Unmatched: Slings & Arrows

The skirmish/dueling game Unmatched has been drawing from unusual characters since its early days.

But no combination is so unexpected as what we find in Slings & Arrows: four fighter sets based on the works of William Shakespeare.

Is Unmatched: Slings & Arrows a rose by any other name? Let’s dig in and find out.

How to Play

If you aren’t already familiar with the Unmatched series, it’s a card-driven skirmish game based on the Milton Bradley classic Star Wars: Epic Duels. Each player takes a hero (perhaps with associated sidekicks). Every turn, you may perform any combination of two actions (or the same action twice).

Manuever: Draw a card and then move any/all of your characters, according to their move limit. You may discard a card to BOOST your movement.

Attack: Choose an Attack (red) or Versatile (purple) card from your hand. Put it face down and indicate which of your characters is attacking and who they are attacking. The attacked player may choose a Defense (blue) or Versatile card from their hand. Reveal cards and resolve effects – subtract defense value from attack for total damage. Most heroes are “melee” fighters, which means they have to be right next to the target of their attack. But some are “ranged” fighters, who can attack anyone in the same zone on the board (the colors in the circles).

Scheme: Play a scheme card and resolve its effects.

You win by defeating all other heroes (not their sidekicks). Our Unmatched: Cobble & Fog review has a more thorough overview of how to play.

What’s New in Slings & Arrows

There are no new mechanics in this set – at least not anything that applies to all characters. There are four characters in this box, and the board (a rendition of the Globe Theater) is also sized to allow four players. Nothing new here, but there are some interesting hidey-holes on the board.

But what about those characters? Each one has a movement value of two, but that’s where the similarity ends. Their powers couldn’t be more different from each other.

Hamlet

The tragic hero Hamlet gets support from his sidekick Rosencrantz & Guildenstern (a single pawn) as he continually ponders The Question.

Every turn you must choose a side of The Question – To Be draws an extra card every time you maneuver, while Not To Be immediately damages either Hamlet or his sidekick, but boosts Hamlet’s attack(s) for the turn.

The effects of The Question can be powerful – you can refill your hand quickly with To Be, but if you maneuver too often, you’ll run out of cards! Hamlet’s strongest attack card is only a 3, so you’ll need the Not To Be option to press powerful attacks. But it never feels good to have your characters take damage.

Many of Hamlet’s cards also deal extra damage or heal a slight amount of damage. Be carefully aggressive to take your opponent(s) down before running out of cards – or health!

Titania (and Oberon)

Titania, the queen of the fairies from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is the only ranged character in this set, able to attack heroes anywhere in her zone(s). She also wields fairy magic, through a small stack of Glamour cards.

Every Glamour gives an ongoing bonus to Titania and her melee sidekick Oberon, and can only be discarded by effects on Titania’s own cards.

But there are only six Glamour cards, and once they’ve been discarded, they are very hard to get back! Spend them sparingly to improve your played cards.

Wayward Sisters

The Wayward Sisters from Macbeth have no sidekicks. All of their cards can be played by any Sister. As the Sisters, you won’t lose until all three have been defeated.

The Sisters mix ingredients from played cards and cast spells using their cauldron.

Every card has one of the three ingredients – any time you would discard a card, put it in the cauldron instead. After attacking, you may cast a spell, as long as you have the required ingredients in your cauldron. After casting a spell, empty the entire cauldron into your discard pile.

Of course, many of the Sisters’ cards have greater effects if your cauldron is full of cards – so plan out your turns carefully to gain the maximum effect from your cauldron!

Shakespeare

It’s not only the characters from Shakespeare’s plays that show up in this set. The playwright himself makes an appearance!

Shakespeare gets three Actor sidekicks. His primary power is Iambic Pentameter – that’s a line of poetry with five “iams” (ten syllables). Whenever you play a card to attack or defend, place it in the line you’re composing.

Every time you add a card to the line, count the syllables: if it’s over ten, discard the whole line, but if it is exactly ten, you’ve activated your power! Dramatically read the line out loud, then resolve the special “completion effect” on the final card. After this, move the whole line to the discard.

Thankfully, the syllable count is printed on each card, so there’s no heavy math here.

Final Thoughts

Slings & Arrows continues the Unmatched legacy of interesting powers and challenging character matchups.

This still isn’t my favorite set (Unmatched: Cobble & Fog will likely always be the winner), but I love all the ways this set references Shakespeare’s plays, even through the board design and the “Actor” sidekicks.

Shakespeare is probably the easiest character in this set, and my favorite to play. He has a lot of high-value cards, and while his Iambic Pentameter power is helpful, it’s not strictly necessary to win. His cards offer glimpses into his other famous plays, both in the text and the artwork.

The Wayward Sisters are also fun! They’re at their best when you bounce ingredients in and out of your cauldron for extra effects. And with three heroes, they’re able to spread effectively across the board.

The randomness of Titania’s Glamour cards can make her character a challenge at times, but it’s hard to go wrong with a ranged character, especially when your opponents must get close to hit you.

I’ve managed to win with Hamlet only once, but I still think he’s really interesting. He is probably the hardest character, requiring careful balance to keep him attacking as often as possible without losing health too quickly. I’ll choose him again when I want to really challenge myself.

Of course, the art in Slings and Arrows also continues the stunning treatment Restoration Games gives its sets. Each card set evokes a different response, from horror to humor.

Like most Unmatched sets, you’ll better appreciate these characters if you’re familiar with the source material. But this diversity of characters, all inspired by the work of William Shakespeare, may encourage you (and your kids) to read or watch one of his plays. Or at least a soliloquy!

Find Unmatched: Slings & Arrows on Amazon, direct from Restoration Games, or at your friendly local game store.

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The Family Gamers received a copy of Unmatched: Slings & Arrows from Restoration Games for this review.

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