Court of the Dead: Mourners Call

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Empowered by souls taken from the Mortal Realm, Death bids his scions of Flesh, Bone, and Spirit to fashion for him an army of the undead — one hundred arcane warrior reapers, each singularly gifted and compelled by loyalty and familial bond to stand in defense of their realm. 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. It was a very close run game in the end. I swarmed the board early game, but Kyla very successfully managed to control the Deadsbane Token, giving her forces immunity to the Dreadsgrip threat, which decimated my forces late game. Kit and I drew with 36 points, and Kyla came in close with 34 points. Kyla and Adam battle for control of the locations on the board. Player Thoughts

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 While Ravlatch serves the Alltaker, he has also chosen to join the Faction of Bone. Thus, he has fastened an Underworld United Signet to his cloak. And in the Relic Ravlatch: Paladin of the Dead Premium Format™Figure, he displays the symbol of the Bone Faction on his helmet and chest. The art is ON POINTTT. Reminded me of Keith Thompson and Requiem Vampire Knight Vol. 1: Resurrection Demithyle stands approximately 16 inches (~40.6cm) tall with 35 points of articulation. The Demithyle figure also comes with pauldrons, breastplate, “Chainmail” shirt, vambraces, faulds, skirt, cloak, grieves, boots, and eight pieces of interchangeable hands. Equipment includes the Cryptmourne sword and a scythe. Members of Flesh Faction could seek to unite the aspects of each Faction as well as their own lives with some teachings from Bone, who promote structure. The Spirit Faction would offer these anarchic beings lives without greed or abundance, to further connect them with their inner selves rather than filling themselves with external pleasures or validation.

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Among them rises a leader, Demithyle of the Mortis Knights, whose gift of inward sight presents him with whispers of wisdom gathered from many mortal lifetimes — if only he might learn to grasp them. But even as the Nameless drive the scourge of their bael reiver hordes ever closer to the city, devouring all in their path, Demithyle finds himself displaced from both the army that calls him captain and the city he has only begun to call home. In terms of an Underworld United, those in Spirit should consider connecting with their physical selves to further their connections with other mourners and to remain more grounded in their environments. Like followers of Bone, beings who lean toward the Spirit Faction might benefit from structure so that they can complete a project rather than drift from interest to interest, never achieving one idea’s fullest potential. 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. If there is anything to criticize about this work, the main one would be that it was over far too soon. It feels like the reader only got a tasted of the wonders that can be beheld in the realm of Death. There was so much left to explore that Bookworm can only hope that Sideshow Collectible’s deigns to grace the Court with a second volume. Novels and comic books would do nicely as well.

Despite these two seemingly disparate ideologies, both Kier and Ellianastis wholly represent Spirit Faction. They are wise and curious, often going outside the physical self to pursue greatness. Unencumbered by greed, they have goals, but are less worried about the time it takes to get to them. Physical possessions are worthless. Followers of Spirit tend to be easygoing, enlightened. But this carefree attitude can be to a fault — Spirit Faction members, especially those who practice spiritmandering, can drift into nothingness, or venture so far deep inside their own heads that it’s nearly impossible to get them out.

Off The Shelf

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. Sideshow and TBLeague present the Gethsemoni: The Dead Queen Sixth Scale Figure, a regal new addition to our original Court of the Dead collection. The nature of the Flesh Faction is adaption, perfectly complimenting this poseable sixth scale figure and her array of Underworldly accessories. Overall, Court of the Dead: Mourners Call has plenty of unforced errors that make for an uninspiring whole. It doesn’t make any mistakes so large that it should be relegated to the bottom shelf of gaming, but it’s not digging deep enough into the theme to find the real game. This feels very much like a game made for an IP, not a game designed with mechanisms as the central draw. Players who like the Court of the Dead theme will be satiated. Gamers looking for the next Blood Rage will be disappointed. Wallows Cards– These are quest cards that can be completed to gain Faction points, bonuses, or Etherea. But, that aside, does the game deliver in mechanisms? It certainly has a lot of them, and besides the Dreadsgrip meter, all are straight textbook implementations. There is really nothing of strong interest in any of the actions and phases, and any player who has played Blood Rage will be groaning that they’re not playing that title. The drafted action cards are larger sized, making it easier to see their abilities.

