Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is a digital version of an elaborate board game, the action of which is set in a dark fantasy world inspired by Arthurian legends. The board game was developed by Awaken Realms studio from Poland and financed through a crowdfunding Kickstarter campaign. Interestingly enough, it took less than a minute to collect the required amount of money, and in total they raised nearly 5 million pounds (over 123 times more than expected by the creators).
### Plot
The action of Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon takes place in a dark fantasy world. Humanity has gained control against the will of the gods, and now they have to pay the price – a mysterious force called Wyrdness is coming, and its touch makes the land die piece by piece – just to be reborn and die again. The extensive plot of the game is non-linear in its nature – it consists of a series of stories (chapters) with a total length of more than 100 thousand words. The script was written by Krzysztof Piskorski, a fantasy writer.
### Mechanics
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon begins with the selection of a hero – each of them is a specific character, with his own story, a unique skill that gives an advantage over the others, and a flaw that determines how to play. Next, the player carry out consecutive rounds, traversing the board and exploring the secrets of the land. With each step players have to deal with different events. There often is more than one solution (e.g. engage or avoid a fight). Many times players also have to make difficult choices that shape the world and may have consequences for the rest of the game.
As the game progresses, traveling around the map becomes harder and harder – all because of the Guardian Menhirs that are weaker and as a result Wyrdness affects the land more and more. The journey becomes a puzzle \- players have to plan the next steps trying to avoid places where they shouldn’t be.
However one’s hero is not helpless – fighting and dealing with multiple challenges, he gradually develops his skills and gains new items. Development takes place on several axes of opposite attributes (e.g. Empathy versus Aggression or Practicality versus Spirituality). Our choices and behaviour determine what capabilities we will have access to.
### Game modes
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon can be played solo or with others in a four-person cooperative mode.
### Technical aspects
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is a digital board game, so its graphic design consists mainly of a user interface and two-dimensional illustrations. What deserves attention is a very interesting, spectacular, but also dark artistic style, which may bring to mind, among others, the well-known Warhammer universe (the fantasy variant, not the science fiction one).
