Stats:
No. of players: 2
Amount of time to play: 30-45 min
Age requirements: 12+
Set-up time: minimal

Lords of War is a tactical card game. You must lead your faction and defeat your opponent through smart card placement and some luck.

Lords of War Description:

A pack of Lords of War comes with two factions. There are currently two packs, Orcs vs Dwarves and Elves vs Lizardmen. Each faction plays differently and has its own strengths and weaknesses.

This game is played on a grided battlemat and you start the game with six cards (one of them being your general). The game ends once one player has lost 20 units or four commanders.

The cards show an illustration of the unit, its armor and where the unit attacks. To show where the unit attacks there are arrows pointing off the cards both orthogonally and diagonally. The arrows also show the strength the unit’s attack in that direction.

Each turn you must place one card on the battle mat. You must orient all cards toward you and most cards must placed adjacent to enemy units and have an attack arrow pointing at an enemy. Support cards (spears and ranged) may be placed adjacent to any of your units. Ranged units have a grid showing the cards they may attack and the damage they deal. Units may only make a ranged attack if they are not adjacent to an enemy unit. And they may only attack one unit per turn.

Next you see if any units are eliminated. A unit is eliminated if attacks against it on the turn exceed its defense value. All units attack each turn so multiple units may be eliminated in a single turn.

To end your turn you draw a card from your faction deck or you can retrieve a unit from the field. In order to return a unit from the field to your hand it must not be engaged, did not eliminate a unit that turn and can not be the same unit you just placed.

After one player loses 20 units or four commanders the game is over and they lose.

Quick Review of Lords of War:

Lords of War is simple, easy to teach and quick to play. You can easily teach and play this game with non-gamers and family members. It makes a nice starter for a game night and even has rules for more players.

The cards are good quality and the art work is really nice. The battle mat is fine but there are even rules for playing without it. The rules are easy to follow and read too.

I like how easy Lords of War is to play and how well the ease of play fits with its weight and length. It just feels like it knows what it is and plays accordingly.

The different factions and how they play is another highlight of this game. The dwaves and orcs are more straightforward than the elves and lizardmen, but all seem balanced and unique.

Lords of War is also expanding. There are rules for multiplayer games, advanced rules and more on their website. This is especially exciting given the next expansion is said to increase the strategy of the game. You can view the Kickstarter for the next expansion Templars vs Undead here.

As I have said the game is good for what it is, but part of me wishes it had a bit more meat. This game tends to be reactive. Since most cards you place will instantly be involved in combat and possibly eliminated, long-term planning is not very possible.

If you are looking for a fun, card game that is easy to teach and quick to play, you should pick this up. This is especially good for gamers with kids. Lords of War is easy enough for kids to understand and play and you’ll enjoy it too.

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