Aeon's End

Hi, just want to know which game is better solo with just the base game?

Hello there! Long story short I don't have many friends/time to play boardgames and I started to play small games solo (mostly PnP and stuff like onirim and bag of dungeon which i love to death).

I always struggle between wanting a game with more depth and the difficulties that lie in them (setup time, footprint, complex rules etc)

Lately I've been reading the manga "Destroy all humanity. It can't be regenerated" (really good, strongly advised for any mtg fan) that really got my old MTG itch to fire up.

Now i stumbled upon an "offer" of Aeon's end fully sleeved + the expansions outer dark and the void for roughly 70$ shipped. I can find a new copy of the base game for less than that but i was wondering if it's worth it. I will look into the game more now but in the meanwhile i thought i'd ask you guys how this could work for an MTG veteran!

Any opinion welcome!

I love deck building game, the sensation of starting from nothing and building your own strategy as you are playing is so fun.

Coming from Slay the Spire on PC and loving board games but not knowing any deck building game a few years ago, I checked reviews and Aeon's end seemed to be a safe bet.

How disapointed was I ... when I saw that the "deck building" part was actually a fixed market of 9 cards ... it removed all the fun for me. I was hoping to discover cards and try to adapt based on what I found (or not) and ended up looking like a "collectible" card game where you prepare the optimal market in advance.

What is your feeling about this mechanic? Compared to other deck building game I've played (and enjoyed) since (Clank, Legendary encounter series, Dune: Imperium, Hogwarths, Imperium: legends, etc.), Aeon's end was my biggest disapointment.

Is it just me or deck building games should bring RNG in the deck building part to make it fun? I want to specify that I'm not including games like marvel champions that are also amazing but the deck building part happens before the game.

Edit: It seems like the best explanation that was given in the comments (and my interpretation of it) is: where do you come from and what is your definition of a deck building game?

1. If you come from PC deck building trend like Slay the spire, Monster train, etc: this system will feel too much like a puzzle you need to solve in advance and you might miss the randomization mechanics from the PC game.

2. If you come from the Dominion legacy or board game, then it's a twist on the traditional "fixed market" deck builder. And it looks like people loving the game see each Nemesis as a puzzle to solve. Me not being at all into puzzles, I get that it dodn't work for me :)

It would be good to make that distinction now that deck builders have evolved quite a lot when recommending games to new people.

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Hi everyone,

I'm torn between two games at the moment (Aeon's End and Spirit Island) to buy for my partner's birthday at the end of the month. We love co-op games, we are intermediately experienced with board games, and we enjoy strategy/territory building. The main reason I want to buy us a board game is for us to get off our computer screens/video games.

From what I understand, both games have a somewhat steep learning curve/set-up, but once learned they are deep and have great replayability. For context, board games we have thoroughly enjoyed are: Pandemic Cthulu and The Captain Isn't Dead. We are big D&D fans and play video RPGs together (think Baldur's Gate).

My specific questions are:

- Are either of these games prohibitively difficult in set up or learning curve for intermediate players? Does it take playing them several times to feel comfortable? We would both be completely new to them.

- What is the level of player interaction in these games?

- I believe Aeon's End has some expansions that include campaigns - do you find this campaign option for expansion more worthwile than Spirit Island's expansions?

Thanks a ton <3

Hey,

Wir haben seit Weihnachten aeons end und sind sehr begeistert von dem Spiel. Ist unser erster Deckbuilder auch wenn wir 1-2 mal Dominion gespielt haben. Bisher waren wir noch nicht wirklich erfolgreich. Haben irgendwie alles verloren auch wenn es gegen die Hassgeburt einmal sehr knapp war sonst eher nicht so. Gegen die Königin haben wir auch schon mal gespielt aber auch grandios verloren. Bisher haben wir meistens zu viert gespielt da war es einmal etwas knapper sonst eher nicht. Einmal zu dritt da klar verloren und ab und an zu zweit da war es schon häufiger knapper. An sich macht das Spiel mir mega Spaß aber langsam fängt es an an einem zu nagen dass man nie gewinnt... Meine erste Frage ist nun habt ihr Tipps? Alles gerne gesehen von "weiß man bestimmt" bis hin zu "absolut advanced". Und meine 2. Ist habt ihr eigene Auswahl Zusammenstellungen die ihr empfehlen könnt? Danke schonmal im voraus!

Hey all,

I'm thinking I want to give Aeon's End a try as a solo deck builder sounds interesting and the themes align with my interests. Where is the best place to start? I feel like I've seen New Age referenced as a great starting point but also just jumping in with the Legacy game I saw mentioned.

