Court of the Dead is good worldbuilding. Imagined by Tom Gilliland and written by Landry Walker and Corinna Bechko, with stellar art by give or take thirty different artists. The art is ON POINTTT. Reminded me of Keith Thompson and Requiem Vampire Knight Vol. 1: Resurrection

But ignore the flowery language, and you’ll notice that there is some real potential behind the CotD universe. It’s so incredibly vast and detailed, I fully expected there to be some kind of Tabletop Role Playing Game based on CotD and was honestly surprised when I found out that there’s nothing more than this book and the standard Sideshow figurines. Don’t get me wrong, the statues are beautiful, but I’ll really start throwing money at my screen as soon as they release something like Fate Core based Tabletop RPG campaigns. CotD deserves more. Sideshow is excited to present the Relic Ravlatch: Paladin of the Dead Premium Format™ Figure. Relic Ravlatch is a deliciously irreverent adventurer from Sideshow’s original dark fantasy horror property, the Court of the Dead. Action Phase– Players will play the action cards, recruit figures, place figures at locations, or activate their specific powers. Some actions also cost Etherea.

The miniatures themselves were very lush, but all in all, they aren’t a necessity and could have been another token. Now to my main and really only gripe about the game. Hidden objectives. I feel these should be small additions to the main end game scoring, a couple of little extra points. However, with Court of the Dead your hidden objective can radically swing the scoring, so much so that you have to skip whole swathes of the game because achieving your objective will be far more beneficial. My objective was that I would get double points for unity tokens. All I was doing for the whole game was farming unity. I didn’t buy units, claim locations or any of the other aspects. To be fair, I can't even comment on those aspects. Let me begin by saying that this was not what I expected it to be. I wasn't aware of the Sideshow Collectibles figures and that this was an existing characterscape before I opened the book. Having said that, if you are a fan of the original character figures, this book will be a wonderful addition to your collection and serve to really fill out the world of the characters. The Relic Knights are sturdy vessels for the most devoted of the soulborn. Thirteen forms, each harder to haunt than the last. No will was strong enough to haunt and inhabit the thirteenth form—until Robert Ravlatch came along. In life, Ravlatch had already resisted harvesting well beyond his mortal allowance. But when the Alltaker saw Ravlatch’s stubborn potential, he made a deal with him. If Ravlatch could inhabit the impossible thirteenth Relic Knight, he would become Death’s Paladin. And so began an epic partnership that could fill volumes. As a Relic Knight, Ravlatch is the eyes and ears for the Alltaker, questing to collect essential artifacts and uncover the secrets of the Celestial Realms. Based on an all-original design by Sideshow, threezero are proud to introduce the 1/6 Demithyle fully articulated figure from Court of the Dead. Guild Figures are moved around the board by spending influence of a type dictated by the area moving to, Bone, Flesh or Spirit. This influence is part of the game's final score, so balancing spending with earning is an essential part of the gameplay.

Death’s first creation, the spiritborn Gethsemoni, was fashioned from raw flesh, her mind coalesced from the collective subconscious of humanity, and as such, her form echoes the expectations of the living. Beautiful and flawless to behold, this resident of the shadow realm glimmers like a jewel in the darkness. But be warned – the Queen of the Dead’s countenance is naught but a distraction. Her mercurial mood and unfettered ambitions make her a dangerous and volatile player in Death’s Court, and leader of the Faction of Flesh. Kit is the owner of ABZ Games, Aberdeen’s gaming community hub. He has been playing board/card/war/role-playing games for near on 25 years. Currently, his favorite game is Wild West Exodus by Warcradle. I can never get enough of the incredible artwork. That alone is worth having this book. But once you get into the story, you can't stop wanting to know more about these characters. So unique in design and purpose. The whole realm reminds me of Neil Gaimon's Sandman's series but this is so much richer and darker.Court of the Dead: The Chronicle of the Underworld' by Tom Gilliland, Landry Q. Walker, Corrina Sara Bechko and Sideshow Collectibles is an imaginary tour through the Underworld with an official and unofficial tour guide. Each round players also draw Wallows cards, which give challenges, in return for rewards. Not completing a Wallows card challenge can result in a consequence. The Court of the Dead Wallows cards, Ulterior Motives, and Mourner cards. On The Tabletop Pay Celestial Tithe– Depending on the Celestial Suspicion Meter, players must pay Etherea. They’ll hold out their hands with a secret amount and reveal all at once. The highest paying player gets a bonus and the lowest paying will suffer some point penalties. If the required total is not met, even more point penalties are incurred to the lowest paying player. The book has a few things to offer readers, namely its mythology and artwork. The writing here is interesting enough and for what it is (a guidebook to the Underworld and its occupants) it's pretty well detailed. If you did want to use this as the base for a RPG, you wouldn't be disappointed since all of the basics are covered. Readers are given just enough to know what's going on, although I'll say that the best portions come when the creepy court jester Malavestros inserts his own opinions and reflections that frequently contradict the narrator, an official Underworld historian. An intricate game that reveals itself as straightforward, with enough dramatic flourishes to offer a little bit of over-the-table theatrics. Oh, and gorgeous to look at.