Hi all,
Is the pen mightier than the sword? We're about to find out in our review for the latest set of Unmatched. Slings and Arrows is all about William Shakespeare and the characters he has created. A shorter version of this review can also be found on our Instagram: Mr. & Ms. Meeple - Review - Unmatched: Slings and Arrows.
Unmatched: Slings and Arrows
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🗣: Restoration Games & IELLO
🧠: Rob Daviau
🎨: Zoë van Dijk & Nastya Lehn
👥: 2-4
👶: 9+
⏱: 20-40’
⚙️: Battle Card Driven, Hand Management, Point to Point Movement & Variable Player Powers
Introduction
Shakespeare once wrote “All the world’s a stage” 🖊️. We guess this also includes the Globe Theater where different characters, that are all connected to William Shakespeare, gather in a new set for Unmatched named Slings and Arrows.
How to Play?
If you've ever played Unmatched before you know you can mix and match characters and battlefields from different sets together in any way you like. Slings and Arrows introduces 4 new characters (William Shakespeare, The Wayward Sisters, Hamlet and Titania) and a new battlefield (Globe Theater) 🪶.
Place the battlefield of your choice in the center of the table and choose a character. Also take the corresponding Action Cards, Sidekick Tokens, Health Dials and any other components belonging to your chosen character. Shuffle your Action Cards together and draw 5 cards as your starting hand. Place your fighters (Hero Miniature and any possible Sidekick Tokens) on the battlefield before taking the first turn.
What does a turn look like exactly? During your turn you must take 2 actions, and you can take the same action twice, from the following: “Maneuver”, “Scheme” or “Attack”. If you choose to “Maneuver” you have to draw an Action Card and may move any of your fighters around the battlefield. When you decide to “Scheme” you're able to play a Scheme Card from your hand and resolve that card's effects. Do you want to “Attack” your opponent? Simply play an Attack Card and hope you can do more damage than your opponent can defend. Players keep taking turns until there is only one player with fighters remaining 🏆.
![]()
Entertainment at the Globe Theater 🎭.
Manual & Learning the Rules
We've noticed a trend in the last couple of sets of Unmatched we've added to our collection. Every one of these set contained 2 different rulebooks 📖. On the one hand there was a rulebook which contained the core rules and on the other hand there also was a rulebook with new rules specific to that set. We have to say we kind of like the fact that there are 2 rulebooks. Seasoned Unmatched players can entirely skip the one with the core rules and focus on the one with the set rules. The same goes for new players but in the other direction as they can start with the core rules before diving into the set rules. Either way, both new and experienced players will receive a well-written rulebook that explains everything you need to know about Unmatched. Also, we found it to be a nice touch that the set rulebook contains a bit of information about William Shakespeare and the characters he has created. It's always fun to learn something about the character you're playing as.
Art & Components
As has been the case with every set of Unmatched we’ve added to our collection so far, Slings and Arrows’ production is once again of a high level. As always, you’re getting some really good-looking and detailed miniatures of which Hamlet and William Shakespeare are our favorites. When we take a look at the card art we both agree Titania’s card looks the best of all 4 new characters. Of course, this doesn’t mean the other characters’ cards don’t look good because they definitely do. It really amazes us how Restoration Games always manages to find some really good artists who put their own touch on everything 🤩. For us, this enhances the feeling that all characters are different.
![]()
Definitely fitting art for a Fairy Queen 👸.
Gameplay
If you’ve read any of our previous reviews in regards to Unmatched or have been following our account on Instagram you maybe already know we’re huge fans of the series 😍. In this review, instead of gushing all over the basic principles of Unmatched again, we’ll be focusing on Slings and Arrows as we'll be talking about everything new in regards to gameplay such as battlefields, characters and maybe some new mechanisms. You can always check out our review for Unmatched: Battle of Legends - Volume One if you want to know how we feel about gameplay for Unmatched in general.
Let us first start by telling you a bit more about the new Global Theater battlefield which, just as Azuchi Castle in Unmatched: Sun's Origin, doesn’t add any new mechanics to Unmatched. While we like new mechanics to be added from time to time to shake things up, we also understand why this isn’t always possible as it needs to feel natural in regards to the setting of the battlefield. No new mechanics also means you fold open the battlefield map and can start playing right away without needing to look up any new rules. Al things considered we feel the Globe Theater is a fun map to play Unmatched on as you can duke it out on stage, but also in the seating area and on the balcony 🍿.
