# Conan ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2001 - **BGG Rating**: 6.7 - **BGG Rank**: — - **Players**: 2 - **Duration**: — - **Weight**: 3.00 / 5 - **Designers**: Lloyd Krassner - **Publishers**: Warp Spawn Games - **Categories**: Card Game, Fantasy, Novel-based - **Mechanics**: Open Drafting ## Verdict If you're a fan of the Conan universe and enjoy games with deep thematic immersion and varied scenarios, this is a perfect fit!Faithful to Howard's universeVaried, immersive scenariosInteresting asymmetric gameplayHigh-quality componentsGuaranteed replayabilityCan be somewhat complexInitial learning curveDepends on group interactionHIGHLY RECOMMENDED ## Description Get ready to dive into the wild adventures of Conan the Barbarian, directly in the universe of Hyboria! This two-player card game invites you to create your own sagas, using a shared deck that is the heart of all the action. The deck is packed with six types of cards: Conan himself, Locations, Events, Lesser Foes, Major Foes, and Specials, each with over 30 copies to ensure plenty of variety in every game. The main objective is to accumulate the most victory points by forming strategic combinations (melds) with the six cards you have in hand. There are four types of melds you can play: Three Pairs (two cards from three different suits), Two Three-of-a-Kinds (three cards from two distinct suits), a Six-of-a-kind (six cards from the same suit), or a Flush (one card from each suit). While BGG describes a card version, Ludopedia mentions an asymmetric and semi-cooperative miniatures game, Conan: Hyborian Quests. In this version, one player takes on the role of the Overlord, controlling the enemy forces, while the others (1 to 4) play as Conan and his brave companions, such as Shevatas, Hadrathus, Bêlit, and Valeria. The game is faithful to Robert E. Howard's novels, with the art and scenarios carefully supervised by an expert to maintain authenticity. Each session is a unique scenario, played on varied maps – from Pict villages to underground temples and pirate ships. You can play scenarios individually or in campaigns, with the base box offering a dozen missions. Heroes choose their team at the start, while the Overlord assembles their miniatures and scenario-specific cards. Lasting about an hour, scenarios have diverse objectives, such as rescuing princesses, finding magic keys, or eliminating necromancers, usually with a limited number of rounds. The heroes' victory depends on completing these objectives or preventing the Overlord from achieving theirs. ## How to Play Game Objective Refer to the manual for details regarding this section. Setup For game setup, the context provides specific guidelines on equipment selection for Alternative Heroes. If you decide to use characters beyond the retail version, you may follow these suggestions for starting weapon and armor loads: Valeria: Sword, Parrying Dagger, Leather Armor. Conan (Mercenary): Conan's Sword, Axe, Leather Armor. Savage Belit: Pirate Saber, Parrying Dagger. Kerim Shah: Turanian Sword, Zingaran Bow. Conan (Warlord): Battle Axe, Chain Mail. Balthus: Bossonian Bow, Slasher (ally). Amboola: Sword, Scale Mail. Conan (The Wanderer): Sword, Axe, Buckler. Zelata: Zelata's Wolf (ally), Sacrificial Dagger, Spells (scenario-based). N'Gora: Javelin, Ornamental Spear, Tribal Shield. Amra the Lion: Conan's Lion (ally), Axe, Chain Mail. Pelias: Dagger, Spells (scenario-based). Taurus: Yuetshi Knife, Throwing Knives. Conan (The General): Conan's Sword, Scale Mail. Pallantides: Sword, Shield, Kothian Archer (ally). Olgerd Vladislav: Halberd, Leather Armor. Note: If there is an overlap of items and not enough copies are available, adjustments must be made or the scenario's default equipment should be used. Game Flow Refer to the manual for details regarding this section. Actions and How to Play The game utilizes different abilities and roles for the heroes, which influence how they interact with the board and enemies: Specific Abilities Evade: Allows ignoring the enemies' Block. Elite Shooter: A powerful ranged attack ability. Lockpick: Necessary to open doors or chests. Wall Wrecker: Used to enter huts or move between rooms. Spell Casting: Allows the use of spells (such as Teleport or Lightning Storm). Climb/Leap: Useful on Inn maps, Ruined Forts, or for boarding boats on the Ship map. Feline Grace: Ignores the movement penalty of 1 enemy model, but does not ignore Block. Hero Roles Frontline Warrior: Focused on direct combat (e.g., Conan, Amra). Rogue: Focused on movement, opening chests, and maneuvers (e.g., Shevatas, Taurus, Savage Belit). Sorcerer: Spellcasters (e.g., Hadrathus, Pelias, Zelata). Support: Characters who assist the team or bring guards (e.g., Belit, Amboola, Pallantides). Secondary Fighter: Combat characters with lower survivability or a focus on range (e.g., Valeria, Kerim Shah, N'Gora). End Game and Scoring Refer to the manual for details regarding this section. Tips for Winning Balance the team composition: Always include someone with Evade or Feline Grace, especially in scenarios with many enemies that use Block. Choose abilities based on the scenario: Use characters with Lockpick in treasure-hunting scenarios and Leap in maritime scenarios to ensure access to the Overlord's boat. Pay attention to Alternative Hero balancing: Avoid using more than one character with Evade in the same group, as this can make victory too easy by nullifying the Overlord's strategy of slowing down the heroes. ## FAQ ### How many players can participate in Conan? The card game version is exclusively for 2 players. Conan: Hyborian Quests (the miniatures version) can be played by 2 to 5 players, with 1 as the Overlord and 1 to 4 heroes. ### What is the average game duration? A game of Conan: Hyborian Quests (miniatures) lasts approximately 60 minutes, depending on the scenario and player experience. The card game version might be a bit quicker. ### Is it a complex game for beginners? Conan: Hyborian Quests has a medium complexity, with an initial learning curve due to the specific rules for each hero and the Overlord. The card game version is more straightforward but still requires strategy. ### Can scenarios be played independently? Yes! In Conan: Hyborian Quests, you can play scenarios individually or link them together in a campaign, which increases replayability and the depth of the experience. ### Is the game faithful to Robert E. Howard's books? Absolutely! Conan: Hyborian Quests was developed with the consultation of a Howard expert to ensure that the art, characters, and scenarios are authentic to the original literary universe. ### What are the main components of the miniatures game? The miniatures version comes with various modular maps, dozens of detailed miniatures (heroes and enemies), tokens, dice, and a deck of scenario and ability cards.