Recently, I’ve been engrossed in the Hoplomachus: Victorum solo game from Chip Theory Games. I reviewed it a few weeks ago, which you can read here, but the short of it is, I loved it, and it’s spent a lot of time on my tabletop since it arrived.
Along with a copy of the game, Chip Theory Games sent over a copy of the Pandora’s Ruin expansion. I decided to talk about this one separately as it introduces some significant changes to the core game. So, let’s get right into what makes it tick.
Expansion Overview:
Pandora’s Ruin introduces four different modules that you can add to your games of Hoplomachus: Victorum. You can pick the ones you want to use or toss them all into one big Hoplomachus salad.
Dark Days:
This introduces Scion-specific events to shuffle into the respective event decks. These are more challenging than the regular events but are more tailored to the experience of the Scion you are facing.
Strange Sands:
More variety! Each of the original 8 arenas now features a different ruleset. After each battle in an arena, you flip over the rules card, switching between the new ruleset and the original one.
The Rivals:
Instead of having static Primus battles, you now draw the top card of the Primus event deck and use the lineup and rules listed on that card.
Mercury’s Boots:
This is an alternate play mode that cuts the game length in about half. Your journey is now only 24 weeks long, divided into 4 6-week acts. You can face a Primus whenever you want, which makes the Scion easier for each Primus you defeat. You also get accelerated awards, faster travel, and opportunity cards can now be spent for rerolls or cashed in after Primus battles for their rewards.
Game Experience with the Expansion:
For fans of Hoplomachus: Victorum, Pandora’s Ruin is a must-add expansion. I’d say Dark Days is probably the least required of the new modules, as I’m usually not one to look for greater challenges in my solo games. But the other 3 are fantastic additions.
Strange Sands fixes one of my complaints with the base game—where combat felt stale as you went from fight to fight in the same region. Now, with battle rules switching every other battle, things are familiar, yet there is a little bit more variety in the game. You can combine this with spectating to make sure you get the arena rules you want to combine with the next event card.
I also enjoy The Rivals. The new Primus events add a touch of variety, but since they are face up, you have a bit of control over if you want to use that card. This is because you can now spectate in a capital location, so if you don’t like the current Primus event, you can cycle it out.
But the top of the list for me is the Mercury’s Boots module. This cuts the playtime way down yet still gives the feeling of character growth and exploration. You have two new stats you can upgrade: Opportunity Cards and Travel. You start out only being able to hold 3 opportunity cards, which can now be spent for rerolls, and each upgraded travel point will let you move farther across the map on a turn. This gives you access to other regions, more choices in what your next event is, and helps you speed your way to more Primus battles.
I’m a bit on the fence about whether I like the overhauls opportunity card system. You can no longer earn them in-game for achieving their goals. But now, you can cash in up to two of them after defeating a Primus to earn their bonus (in addition to using them for the reroll benefit). I liked getting those mid-level bumps with opportunity rewards, but not having to do some of the harder ones is also welcome.
Finally, while it’s not big enough for an article on its own, Chip Theory Games did also send over the Pandora’s Might expansion for us to check out. This small box expansion bridges the gap between Hoplomachus: Victorum and Hoplomachus: Remastered (review coming soon from James). It lets you use the heroes from Remastered in Victorum and also brings in Pandora herself as a hero. If you don’t have Remastered, then you won’t have the chips to use, but if you are ok proxying them with the current heroes, then it gives you another 9 or so heroes to use, making this an easy addition to your games.
Final Thoughts:
This is usually the part of the expansion review where we throw in the standard text: “If you didn’t like the core game, nothing here will change your mind…”. Yet, for once, I can buck that trend. Pandora’s Ruin takes my two biggest complaints from the core game and addresses them excellently. The variety in the arenas have been doubled, and the game length is much more manageable now. This is a must-add addition, and Mercury’s Boots has become the only way I want to play Hoplomachus: Victorum. For me, this expansion bumps the game over the top into the 5-star category.
Hits:
• Mercury’s Boots is the best way to play
• More arena variety
• Primus battles are more interesting
• Comes with card storage boxes!
Misses:
• None
Source: Board Game Quest
