Right then, buckle up buttercups, because the missus and I have just plunged headfirst into a behemoth of a game called Maladum. Now, we’re no strangers to a good old campaign game, the kind that spins epic yarns over what feels like geological timescales. We’re currently wading our way through the glorious mire that is Gloomhaven, and we will finish it… eventually. But Maladum? Well, it just sort of winked at us from the shelf, and we thought, “Why the heck not?”
First impressions? The box is a beast. Seriously, it’s the size of a small badger. And the rulebook? You could use it as a doorstop. But you know what? It’s all necessary. Maladum is so jam-packed with stuff that a smaller box simply wouldn’t cut the mustard. This thing contains worlds, I tell you! Inside, you get bits and bobs to build walls, chests, portals, barricades… and did I mention the walls can have actual sconces on them? And the doors in the walls open? Honestly, the component quality is bonkers. Absolutely off the scale.
Now, like most games worth their salt, each turn is split into several phases. In Maladum, you’ve got Dread, Event, Adventurer, and Adversary (assuming you haven’t been poisoned or got some other nasty ailment to deal with first). Your turn mainly involves hoofing it around the room, hopefully towards whatever your objective is. You can have a good rummage for items, pilfer chests and crates, or, if push comes to shove, have a pop at the beasties that keep popping up like particularly persistent weeds.
Right then, buckle up buttercups, because the missus and I have just plunged headfirst into a behemoth of a game called Maladum. Now, we’re no strangers to a good old campaign game, the kind that spins epic yarns over what feels like geological timescales. We’re currently wading our way through the glorious mire that is Gloomhaven, and we will finish it… eventually. But Maladum? Well, it just sort of winked at us from the shelf, and we thought, “Why the heck not?”
First impressions? The box is a beast. Seriously, it’s the size of a small badger. And the rulebook? You could use it as a doorstop. But you know what? It’s all necessary. Maladum is so jam-packed with stuff that a smaller box simply wouldn’t cut the mustard. This thing contains worlds, I tell you! Inside, you get bits and bobs to build walls, chests, portals, barricades… and did I mention the walls can have actual sconces on them? And the doors in the walls open? Honestly, the component quality is bonkers. Absolutely off the scale.
Now, like most games worth their salt, each turn is split into several phases. In Maladum, you’ve got Dread, Event, Adventurer, and Adversary (assuming you haven’t been poisoned or got some other nasty ailment to deal with first). Your turn mainly involves hoofing it around the room, hopefully towards whatever your objective is. You can have a good rummage for items, pilfer chests and crates, or, if push comes to shove, have a pop at the beasties that keep popping up like particularly persistent weeds.
The Nitty-Gritty (Down in the Dark Bits)
Dread Phase: This is dead simple. You just bung a peg onto the dread track. This track is rather clever, actually. It tells you which enemies are going to gatecrash the party each turn, and it also dictates which bit of the event card comes into play. More dread? Bad. Obviously.
Event Step: You draw an event card and read the bit that matches your current dread level. These can be a right boon or a proper curse, with more experienced (or unlucky) parties getting more of the nasty ones. For example, a bunch of fresh-faced ‘novice’ adventurers might draw a ‘respite’ card that actually lowers the dread level by one. A bit of a breather!
Adventurer Phase: Your character can trot up to four spaces as their action, but if that elusive chest is just out of reach, you can also leg it for extra movement. You can also have a crack at the enemies using some rather swanky dice. The type of dice you use depends on your character and their chosen weaponry. And, as mentioned, you can have a good old search of the room and pull out one of the tokens from the bag – which, I must say, are surprisingly good quality. Once the players have had their turn, it’s the baddies’ time to shine.
Adversary Phase: These blighters have their own ‘AI’ flowchart that dictates their actions. But first, they need to appear! A quick glance at the dread track will tell you what nasties are joining the fray. You might be facing Lamentors – weeny little gits with only 1 hit point and no armour, but they can be a right nuisance in a swarm. You roll a die to see how many of them materialise and where. They might pop up from one of the ominous gravesites on the map or shamble in from a spawn point at the edge of the world. They’ll then spend their turn making a beeline for the nearest victim, I mean player, and if they’ve got the energy, they’ll have a go at you. Charming!
Then we move into Adverse Effects. So, if one of those delightful little Lamentors has poisoned you, you can deal with that here before we loop back into the dread phase. A bit of housekeeping before the next wave of trouble arrives.
