Cardboard Corner: Review of Tash-Kalar: Arena of Legends

There have been various times in my life when the stars held interest. Getting out a map, I would gaze into the heavens, trying to find this constellation or that. Formlessness converted to form, where the stars at first seem scattered, a deeper look can convert them into shapes—lions, crabs, wagons, crosses, and dippers. 2013’s Tash Kalar: Arena of Legends takes this idea and converts it into a board game.

In Tash Kalar, 2-4 players (best at 2) take on the role of dueling wizards. Representing one of the four factions available, players play cards with “constellations” (patterns) on them. These constellations come in the shape of fantastical beasts, warriors, nymphs, bears, and all other manner of battle-hardened creatures. Players summon creatures shown on their cards by placing tokens on the game board matching the pattern. Their goal is to disrupt their opponent's patterns and/or put tokens to score objective points, depending which game mode players choose (more in a moment). A back and forth abstract battle, players look to deploy ever more powerful creatures (i.e. more complex patterns), from common to heroic to legendary, to become the winner.

Regarding winning conditions, there are several game modes available. In the most common, called High Form, players try to earn points by achieving conditions described in a side deck of cards. For example, first player to have 4 heroic tokens, or first player to have a line of tokens across the entire width of the board, etc., etc. First person to total 12 points on these cards, wins. Another mode is Deathmatch Duel: the outright destruction (removal) of all your opponents’ tokens. Yet another is Team Play, and still another is Deathmatch Melee (for 3-4 players). And there are others still. Bottom line, the game is flexible depending on the interests of the players.

I have read complaints that Tash-Kalar doesn’t feel like a dueling wizards game. And I get it; there are no spells, or zips and zaps, or lightning or fire coming from fingertips. But there remains a wizard aura given the patterns and stones and summoning of creatures. I can easily picture a pair of bearded druids sitting over a flat rock, silently pushing their stones around to make patterns (the loser handing over his staff and walking away into the forest). Certainly there are games with more overt, wizardly feel, but Tash-Kalar has the vibe for a more subtle experience.

While at times shifting, the needle of Tash Kalar points more toward tactics than luck. The better player will usually win, though there are non-deterministic elements. The first few playthroughs, however, can provide a different feeling. Uncertainty, an organized opponent, and the belief your options are limited can give you the idea it's all up in the air. But slowly, tactics emerge (dare I say, like a constellation in the sky?), and you realize that more than meets the eye is deterministic. Knowing what creatures the opponent has left in their deck, keeping specific options open, knowing when to trigger certain cards and when not, and bluffing (if you are playing the points version) are all valuable. And getting to (finally) play that legendary creature you’ve been waiting for five turns is greatly satisfying. For those who explore Tash-Kalar long enough, there are layers of tactical depth.

But these layers are limited. Not infinitely deep, the overall play and feel of Tash Kalar is a family game. Medium weight, it can be enjoyed by children (though not too young) as much as adults. Some people may complain that the creature patterns in the cards don’t look like the creatures they are, but I would guess those people have the same complaint of Leo in the night sky: it doesn’t look like a lion. The lesson is: some imagination required. And in this case, tactics and luck also. If this sounds interesting, check out Tash-Kalar.