The land of Børe is starting to tremble, shake, move and… growl?! The guardians have awakened to protect nature and restore the former status quo, but the people of Børe will do anything to protect their home. Which side will you choose in the asymmetrical two-player games Skulk Hollow and Maul Peak?
Background
The land of Børe is home to vast primeval forests, woods and mountain peaks. Various animal tribes have their home there. For instance, in southern Børe lies the Skulk Hollow where the Foxen, a people of humanoid foxes, have built their kingdom. Despite the name Børe, there is nothing børing about this world. According to ancient legends, Guardians, a kind of monstrous and giant physical manifestation of natural forces, created the land of Børe. They created mountains, lakes, forests and everything else beautiful in the world. After their hard work, they would have gone into a deep slumber to be left alone and forgotten. Or well, as far as you can forget legends. As in fact, everyone in Børe is quite familiar with these legendary legends.
The principle behind Børe was a peaceful world, where the various animal peoples would live in peace. So among these peoples we include the Foxen, but also the clan of the hare, the red pandas of Pan-dolo, the itinerant musical Hawken bards, the faction of the mouse and the bears of Grizzar from the mountains of Maul Peak. While the legends have not been forgotten, the factions slowly forgot peace and harmony with nature.
The Guardians awaken from their long slumber to violently remind the various peoples of Børe of their existence. Skulk Hollow will be attacked first, but then the rest of Børe will follow. Action follows reaction and the animal peoples strike back. Will the peoples be able to protect their lands?
Skulk Hollow & Maul Peak
Skulk Hollow and Maul Peak are not just the names of locations in Børe, but also the names of two standalone games set in this world. Published in 2019, Skulk Hollow is an asymmetrical two-player game where one player takes on the role of a member of the Foxen royal family and an army of brave Foxen warriors to protect Skulk Hollow from destruction. The other player? That one takes on the role of one of four Guardians: Grak, Apoda, Tanthos and Raptra. Each of these Guardians plays in a very unique way and comes with its own set of unique cards and other components.
Maul Peak was released this year (2023) and this game is set after the events of Skulk Hollow. Several Guardians have now awoken and the peoples are preparing for possible new attacks by these Guardians or even the awakening of more Guardians. Maul Peak is populated and protected by the Grizzar, bears that have isolated themselves from the rest of the animals by moving to this mountain, but the Guardians also threaten their existence. In terms of gameplay, Maul Peak builds upon the standards set by Skulk Hollow. This time, one of the players assumes the role of the Grizzar and the other player assumes the role of one of the icy Guardians: Saboso, Veblyn, Quagra or the duo Trovak & Gnarl.
Skulk Hollow and Maul Peak basically use the same principles and mechanics, but due to the major differences between the Grizzar and Foxen and the different Guardians, both boxes offer different gaming experiences or at least enough variety. Incidentally, if you own both games, you can combine the components of both games for even more elaborate game experiences and even a four-player mode, where the Foxen and the Grizzar will team up against a dynamic duo of deadly Guardians.
Setup & objective
At the start of the game, players jointly decide who will take on the role of the heroes (the Foxen or the Grizzar) and who will take on the role of a great Guardian. The heroes receive a box where all their cards and parts are kept safe, and the Guardian player chooses a Guardian also receives the corresponding box. On the table, in between the players, the game board is placed so that each players’ home base is in their direction. Next to the board, players place the shared game components (such as power cubes, wound tokens and rage cubes (in the case of Maul Peak) and the unique board for the chosen Guardian. Players place their personal collection of components in the appropriate places, shuffle their cards and exchange summary cards so that both players know what to expect.
Players are basically ready to play after these steps. If a very experienced player plays against a less experienced player or if the level between players is so far apart (e.g. in the case of young children or less experienced board game players), players can choose to deploy so-called Relic Tokens. The less experienced player receives a number of these wooden items and can then use them during the game to perform additional actions to reduce the difference between players and further balance the game. Incidentally, the game feels very balanced between evenly experienced players.
In this asymmetrical series of games, both players have different goals. Both the Foxes and the Grizzar (who, incidentally, are aided by a winter spirit during battle) have the goal of defeating the Guardian. In Skulk Hollow, the Guardian’s goal is to defeat the leader of the Foxes. In Maul Peak, the Guardian must ensure that there are no more Grizzar on the battlefield. In addition, each Guardian has its own unique objective. So each Guardian comes with its own components, maps, actions and goals. This makes for a unique game experience per Guardian, making players want to explore all Guardians.
Gameplay
In Skulk Hollow, the Foxen player starts, followed by the Guardian. In Maul Peak, the Guardian takes the first move of the game. During a turn, a player may perform as many actions as shown on their respective player board. Each player type can use an action to play one of the cards in their hand. Different types of actions are depicted on cards. A Foxen or Guardian player can also use an action point to discard a card and draw two new cards. The Grizzar can discard a card to get a rage block or draw a new card. Players can discard force or rage cubes during their turn to perform additional actions or actions without having to use an action point to do so.
The cards depict different types of actions and the different heroes and Guardians have different types of actions. If there are several actions on a card interrupted by a line, the player must choose. In case of a + symbol, both actions depicted may be performed. By playing these cards, a player can, for example, move their pawns and perform attacks. Each Guardian has unique actions in its arsenal.
In addition to the action cards, the Foxex also have unit cards at their disposal with which the Foxen player can bring new combatants into play. Each warrior has a matching pawn that is placed on the battlefield, and the different classes also have different unique properties, powers and actions. By allocating power cubes to certain units, these soldiers can perform actions without deploying cards. The Grizzar, on the other hand, summon their bears by deploying rage (so no hand card needs to be played).
By moving and leaping, the heroes can climb the Guardian and attack different limbs to disable certain actions of the Guardian. The foxes can also attack from a distance and the teddy bears have a great affinity for magic. If the heroes manage to eliminate all limbs (i.e. place enough wound tokens on the Guardian board), the Guardian has lost. The Guardian can also inflict damage on the various heroes who, after enough damage has been done, disappear from the game board again.
Conclusion
Both Skulk Hollow and Maul Peak are exceptional two-player games. The series is asymmetric, dynamic, thematic and highly interactive. As well as beautifully designed and illustrated! The makers have put a lot of thought into the design of the game, the elaboration of the world where this conflict takes place and the thematic implementation within the gameplay. The games each offer a unique gaming experience with lots of variety and interesting conflicts between players. In this game, gameplay further tells the story. Indeed, in this asymmetrical game, players are sucked into the experience and clearly step into the shoes of their people or guardian.
The card action mechanism offers interesting gameplay through the choices, combinations and possibilities with one limited number of action points. Are you looking for a tougher (but not extremely complex), thematic and asymmetric experience for two players? Then Skulk Hollow or Maul Peak might be the game for you. Only have room or budget for one of the two games? Maul Peak is a tad more streamlined than Skulk Hollow because of the Grizzar’s gameplay structure, but let the range of heroes and Guardians guide your choice!
