Dedalo's Board Game Preview
Daedalus, father of Icarus, and inventor of non-heat proof wings, was also the chap who was made responsible, as the Greek mythology goes, to build the labyrinth of Crete to entrap the Minotaur. A creature that was created from a fairly twisted and rather unsavoury trick from the Gods. Read about it, it's crazy! Anyway... The story has spurned many tails since, and now is the inspiration for this new tile laying dungeon crawler, Dedalo's. The game is live on Kickstarter as of October 2023. You can find more about the game here. In this Preview we will talk you through the basics of the game and our thoughts.
Dedalo's is an incredibly simple game to set-up, learn and play. Punch all the tiles and separate the entrance and exit's. Place all the other tiles into the cloth bag. Then place the entrance into the centre of the play area, placing the appropriate number of exists based on player count six spaces away in either direction. Two for a three player game, three for a four player, and four for a five of six player game. Use other tiles to measure this out. Each player chooses a Tribute to play as and places it onto the centre entrance tile. Place the Minotaur figure by the main player area and then every player will then draw three tiles to start with and the game can commence.
The tiles are made up of various corners, junctions and straights. There are also four way intersections that show the Minotaur symbol, this is because they act as a portal/tunnel for the Minotaur to move between when it enters the dungeons. There are also Minotaur tiles, white and red, which when drawn must be used to activate the Minotaur. And finally collapsed tiled that can be used to close exists. Any other differences are purely cosmetic to add some flavour to the game.
On each players turn they can take three actions. There are three options and you must choose at least two of these. You can do any actions twice, but not three times. The three options are to either play a tile down on the board, connecting and continuing at least one path one space. Move your self one space to any open adjacent square. Or, push another player on the same space as you to any adjacent tile.
The players are looking to make their way to one of the exit tiles. If they do, they will win. However, the other players will be trying to slow you down, back you into corners, and hunt you down with the Minotaur.
When any player pulls a Minotaur tile from they bag they must play it on their next turn. This will bring the Minotaur miniature into play. Place it onto the central entrance tile and then move it one space. You can move it in any direction, ideally hunting down the closest rival player to you. Keep the Minotaur tile you played face up in the game area. This is because when another Minotaur tile is played it will be placed next to this and now the Minotaur will move two spaces. A third tile means three movement and so on. When the Minotaur catches any other players, they will remove their playing piece from the board, discard all tiles they have and then take the Minotaur from the board. All red Minotaur tiles are placed back into the bag whilst he white ones are discarded. On the captured players next turn, they will return their playing piece to the entrance, draft three new tiles and then end their turn no no further actions. From their next turn, they will go back to normal.
Certain tiles have stars on, one, two, or three. These can be placed on any other tile so long at the top tile has more stars the the below tile. This is very handy in blocking the path for other players, or opening up. Such as the above example where green was one space away from victory. Blue blocked them, closing the path to the exit. However using a higher stared tile they could do the below to then escape and win.
As such, the tunnels and paths are constantly changing and evolving. You could even find yourself trapped with no moves to make. If this is ever the case then the tile that caused this cannot be placed. You must always have at least two valid movement options. However, I have found times when I have two or more movement options, but was blocked by three stared tiles that I could not place other tiles over. This is very rare, but can be frustrating. If the Minotaur is ever trapped then it will simply be removed from the tunnels.
Over time, you can find the layers of the labyrinth become increasing built up as players trap other players, who in turn try to build their escape paths. This can cause a very interesting back-and-forth. You must at all times find the balance between finding your own way out, whilst not neglecting to watch all other players, lest they have a simple route to victory.
Games can sometimes very very quick and simple. If you don't get the right tiles to block other players, or you forget to focus on that, then it can be over very quickly. Such as the below game which ended after five minutes.
Other times if can become a bit of s stalemate as players block and entrap other players, but in so doing, obstruct their own path as well. There is of course a lot of luck in what tiles you get, and you will need to be comfortable with blocking other players to enjoy and do well at this game. There can be a lot of strategy in a longer game, using the star tiles to evolve the labyrinth to your advantage. And each game feels very different because of this. Short, long, easy, hard. It very much depends on the opening exchanges based on what tiles each player gets and what their opening strategy is. Make a quick dash for the exit, or try to stop the other players.
If you enjoy tile laying games, and are looking for something with a Greek mythology theme that plays quickly, this could well be for you. I would imagine that this description works for a lot of people. As such, I am somewhat confused as to why the Kickstarter has not been more of a success. The goal has been set to zero, so this game will be made no matter what. The designers are not pulling it and will make this game for whoever backs it. They are willing to cover the costs themselves if needs be. It's funny how some games take off and others don't. Perhaps the cover was a little too generic, or the gameplay too light. I have also heard that early version of the game had low quality tiles but the ones in this version are good quality and fairly thick and sturdy. The bag that holds them is also large, a good quality, and very easy to get your entire hand in and out of. A problem often found with tile bags!
I have enjoyed playing this game and will continue to do so. I hope the Kickstarter has a strong finish and the costs are covered. I think this game deserves to find a little more love.