- Designer: Richard Garfield
- Publisher: iello
- Players: 2-6 Players
- Playtime: 30 minutes
- Ages: 8+
I was first introduced to King of Tokyo through King of Tokyo Duel, the two player version of this monster of a game. The two player version was a lot of laughs so a friend recommended to try the original. One thing that drew me to this version of King of Tokyo is that up to 6 players can play at a time, allowing for a lot more players at the table. Let’s take a closer look at what makes the original King of Tokyo special!
What’s In the Box?
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- 1 Tokyo Board
- 66 Cards
- 28 “Counters” for smoke, mimic, shrink and poison
- 6 Dice (6 black and 2 green)
- 6 Monster Boards
- 6 Cardboard Figures with Stands
- Energy Cubes
Setup
To set up King of Tokyo, first everyone must choose a Monster and take its Figure, Stand and Monster Board. Players will set Victory Points to 0 and Life Points to 10 on their Monster Board. Then, place the Tokyo Board in the middle of the playing area, where all players can reach. No players will start on the Tokyo Board. Next, shuffle the Cards and deal 3 face up by the board. Put the rest of the cards in a face down pile to replenish the face up cards later in the game. Additionally, put all 6 Black Dice nearby, along with a pile of Energy Cubes. The 2 Green Dice should be off to the side, as they may be used later in the game, per directions on the cards. You are now ready to play King of Tokyo!
Related: King of Tokyo Duel
Objective
King of Tokyo can be won one of two ways. First, if a player hits 20 Victory Points, they have won the game. The second way to win is to be the last player standing. It is an all out brawl to be the King of Tokyo!
Gameplay
Determine who is first player by having all players roll the 6 Black Dice. The player with the most Attack symbols is the first player. A turn takes place in 4 stages: Rolling/Rerolling Dice, Resolving the Dice, Buying Cards (optional) and End of Turn. At the start of their turn, a player will roll the 6 Black Dice and choose which symbols on the dice they will keep, and which symbols they will reroll. Players can reroll dice up to two additional times, and add die previously saved into the last roll. After a player has rolled and rerolled, they will then resolve the dice. Dice with numbers 1, 2, and 3 are worth Victory Points. A player must have a minimum of three of the same number to score as a Victory Point. Three 1’s are 1 VP. Three 2’s are 2 VP and three 3’s are 3 VP. Each additional matching number is worth 1 additional Victory Point. Players may take 1 Energy Cube for each energy symbol they roll and attack for 1 point of damage per attack symbol they roll. If a player is in Tokyo, they deal damage to all monsters outside of Tokyo. If they are outside of Tokyo, they deal damage to all monsters who are inside of Tokyo. There is also the heal symbol. A player may heal 1 point for every heal symbol rolled. Players must be outside of Tokyo to heal.
After resolving the dice, a player may choose to buy a Card. The cost for the card is written at the top. Players may choose to purchase any face up card for the stated amount of Energy Cubes. If a player purchases a card, they may use it immediately. Alternatively, a player may spend 2 Energy Cubes to discard all three face up cards and reveal 3 new ones. These two options can both be done on a single turn, in any order, as long as the player has enough energy to do so.
Finally, the fourth step is the End of Turn. Some Cards have End of Turn effects that will take place at this point. Once a player has completed their turn, they will pass the dice to the player on their left. Turns continue until either 1 Monster is left standing or 1 Monster reaches 20 Victory Points. This player is the King of Tokyo!
So how does a player get to Tokyo? In a 2-4 player game, only Tokyo City will be used on the Board. In a 5-6 player game, Tokyo City and Tokyo Bay will be used. Both spots are considered being in Tokyo. The first player to roll an attack symbol get to put their Monster in Tokyo, as long as it is unoccupied. While a Monster is in Tokyo, they can attack other players but they cannot heal themselves. Should a player choose to move their Monster out of Tokyo, they can yield to the Monster who attacked them. They must still take the damage dealt however. The player who attacked must then take the spot in Tokyo. If a Monster who is on the Tokyo spot is eliminated by another Monster, the Monster who dealt the damage must now go to Tokyo.
Although a Monster cannot heal using dice in Tokyo, being in the city can have some great advantages. First, upon taking control of Tokyo, the player earns 1 Victory Point. When starting a turn in Tokyo, a player earns 2 Victory Points. A player in Tokyo may use a heal effect of a Card, should they have one or purchase one.
Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed the Monsters in King of Tokyo. The art was comical and felt on theme with the game. The game play was straightforward and we had some fun bullying each other in Tokyo. I played King of Tokyo after I played King of Tokyo Duel and I think that brought some bias into my play. While King of Tokyo did offer some fun, and I love that you can play with up to 6 players, King of Tokyo Duel felt like a stronger game in my opinion. The constant push and pull of who was ahead kept me laser focused on how I planned to win. With it spread out between multiple players in King of Tokyo, the game play felt less impactful to me. That being said, I can see many tables where King of Tokyo would shine! Particularly among larger gaming groups, those who love comics or who are invested in King Kong vs Godzilla stories, and those who are looking for a little less cutesy and a little more grit in their game story.
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