Cleric's Revenge

Game Review

Review by David Ladyman


Designed by Rick Britton
Iron Crown Enterprises PO. Box 1605, Charlottesville, VA 22902
Released: June, 1985
Catalog No.: 6700
Price: $20.00
Complexity: Beginner
Solitaire Suitability: None
* * * 1/2

Cleric's Revenge is very much a fantasy game, full of good kings and evil wizards, wights and skeleton warriors, and, of course, treasures of gold. However, it owes the most to one of the oldest war games on the market, Stratego. In the basic game of Cleric's Revenge, you set up at your end of the board, most pieces move one space at a time, higher ranked pieces capture lower ranked pieces (thus revealing where your higher ranked pieces are), and the objective is your opponent's chest of gold. However, the game is laid out on a more versatile hex grid, the terrain is much more varied than Stratego's four block lakes, and there is a set of optional rules designed to introduce some of the more standard elements of wargaming, such as terrain effects and combat result tables (CRT).

Cleric's Revenge includes a 22 x 18 inch, three-color, puzzle-cut board, 84 character markers ranked I through 10 (complete with plastic stands), 42 other markers, and three pages of rules. The stands allow for hidden movement, which is the foundation of this game. The board is sturdy and clearly marked and the characters are interestingly drawn. My only complaint here is that the character markers are on such a thin card stock that within just a few games they will begin to be "marked," taking away some of the hidden aspect, a necessary feature of the game.

Cleric's Revenge is a better game than Stratego, which itself is a good, solid game. The folks at Iron Crown Enterprises, building on a strong foundation, have accomplished their objective, an introductory board game for those new to the hobby. However, they have gone overboard in what features they chose to introduce in the optional rules, having included several all-too-familiar rule lapses and glitches in the process.

The basic rules, with few exceptions, are straightforward, reasonable, and easy to understand, ideal for new gamers. A lot of the strategy is in initial set-up; good and bad decisions are readily exposed during play, so that beginners can learn from their mistakes. However, there is no perfect strategy, so replays do not become boring repetitions. Even the worst player can sometimes win with a lucky combination of set-ups.

The optional rules introduce terrain effects on movement and combat, a CRT, spell-casting, and movement factors, all common elements in more advanced board gaming. However, Iron Crown Enterprises has not spent nearly enough time removing the holes from these additional rules; they leak like sieves. Wights are the worst example of this problem. They are " the ghosts of long dead Kings and warriors7 and "have the special ability of being able to pass through walls and hedges as if such obstacles do not exist." Now:

"All characters pay an additional movement point to cross stream hexsides."

"All characters may move one additional hex when moving along a trail...."

"Each hexagon costs Wights one movement point (MP). Wights do not pay an additional MP when passing through walls or hedges."

Does it cost Wights one MP to cross a stream hexside? Do these ghosts get one additional MP along trails? What do the designers intend?

"If the attacker crosses the stream to enter the defender's hexagon, one is added to the dice roll when determining the result."

"If the attacker crosses a hedge hexside, two is added to the dice roll. "

"If the attacker crosses over a wall, two is added to the dice roll."

Reading these rules strictly, Wights attack at a disadvantage across streams and hedges, but not across walls (because they pass through walls, not over them). Is this what is intended?

Similarly, the CRT appears to be a hastily composed table with several useless listings and what looks like an unintentional but very thorough devaluation of the catapult, one of the most formidable weapons of the basic game. I am left with the impression that the editors were just not paying attention during the second half of the rules.

Nevertheless, I return to my initial premise. Cleric's Revenge is a good introductory two-player game. It is simple enough for a 10-year-old, yet it contains many of the features of much more complicated board games. The price is a little high, but once you've resolved the optional questions it is an easy-to-learn, entertaining game.

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© Copyright 1986 by Dana Lombardy.
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