Toy Battle

Toy Battle was one of those games I initially passed over because I had other things on my mind. Then I heard Kosmas’s very positive experience, watched the stuntman of our group sweep the BGA ladder with the soldier/rubber-duck combo and come back singing its praises, and procurement did the obvious thing: it entered the hoard. And yes, that decision was thoroughly vindicated.

It is a game strictly for two, with an extremely simple core that reminds me of Stratego with cards. You play your units, try to make proper use of their abilities, and look for the right moment for your good combos. It is one of those games where you quickly understand what you are doing, but that does not mean you are playing on autopilot.

There is plenty of strategy in the contest and, thankfully, it does not stay the same from game to game. The eight maps bring different special abilities, so your clash is not simply “I drop a card and we’ll see”: you watch what the map does, what your opponent can set up, and how best to exploit your own toys. The interaction is direct, clean, and exactly as competitive as a quick one-versus-one game needs to be.

The best news? My son loved it, and it is one of the few games we play together that he managed to teach successfully, all by himself, to his friends. Dirt-cheap price, maximum fun, and a game that makes the obvious feel like a brilliant idea: two players, simple rules, clever choices, then straight back in for another round. It was a mistake that it did not win Spiel des Jahres. Do not hesitate; buy it.