Stats:
No. of players: 2-8
Amount of time to play: 90-120 min
Age requirements: 10+
Set-up time: 5 min

Chaostle is a fantasy-themed, roll-and-move, 3D board game. You must maneuver around the board and attack the castle, but look out for the other players as they have the same goal.

Chaostle Rules Description:

To start Chaostle you must set up the board. This consists of placing the 3D castle structures and stairways on the board. Then you pick your army of characters. These include typical warriors and wizards as well as a dragon, unicorn and minotaur. Each character has different attacks, health and special abilities. You start the game with one character in play.

Your goal is to get the whole way around the board so you can attack the castle. Once it is at zero health you enter sanctuary and win.

Some players move their characters clockwise and others move them counter-clockwise. And though there are different pathways around the board characters are sure to run into each other. And when they do they may fight.

To move you roll one six-sided die. On a one or two you must move one character that many spaces or put a new character into play. Rolling a three let’s you take another turn after moving one character three spaces. A four is optional. You may choose not to move anyone. A five invoke the fates and after moving a character five spaces they are subject to the chaos of the realm (more on this later). A six is just a six and must be used.

If you roll a five you must move a character or put one into play if you have one available. Then you roll to determine if their fate is good, rolling a 1-3, or bad, rolling 4-6. You roll 2d6 to determine the specific fate. These can trap your characters, give them free upgrades or have them captured by another player. Some of the fates affect everyone’s characters for better or worse.

After moving you can attack enemy characters that are within your range. Each character has six attacks with different ranges and damage. But which attack it uses is random. You roll a d6 and look at the range of the resulting attack. If the opposing character is within that attack’s range it hits. The hit character takes the damage minus any armor they have and then can retaliate. You keep attacking each other until someone misses by using an attack that cannot reach the opponent. The opponent may then choose to retaliate or end the combat. If you attack a character by landing on its space, you fight to the death as all attacks hit at range 0.

When you eliminate a character you get to upgrade one of your character’s attributes. Most everything about the character can be upgraded including health, armor, and damage and range for each attack. Characters defeated in battle can come back onto the board with a roll of 1 or 2 and keep all upgrades. Where they return is based on how far they previously progressed. Each quarter of the board offers a better starting position.

Once you get a character around the board it may enter the castle. The castle is at range 0 so you always hit it. Once you destroy the castle you enter sanctuary and win the game.

Quick Review of Chaostle:

Choastle is a fun, light roll and move board game. A lot of this game is determined by random elements so you should know that going in. That said I still enjoy it and my friends that trend toward Ameritrash games really like it. This is a board game you can play with most anyone and is great for kids and adults.

The components for the game are a mixed bag. The art ranges from good to cheesy. But the board with 3d stairways is great and the miniatures are good-looking. It just pops off the table and generates a lot of attention. The box is huge and the insert is fantastic. I thought putting it back would be a pain but it is pretty straight forward. The rules are decent but you should check out the FAQ. Also the character boards have all the info you need, except what your special skills do. You can pass the rule book, print extra copies of that section or download stickers to apply to the back of the character board to remedy this. But it would have been nice to have that info on the boards.

There are sixteen different characters and most are fun to play. This variety gives the game good replay value and keeps it fresh. The characters are not necessarily balanced but it is fun trying different ones until you find a few favorites.

If you enjoy messing with your friends, the “take that” in this board game can scratch that itch. Since players’ characters go around the board in opposite directions you should have ample opportunities to stop your opponents’ advancement. Because of this having an even number of players makes for a more balanced game.

I also like how quick this game moves. Even with six players turns are over quickly and there is little downtime. If the games length is too long you can have players use a closer stairway to gain access to the castle and shorten the game.

If you are willing to roll the dice and see what happens Chaostle, might just be for you. It can be swingy, but the ride is still fun. And with the right group of players it can be really good if you are able embrace the chaos. If Chaostle seems like a game you’d enjoy pick it up. If you are a big fan of Eurogames you should probably try it before you buy it.

Score and synopsis: (Click here for an explanation of these review categories.)
Strategy 3 out of 6
Luck 5 out of 6
Player Interaction 5 out of 6
Replay Value 4 out of 6
Complexity 4 out of 6
Fun 4 out of 6
Overall 4 out of 6