Any thoughts?

Thank you!

I keep getting ads of an new addition to it and thinking of buying but I am not really sure

Hello everyone,

This is my third installment of my weekly reddit post called 10 Things You Should Know, eventually to be shortened to 10TYSK. This week we're covering Aeon's End, a deck-building co-operative game by Kevin Riley, published by Action Phase Games and Indie Boards and Games. Each player acts as a mage trying to defeat an extremely powerful nemesis (think Cthulhu types) by casting spells into breaches to deal damage. If the nemesis' HP is drained or his/her deck is depleted before the nemesis destroys the mages or their city, the players win.

1. If you love deckbuilding, but hate shuffling, this is the deckbuilder for you. You never have to shuffle your deck, you just flip it over to restart it. This adds another layer of strategy as to how you arrange your discard pile to maximize your deck's efficiency and power.

2. If you don't like deckbuilding, there isn't enough new game here to satisfy you. I like to think of this game as a cross between Sentinels of the Multiverse and Big Book of Madness. If those games don't get you excited, this game probably won't either. However, I'm not a huge deck-builder guy in general, but this is my favorite one. I have also played Legendary Encounters Aliens, Marvel Legendary, Harry Potter Hogwarts Battle, Clank, Big Book of Madness, and Dominion. So I do have a little experience with the genre.

3. Set up and take down are the worst parts of the game, and eventually you may want to house rule the way you do this. Before each game you have to construct the deck for the nemesis, your individual starter decks, and you have to randomly build the market with 3 gems, 4 spells, and 2 relics. If you buy enough expansions, this will give a TON of options for each category. But you'll also eventually find that without certain types of gems, relics, spells, or player powers, winning a game is extremely difficult, if not impossible.

4. As with all co-op deckbuilders, you may find some games more frustratingly difficult than others. However, if you play co-op deck-builders, you probably already know this. Sometimes you just get a brutal combination of cards. This game doesn't suffer from Harry Potter-like problems where an opening villain combo means you just have to reshuffle before even attempting to beat them, but it can derail your game. The game does have built in tiers of card difficult like Legendary Aliens and Predator, so that helps.

5. There are essentially two base games: Aeon's End (AE) and War Eternal (WE). You can buy either one and have everything you need to play and add expansions to without buying the other. Buying both will give you double sets of only starter cards like sparks and crystal. Everything else will be unique, so if you want more variations in nemeses, nemeses base cards, spells, relics, or gems, go ahead and buy both.

6. The artwork is nice, the insert is terrible. If you love great inserts, you will find nothing of the kind in this game. It's cheap cardboard. I have organized my copies into two boxes, one with all the nemeses cards, and one with all the hero cards. The games do come with dividers to enable some quicker set up. What I've done since I have both AE and WE is use a label maker to further organize my cards into alphabetical groupings so I can find spells, relics, and gems even quicker.

7. Each nemesis is different enough so games feel unique in terms of strategy and play. They are not all beaten by buying the biggest baddest spells and pounding them into oblivion. With the more difficult level villains, you may find it takes you 2-3 tries to defeat them, and you may find yourself having to try different types of player powers and market cards to defeat them. This is where house ruling comes into play. Personally, I enjoy playing each villain first with purely random market cards (gems, relics, and spells). If we are defeated, we start custom choosing our market cards for the next attempt.

8. The game never feels so complicated and fiddly that you need a notepad or app to track adjustments. I mentioned Sentinels of the Multiverse as a comparison. SotM is known for its insane levels of fiddliness. Aeon's End does not have that sort of problem. Anything that needs to be tracked is easily done with tokens that go in their required place, and is not complicated. You may find, at most, that you just need to do a minor adjustment or two to your spells' damage levels which can easily be monitored.

9. Each game takes roughly an hour. And that's definitely a plus for this type of game. You can easily get in 1-3 sessions in a night. I enjoy this more than say Year 7 of Harry Potter where I have to go through all 7 years of villains in order to beat the final year.

10. Replayability is not super high. I don't see myself playing nemeses again and again. Perhaps, after I beat them all, I may try to beat the more fun ones on their advanced difficulty setting, but I'm not even sure about that. This game is fun, but it doesn't get my blood boiling for more plays. I bought this wanting to try a new type of deckbuilder, and bought expansions because there is a guy in my group who LOVES it. There are lots of small ways to tweak a nemesis more to your preference. If you want an easier game or a harder game, you can also adjust HP of the nemesis or city or even heroes.

