Stats:
No. of players: 2-4
Amount of time to play: 90-120 min
Age requirements: 10+
Set-up time: 5-10 min

Awakening the Bear was the first game in the Conflict of Heroes series. This review is about the 2nd edition of this game and what has changed.

Conflict of Heroes – Awakening the Bear Rules Description:

I have never played the original version of Conflict of Heroes – Awakening the Bear. But I have played (and reviewed) Storms of Steel and the PC version of Awakening the Bear. My post on Storms of Steel has an overview of the game play if you have never played any of the games in the Conflict of Heroes series.

Though I have not played the original edition of Awakening the Bear I have done some research so I can tell you about some of the changes in the Second Edition. Many of the components have been upgraded. The boards are mounted and the cards have been re-designed. The tokens have been upgraded with more information. And five new scenarios have been added to the Firefight Book.

The game play is mainly unchanged. It has a similar feel to Storms of Steel with players alternating actions, jockeying for position on the board and trying to figure out when to spend or save CAPs and cards.

Quick Review of Conflict of Heroes – Awakening the Bear:

Awakening the Bear is another excellent entry in Conflict of Heroes series. And the Second Edition looks fantastic. This is a well-designed squad level war game that is great for beginners and veterans of the genre.

The components are really great. Everything is beautiful and very functional too. The rules do an excellent job teaching the game. The player aids have everything you need to be reminded of and the scenarios slowly introduce additional elements to the game play.

This system is super intuitive and immersive. There is not a ton of downtime and the firefights play quickly.

Awakening the Bear is easy to teach too. Some war games fail to hit the table since they can have a steep learning curve. But between playing the earlier firefights, easy to learn rules and the thorough player aids, this game makes it much easier to ramp up new players.

That said do not take ease of learning for lack of depth. There are many tough, meaningful decisions in this game. What you choose determines whether you win or lose.

If you are looking to try out a squad level war game, look no further. Conflict of Heroes – Awakening the Bear Second Edition is a great place to start. But it isn’t fun for newbies. If you enjoy war games you will enjoy this one too. There is even a solo expansion if you don’t always have an opponent around.

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