Now, even though that was the ‘nitty-gritty’ section, it’s still a massively simplified version of Maladum. There’s magic in there, both the learned and the wild kind. If you dabble in the unschooled arts, you risk becoming corrupted. Corrupted characters can eventually go rogue and become uncontrollable, attacking friend or foe alike. If a member of your party goes down and you all decide to leg it and leave them behind, you can later mount rescue missions to try and save their bacon, or just straight-up abandon them to their fate. If you choose the latter, a roll of the dice decides whether they survive unscathed, get a nasty injury, or just bleed out and are gone from the game for good. Grim! Between missions, you can buy and sell your ill-gotten gains. There’s even a system for deciding whether you kip at the relatively safe inn in town (where some of your loot is protected) or rough it in the woods outside, risking robbery or a midnight mauling. The sheer level of thought that’s gone into this game is astounding. You’ll build bridges (and can jump up them or be rudely shoved off them!), all beautifully represented by the environment you construct from the box contents. You can follow the pre-written campaign or even craft your own if you’re feeling particularly creative (or masochistic). The possibilities are vast, meaning the replayability is naturally sky-high. As a lifelong D&D nerd and perpetual DM, my brain is buzzing with ideas for incorporating this gorgeous terrain into my next tabletop session. I’ve genuinely never played a game that feels like it’s actively, and aggressively, trying to beat me. The difficulty level is off the charts; every single turn, more enemies will spawn and make a beeline for your hapless party. It’s relentless!
Two Players (A Right Pair of Heroes)
Now for the bit that fits the tagline of my blog: the two-player aspect. Maladum works surprisingly well with just two folks. This is because, other than in the initial tutorial, you’ll never just control two characters. You manage a whole party of adventurers who, assuming your significant gaming partner is a decent sort, will be working together to achieve not only the main mission goals but also any cheeky side quests you might stumble upon. It’s a bit of a cop-out answer, I know, but given that you’re essentially running a small adventuring company, it’s the honest truth. You’re a team, even if it’s just the two of you calling the shots.
Tips and Tricks (Surviving the Carnage)
· There’s no shame in getting your backside handed to you. This game is tough. In video game terms, I’d stick it firmly in the Roguelike category. Expect to fail. A lot. Then dust yourself off, learn from your mistakes, and try again, hopefully doing a bit better next time. Rescue those captured party members and send in your backup crew to mop up the remaining nasties and save anyone else who’s been left behind. Every life counts (until they’re permanently dead, that is).
· Grab the loot! All of it! Pool your findings, divvy it up amongst your party, and flog it for sweet, sweet coin back in town. But make sure you keep enough to pay your adventurers, otherwise, they’ll bugger off and find a more generous employer. A disgruntled adventurer is a liability!
· Communicate with your partner! Don’t just make wild, impulsive moves that leave them stranded and surrounded because you’ve got some grand, half-baked plan brewing in your head. Tell them! They’re your allies, and your brilliant scheme will only work if you’re both on the same page. Teamwork makes the dream work, especially when you’re facing down a horde of angry monsters.
· Take the rules one step at a time. There’s a four-turn tutorial scenario that you absolutely should play through. It teaches you the basics, and then you can gradually introduce the more complex rules as you go. Maladum is a beast, and if you try to swallow the whole rulebook in one go, you will be overwhelmed. Pace yourself!
· Don’t be afraid to leg it! Sometimes the mission is just too much, sometimes the dice gods are having a laugh at your expense, but running away is a perfectly viable (and often encouraged) tactic in Maladum. Live to fight another day!
If you thought Gloomhaven was a bit of a walk in the park, then Maladum is here to prove you spectacularly wrong. This game can, and will, kick your smug face in and then chuckle as it spawns yet another wave of unspeakable horrors. You have been warned!
Pros (The Good Bits)
· The environment is not only top-notch quality, both before and after you’ve built it, but it’s also interactive! Doors and chests open, there are sconces for light… proper immersive stuff. You can even hide behind things and get bonuses to your armour. Clever!
· The sheer depth of thought that’s gone into both the game’s systems and figuring out how to cram an entire world into a single box is frankly insane. Hats off to the designers!
· The figurines are also incredibly well-sculpted and detailed. A real treat for the eyes.
· The box comes with a proper insert that actually fits all the individual miniatures. A small thing, but it makes my organizational heart sing!
· You can actually chat with the ‘neutral’ NPCs you encounter and even hire them if they take your fancy. Adds a lovely bit of flavour.
Cons (The Not-So-Good Bits)
· You could genuinely bludgeon someone to death with the instruction book. It’s enormous! When you’re ready to venture beyond the tutorial, grab a cuppa and a blanket because you’re going to be there for a while.
· Obviously, with so many components, you’re either going to spend a fair bit of time assembling them all initially or spend time building the terrain before each scenario. It’s a bit of a double-edged sword, though, as the level of immersion you get from having actual 3D elements to interact with (jump over, climb, etc.) makes it worthwhile.
· Map rotation is a right pain! There desperately needs to be a little ‘North’ icon on the map tiles that you can match to the pictures in the instructions or some other foolproof method. Trying to orientate the map correctly can be surprisingly fiddly.
