Board-game video game Armello becomes board-game board game as D&D 4E designer's adaptation hits Kickstarter

You’d be mistaken for thinking Armello, the charming video game following animal heroes on their adventures to ascend to ruling royalty, started life on the tabletop. After all, the 2015 PC, console and mobile game drew heavily from tabletop RPGs, board games and card games, playing out its turns across a hex-grid board using hands of cards and pools of dice. Instead, Armello was an entirely virtual experience - until now, that is.

Almost a decade on from its digital predecessor, Armello: The Board Game is bringing the tabletop-inspired fantasy game to the real-life tabletop. While the Armello board game hews closely to the gameplay of the original (which, after all, was basically a tabletop game to begin with), developers League of Geeks have tapped up the former lead designer of nothing other than Dungeons & Dragons’ fourth edition, Rob Heinsoo, to help polish the experience for a physical release.

As in the video game, players take control of an anthropomorphic animal adventurer on a quest to overthrow the kingdom’s current ruler, the Mad King. To do so before their rival contenders for the crown, they players will need to use the action cards in their hand to journey across the hex-grid map, completing quests by reaching locations to earn prestige and increase their core stats.

Travelling around the world will also allow players to bring settlements under their cause, earning extra gold from allied settlements that can be used to buy new cards to help in combat and elsewhere during their turns. Elsewhere, dungeons can be explored by rolling two dice to randomise possible encounters with foes or the discovery or valuable treasure.

Dice also kick off each player turn, being rolled to gain random benefits - from cards to gold - and move guards and enemies around the map. Rolls drive combat, too, modified by helpful cards in the player’s hand as they battle with Banes, guards, the Mad King or even rival players.

Armello: The Board Game quickly shot past its $20,000 target on Kickstarter within its first day of funding, and is already a long way past that, no doubt helped by its charming artwork and animal miniatures based on the video game’s delightful visuals. The crowdfunding campaign will run until April 4th, with the board game itself due to arrive with backers in a year’s time after that.