Guild Master

Guild Master arrived as dessert: light, dice-driven, and carrying that familiar feeling that its creator has spent time with Lords of Waterdeep and heard the line “everything is better with dice.” It is not exactly the most exciting proposition when you describe it, but at the table it has a pleasant, relaxed flow.

Everyone begins with their own guild of heroes and, over nine rounds, tries to recruit new heroes, expand the guild, and take on quests. The aim is glory, money, and, naturally, the necessary dose of complexes; at the end, end-game scoring decides who did best.

The interesting part lies in the action selection and in the fact that choices resolve simultaneously, so the process does not drag while players set up their moves. The dice are what add distinction and uncertainty, but that is also where the small thorny detail lies: if they bury you in the first two rounds, coming back becomes difficult.

You will not suffer if you do not add it to your collection. Still, it is not a bad little game: for a more relaxed gaming session, when you are not looking for grand drama but for pleasant guild-building with dice, it does its job.