Kevin Rohrer - Aug 21, 2004 4:46 pm (#7027 Total: 7072) Come to Columbia Games East in Charlottsville, Va. Sep 3-5. Play in block tourneys AND open game! Viking Fury OTT at last night's CABS meeting was Viking Fury This is a new trade, raid, and settle game by the Ragnar Brothers for 2-5 players. The map is cloth, 25"x36" and is printed in two colors. It shows an outline of Europe plus the Med as far east as Constantinople and has many of the historical ports of the time listed on it. The game plays very straightforward. Players outfit their single Longship (a standup marker) with crew (represented by different colored wooden cubes) and trade goods (furs, hides, and tusks) in a safe area called the Wintering Box, then move to one of three Home Ports (Sweden, Denmark, or Norway) where players can draw Rune cards to aid them in their journey. Rune cards are chance events that help them or hinder the other players. Once a Longship is loaded, the owner sails it across the Atlantic performing combinations of tasks: Raiding (seizing Treasure counters that have been randomly placed on Ports) Trading (selling Trade goods carried onboard for the value printed on a Port), and/or Settling (engaging in "combat" that allows the victorious player to seize control of the Port by placing a crewman cube on it). Points are immediately awarded for Trading and Raiding, while points are awarded at the end for the number of Settlements owned. To spice up the game, there are Saga cards that award bonus points but during and after the game for completing them. Sagas include Raiding, Trading, and Settling particular series of ports. What makes this process interesting is that only the person who completes the Saga gets credit for doing so. Those who perform part of the process get nothing except a horse-laugh from the completing player. Players may instantaneously transport their Longship back to the Wintering Box whenever they feel like it, or when the ship is decrewed, thus ending their turn. This all means that Viking Fury is a race between the players to perform these tasks. Each player gets a turn of seven actions to outfit their ship, plus an unlimited amount of tasks (playing Rune cards) and other activities, although only one port can have a task performed on it in a turn. This is a game of being 'the fustest with the mostest' by outfitting your Longship with the right combination of crew and goods, then getting to the most lucrative ports before the competition. At game's end, additional points are awarded for having settlements, the most completed Saga cards, and for having the most treasure counters. We played a three player game that last three hours, but I expect a game amongst experienced players to last about 2.5 hours. The game allows players to pursue various strategies, to include concentrating on Raiding, Settling, Settling/Trading, or a balanced game of going after all three. Players also need to keep an eye on the Sagas, not only for the bonus points available from completing them, but also because the game won't end until these cards have been completed. The game reminds me of SPI/AH's Conquistador, although one player compared it to an earlier Ragnar Brothers game: Kings & Castles. I'm not going to call Viking Fury a Euro, although some may do that. The game is pricey for what you get, it costing me $50 from Boulder Games, but I can't argue that it is fun with no two games ever playing the same. The rulebook is short and well-written. I had only one question about how a particular card (Colonization) works and have emailed the company. For those going to the Buckeye Game Fest next month (Sep. 23-26) in Columbus, Ohio, I will run this game at least once during the weekend.