Stats:
No. of players: 3-6
Amount of time to play: 60 min
Age requirements: 13+
Set-up time: 5 min

Pathfinder Revolution is a reskinned edition of the original Revolution game with some updates and items from previous expansions all in one box.

Pathfinder Revolution Rules Description:

The rules for Pathfinder Revolution are the same as in the original. The names of characters you bid on and locations you influence have been changed but the rules are the same. Some time ago I reviewed the original Revolution. If you are unfamiliar with the gameplay read my rules overview. Then come back here to get caught up on the changes in the Pathfinder edition.

One change is the way the bid boards show what you can bid on each character. Previously the backgrounds of the characters showed what they were immune to. For example, the General is immune to force so the background of his block is red in the original version. In Pathfinder Revolution, the Field Marshal’s background is black and yellow to show you can bid with blackmail and gold. The order of the characters is also different.

This table shows a summary of the character changes:

As you can see the names have changed and some abilities were tweaked. But at its heart, this is the same board game.

Quick Review of Pathfinder Revolution:

Pathfinder Revolution is not very different from the original board game. I am simply happy this game is back in print. It can be mean and might suffer from allowing a runaway leader, but I still enjoy it a lot.

The components for this board game are good. The art is all from Pathfinder and looks great. One side of the board accommodates three to four players while the other is for the five or six player game. The translucent cubes are cool looking too. I do like the tokens from the original version a bit better as these are more graphic. But that is a small nitpick. The rules are well written and easy to follow and reference.

Like I said above, this edition is basically the same as the original. Some Pathfinder fans might enjoy the references, but if you are unfamiliar with the RPG they will probably go over your head which I don’t think matters.

You might be asking if you should buy this board game. I think that depends. Do you like auction/bidding board games? Do you dislike take that/mean mechanics? Do you own the original? If so, do you want to play with five or six players and don’t have the Palace or Anarchy expansion?

Depending how you answer those questions, you can answer if you should buy Pathfinder Revolution. If you like bidding board games and don’t mind mean games and don’t have the original, pick this version up. If you like auction games but take that games bother you, I say try before you buy. If you have the original but want to play with more than four players, pick this up. If you have Revolution and the Palace or Anarchy expansion, you don’t really need this edition. But might enjoy the way fuses the two expansions, so give it a try.

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