Clever. Absurd. Fun. If you woke up this morning thinking, I wish I’d pursued that career as a Troll Recruiter, Overlord Wedding Planner, or Vampire Investment Banker, now is your chance. Recruit your team of colorful, quirky heroes, gather resources, and complete quests in this easy to learn tableau building, resource management game with a whimsical heart.
Misfit Heroes is published by AEG and takes about 30 minutes to play.
Game Play Overview
Misfit Heroes is designed by Phil Walker-Harding with a charming, cartoony visual style by Matt Owe. The game is a card placement, tableau-building race to the finish. Each turn, a player takes exactly one action: place a card from hand, draw cards, recruit heroes, earn coin, or gain resources (the rulebook calls this influence).
Cards are placed starting from the lower left corner of each player’s personal 4×4 card tableau. Each card is placed orthogonally, and players are encouraged to creatively and strategically build their tableaus. Placing a card in the tableau formally recruits a hero into the player’s team. Once a hero card is placed, the player checks to be sure they’ve met the recruiting conditions. If they have, they will trigger the activation box on the card and earn precious resources in coin or resources. Resources may be converted into quests at the end of the player’s turn and later into victory points. The game ends when one player places the 16th and final card of their tableau. Remaining players can take one final turn to complete the round.
Game Experience:
The cards in Misfit Heroes are a clever construction and steal the show. Cards represent three types or factions: human, beast, and misfit. Each hero card is built from two physical components: a base Attribute card (human or beast) and a clear Character sleeve/overlay that is also either human or beast in nature. During setup, the two are randomly sleeved together, producing wonderfully absurd combinations. When a human base is paired with a beast overlay or vice versa, the result is a misfit. This layered system is both the mechanical heart of the game and the source of most of its personality. It’s fun and kooky. At the end of each game, players can mix a handful of Attribute and Character cards to create new zany combinations.
Like any card game, the luck of the opening deal can put a player at an early disadvantage. Although in practice, savvy use of your turn options and a focus on maximizing combinations tends to allow recovery as the game progresses. In fact, the planning and card stacking are where Misfit Heroes really shines. Maximizing combinations as your tableau develops creates a satisfying puzzle. Converting resources into victory points by completing quests is also an essential part of a winning strategy. The game is very much a race, and the highest point quests can go quickly.
Misfit Heroes is a balance of spending and gaining resources. Looking ahead with your card placements and maximizing coin, card, and influence gains can help you avoid having to use a turn to pull cards or gain 10 coin. The rulebook does a great job serving as both the initial teach as well as a handy reference for the occasional mid-game, check for questions like ‘can I (or more likely, can my competitor) do this?’ When you are racing to the finish, decisions about when to place a card and taking advantage of stacking make a difference. If you enjoy this type of gameplay, you’ll find a lot of satisfaction here.
The mechanic of combining the Attribute and Character cards in a sleeve can occasionally produce wildly overpowered results, which is worth noting, but it also contributes to the delightful unpredictability that makes the game fun. Human Loving Zombie and Tentacled Gnome are the kinds of superpower combinations that end up in your recruited tableau.
Matt Owe’s fun, cartoony card art is central to the gameplay experience. Its casual and colorful charm wonderfully captures the whimsical, tongue-in-cheek spirit of Misfit Heroes. Every game I’ve played has players talking and laughing about wacky card combos. But don’t be misled, because gameplay can get pretty serious when one of your competitors has seized upon a couple of high-value quests, while you’re still trying to recruit that last hero whose activation will set up a monstrous cascade of game-winning victory points.
Misfit Heroes plays well at 2, 3, and 4 players. At higher player counts, expect to exhaust the full card pool fairly quickly, which will require shuffling the discard pile back in before game end.
Final Thoughts:
Misfit Heroes delivers a light card game experience that is greater than the sum of its parts. The combination mechanic, tableau building versus race game tension, and the ever-changing cast of absurd characters gives it strong replay value without demanding much setup time or rules overhead. The game is easy to get to the table, and it’s a quick teach. More accomplished players are sure to find light strategic depth and challenge. Yes, early dealt luck and occasional power spikes (which arguably I could control with card combos) keep the game from earning a perfect score. But Misfit Heroes is a game that will reliably make it to the table and reliably bring a good time with it.
Final Score: 4 stars – Misfit Heroes is a fun, tableau-building meets management game that punches well above its weight in charm and re-playability. Easy to teach, easy to get to the table, and packed with zany character combinations, this is a game that earns its place in anyone’s regular rotation.
Hits:
• Clever use of sleeved cards
• Fun characters and art
• Chaining that’s not overly thinky
Misses:
• Occasional overpowered card combos
• Early luck determination
• You may need a timer for that overthinker in your group
Source: Board Game Quest