11. There is a legacy version coming out later this year. If you are interested in the game, but want something even more unique, you might consider waiting for that. If you decide to buy AE or WE now, they are compatible with the legacy game. The legacy game is semi-resettable) you need a pack.

I hope this helps if you're considering buying this. Next week we'll discuss Twilight Struggle!

Previous posts:

I've been posting board games a couple years and was looking into getting into Aeon's End. It looks a little daunting with all the expensive and everything else so I haven't been sure where to start. Today I saw Astro Knights for the first time and was wondering if anyone had any experience with the two and which you prefer. Also, if it's Aeon's End, where do I even start?

So I finished playing New Age followed by the expedition in Into the Wild. What a blast. Really enjoying this game. Going to start Outcasts soon. How does Legacy of Gravehold compare to these? Is it also expedition based?

I need to pick up more Nemeses. Anyone have favorite sets or expansions they really like for Nemeses?

Live until Feb 27th.

Aeon's End is one of my favorite co-op deckbuilders and it's good to see a steady stream of content for it. If you guys haven't played it already, any of the core boxes is a good starting point to get into this series.

Aeon's End is a fully cooperative deck builder set in a distinct fantasy world. There are no dragons or elves here but rather something new built from the ground-up. Each game, you'll play as a unique breach mage with a different starting deck and ability. Together, you'll face off against various big bad monsters, called nemeses, to defend the last stronghold of humanity, Gravehold from destruction. Turn order is determined via a turn order deck, rather than just 'round the table so that you never quite know how things will turn out. Each nemesis twists the game in its own unique way, requiring drastically different strategies depending on who you're fighting against. The deck-building is also shaken up because you will never shuffle your deck. When your deck runs out, you just flip your discard pile over and keep going. This keeps gameplay extra streamlined while also giving the players additional control in their battle for survival.

War Eternal expands on the original Aeon's End content with all new mages, cards and nemeses and is fully compatible with the original. Just like the original, War Eternal forces players to work together. The game is difficult enough that without cooperation, there cannot be success. During development, we enlisted playtesters from all over the world to help us further refine the game. These testers played 400+ games and gave feedback which was integral to ensuring the high quality of gameplay that Aeon's End fans have come to expect. Finally, we've heard and listened to feedback regarding component quality. War Eternal features higher quality components in both look and durability.

About Me: Shortly after retiring from being a Starcraft pro-gamer, I began work on Aeon's End full time. As deck builders have been my favorite board game genre for a while, that seemed like a natural place to start. It was a long and confusing path from the seed of an idea that we began with to what eventually became Aeon's End. About a year ago, Aeon's End was successfully funded on Kickstarter. In December last year, it hit shelves. It's been a really interesting journey working on this game full time, trying to make the best possible game I can. We've been aggressively gathering feedback from as many people as possible since then and have used everything we've learned to make the expand-alone, War Eternal that much better.

Regarding graphic update: With the upcoming release of the stand-alone expansion, Aeon’s End: War Eternal, Indie Boards and Cards has made several significant improvements to the aesthetics of the entire Aeon’s End series. The changes that we are making include a bolder, more visually appealing card layout for the character spell, gem, and relic as well as the nemesis cards. This new design remains extremely functional while better showcasing the fantastic illustrations found in the first edition. Likewise, changes are being made to the graphic design of the character and nemesis mats. The intent of these changes is to present information more clearly while enhancing the table presence. We are also making changes to the Aeon’s End and Aeon’s End: War Eternal boxes (shallower) and inserts (tabbed channels to store player/nemesis mats) that will make these boxes take up less shelf space while being more functional.

Update Pack We will be offering an “Update Pack” that includes all the updated cards and player mats from Aeon’s End, The Depths, and The Nameless. We are not changing card backs, so those who prefer to not update their cards may continue to enjoy their existing games and expansions with new expansion materials across the different editions without using the Update Pack.

Our goal is to accommodate as many people who would like to make the update as possible. The most efficient way to get the Update Pack will be by backing the War Eternal Kickstarter project (at a reward level that receives War Eternal), which is live now. And we want to make sure that those that back the War Eternal project and backed our first Aeon’s End Kickstarter project can get the Update Pack without any additional costs or hassles. So,

•If you backed Aeon’s End, and you back War Eternal: You will automatically be sent the Update Pack (for Aeon’s End, Depths & Nameless) with your War Eternal rewards for no extra charge. •If you back War Eternal, and you purchased Aeon’s End, The Depths and/or The Nameless elsewhere: You will be able to get the Update Pack for what you’ve already purchased by adding $10 to your pledge amount (includes shipping costs worldwide). We will require photographic proof of purchase (a picture of your Kickstarter username on a post-it note attached to the game box and/or nemesis mats). Your Update Pack will include cards and Player Mats for Aeon’s End and the expansions you’ve purchased. •A limited number of Update Packs will also be available directly from Indie Boards and Cards in the late fall of 2017. Those update packs will be $10 plus shipping & handling and will require photographic proof of purchase.