Now that we’ve talked about the new battlefield we also have to talk about the new characters since we feel they’re the most important aspect in deciding if you should or shouldn’t buy a set. The first character, or should we say characters, are the Wayward Sisters who are in fact not one but 3 heroes. Ever since playing as the Raptors from Jurassic Park we’ve been huge fans of the multi-hero characters and the dynamic they can possibly bring. Unlike the Raptors these Wayward Sisters don’t hunt you down as a pack but gather ingredients for brewing potions to help them out during battle 🧙♀️. So, how do you gather these ingredients? Each of their cards has a certain ingredient which you put into your cauldron when you discard that card. After attacking you can use these ingredient to perform one out of 4 spells with different effects dependent on the ingredients used. We found this to be a clever way of giving you the feeling of brewing potions and casting spells. To make sure these spells don’t become too powerful you can only cast one after an attack and you have to discard all ingredients in your cauldron, even the ones you didn’t use. After a few rounds of playing as the Wayward Sisters we started to notice we also took the kind of ingredient on a card and the spell we wanted to perform into account when deciding on which cards to play.
![]()
Watch out for these witches called the Wayward Sisters 🧙♀️🧙♀️🧙♀️.
The second character we want to talk about is the Prince of Denmark, Hamlet, who has trouble to know whether “To Be” or “Not To Be” ❓. This confusion was also incorporated into his playstyle as you can choose “To Be” or “Not To Be” at the start of each of your turns by flipping a token to the side you choose. If you choose “To Be” you may draw an extra card with each “Maneuver” action, but if you choose “Not To Be” you have to deal 2 damage to one of your fighters and add +2 to each of your attacks. We can only urge you to choose wisely since both sides can be really advantageous depending on what you want to do during your turn. The next character in this set is the Queen of the Faeries herself, Titania, who uses fairy magic to glamour her opponents 🧚♀️. She has a second deck of cards containing Glamour Cards which can give her or her sidekick, Oberon, an advantage on the battlefield. If, at the start of your turn, you don’t have a face-up Glamour Card you must flip the top one from your deck. The effects on this card stay active until a Action Card tells you otherwise. Since you’re only able to discard or switch out Glamour Cards because of playing certain Action Cards, it’s important to find the right balance with both Glamour Cards and Action Cards. You don’t want to get stuck with a Glamour Card that’ll do nothing for you the coming turns.
Finally, we have come to the man who has created all these characters, and in essence made Slings and Arrows possible, and that is William Shakespeare himself 🪶. As does a real writer does, you also will be writing new lines while playing as Shakespeare. We have to admit that while it may seem a little convoluted at first, Shakespeare has a really fun playstyle and in the end turned out to be our favorite character from this set. How does his playstyle work exactly? Each of his cards has a certain number of syllables in its name in addition to a completion effect. When you should discard an Action Card after attacking or defending, place it in a row in front of you instead. Every time you do this you have to count up all the syllables of the cards in that row in front of you. Nothing happens if there are less than 10 syllables, but if there are more than 10 you’ll have to discard all the cards in that row. However, the fun part is trying to have exactly 10 syllables on cards in that row since you then get to activate the completion effect of the last card. Playing your cards in such a way that you’re able to get 10 syllables may require some planning, but was a ton of fun and felt refreshing and thematic 🤩.
It's safe to say all characters in Slings and Arrows play very differently and some of these feel really fresh in regards to the way they’re designed and play. Part of the charm of Unmatched, and one of the reasons we like it so much, is that we get to play as characters we’ve initially wouldn’t think of such as William Shakespeare for example. It’s also a ton of fun to combine characters from different sets or to team up with other characters in Unmatched Adventures. We’ve also played as all of the characters from Slings and Arrows in Unmatched Adventures and can tell you that they’re a blast to play with. Maybe you should inform Mothman that his days of terrorizing Point Pleasant are over? 💪
![]()
Don't underestimate the power of the pen! 🖊️
Conclusion
Is Slings and Arrows a must for fans of Unmatched? What about new players?
