In For Glory, you fight for control of gladiatorial arenas and fight… For Glory! Glory is also the games score keeping currency so it works on many levels. Manage your deck and strategically purchase additional cards to have the strongest and fastest gladiators fight it out in 3 separate arenas at a time until a battle results in a player having 6 or more glory. For Glory is a fun two player game and a great addition to your shelf and it has a lot of nuances that will make you want to rip your opponents head off (in game of course).
Was this game sent for review or self-purchased?: For Glory was kindly sent to us for review by Spielcraft Games. While the game was sent for review, the game is definitely worth a purchase as the game offers great replay value and is complex and fast paced once the rules are understood.
In two sentences, what do you do in the game: You and your opponent start with the same deck and will use money from cards and coins to amass warriors, abilities and influence. The warriors, abilities and influence are then used to build up to battles in arenas where the winner will emerge victorious and win the game’s point currency, Glory.
Have we played any other titles by this publisher?: This is Spielcraft Games debut game!
What was surprising about this title: The currency system was surprisingly in depth. Money in the game is in the form of cards and in coins. You may use your card money during your turn where you must discard any unused cards at the end of your turn. You will also play cards that allow you to collect coins that can remain in your player area between turns. This allows for a system that lets you manage short term and long term goals. There are numerous occasions where you draw numerous card coins but are unable to purchase cards solely with cards, forcing you to strategize whether or not you want to use your coins in conjunction with cards to purchase a card. It is an ingenious system that allows for accumulation of wealth and sudden bursts of purchases if needed. It also allows for players to simply buy a card to spite their opponent if need be in moments where your opponent drew little to no coins.
How likely is this to return to the game table?: Very likely. The game takes a moment to get the pacing or turns down, especially the first time you play. After a few rounds of play, you will find the flow of gameplay second nature and turns will go by faster and faster. The game is fairly light but feels heftier than it is. The choices you make and the cards you can purchase or choose to ignore can be your downfall quickly. The element of luck from the deck building aspect is also great. Normally, we tend to stray away from deck builders but this game is fantastic and does a great job of making every choice and every hand replenishment feel important. It makes deck building feel on the fly and improvisational at times while allowing you choice on what you add to your deck as you play. Too many games suffer from premade decks where a single round of drawing the correct cards can just shut down a game and ruin the experience for one player. For Glory makes everything feel balanced and since you are building your deck as you play, each choice matters and you adjust your gameplay based on the cards you draw and the cards you purchase.
Game length: Moderate. The game lasts approximately 60-90 minutes according to the box and it stays fairly true to this estimate. Your first few rounds may feel lengthy on your first playthrough but after repeating the actions every round, you get a feel for the rhythm and rarely have to look at the convenient guide on your player board.
Language Barrier Playability: Not good. The game is very text and language heavy. It has a lot of symbols that make it easier to see what traits cards are but they are followed by implicit details that may sometimes change the rules laid out in the rule book. This makes it difficult to play with a non-native English speaker as it requires the ability to speak and read English.
Artwork: Epic. The artwork is superb and will remind you of Greek mythology, Roman Mythology and the bronze age. The title text is in a very blocky Greek style font that can sometimes be a little difficult to read. Cards are set up between both players; sideways, so that both players can read them simultaneously. The letters are chunky and the “E” can sometimes look like a “3” or a “W” and it may take you a quick moment to realize what you are reading.
Quality: Excellent. The cards are textured, durable and the artwork and text is sharp and crisp. The box contains everything neatly and easily. There is a version that contains metal coins and if you have the option and ability to do so, we strongly recommend it. We reviewed the regular edition that contains paper punched coins and tokens, and while they are by no means bad, the metal coins and tokens look gorgeous and will make the game just a little more immersive. Who doesn’t love metal coins for games?
Strategy: Moderate. The game has a lot of varying options for winning. You may accumulate many cheap gladiators, or a few expensive ones. You may opt for a high cost card that lets you gain a lot more coins in the future. You may choose to eliminate cards from your deck to narrow down your deck and have only the cards you want and get rid of others. It has a lot of depth for a seemingly simple game.
Instruction Manual: The instruction manual explains the rules very well and has examples of play. The manual also contains pictures of the contents and what the contents are referred to as in the game. Some games may describe an item and never show an actual picture of what it looks like or vice versa. The manual makes it so you can find an Economy card and not confuse it for similar looking cards. The card backs are identical for all cards you place in your deck, but you will never confuse the types because of the manual.
Organization: Great with one minor problem. The tokens, coins and cards all fit very neatly in separate slots. All the separate cards can be separated into their respective decks without having to place additional cards in a different spot or have two slots for one type of card. Everything sits beautifully in the tray… ey axcept for the player boards. The player boards do not sit in place nor do they have an appropriately sized slot. There is a gap on top of the tray, in the center that seems like it is meant to hold the trays. However, when placed the player boards wobble up and down and do not remain in place when shaken or moved. They do stay in the general area and it does not really cause problems unless you plan on taking the game on a long trip where it may shake or be laid upright. It is a minor problem but it is something we found a little dissatisfying as we were placing everything back in the box.
Final thoughts: For Glory is worth a play or two, or three in a row. The game is strangely addictive and you find yourself worrying about the gladiators fighting for you. Will the three cheap cards win the fight against the single expensive card? Will one high hit point card manage to beat the one with the high attack? It’s a game that will keep you wanting to try different strategies and because of money being both discarded at the end of your turn with cards and being held onto long term in the form of coins, the game sort of forces you to think differently than you were expecting. You might see a precious card and expect to draw enough money to purchase it but find that you don’t have enough resources and end up going with a different option since your opponent is clearly setting up an arena already. If you like moderate strategic games that you can set up in a couple of minutes or games that have a slight element of luck, then this is a wonderful addition to your shelf.
Sushiball Games 