Second Look—Regnum Angelica

This review has been a long time coming, and for some reason it kept falling through the cracks. Don’t, by any means, take that as a poor reflection on the game!

Regnum Angelica is a 2-player card game featuring the Arch angels of Gabriel and the Fallen angels of Beelzebub. Players go back and forth with their armies until a player reaches 35 points, thus ending the game. What really impressed me with the game is how strategic it is, and how little luck is actually involved. In order to win, you’ll need to outmaneuver, outgun, and overpower your opponent using your angels, scripts, and pillars. Even the lowliest angel can defeat the mightiest with proper planning and a good angle of attack. I played this one with my 9-year-old son and, after going over the rules together for about 20 minutes, we had a great time.

One of the best parts about the game is how relatively simple it was to learn, yet it packed a lot of depth. Combat is simple to resolve, but can easily be swayed by scripts or spending points off your power meter. Trying to come up with good combinations of actions to overcome the other player really makes this game shine. Add that on to the stunning art and production quality of the game, and Regnum Angelica is one you really shouldn’t pass up.

Regnum Angelica doesn’t seem to be getting much press, and that’s a shame. It’s a real sleeper hit, and I hope more people give it a shot. It’s a fantastic 2-player game with easy to grasp mechanics and enough depth to keep re-playability high.

A copy of Regnum Angelica was provided free for review by Black Locust Games.