🧔🏻♂️ Mr. & Ms. Meeple👩🏼
We don’t have to beat around the bush. Slings and Arrows is a very good set that has fun characters with distinctive playstyles. Is it a must? That depends on your personal preferences, but we feel it’s one of the better sets out there and that’s why we’ll be recommending this one 😉. Though we can see some of the characters being a little intimidating at first for new players, we’re confident that these also can be enjoyed by those new players once they get a sense of their playstyle.
If you’re interested in what we thought about some of the other content for Unmatched you can always take a look at our previous reviews:
• Unmatched Adventures: Tales to Amaze
• Unmatched: Battle of Legends - Volume One
• Unmatched: Sun's Origin
![]()
Does this qualify as meeting your maker? 🤪
A review copy was provided by IELLO 😊.
Greetings,
Mr. & Ms. Meeple
Wesley & Elke
Instagram - Mr. & Ms. Meeple
Is the pen mightier than the sword? We're about to find out in our review for the latest set of Unmatched. Slings and Arrows is all about William Shakespeare and the characters he has created. A shorter version of this review can also be found on our Instagram: Mr. & Ms. Meeple - Review - Unmatched: Slings and Arrows.
/pic8822288.png)
🗣: Restoration Games & IELLO
🧠: Rob Daviau
🎨: Zoë van Dijk & Nastya Lehn
👥: 2-4
👶: 9+
⏱: 20-40’
⚙️: Battle Card Driven, Hand Management, Point to Point Movement & Variable Player Powers
Introduction
Shakespeare once wrote “All the world’s a stage” 🖊️. We guess this also includes the Globe Theater where different characters, that are all connected to William Shakespeare, gather in a new set for Unmatched named Slings and Arrows.
How to Play?
If you've ever played Unmatched before you know you can mix and match characters and battlefields from different sets together in any way you like. Slings and Arrows introduces 4 new characters (William Shakespeare, The Wayward Sisters, Hamlet and Titania) and a new battlefield (Globe Theater) 🪶.
Place the battlefield of your choice in the center of the table and choose a character. Also take the corresponding Action Cards, Sidekick Tokens, Health Dials and any other components belonging to your chosen character. Shuffle your Action Cards together and draw 5 cards as your starting hand. Place your fighters (Hero Miniature and any possible Sidekick Tokens) on the battlefield before taking the first turn.
What does a turn look like exactly? During your turn you must take 2 actions, and you can take the same action twice, from the following: “Maneuver”, “Scheme” or “Attack”. If you choose to “Maneuver” you have to draw an Action Card and may move any of your fighters around the battlefield. When you decide to “Scheme” you're able to play a Scheme Card from your hand and resolve that card's effects. Do you want to “Attack” your opponent? Simply play an Attack Card and hope you can do more damage than your opponent can defend. Players keep taking turns until there is only one player with fighters remaining 🏆.
/pic8822287.png)
Manual & Learning the Rules
We've noticed a trend in the last couple of sets of Unmatched we've added to our collection. Every one of these set contained 2 different rulebooks 📖. On the one hand there was a rulebook which contained the core rules and on the other hand there also was a rulebook with new rules specific to that set. We have to say we kind of like the fact that there are 2 rulebooks. Seasoned Unmatched players can entirely skip the one with the core rules and focus on the one with the set rules. The same goes for new players but in the other direction as they can start with the core rules before diving into the set rules. Either way, both new and experienced players will receive a well-written rulebook that explains everything you need to know about Unmatched. Also, we found it to be a nice touch that the set rulebook contains a bit of information about William Shakespeare and the characters he has created. It's always fun to learn something about the character you're playing as.
Art & Components
As has been the case with every set of Unmatched we’ve added to our collection so far, Slings and Arrows’ production is once again of a high level. As always, you’re getting some really good-looking and detailed miniatures of which Hamlet and William Shakespeare are our favorites. When we take a look at the card art we both agree Titania’s card looks the best of all 4 new characters. Of course, this doesn’t mean the other characters’ cards don’t look good because they definitely do. It really amazes us how Restoration Games always manages to find some really good artists who put their own touch on everything 🤩. For us, this enhances the feeling that all characters are different.
