Tabletop Game Review: Guardian’s Call

Guardian’s Call

Skybound Games

2-5 Players

Playtime: 30-45 Minutes

“Ferocious orcs are raiding and pillaging, and behind them comes the mighty dragon, Golianth.

You are a Guardian, one of the five rival heroes sworn to defend the realm. The King has decreed that you must work together to send weapons and shields, search for ancient artifacts and call on the power of magical spells, all while bringing villagers to safety within the Castle.

There are many Guardians, but there can only be one Guardian of the Realm, the leader who will lead their combined strength to victory. Bring the greatest resources to the Council and save the most villagers and you will be named the Guardian of the Realm.”

Guardian’s Call is a game for 2-5 players that blends bluffing and deduction. Each player is a “Guardian” tasked with preparing their clan by gathering provisions. Players will need to both collect resources and offer aid to the other players to succeed in Guardian’s Call. Of course, like most games in this genre, players can also bluff and lie their way to success.

It takes a second to get a hold of the rules, but once players do, Guardian’s Call has a neat flow to it. On their turn, the players will offer provisions to another player. Provisions are represented by cards that represent artifacts, shields, spells, villagers, weapon, and curses. Players will choose some provisions, flip them face down, and offer them by declaring what they have to give. Of course, those who are making offers can lie about what they are giving, and players will need to determine if other players are truthful. Accepting and declining offers is the most important part of Guardian’s Call because these provisions will provide points at the end of the game. Whoever has the most victory points wins the game.

Guardian’s Call is likely to be compared to Sheriff of Nottingham and for good reason. Both games involve the trading of hidden cards and heavy bluffing. While there are many similarities between the two games, Guardian’s Call does a lot to distinguish itself from the quintessential bluffing game. Guardian’s Call has every player playing as a character that favors acquiring a certain provision. Zira The Priestess gains an extra coin for every artifact acquired through an offer, while Markus the archer gains a coin for every villager card acquired. The characters’ affinities help to develop the bluffing and deduction mechanics. Knowing that a character favors a certain provision will affect was is offered. Some offers might be too tempting to resist, and players can use this knowledge to manipulate others. Each provision also scores differently, unlike Sheriff of Nottingham. The value of Shields increases as you acquire more, while whoever has the most weapons gets a big point bonus in the end.

The use of character affinities and the different effects of each provision adds an amount of depth and strategy that isn’t quite present in Sheriff of Nottingham. Players will often need to plan ahead and figure out how to obtain the provisions they need. The game feels like it revolves around luck a little less than Sheriff of Nottingham, since players aren’t completely at the mercy of what they draw on a given turn. Still, this doesn’t quite make Guardian’s Call a better game either. At times it feels like it is doing a bit too much as it juggles quite a few mechanics. Guardian’s Call is enjoyable, but I don’t know if it is going to be picked over Sheriff of Nottingham during most game nights.

Guardian’s Call embraces its theme and looks wonderful. The art is gorgeous, which isn’t surprising considering that this game comes from Skybound. The miniatures and tokens are all of great quality as well. Overall, Guardian’s Call’s production value is exceptional.

Guardian’s Call is a fine game that falls just short of the greatness of Sheriff of Nottingham. If players want to add more strategy to their bluffing games, they can’t go wrong with Guardian’s Call. It’s just hard to recommend it over other games in the genre.

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