The Faction of Flesh is led by Queen Gethsemoni. This highly skilled necromancer is Death’s lover and queen of the Underworld. She wields tremendous power and influence, utilizing a nubile and confident presence to command spies, generals, and soldiers. The Shaper of Flesh, Gethsemoni gives form to new mourners when they arrive in the Underworld, and thus has made marks on almost every being that has traversed the great city. A fictional non-fiction tome exploring the world, characters and factions of the Underworld, from the original creations of Sideshow Collectibles. This is probably not the type of book you want to sit down and read all at once. For all it’s creativity this is a book of facts about the Underworld. There is a bit of story here about how Death came to rule the Underworld and some hints of a story about wars and rebellions that have plagued the Underworld. That being said it is primarily a book of imagined facts and the reading can get a bit dry at times. The amount of information (albeit imaginary) thrown at the reader is a bit overwhelming too. The Final Verdict: At the time of this writing, this book had only been out for a little over a year and it appears that Court of the Dead has not been out for much longer either. Bookworm could not be more excited! Normally, when they have discovered a franchise, it already has a dedicated fanbase and Bookworm has to struggle to keep up! Here, Bookworm is right at the beginning. Bookworm cannot wait to explore more of the Underworld and the Court of the Dead. 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.Kier, Death’s First Sword, is a fallen angel. Cast out for her impurities, the vengeful, raging Kier is Death’s adopted daughter. She is far more present in the Underworld, on and off battlefields, as the representative of Spirit Faction. Unlike her teacher Ellianastis, however, Kier’s future is far bloodier, and where The Great Oracle pursues secret texts, Kier pursues violence as a means to bring unity to Illverness. A nameless shadow encroaches at the fringes of the Underworld. Beneath the citadel of Daer-Gholl, Death perceives. You are a Mourner – an allegiant of Death – dedicated to realizing his noble ambition to end the celestial war and restore balance to the universe. However, Death’s purpose includes your own ulterior motives. You and your fellow Mourners must unite and rise, or fall together. But only one Mourner will achieve their particular vision of the Underworld united. Your task will not be easy. While the Underworld is united in its purpose, it is divided in its strategy to achieve that aim. There are three factions in the Land of the Dead: Bone, Flesh, Spirit. Each is a unique path to rise up against Heaven and Hell. I feel that the co-operative element is just bolted on and doesn’t really play out the way it was initially planned for I think. It's more like a random tax you have to pay each round. Death, in this book is portrayed as a more tragic character. An entity that is more of a shepherd than a hunter. He is called the Alltaker because that is his divinely appointed task, to take all that lives and guide it toward its afterlife. Death knows of the great injustice that has being inflicted upon the essence of the departed and thusly, the Court of the Dead was born. While there are many stories to be had among the lands of the Underworld, but thus overarching story continues to be among the most compelling. It makes the reader yearn to dive in deeper. If this is truly the fate that awaits a soul that burns particularly bright, the Death’s Court does not seem like such a bad place to end up.

In the sprawling citadels of the Underworld, deep within the vast libraries of Voxxingard, a curator sits. Staring at an empty tome, he ponders the puzzle that has been laid out before him by his Master, the shepherd of souls known as Death—a question deceptive in its simplicity, “What is the purpose of the realm of the dead?” To answer this, the curator must write a journal chronicling the rise of the Underworld and the history of the never-ending war of Heaven and Hell. From the lowest scavenger of corpses to the highest chancellor, all those within the Underworld must be questioned and examined. For what is the purpose of the land of the Dead? Is it a haven for the refugee spirits of the mortal world? A sinister part of the celestial war machine that threatens to consume reality itself? Or does it instead serve to bring true balance to the long abandoned promises of Heaven and Hell? Accompany Death’s curator on his strange journey as he unravels the most terrible and wonderful secrets found within the Court of the Dead. The joy of Ravlatch is the fact that he's a walking curio shop," said Tom Gilliland, creator of the Court of the Dead. "All his tools of his trade are an homage to the rogue adventurer characters I love."Adam: The components for Court of the Dead are beautiful. The sculpts, the art, the quality of the paper for the rulebook, the incredibly well-designed box (everyone knows how much I love a well-designed box and Court of the Dead's is up near the top). But the game itself didn't grab me. I can't fault it, everything works smoothly and there are some fantastic elements with the card drafting, multiple ways to work towards victory. It just didn't feel like there was anything new. Here’s the concept: Heaven and Hell are in a war that has raged since the beginning of time. And, since Heaven and Hell no longer represent good and evil, the war is nothing more than an ongoing battle for supremacy while consuming Etherea, energy provided by mortal souls. To gain this resource, these forces rely on Death himself (a big Charon-esque figure) to harvest souls.