Quick Look – Bellum: Of Mutants and Men
Designer: Ben Maloney, Ryan O’LearyArtists: Dylan Barker, Ross Hayes
Publisher: Van Hammock Games
Year Published: 2019
No. of Players: 2
Ages: 13+
Playing Time: 15–45 minutes
Find more info on BoardGameGeek.com
Review
Bellum means war, at least in Latin. And, Bellum of Mutants and
Men is just that—a war game of 2 forces facing off against each other on the
field of battle.
Men is just that—a war game of 2 forces facing off against each other on the
field of battle.
There are 2 races in the world: Sapiens and Gobalos. Armies are
being built. Some are of one race. In some places of the world, the races have
come together in defense of their homelands. You have a full barracks and are
preparing to lead your troops to conquest against your enemy’s keep.
being built. Some are of one race. In some places of the world, the races have
come together in defense of their homelands. You have a full barracks and are
preparing to lead your troops to conquest against your enemy’s keep.
Bellum: Of Mutants and Men is a 1-on-1 deck-management war-game
played on a 5 by 5 grid map.
played on a 5 by 5 grid map.
Each player controls a 30-card deck (a Barracks) built prior toplaying. Bellum comes with 2 prebuilt decks (1 for each race) and enough cards
to build several more. We chose to use the pre-made decks to play our game.
The rules of Bellum were easy to understand. They give an overview
of how the game is played and how to read the cards. The cards are divided into
Units and Stratagem. The information on the cards is used when bringing Units
into play and affects how the game plays out. Cards also have synergistic
aspects that can come into play.
of how the game is played and how to read the cards. The cards are divided into
Units and Stratagem. The information on the cards is used when bringing Units
into play and affects how the game plays out. Cards also have synergistic
aspects that can come into play.
The size of the board leads to quick engagement. Each player has a
keep located in the middle square on opposite sides. This means there are 3
steps from doorstep to doorstep. This allows the ability to move in quickly and attack with some Units while others maneuvering into support positions.
keep located in the middle square on opposite sides. This means there are 3
steps from doorstep to doorstep. This allows the ability to move in quickly and attack with some Units while others maneuvering into support positions.
We enjoyed our game of Bellum. The options provided a level of
complexity to the strategy without complicating the rules.
complexity to the strategy without complicating the rules.
Setup
The main part of getting the game set up is creating your deck.
Each player has a deck of 30 cards, called a Barracks. There can only be two
cards of the same type in the Barracks. When preparing to play, this is the
longest portion; however, we thought of a couple of ideas that could be used
for this part of the game (more on our variants later). There are enough different
cards to create different strategies between games or create multiple decks at
a time.
Each player has a deck of 30 cards, called a Barracks. There can only be two
cards of the same type in the Barracks. When preparing to play, this is the
longest portion; however, we thought of a couple of ideas that could be used
for this part of the game (more on our variants later). There are enough different
cards to create different strategies between games or create multiple decks at
a time.
Once you have a Barracks, you’re ready to start.
Gameplay
A player uses Stockpile (action points) to bring units into play
and other activities during their turn. You start a round by drawing a card and
then increasing your Stockpile by the number of cards you have in your hand.
and other activities during their turn. You start a round by drawing a card and
then increasing your Stockpile by the number of cards you have in your hand.
The turn starts with beginning a turn of events (described on
cards in play), then the middle turn of movement, combat, and some other
options, and completes with end of turn events (also listed on the cards). We
found these to be easy to follow and setting up combinations of beginning and
ending turn events is useful.
cards in play), then the middle turn of movement, combat, and some other
options, and completes with end of turn events (also listed on the cards). We
found these to be easy to follow and setting up combinations of beginning and
ending turn events is useful.
Combat is an easy comparison of Attack and Defense. Each Unit’s Defense
is the amount of damage they can take in a turn. Once they reach zero, the Unit
is removed from the game. If there wasn’t enough damage to remove the Unit in a
single turn, the Defense resets with the next turn. But the main goal is to
take out your opponent’s keep.
is the amount of damage they can take in a turn. Once they reach zero, the Unit
is removed from the game. If there wasn’t enough damage to remove the Unit in a
single turn, the Defense resets with the next turn. But the main goal is to
take out your opponent’s keep.
Turns alternate until one player’s keep has suffered 10 points of
damage.
damage.
Theme and Mechanics
Bellum is a war taking place in our future and provides a
crossover between science fiction and fantasy.
crossover between science fiction and fantasy.
The main mechanic is building the deck prior to play. During play, it is management of Stockpile and combat with the cards. All the fighting is
done by comparing the cards; there are no dice used.
done by comparing the cards; there are no dice used.
Artwork and Components
The theme of a futuristic war is continued with the artwork. All
of the components and artwork are in black and white, playing up the dichotomy
of 2 sides. The artwork also makes the cards easy to read.
of the components and artwork are in black and white, playing up the dichotomy
of 2 sides. The artwork also makes the cards easy to read.
Variants
We thought of several varying ways of
starting, or to speed up play between games if you want to play back-to-back
games.
starting, or to speed up play between games if you want to play back-to-back
games.
- After finishing a game, swap decks and
go at it again. This provides a quick set up into the next game and allows you
to see how well your opponent does with a deck you created. - Create two decks before play and
randomly have your opponent choose one to play. This gives the experience of
building the Barracks and working on keeping them balanced. - Draft the cards. There are over 100
additional cards with the game so this might take a longer while still learning
what the cards can do and how they interact. You can also draft more cards than
needed so you aren’t totally revealing what you will be using. There is also
the ability to draft to the end and create several decks from one drafting
event. Again, this would allow your opponent to know what all your cards are,
but not in which deck they are used.
The Good
- Only needs two players
- Easy to learn
- Enough cards to play—each player doesn’t need to have their own
copy of the game
The Bad
- Only two players
Final Thoughts
We enjoyed Bellum: Of Mutants and Men. There was enough to get us
talking about other options and strategies we could play as we progressed. I
know we will be bringing it out again to try out our thoughts.
talking about other options and strategies we could play as we progressed. I
know we will be bringing it out again to try out our thoughts.
Players Who Like
- Two-player games
- Strategy games
- Deck management
On KICKSTARTER now. Campaign ends July 3, 2019.
Daniel Yocom – Reviewer
Daniel Yocom does geeky things by night because his day job won’t let him. This dates back to the 1960s through games, books, movies, and stranger things better shared in small groups. He’s written hundreds of articles about these topics for his own blog, other websites, and magazines along with stories, after extensive research. His research includes attending conventions, sharing on panels and presentations, and road-tripping with his wife. Join in the geeky fun at guildmastergaming@blogspot.com.
See Daniel’s reviews HERE.
