Welcome to this edition of Rulebook Review where today we'll be covering Viking Funeral! Designed by Rob Daviau of Risk Legacy fame, the game features some of the things that made Risk Legacy famous including destroying cards. The game is a way to give honor to an old deck of cards that can need to be thrown away by giving them one last game.
At the suggestion of an awesome member on BGG named Shelby Buttimer, instead of going page by page we're going to have a more accessible review and split things up into useful sections before Susan comes in and gives the final rating. If you are interested in playing the game or just want to follow along check out the rulebook here. Let's get started!
Organization and Layout: The rulebook is very simple in organization and layout, nothing you see here isn't standard. The rules do flow to let you play the game while reading the rules which is good. Normally putting the story of why the game came to be is unusual unless the game is to raise awareness of some kind but in this case I think it works, he sets up such an honorable end for your deck of cards it pushes the theme further even with a story section right after. I think there were some opportunities to make it a little better but it wasn't bad by any means.
Clarity: None of the rules were particularly complex, the way the rules are written everything is put forward in an almost conversational tone however which may not always be perfect for explanations but it keeps to the theme of the rules well and doesn't make the rules difficult to learn. You can definitely sit down and learn the rules easily.
Graphics: After you see a large viking with NO TIES written on his chest in woad warrior blue, you know that ties don't happen. Ever. A perfect graphic. This aside the rules weren't image intensive but each diagram was well done and well placed. It was a simple graphic design which fit the rules nicely.
Depth: NO TIES! It does have a nice section specifically called “Edge Cases And What Ifs” that helps cover any special situations, you shouldn't need any outside clarification. The rulebook covers everything you need without going too deep, well done.
Writing: “Do I have play a card?” AGH!!! I tried to be slightly forgiving as it was the only typo I could find but it was SO prominent it made Susan bristle dangerously. My face felt tickled and scared. Besides this the rulebook is written in a very conversational form and loaded with jokes and flavor that fits the game perfectly. There is fluff because of this but in the light spirit of the game so it's tough to say if it is actually bad, it's best to put it somewhere in the middle.
But what I say is obviously boring compared to the rulebook knowledge and expertise of Susan the mustache! On the Susan Rating Scale, this rulebook gets:
At the suggestion of an awesome member on BGG named Shelby Buttimer, instead of going page by page we're going to have a more accessible review and split things up into useful sections before Susan comes in and gives the final rating. If you are interested in playing the game or just want to follow along check out the rulebook here. Let's get started!
Organization and Layout: The rulebook is very simple in organization and layout, nothing you see here isn't standard. The rules do flow to let you play the game while reading the rules which is good. Normally putting the story of why the game came to be is unusual unless the game is to raise awareness of some kind but in this case I think it works, he sets up such an honorable end for your deck of cards it pushes the theme further even with a story section right after. I think there were some opportunities to make it a little better but it wasn't bad by any means.
Clarity: None of the rules were particularly complex, the way the rules are written everything is put forward in an almost conversational tone however which may not always be perfect for explanations but it keeps to the theme of the rules well and doesn't make the rules difficult to learn. You can definitely sit down and learn the rules easily.
Graphics: After you see a large viking with NO TIES written on his chest in woad warrior blue, you know that ties don't happen. Ever. A perfect graphic. This aside the rules weren't image intensive but each diagram was well done and well placed. It was a simple graphic design which fit the rules nicely.
Depth: NO TIES! It does have a nice section specifically called “Edge Cases And What Ifs” that helps cover any special situations, you shouldn't need any outside clarification. The rulebook covers everything you need without going too deep, well done.
Writing: “Do I have play a card?” AGH!!! I tried to be slightly forgiving as it was the only typo I could find but it was SO prominent it made Susan bristle dangerously. My face felt tickled and scared. Besides this the rulebook is written in a very conversational form and loaded with jokes and flavor that fits the game perfectly. There is fluff because of this but in the light spirit of the game so it's tough to say if it is actually bad, it's best to put it somewhere in the middle.
But what I say is obviously boring compared to the rulebook knowledge and expertise of Susan the mustache! On the Susan Rating Scale, this rulebook gets:
Susan's Explanation: While the rulebook was funny and didn't have much for glaring flaws minus the typo, it just felt average. Since the game itself has no components and really lives and dies by its rulebook this is kind of bad. While I appreciated the simplicity it could have been kept while still giving the design a little oomph and been a bit more exciting. While it was very tempting to bring it up to one curl based on how excellent the humor of the rulebook really set up the game I just couldn't do it.
That's all for this Rulebook Review! Did you like this style better then the page by page review? Let us know below! And don't forget to keep up with us on facebook, twitter, and our mail list. Thanks again for reading!
That's all for this Rulebook Review! Did you like this style better then the page by page review? Let us know below! And don't forget to keep up with us on facebook, twitter, and our mail list. Thanks again for reading!