The Bottom Line
This is an excellent, quick-playing card game that will often leave players ready to play again right away.
Pros
- An excellent card game with a great theme.
- Will be enjoyed by fans of The Chronicles of Narnia.
- Uses photographs from the motion picture Prince Caspian.
Cons
- Does not attempt to recreate the drama and action of the movie.
Description
- For 2 players, ages 8 and up.
- About 20 minutes per game.
- Published by Sababa Toys in 2008.
- Designer not credited.
- Game includes 54 cards, 9 courage shields, 2 Aslan shields.
Guide Review - Prince Caspian - The Shield of Courage Card Game
Based on the movie Prince Caspian (part of The Chronicles of Narnia), The Shield of Courage Card Game has simple rules but offers plenty of opportunity for players to make tactical and strategic decisions. Although it does not recreate the drama and action of the film (all the cards represent characters on the side of good), The Shield of Courage is an entertaining game.After shuffling the deck of cards, the nine shields are laid out in a row across the middle of the table. Players are dealt six cards each. The cards range in number from 1 to 9 in six different colors
On a turn, you play a card and then draw one to replace it. Playing a card involves placing it on the table one your side of one of the shields. No more than three cards can be played on each side of a shield.
When each player has played three cards on a shield they determine who has won that shield. To determine the winner, the sets of three are compared. The strongest set is three consecutive cards of the same color (such as 5-6-7 of yellow). That's known as a Realm. Three of the same number (Army) are next, followed by three non-consecutive cards of the same color (Family), three consecutive cards of mixed colors (Group), and then any three cards (Gathering).
At the start of the game, each player also receives one Aslan shield. This can be used at any time during the game to select any card from the draw pile or to blindly pull one card from your opponent's hand.
The player who successfully claims five courage shields wins the game.
The Shield of Courage Card Game is remarkably similar to Battle Line, a card game designed by Reiner Knizia. Although Knizia's name does not appear anywhere on the packaging or in the rules (no designer is credited), I have to imagine he was involved in this game.
