Sidebar: Racism and Sexism in the Conan Board Game

This post is a sidebar on the topic of sexism and racism in the Conan board game.  I'm trying to provide context on both sides of the argument (with my opinions clearly stated) to help potential gamers decide if this is a game they'd want on their table.

No disrespect intended to anyone who disagrees with this and I believe it's okay to have a difference of opinion as long as that opinion doesn't impinge on anyone's civil rights.

Review of Monolith's Conan Skirmish Game

Between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis, and the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an age undreamed of. And unto this, Conan, destined to use jewels as both stamina and health, furrowed his troubled brow.  It is I, a random blogger, who alone *cough* along with many other better reviewers *cough*, can tell thee of his saga. Let me tell you of the days of high adventure!

The game Conan, by Monolith, has been out almost two years and the next Kickstarter is months, if not a full year out, from when I'm typing this ultra late to the party review.  With the Kickstarter version, came a full box of stretch goals, and optional purchases of three big box expansions (I discussed them here), an art/campaign book, and a lot of other add-ons miniatures.

Robert E. Howard's character of Conan was written far more intellectual than he's often portrayed in later books, comics, and movies.  In the opening paragraph of his first story, The Phoenix on the Sword, he's described as "black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth."  That emotion breadth of the character (sullen, melancholy, and mirthful) is often dismissed right along with his intelligence.  There's more to Conan and Robert E. Howard than many people pause to take note of.

To help ensure they captured Howard's essence correctly, Monolith hired Patrice Louinet, a notable Robert E. Howard scholar.

And, much like the titular character, the game could just as easily been toss aside as another 'dudes on a map Ameritrash game'.  There are some hidden gems of systems in this game (pun fully intended) and that adds to the experience and makes the game more than just another skirmish game.

Constructing a Better Dungeon

From 1st Edition AD&D DMG. 
Also a case study in why you don't split the party.

Almost nothing short of a pop culture reference can pull a game group out of the moment than a nonsensical dungeon.  Why are there orcs, goblins, giant beetles, and a wight living in these trees?  Is there a food chain or pecking order here or was this the result of randomly selected from dice rolls on a table a la the original printing of B1: In Search of the Unknown.  Oh good, the giant beetle has a magic scroll and the goblins had a magic sword that they didn't use because it's too nice?