I was pretty excited when a big box from USAopoly appeared on my front step a week ago. Inside was a bunch of licensed goodness just waiting to be played. One of those items was The Walking Dead TacDex, a game I was eagerly waiting to try since seeing it at Toy Fair this year. A card game by Richard Borg? Sign me up!
Maybe signing me up was a bit hasty.
Don’t get me wrong. TacDex isn’t really that bad. It’s just…War. Granted, it’s War with a few twists, but nothing mind blowing that really changes things up much. Each player has a deck and a hand of cards. Each player plays a card simultaneously and either the higher or lower number wins depending on what side the Battle Marker is on. Some cards have powers that let you draw an extra card, have the other discard a card, or that give you the option to flip the Battle Marker. Play continues until both players draw their End cards which have been shuffled into the second half of the deck.
Some times games go great. Each player has a descent hand of cards that they can play from throughout the game. Often times, though, you end up running out of cards and have to rely on the 1 card you draw at the end of your turn. This basically makes nullifies certain aspects of the game, namely making your opponent discard cards and using the cards that let you play your numbered card after the other player places theirs.
I guess I should have expected something as simple, but Richard Borg’s involvement got me a bit more excited. My oldest two kids still like the game, and there hasn’t been a day of summer vacation that they haven’t played it since it showed up. As for me, I politely turn down invitations to play.
A copy of TacDex: The Walking Dead was provided free for review by USAopoly.