Conquest of Nerath is a new tactical warfare game set in the world of Dungeons and Dragons. It mixes up a bit of risk and a healthy amount of Axis and Allies, and applies a generous amount of fantasy world setting to the top to create a rich experience and totally unlike any of the other D&D boardgames that Wizards of the Coast has released recently.

If you’re looking for a game with a decent amount of strategy, a ton of components but pretty simple and clear rules (once you see them in action for a few turns) then Conquest of Nerath might be just what the Dr. ordered! It’s what I would call a good entry level into the tactical army type boardgames of this nature. It’s also a lot of fun. So let’s take a look at it!

What’s it about?

The game centers around a portion of Nerath that’s currently under control from 4 different factions… The Dark Empire of Karkoth, The Vailin Alliance, The Iron Circle and The Nerathan League. Each player will be the warlord for one of the warring nations, controlling and ordering it’s units around the map in order to control the most territory. There are a few variants to the gameplay depending on how many people are playing and whether or not you want to play with official alliances or just a free-for-all game.

The point of the game is to earn victory points, with the number for victory being set at the beginning depending on whether you want to play a short, medium or long game. Victory points can be acquired from conquering enemy territory, taking over enemy capitols or from treasures gained from exploring dungeons (more on that in a bit). You’ll earn those points using your army of different military units designated by the many different mini’s that come with the game

The initial setup can be a bit lengthy since each faction starts with a ton of mini’s on the board. By the time you’re done setting up there’s no mistaking this is a wargame, as just about every space on the board is brimming with soldiers, siege weaponry, dragons and more. The nice thing about this is that when the game starts there’s no need to initially build up forces, just attack. It became obvious quick there was little point to posturing and holding back, it’s best to push against your enemies, no matter what direction they lie in.

How do you play?

Each game turn is played out in a series of stages, that in the beginning do take some time to get down. The first thing you do on your turn is to draw a card off your army deck. These cards have special abilities that can help you in battle or mess up your opponents. Cards might have to be played immediately or right as a battle is starting or in other specified situations. When used well they can really turn the tables of a fight.

After that you’ll move any of all of your pieces that you want to. So you’ll choose which lands you’re invading and move the portion of your army that you want to fight the battle. You can also move other pieces around to put them in defensive positions or get them ready to invade later on. Each unit type has a limit on how many spaces they can move in any turn so it’s important to plan ahead.

Then, battle! The invader will now play out all the battles that he triggered in their move turn one by one. The pieces of the attacking and defending armies are laid out and damage die are assigned to each unit. For instance footsoldiers roll a d6 and Monsters roll a d12. You always need a 6 or higher to hit, so it’s no surprise that Dragons are a valuable commodity since they get to roll d20. There’s special roles for each unit that we needn’t get into here but after the fighting is done to the victor go the spoils (and victory points if need be). Afterwards you can reposition your forces and reinforce your army with new units. After that you collect money based on the number of territories you control.

One of the aspects I enjoyed most was the dungeons exploration element. Spread around the board are various dungeons from D&D lore like the Tomb of Horrors. Each one has a dungeon door token on it that has a random monster on the back. Wizards and Heroes are able to explore these dungeons in search of treasure instead of fighting regular battles. This is a strategic choice, since those fights can be super tough. But the treasure cards are worth VP and have other special abilities so depending on the situation can be a valuable resource.

What do we think of it?

The game is made for 2-4 players but to be honest I doubt it would be as compelling a game with less than 4. In a two player game each player controls half the armies, so there’s much less a feeling of being on your own in the world, and it takes out the alliance (and eventual backstab) aspect completely. I think I would still enjoy it as a 2 player game, but would endeavor to find a full table of people wanting to play it.

All of us at the table remarked at how much we enjoyed the tactical side of it, as the game does a good job of limiting money and unit movement enough that it’s VERY difficult to be strong on all fronts at all times. You can be unit heavy on the front lines, only to have enemy dragons sail right overhead. Of course not reinforcing the battlelines leave you at risk to being run over. Likewise a sorry ocean defense leave you open to warship’s full of soldiers arriving at your doorstep.

Expect your first few games to drag on a bit and take longer than normal while you get the basics down. There’s a lot of questions and rule book checking going on. It’s a game that where the basics are really easy to nail down, but it takes some time to get the specific rules for each unit of how best to use your army to your advantage. Luckily the rule book is really clear and well laid out, and it wasn’t hard for us to find answers to any of our (many, many) questions.

One of the things I have to give serious kudos for is the box design and insert. Far to often we’ve seen great games falter when it comes to the simple task of including a proper box insert (7 Wonders we’re looking at you). Conquest of Nerath might have the best insert in my entire game collection. There is a spot for everything, perfectly sized and excellently located.

There are places for all the markers, a spot for each army of mini’s (complete with embossed logo), dice, various tokens, etc. There’s even a spot for the cards with an angled bottom so you can easily pull the cards out without those last few just getting stuck to the bottom. If you don’t have a large game collection you’re probably wondering why I’m going on and on about this, but trust me most gamemakers tend to foul this up and Conquest of Nerath does a great job throughout the entire insert. It’s perfect.

All in all while we were certainly slow in the beginning with the rules I do think Conquest of Nerath is pretty easy to learn as far as games of this type go. The rule book is super clear and the basics are simple to get down enough to get you up and running pretty quickly. Typically sessions where you’re learning the game aren’t all that much fun but we all had a good time right from the get go. If you’ve been looking for a more army heavy tactical experience in your DnD boardgame, then Ravenloft may have been a bit of a disappointment, but Conquest of Nerath will scratch that itch. Highly Recommended!