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KLAATU. BARADA. NIKTO!
As with the previously reviewed Paldeyn faction, if you are getting this expansion for Player Versus Player, it's “Different Stuff not More Stuff” since this doesn't add a fifth player to the base game and simply gives you one additional faction to choose from.
So, the core reason for picking up a new faction is how their powers vary from those found in the base game. Wroth has Feats, which are what I call the tactical nukes of area control. There are three to choose from for Venna:
Enhanced Sorcery: Persistent: When Venna attack a region that has a hag, acolyte or Cauldron, Deal +1 Damage.
Raise the Dead: Once per game. gather all Cauldrons and deploy them one at a time to regions you occupy. Then, add up to two troops from your discard to each region with a Cauldron.
Toil and Trouble: Once per game: Defeat four basic troops from your player mat and from each opposing player mat.
At first blush, Enhanced Sorcery looks like the default “go to” power. But, lest you forget, games of Wroth are fast. To truly take advantage of this feat, you need to have Elites out and then attack that region. And there will be turns where the dice you draft simply don't allow for that. Raise the Dead is usually the one I go for. But, once again, you need to be occupying regions in order to take full advantage of it. This means spreading out early and picking the perfect moment to execute it. You won't want to deploy any cauldrons early and taking an lead is Wroth means you will be giving another player an extra die during the draft. When you see Toil and Trouble, you'll likely think “Why would I ever want to use that?” It is best used in a four-player game. The four basic troops that you lose shouldn't be an issue as you'll be likely bringing them back with your Cauldron. As with all feats, it's knowing when to pull that out.
Speaking of Cauldron's, let's go over the Elites that will be at your call with Venna.
Hag: If Venna is damaged by an attack in a region that has a hag, Deal 1 Damage to the attacker in that region
Acolyte: If Venna is damaged by an attack in a region that has an Acolyte, deploy 1 Tyro (Grunt) to your DZ.
Cauldron: Deploy to a region you occupy. It cannot move or be moved. If attacked, Cauldrons take damage last. At the start of each round, add 1 Tyro (grunt) from the discard to regions with a cauldron.
The constant debate about factions with asymmetrical powers is “Are they balanced?” A.K.A. This clan is overpowered/underpowered. In my experience with Venna is that they might be slightly overpowered. Having Hags deployed in a region is a damn good deterrent against anyone wanting to attack Venna in that area. Pair them with Acolytes and most people won't dare mess with you, which can lead to some easy domination victories in high point areas if you can get to them quickly. But, as noted by my partner in crime, JackWraith, the key phase in both Hags and Acolytes powers is "damaged by an attack" as the activator. So, using other factions Elite powers that cause damage but don't count as an attack could be used to root them out.
The Venna are great at holding real estate in Wroth. And running out of basic troops is never a real issue if you have Cauldron's out since you simply raise them from the dead and place them on the map every round.
If you are picking up Venna as a challenger in your Solo play, I can only say that I have yet to defeat them in this mode. I'm sure it's just a matter of finding the right mix of faction and feat to take them down.
I like both the look and the gameplay of the Venna Faction. While it doesn't add the elusive 5th player to Wroth, it's a great addition if you are looking for more asymmetrical variety to crank things up in Wroth. Now, if they would only release a faction in Black (my preferred player color), so I don't end up picking my favorite faction and repainting it in Onyx.
A review copy of this release was provided by the publisher. Therewillbe.games would like to thank them for their support.
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