Jeff is King of Tokyo!

A couple days ago, we had a game night right after work. This time: King of Tokyo! We played with the base game and the Evolution packs, and after a quick primer from Amanda (who knows all things gaming), we were off and running. Going around the table, we had Brett, Adam, Rachel, Trina, Jeff, Amanda, and Nicole, though the game can be played comfortably with as few as two players.

If you’re not familiar with King of Tokyo, think of it as “King of the Hill” (the game, not the TV show) with giant movie monsters and Tokyo instead of kids and a playground. Only one monster can be in Tokyo at a time (Tokyo Bay is included if you have more than four players), and everybody hoards energy, delivers attacks, and desperately tries to heal as they evolve, roll dice, and generally try to skunk each other. It’s easy to pick up, and there are plenty of different strategies you can adopt if you don’t feel like letting chance decide whether you win or lose.

You can win by killing your opponents, or by reaching 20 Glory points by staying in Tokyo and becoming the most famous monster.

It was pretty clear early on that it was the East Side of the table vs. the West Side. It didn’t take long for Brett and Rachel to get themselves killed off before they could even evolve. Trina was next, clearing Tokyo Bay for the rest of the game.

Amanda and Adam had a strong showing, but soon it was down to Jeff and Nicole, who both had Evolution cards to counteract damage. It was a white-knuckle ride before Jeff eventually won by accumulating Glory points for staying in Tokyo.

We can’t show you the rude gestures, but there were some.

It’s a great family game (apart from the smack talk and rude gestures), and there are seriously so many valid ways to play. Pat, who is always thoughtful, strategic, and kind of mean when he plays, lost to a 10-year-old who had never played before. And Pat wasn’t cutting him any slack. It was the best game ever for everyone but Pat.

And this week, Nicole felt his pain: it was only the second time Jeff had played.