#41: Claustrophobia (Mark's 100 - 2014)

Claustrophobia

Mark's Ranking

• 2014: 41st
• 2012: 63rd
• 2010: did not appear
• 2005: prior to publication

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 96
• rating: 7.69

Print Status

• in print

Why It's On The List

• Imagine taking the asymmetrical structure of the classic game Space Hulk (hordes of bad guys vs. a small band of heroes) and cross-pollinating it with some very clever dice mechanics (one even borrowed from the much-loved Euro game, Kingsburg)... and then packing the box as full of high-quality components as possible. And there you have it.

Tips & Tricks:

• Both players (the good guys AND the bad guys) have to carefully managed all of their resources - each of them has some pretty nifty "powers" but almost all of those are limited in their use.

Extras

• The playing time for Claustrophobia is almost always less than an hour... and, with a few exceptions, it's pretty easy to set up as the caverns will be explored and the game board laid out as you play.
• Warning: this is probably the "darkest" game I own (thematically)... this is not for everyone.
• The De Profundis expansion has a lot more scenarios, some new monsters & heroes, and a bunch of new tiles & cards... and, as per the designer's wishes, does NOT make this a multi-player game. (Croc - yes, that's his moniker - was very clear that he'd designed a two-player game and that putting more folks around the table would mess up the design.)
• The Furor Sanguinis expansion adds a new "faction" - well, to be accurate, giant lizard/demon bad guy. We've had a lot of fun with it.