We are not making these changes without carefully considering the impact to our customers and the stores that carry our products. Aeon’s End has garnered a strong base of loyal fans with tremendously strong reviews and ratings. By making these changes now, we are strengthening the long-term viability of the game, which will ensure long-term support and new content.

Update regarding the nemesis mats We are not going to be updating the graphic layouts of the Nemesis mats for the revised editions of Aeons End, the Depths and/or the Nameless expansions. The Nemesis represent a different era in the history of Gravehold of the differences in art design are reflective of this different period of time. Any future waves of Aeon's End release may also see us do a different graphic design for the nemesis in that wave - or we may reuse the graphic design from wave 1 or wave 2.

There will not be any Nemesis mats in any of the Update Packs.

Questions and concerns about the changes to Aeon’s End and Update Packs can be directed to or posted below.

I've had Aeon's End for a few years, played it about 8 times and every time I realize it is just not fun - but all of my searches for good co-op deck building games point me back to it.

I've only played it with 2 people, which maybe that's the issue, as it feels like it would be much better balanced for 4. Every time I play I rarely get to build my deck up much. I spend too much time trying to get rid of powers or minions that I rarely get to build up charges or get good spells. I completely ignore unlocking my fourth breach, and try my best to get good damage off, but after 5 or 6 rounds Gravehold is at 10 health and we've barely touched the Nemesis. I feel like we're just doing something wrong but I've checked the book and watched multiple videos, it can't just be me right? This game has some cool mechanics but it really doesn't feel fun, even if we do barely scrape a win by.

My name is Kevin Riley, designer of Aeon's End, former Starcraft 2 professional player 'qxc'. Since late 2015, I've been designing board games full time. I work as sort of a designer for hire. So far, my only published game is Aeon's End and its expansions. I have two other games that are signed, but have not been announced yet. I've loved designing games for about as long as I remember beginning with modifying custom maps in Starcraft 1 ages ago. Aeon's End is the first board game I designed and the first game I ever took seriously enough to push to be an actual product. Aeon's End: Legacy, recently released, is the first legacy deck builder. Aeon's End: The New Age, expands on that universe with additional narrative, mages, nemeses, and characters.

If you're unfamiliar with Aeon's End: it's a cooperative deck builder with supply piles similar to Dominion, but that's about where the similarities end. Each person plays as a different mage, with their own ability and starting deck. You never shuffle your deck in Aeon's End, you just flip it over. Turn order is determined via a deck rather than round robin and each nemesis provides a drastically different gameplay experience.

I graduated from Harvey Mudd College with a bachelor's in computer science. Lately, I mostly rock climb and play ultimate frisbee for exercise although I used to do brazilian jiujitsu. I generally prefer medium to heavy weight games which emphasize more streamlined gameplay such as Village. I also just like playing new games; I'm addicted to novelty in my gaming experience. You can see my collection of board games here: Besides that, I play a lot of video games. Recently, I've been playing Starcraft 2, Path of Exile, Slay the Spire, Minion Masters, Destiny 2, and probably some others... I main Sheik in Smash melee and King Dedede in Smash Ultimate.

Ask me anything you want, whether it's about Aeon's End, board games, video games, or something else all together.

The AMA is officially live from 1-3 pm EST. If you want to keep chatting after we're done, you can leave comments on the kickstarter for the newest Aeon's End expansion here:

or join the official Aeon's End Discord here:

Twitter proof it's me:

*Edit - official question answering time is done, but I'll pop in periodically for any lingering questions. Thanks everyone for all your questions =)

This week's game is

• BGG Link:

• Designer: Kevin Riley

• Publishers: Action Phase Games, Indie Boards & Cards, Angry Lion Games, Matagot, Portal Games

• Year Released: 2016

• Mechanics: Card Drafting, Cooperative Play, Deck / Pool Building, Hand Management, Variable Phase Order, Variable Player Powers

