Image: Treefrog Games
When I heard that Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series was getting some board game love this year, I was more than a little intrigued. I’ve been a big fan of the series ever since I was a kid, and I’ve always felt that the setting was a perfect fit for a board game. Unfortunately, I’ve never felt satisfied with any prior efforts to bring Pratchett’s zany fantasy world to the table.
Treefrog Games’ upcoming Ankh-Morpork, designed by Martin Wallace (Age of Industry, London), scratched every Discworld-related gaming itch I had, and then a few I didn’t. I was lucky enough to get a prototype in the mail and when my gaming group gathered around the table to give it a go, all of us went away happy. Even those who had never even heard of Discworld.
My friend Matt called the game “a twisted mix of Munchkin and Settlers of Catan,” and I think that fits it pretty well. The game includes a map of the titular city and each player has a secret objective: accumulate wealth, take control over a certain number of neighborhoods, or just cause massive amounts of trouble. Because everyone has their own unique and hidden winning condition, you get the suspicion and finger-pointing typically seen in a game of Mafia or Werewolf. Combine that with the tactical element of moving your minions around on the city map, and the hilarious and beautifully illustrated cards full of the characters and places that Discworld fans know and love, and you have a very well-rounded experience.
The game comes out this September. Check out the game over on Treefrog’s site and stay tuned to GeekDad for a full review in the coming months.
Disclosure: I received a free prototype of Ankh-Morpork from Treefrog Games.
