We often hear about people dreaming of being superheroes or princesses but judging by the popularity of Ravensburger’s Villainous board game series, there is more than a fair share of you who just want to be a Disney villain. The sixth expand-alone expansion (an expansion that can be played by itself, if desired) to the series, Disney Villainous: Bigger and Badder, was recently released and we took a look at what players can expect from the three included characters. We’ll also explore what other products are on the horizon from Ravensburger and BRIO.
[Note: A sample of Villainous: Bigger and Badder was provided by Ravensburger. All opinions are my own.]
Meet Villainous: Bigger and Badder’s Playable Villains
In Villainous: Bigger and Badder, players can choose between Syndrome (The Incredibles), Lotso Huggin’ Bear (Toy Story 3), and Madam Mim (The Sword in the Stone). The first two villains hail from Pixar films, which is a first for the Villainous series.
Before we break down each villain’s playstyle, let’s take a moment to look at a few of the pieces you’ll discover when cracking open your game box. Don’t worry; we’ll go over things in more depth later.
Here are the Character Movers, which, as you might expect, you will use to move your villain from one locale on your Realm Board to another.
What’s a Realm Board? It is something between a personal-sized map and a card game playmat. Each Board includes four locations from the film the villain is from as well as an abbreviated version of the villain’s objective for the game.
To learn more about how to play as your chosen villain, there are these Villain Guides. Each player has their own Guide for the character they selected. But one side of the Reference Cards explains all three objectives. This is especially important as part of the gameplay involves sabotaging your opponent’s (or opponents’) progress.
Those Villain Guides explain any special setups or rules that you need to take into account when playing as that character. Here’s a look at Madam Mim’s Villain Guide. She has both a special setup (involving placing a Merlin card on the Realm Board before starting) as well as special rules (she has no Vanquish actions or traditional Ally cards, for example).
Each character has their own Villain Card and Fate Card decks. You use Villain Cards to help advance your sinister plot, and thus your progress, while your Fate Cards are used against you by opposing players. All of these cards are cleverly themed with beautiful artwork.
Now, let’s take a look at the villains, one by one…
Syndrome (from The Incredibles)
For Syndrome to win, he must defeat Omnidroid v.10 (a special tile card) and have no heroes in his Realm. Locations on his Realm Board include Park Residence, Nomanisan Island, Syndrome’s Lair, and Downtown Metrovillle.
A portion of the gameplay for Syndrome centers around maneuvering the Syndrome’s Remote Villain Card, which is required for him to win the game since it is used to defeat the Omnidroid v.10 (one of his two objectives). Other Villain Cards include allies (like the Guards), effects (such as “Identification Please”), items, and conditions (“15 Years Later”, for example). You’ll find Heroes in the Fate Cards (Mr. Incredible, for one), along with effects (“No Capes!”), and items (“Force Field”).
Aside from the whole “no heroes in his realm” aspect, Syndrome also has to test his Omnidroids v.X8 and v.X9 against heroes. How you test them depends on the Omnidroid itself. Following the first two is Omnidroid v.10. To defeat him (and flip his tile over) you need the Syndrome’s Remote Villain Card.
Lotso Huggin’ Bear (from Toy Story 3)
Lotso’s objective for the game is to have 4 heroes with 0 strength (which normally would mean the hero would be discarded but for Lotso, they stay on the board but can’t use their ability) and also have Buzz Lightyear (a special tile card) in the Caterpillar Room. The four locations on his Realm Board are Caterpillar Room, the Library, the Playground, and Tricounty Landfill.
Lotso has two options for reducing heroes’ strength. He can use a “vanquish” action with an ally (like Stretch) or the corresponding actions of certain other cards (such as “Woody’s Hat”). The types of cards found in Lotso’s Villan Deck are ally, condition, effect, and item. The Fate Cards house the many friendly toys we’ve come to love over the course of the Toy Story films, whom you will now destroy. These Fate Cards have heroes (Woody and Rex) and effects (“Spanish Mode”).
Buzz Lightyear, however, is not present in the Fate Cards and instead has his own double-sided tile card. Depending on what side of the card is facing up, Buzz can serve as your ally or a guardian for the heroes of the Fate deck (he starts off as the latter). When meeting the victory requirement for Buzz to be in the Caterpillar Room, it doesn’t matter what version of Buzz is currently active.
Madam Mim (from The Sword in the Stone)
To win, Madam Mim must defeat all of Merlin’s transformations (found on the Fate Cards). Her Realm Board includes The Woods, Madam Mim’s Cottage, Dueling Ground, and the Swamp.
In order to defeat Merlin’s many forms, Mim will need to play her appropriate transformation. For example, she will need Purple Dragon Mim to beat Goat Merlin. Beyond transformations, Mim’s Villain Cards also have effects and conditions like her “As Big As A House” condition, seen below. Fate Cards house Merlin’s transformations as well as effects.
Additional Info for Villainous: Bigger and Badder
To play Villainous: Bigger and Badder, you will need 2 to 3 players. By combining this expansion with previously-released Villainous games, you can add up to 6 players. Ravensburger recommends the game be played by aspiring villains ages 10 or older and after giving it a whirl, I can see why. With every villain playing a little differently and the many elements to keep track of, it can be rather complex!
Ravensburger’s Disney Villainous: Bigger and Badder costs $29.99 and was released on February 27, 2022. Target carries a special retailer-exclusive edition that includes a special collectible game sleeve and a metallic Syndrome Character Mover.
You can find out more about the previous games in the Villainous series, watch tutorial videos, and learn how you can play the game remotely (I love that this is an option) on Ravensburger’s Villainous game page.
More Ravensburger Family Products
Here are some other fun games and toys, coming this year from Ravensburger and BRIO.
Building on the popularity of the previous Disney version, Ravensburger has created the Marvel Eye Found It! Hidden Picture Game. The game utilizes an extra-large game board covered in an intricate illustration, filled with Marvel characters. Players will search through various Marvel locales (New York, Wakanda, Asgard, etc.) to find hidden images. This game will be available starting May 2022 and cost $19.99.
I don’t know about anybody else but I have fond memories of BRIO’s wooden train and track sets from my childhood. And now a new generation has a regal one to call their own in the form of this Disney Princess Castle Set. The set includes figures of Cinderella, Belle, and Aurora (or Sleeping Beauty as she is called for this toy) along with a 3-cart train, tracks, and a castle playset. While you might already be able to find it at specialty stores, this toy won’t be sold online until Summer 2022, when it will be listed on Amazon. This set costs $129.99.
Let’s Hear from You
Have you played any of Ravensburger’s previous Disney Villainous games? How does this one look to you? And, if you had to pick just one, which villain is most like you? Let us know in the comments below!