Looney Tunes Mayhem

Normally I would not have gone near it, but finding games that might hold a child’s attention led me to Looney Tunes Mayhem. The pre-painted miniatures are its obvious strength: they look splendid on the table and sell the promise of a cartoon brawl at once. It is a pity that Looney Tunes no longer seems to carry the same pull with younger children; more of a pity that the rest of the game appears to have relied on the figures doing all the selling.

A game lasts about half an hour. You choose two characters from the available roster and set about beating up the opposing team. Activations alternate, so nobody is left watching the other side take a private little turn, and abilities are driven by dice. The framework is passable. That is all.

The trouble is that it never decides whether it wants to be a wild, yolo dice game or something steadier and more controlled. It is not simple enough for two six-year-olds to run comfortably by themselves, yet it offers too little decision-making to stick with older players. Add expansions for anyone inclined to take it seriously, and the Sylvester/Coyote combination has already taken the matter seriously on your behalf.

The miniatures are lovely. The game attached to them is a cash-in with a decent skeleton, a missed opportunity, and an impressively daft production for such a recent release.