This article originally appeared in Pyramid #29
Titan - the Arena
Published 1997 by
The Avalon Hill Game Company
A fantasy adaptation of Grand National Derby by Reiner Knizia
$19.99Titan - the Arena is a fast-paced card game for two to five players. It has nothing to do with Avalon Hill's classic game, Titan, but I suspect the title was chosen to attract the same fans.
Titan - the Arena is a very good game with only one flaw, which is addressed below. It consists of 110 cards and 25 betting chips in five different colors. Eight of the cards have red backs, the others blue. The red cards represent the eight fantasy combatants in the arena (Titan, Hydra, Dragon, etc.), and are laid out in a column at the start of the game. The remaining cards are shuffled, and eight are dealt to each player. Each player takes one set of five betting chips of the same color.
The artwork on the cards is good, but there isn't a lot of variety. Each creature has eleven cards with the identical picture on it, numbered uniquely from 0 to 10. There are also eleven "spectator" cards, numbered from 0 to 10, with different art - such creatures as a minotaur and ogre, which act as wild cards, as you can play them on any creature. Finally there are three referee cards, which allow a player either to reclaim a played card or force someone to reveal a secret bet.
The game is played in five rounds: a round lasts until one combatant dies, and may consist of numerous turns. At the end of the game, there will be only three creatures left - whoever has the . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: April 3, 1998
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