columns. With each slice the amount to forge with becomes less. Then starting with the first player token, each player collects their choice of divided gems or non-gems. If someone collects the first player anvil, they will go first in the next round. After collecting, the player must immediately assemble their sword. How they assemble will affect scoring, so strategy and proper forging are very important. After six rounds, the players will compare sword sizes for points, gem quality for points and receive points for meeting the card conditions. The player with the most points wins!

Components

The hilts and guards are well made. The cards are similar to a smaller version of playing card stock. One thing I noted was when we opened our copy, one sleeve of non-gem pieces were not cut correctly, causing them to not be playable. This was quickly rectified by Adam and his team and I received the non-gem pieces within a matter of days. Excellent customer service!

The pieces are a thicker cardboard that make it easier to assemble with less chance of wear and tear, but I have noticed some wear on some of the guards. The cards have two sides, so there are plenty of choices to add to replay-ability.

our family’s thoughts on swordcrafters

Abigail: I like how you get to build your own sword and I like how there’s different ways to get points and it can be a really cool sword. I also overall just like the game. Recommendation: Try it.

Beth: It’s a neat element that you can actually hold the sword in your hand. I think I need to focus more on messing up the first player, or you can get stuck in a pattern where the same person goes first every time. Recommendation: Try it.

Chris: This is an enjoyable experience. I think that this would be a good family game worthy of your money. The only concern with a game like this is that these cardboard pieces will see some wear and tear. Fortunately, Adam’s customer service has been more than satisfactory. Recommendation: Try it.

Daniel: I like how you can build swords and its really fun that theres more than one round. I like that there are gems and I like how you can compare your sword and see if you have the tallest. Theres some cards that say least green or more reds. I think its extremely fun and that’s that. Recommendation: Buy It!

Elijah: I like building swords. I like being able to hold the sword in my hand. I like trying to make the patterns and the longest sword. Recommendation: Try it.