Fury of Dracula 4th Edition Review
After seeing Fury of Dracula played by Wil Wheaton and friends on TableTop, I knew I had to get hold of it! Sadly, the board game went out of print for quite some time after Fantasy Flight Games Game Workshop license ended and copies were going for vastly inflated prices on eBay. Nevertheless, I waited in the hope that someone would reprint it…
My patience was rewarded earlier this year when WizKids picked up the board game and republished it, of course, I couldn't wait to get the game on the tabletop and review it. I ordered the 4th Edition from Wayland Games straight away. It's a stone-cold classic!
Fury of Dracula by Wizkids
WizKids has done a great job with the reprint. The components are of really high quality and, it feels more like a re-release of the FFG version rather than an update, complete with the useless cardboard box insert as well. Still, at least everything fits back in the box nicely.
All of the elements of the game are well designed, however, some of the card backs are a little too similar - if you're not paying attention during a game, your cards could get mixed up. The Rulebook is nice and easy to understand with the FFG method of a separate 'Rules Reference' book accompanying the ‘How to Play’ Rulebook.
The miniatures included in the 4th Edition set are nice quality, although they're pre-paints, the finish is clean and the colours are vibrant.
Playing Fury of Dracula
The game board that comes with the set looks great - its an Olde Worlde Map of Europe - and is quite large. There's also a separate smaller version of the Map for the Dracula player to use, lest their eyes betray their position.
The aim of the game is for the four Hunters (there's always four hunters regardless of the number of players) to find and kill the titular Vampire, the problem is they don't know where he is, hence, the giant Map.
At the start of the game, the player that is Dracula chooses a city, they then move each turn choosing a new city each time. Whenever they do, they place a location card on the board, creating a trail that the Hunters need to find. However, to deter the Hunters from following, Dracula leaves traps and obstacles at each location on the trail. The traps and obstacles have dire effects if left to 'mature' (normally after about five turns) and often propel Dracula toward overall victory, Hunters can ignore them at their peril. It’s a race against time to track down and defeat Dracula before his influence overwhelms Europe!
The Hunters (each based off a character from the classic Bram Stoker novel) need to utilise all of their skills and resources, and most importantly, work together to have a hope of victory.
Woe betide the poorly equipped Hunter that finds themselves in a confrontation with the lord of Vampires!
Check out the videos that sold this game to me - Wil Wheaton (and Friends) Play The Fury of Dracula.
From the outset, Dracula has the advantage in this board game. All he has to do is evade the Hunters long enough to 'Mature' a few Vampires and spread his influence. The fact his powers GROW over time as well ramps up the drama. To help compensate, Hunters get two actions a day, one day and one night, whereas Dracula can only act at night. Hunters can also travel by train, Dracula can't.
One of the coolest things about Fury of Dracula is that EVERY game ends up being a life or death last-minute struggle, with more at ‘stake’ (sorry) than your Hunter’s own life...
Final Thoughts on Fury of Dracula
To conclude this review of Fury of Dracula, here’s a few of my final thoughts. The game does play long though, so make sure you have at least three hours put aside to play - I promise they will be three GREAT gaming hours. With plenty of replayability (no two games play the same due to the variety of cards and routes available), it is easy to see why this board game is regarded as such a classic. It’s great that it is once again readily available.
Will you subjugate Europe or liberate it?
Be Dracula or apart of the Hunting Pack?
Pick up Fury of Dracula 4th Edition HERE and make your choice.
