Preview: Familiars and Foes

The wizards and witches of Joralee have all been kidnapped. Its now up to you as the familiars of the witches and wizards to rescue them all and return order back to Joralee. Through it all you will make your way through figuring out new spells, crafting wild attack combinations and perhaps unleashing an artifact or two. The land of Jorlee needs you. Familars and Foes (Currently on Kickstarter until Nov. 3 2022 ) is designed by the magical crew Brandon B, Lindsey Felice, Christopher K Lees, Jordan E Perme and being published by Horrible Adorables.

Foes and Familiars puts players square in the middle of a very darling battle between the minions of evil and the familiars that seek to restore order by rescuing the wizards and witches have been kidnapped. To accomplish this formidable task players will use their familiars special powers, cast spells and give a beat down to the four waves of foes that await them.

The board in Familiars and Foes is a large circle with a star across it. Throughout the game you will work counter clockwise to defeat the foes. Each stop along the way has a witch or wizard that was captured and the foe guarding them. Defeat the foe and you rescue the wizard or witch, this unlocks a one time use special ability if you are playing with a familiar that has the same elemental alignment.

Each of the familiars have their own backstories, special abilities and spells. The asymmetric players adds to the repeatability of the game and gives each player unique agency in the game. There are 3 levels of foes in the game and based on player count and difficulty will determine how many and of what level each of the four encounters have. The game is fairly easy for a seasoned player so I would recommend starting harder. However the lower difficulty level is perfect for younger or less experienced player.

Its important for the players to track the levels of health and magic points during the game so they don't miss any of the action.

In a game of Familiars and Foes you will go through 4 waves of foes before the game is won. It possible for a player to be reduced to 0 hit points and then that player is out of the game until another player can restore them. Its important for the players to track the levels of health and magic points during the game so they don't miss any of the action.

Most of the attacks are based off of a D20 roll. for example one spell to cast Moon Melee will cost 3 magic points and on a roll of 9+, 4 damage is dealt to the foe and a roll of 8 or less will deal one damage to the castor. The Familiars have a special ability to use also that is limited by the amount of times it can be preformed. The foes have a table that players roll on to attack all the players. The foes go after the players so it could be possible to knock a lower level foe out before they even get to attack the players.

Familiars and Foes is a great co-op style game that offers increasing difficulty to meet you and your group's level. The fun art and light theme also make this an appropriate game for the family especially during the Halloween season. Familiars and Foes is on Kickstarter until November 3 2022.

Players: 1-6

Year Published: 2023

Recommended Ages: 13+

Time to Play: 30-90 minutes

A prototype copy of Familiars and Foe was provided to Bert's Tabletop Games for review purposes by Horrible Adorable. This is not the final version of the game and may change in final production.