Back Down The Well
The seekers have once again been tasked to delve deep into the Wells of Atios, to ensure their energies are dispersed and the Masters, great evils who seek to spread darkness in the lands, cannot be unleased upon Atios.
Perhaps you found success in Vainglory’s Grotto, but now you must go the well known as Scorn’s Stockade, which its master, Scorn, has turned into a twisted prison in a diabolic quest for justice. Following on from the great success of Kinfire Delve: Vainglory’s Grotto, comes the next game in the Delve series, Scorn’s Stockade, released in 2024 and published by Incredible Dream Studios.
I recently got to review Vainglory’s Grotto and immensely enjoyed my time with it, so was very excited to step back into this world of wells and lanterns, and to delve once again into Kinfire.
The World of Atios
I already touched upon the Kinfire Universe in my previous review of Vainglory’s Grotto, but essentially Scorn’s Stockade is also set in the world of Atios and the Kinfire universe, which started with the games Kinfire Chronicles: Night Fall, and Kinfire Council.
In the Kinfire Delve series, you are playing as a seeker going down a Well full of challenges to try and reach the final gauntlet at the bottom and defeat a master, like a final boss in any RPG video game. It can be played solo or as a two player, with 3-4 player gameplay available if you own at least one other set.
To defeat the challenges, you play cards of different colours to overcome the challenges, trying to add presence which work like hit points to succeed them. You receive a reward for defeating the challenge, and importantly a penalty for failing it.
A one hour experience, this short and addictive game was a great deal of fun when I tried it for the first time with Vainglory’s Grotto, and with new seekers to play and masters to defeat, Scorn’s Stockade was an exciting new challenge for me and my partner.
Justice is Served
If you read my previous Kinfire Delve review, you will know I was a big fan of the game, so it will come as no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed Scorn’s Stockade as well.
It is important to note that essentially, it’s the same game as Vainglory’s Grotto. The gameplay and the mechanics are the same, this isn’t a new experience, its just new seekers, new card art, and new bosses. And I don’t think this is a negative.
The overall challenge and quest is the same as well, but what I noticed very quickly with Scorn’s Stockade, is the challenge is a hell of a lot harder.
My partner and I while finding Vainglory’s difficult were able to overcome it the first few times we played it in relative comfort. Scorn on the other hand slapped us so hard with his hands of justice we were quite scared to ever go down the well again!
The challenges are trickier and require more strategy and planning. The seekers you play as, Naz of the Windstrikes and Feyn Longstride are also more advanced I would say than from the previous game, meaning it took longer to get to grips to their strengths and weaknesses.
But this was a challenge we loved facing. You want there to be peril, you want there to be this formidable difficulty in front of you, so that when you do defeat it, you feel even more heroic overcoming the evil of Scorn.
I really enjoyed how Scorn’s Stockade managed to create all new difficulties and ways of playing using the exact same mechanics as the previous entry, ensuring there was enough variety to justify having both copies in your collection. Like Vainglory’s Grotto as well, it has achievements to try and accomplish in your plays, which will have you coming back for more and more.
It’s quick to setup, a doddle to teach and can be finished in under an hour, so very easy to get to the table and have a great time with, whether playing co-operatively, or even, on your lonesome.
Let Me Solo Him
Where I did manage to find success at last with Scorn’s Stockade was in playing it solo, using Naz of the Windstrikes tactical acumen to just about survive Scorn’s strikes with one health remaining, 4 exhaustion cards in play, and some extremely sweaty palms.
I really enjoy playing Kinfire Delve solo. As someone who isn’t much of a solo board gamer, outside of the fantastic Final Girl series, I do think this game lends itself really well to solo play. While co-op can really shine in being able to boost your partners cards and discuss tactics, you still can have a fantastic solitary experience trying to defeat Scorn.
You boost your own cards, you plan ahead every move, every action, and you pray to all the gods of Atios that the dice rolls will fall in your favour. The fact it can be played solo seamlessly without hampering the gameplay at all means it will likely have a longer shelf life in my collection. If I just fancy a challenge one lazy Sunday afternoon and my wife is too busy for another session of Jaws of the Lion (shame on her), then Kinfire Delve: Scorn’s Stockade might be my new go to.
Beauty in Justice
Like the other games in the Kinfire Delve series as well, Scorn’s Stockade‘s art is tremendous, potentially even a step up than the previous game.
I love the art of Scorn on the Well cards. Its dark, brooding, full of evil as he lifts a heart up to his face, while skeletal hands in chains appear to beg him for forgiveness. If you weren’t scared to delve into his well before, you certainly are now!
And the art for the different Seekers as well evokes the characters personalities and traits wonderfully, so that they both feel totally different to the seekers in the previous games.
The artwork really is the stand out component of Scorn’s Stockade, something that will draw in new players who might be skeptical of a game they might not have previously heard of.
To Delve or not to Delve?
As I touched on previously, as well as in my review for Vainglory’s Grotto, the same kind of issues remain. The presence tokens are a bit cheap and bland in contrast to the beauty of the rest of the game, and the dice to indicate your health feels like it could do with a bit of a glow up.
I also think the fact that there really is no additional content, rules or mechanics to any of the Kinfire Delve games means that unless you really do love the game, you probably don’t need to own all three games in the series, potentially not even two.
I am glad I have both, it means I can mix and match characters, play it with 3-4 players, and enjoy the experience enough that I want to complete all the achievements. But I do think in time once you have done everything you can with the game, its not quite punchy enough and varied to own multiple copies of essentially the same experience.
I would also recommend anyone new to the series to start with Vainglory’s Grotto, as I do think its an easier introduction to the series and mechanics of the game, even if I think Scorn’s Stockade as a whole is a better overall board game.
As of today I am really enjoying my exploration into the Kinfire Delve series. It has hooked me enough that I am keeping my eye on Callous Lab as well to complete my collection, to ensure I have fully experienced everything Kinfire Delve can offer me.
They might not go down as my favourites of all time, and they do lack some replayability, but if you’re a fantasy fan, or are looking for a great new solo or co-op game, Kinfire Delve is a big recommend, and Scorn’s Stockade has quicky become my favourite. Just make sure you’re ready for the battle ahead!