• Categories: Card Game, Fantasy, Science Fiction

• Number of Players: 1 - 4

• Playing Time: 60 minutes

• Expansions: Aeon's End: Buried Secrets, Aeon's End: Echo Stone and Splinter Missile Promo, Aeon's End: Fleeting Vision Promo, Aeon's End: Tabletop Day 2017 Promos – Drown in Flames / Glyph Enigma, Aeon's End: The Ancients, Aeon's End: The Depths, Aeon's End: The Nameless, Aeon's End: The Outer Dark, Aeon's End: The Void, Aeon's End: Thieving Spirit, Aeon's End: War Eternal – Promo Pack

• Ratings:

  • Average rating is 8.07157 (rated by 5401 people)

  • Board Game Rank: 84, Strategy Game Rank: 66

Description from Boardgamegeek:

The survivors of a long-ago invasion have taken refuge in the forgotten underground city of Gravehold. There, the desperate remnants of society have learned that the energy of the very breaches the beings use to attack them can be repurposed through various gems, transforming the malign energies within into beneficial spells and weapons to aid their last line of defense: the breach mages.

Aeon's End is a cooperative game that explores the deckbuilding genre with a number of innovative mechanisms, including a variable turn order system that simulates the chaos of an attack, and deck management rules that require careful planning with every discarded card. Players will struggle to defend Gravehold from The Nameless and their hordes using unique abilities, powerful spells, and, most importantly of all, their collective wits.

Next Week:

• The GOTW archive and schedule can be found .

• Vote for future Games of the Week .

Just wondering if anyone had any opinion on whether this is a worthy investment for a first deck builder, I plan to play with my wife if I can convince her (she was not enthralled by the video I showed her but I can probably do a better job of drawing her in myself, she loves fantasy themes).

I'm familiar with deck-building in things like Hearthstone and Slay the Spire, and grew up with some Yu-gi-oh, as well as RPG video games all my life so I shouldn't have too much trouble but I worry about it being too tough for my wife?

Also looking at Thunderstone but it seems slightly more complicated, but also more variety in game types, which is might be better for replayability. There's Valeria, but that seemed a bit too simple..

Wondering if anyone had any input?

Thanks!

Edit: Thanks for all the great info! I ended up picking up Aeon's End (2ed) but haven't gotten to play it yet. I did also pick up 7 Wonders Duel which my wife enjoyed almost immediately after kinda getting the flow of the game

I'm loving Aeon's End solo! I'm writing these notes for anyone who is wondering if the game is a fit for them.

I got the base set and played it solo two-handed. There is a true solo mode that I didn't try.

By the numbers:

• Setup is about 10-15 minutes, teardown is about the same. Setup is faster if you make your choices (nemesis, market cards) during the previous teardown. (I am referring to setup out of the box and teardown into the box, not the time in between games of a multi-game session.)

• The game takes me about 30 minutes to lose and about 60 minutes to win now that I know the rules. It was slower at first.

• I got about 20 games/30 hours out of the core set before I felt "done" and started wanting an expansion.

• I play on a 20" x 42" (50 cm x 106 cm) surface, and the game fits just right.

Why I like it:

• The tension is great. The nemesis gets steadily more dangerous the longer the game lasts, and it's a struggle to stay one step ahead. It's usually a really close battle.

• The play is really fast. There's no downtime, bookkeeping, etc. during the game that slows you down. It's just action, action, action.

• I like the lore, but not everyone does. Space demons coming through dimensional holes to fight space wizards makes thematic sense for the game and feels more unique than most fantasy games.

• It's basically a puzzle game. Each nemesis is a different puzzle, and each set of mages and market items are different tools to solve the puzzle.

• It is so, so satisfying when you finally get your spells lined up and deal out 8 or more damage on a turn. It's like sweet revenge for all that nemesis has been putting you through the whole game.

• All the mechanics fit really well together. I especially like the mix of nemesis cards (the AI that controls the bad things that happen in the game). There is a mix of immediate effects that you have to react to and delayed effects that you can plan around. Then there's the minion cards, which create mini-challenges and force hard decisions.

• This is a medium-sized game. I don't have the time or space for a big game, and I wanted something a little more ambitious than Cartographers for a change. This game hits right in that spot.

• In addition to solo play, I find it portable and fast to teach, so I've played a few games with my brother and my weekly group (who have been playing nothing but Pandemic since 2019 and nothing but Catan before that) are interested in trying it.

Is this a "lifestyle game?"

I honestly don't know. At 30 hours, it is one of my most played games, and I'm looking forward to playing a lot more of it. I think that eventually, it will get repetitive even with new nemeses, mages and market items. I am hoping that some of the legacy elements and whatever "expedition mode" is will breathe more life into it.