I wish that I could say that I bought just a few games that came to my attention via Wil Wheaton’s Tabletop on YouTube, but that would be a lie. What I can say though, few games have come to my attention and immediately jumped into my top 5, if not top 3, like Champions of Midgard. Ole Steiness’s worker placement game made an immediate impact on me. I love worker placement games, yet there was something different about this game. Something about the way it played. Something about the interaction between players. Something about the overall feel of the game. It didn’t hurt that the episode featured an actual Viking playing the game. Well, ex-Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe. Close enough. I held off buying it as it was a play and win game at Geekway to the West, the local game convention here in St. Louis. So, I went to the convention, learned to play it, loved it, and hoped I would win the game. Sadly, I did not. Even sadder, Grey Fox Games, the St. Louis based game publisher that publishes Midgard in the US was at the convention, but they sold out. So, I went to my friendly local game shop and purchased Champions of Midgard. It has since seen plenty of table time.
In Champions of Midgard, you and your fellow players are Viking warriors who are vying for the spot of the recently deceased Jarl, leader of the clan. The creatures in area know of his passing and are coming to terrorize the village. You are trying to prove that you are the worthy successor by defeating these enemies and collecting glory (points). Over 8 rounds, you and your opponents will collect warrior dice, food, wood, get blessings, and fight enemies to prove once and for all, you are the Champion of Midgard!
