Designed by Marco Maggi, Francesco Nepitello, Roberto Di Meglio, Salvatore Pierucci and Simone Peruzzi; published by Fantasy Flight Games / Nexus Games; 2 to 4 players; ages 10 and up; $55 (approximate).
Designed by the team responsible for the brilliant War of the Ring game (based on Lord of the Rings), Marvel Heroes is a strategy board game set in the Marvel universe. Players choose one of four superhero teams: X-Men (Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm, Jean Grey), Fantastic 4 (Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, The Thing), Avengers (Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Iron Man), or Marvel Knights (Spider-Man, Daredevil, Elektra, Dr. Strange). Each team has a Mastermind Villain working against them, controlled by one of the other players: Magneto, Dr. Doom, Red Skull, or Kingpin.
Here's how one of the games designers, Roberto Di Meglio, described the gameplay in an exclusive interview for this site:
"You manage a team of Superheroes, and the Mastermind Villain who's the arch-enemy of one of the other teams. Everybody plays both as the good guys and the bad guys. Of course, you're playing them at different moments so your good guys don't really have anything to do with your bad guy.
"There's a main storyline called the Scenario, which sets special rules and the general goal. Your heroes must face the Dangers, Crime, and Mysteries created by the game mechanics and the other players.
"Your Mastermind Villain tries to make life difficult for the opposing team and to advance towards completion of his 'Master Plans.' When you try to solve situations (called 'Headlines'), you will face opposition from super-criminals run by the other players."
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