/pic8822283.png)
Gameplay
If you’ve read any of our previous reviews in regards to Unmatched or have been following our account on Instagram you maybe already know we’re huge fans of the series 😍. In this review, instead of gushing all over the basic principles of Unmatched again, we’ll be focusing on Slings and Arrows as we'll be talking about everything new in regards to gameplay such as battlefields, characters and maybe some new mechanisms. You can always check out our review for Unmatched: Battle of Legends - Volume One if you want to know how we feel about gameplay for Unmatched in general.
Let us first start by telling you a bit more about the new Global Theater battlefield which, just as Azuchi Castle in Unmatched: Sun's Origin, doesn’t add any new mechanics to Unmatched. While we like new mechanics to be added from time to time to shake things up, we also understand why this isn’t always possible as it needs to feel natural in regards to the setting of the battlefield. No new mechanics also means you fold open the battlefield map and can start playing right away without needing to look up any new rules. Al things considered we feel the Globe Theater is a fun map to play Unmatched on as you can duke it out on stage, but also in the seating area and on the balcony 🍿.
Now that we’ve talked about the new battlefield we also have to talk about the new characters since we feel they’re the most important aspect in deciding if you should or shouldn’t buy a set. The first character, or should we say characters, are the Wayward Sisters who are in fact not one but 3 heroes. Ever since playing as the Raptors from Jurassic Park we’ve been huge fans of the multi-hero characters and the dynamic they can possibly bring. Unlike the Raptors these Wayward Sisters don’t hunt you down as a pack but gather ingredients for brewing potions to help them out during battle 🧙♀️. So, how do you gather these ingredients? Each of their cards has a certain ingredient which you put into your cauldron when you discard that card. After attacking you can use these ingredient to perform one out of 4 spells with different effects dependent on the ingredients used. We found this to be a clever way of giving you the feeling of brewing potions and casting spells. To make sure these spells don’t become too powerful you can only cast one after an attack and you have to discard all ingredients in your cauldron, even the ones you didn’t use. After a few rounds of playing as the Wayward Sisters we started to notice we also took the kind of ingredient on a card and the spell we wanted to perform into account when deciding on which cards to play.
/pic8822284.png)
The second character we want to talk about is the Prince of Denmark, Hamlet, who has trouble to know whether “To Be” or “Not To Be” ❓. This confusion was also incorporated into his playstyle as you can choose “To Be” or “Not To Be” at the start of each of your turns by flipping a token to the side you choose. If you choose “To Be” you may draw an extra card with each “Maneuver” action, but if you choose “Not To Be” you have to deal 2 damage to one of your fighters and add +2 to each of your attacks. We can only urge you to choose wisely since both sides can be really advantageous depending on what you want to do during your turn. The next character in this set is the Queen of the Faeries herself, Titania, who uses fairy magic to glamour her opponents 🧚♀️. She has a second deck of cards containing Glamour Cards which can give her or her sidekick, Oberon, an advantage on the battlefield. If, at the start of your turn, you don’t have a face-up Glamour Card you must flip the top one from your deck. The effects on this card stay active until a Action Card tells you otherwise. Since you’re only able to discard or switch out Glamour Cards because of playing certain Action Cards, it’s important to find the right balance with both Glamour Cards and Action Cards. You don’t want to get stuck with a Glamour Card that’ll do nothing for you the coming turns.
Finally, we have come to the man who has created all these characters, and in essence made Slings and Arrows possible, and that is William Shakespeare himself 🪶. As does a real writer does, you also will be writing new lines while playing as Shakespeare. We have to admit that while it may seem a little convoluted at first, Shakespeare has a really fun playstyle and in the end turned out to be our favorite character from this set. How does his playstyle work exactly? Each of his cards has a certain number of syllables in its name in addition to a completion effect. When you should discard an Action Card after attacking or defending, place it in a row in front of you instead. Every time you do this you have to count up all the syllables of the cards in that row in front of you. Nothing happens if there are less than 10 syllables, but if there are more than 10 you’ll have to discard all the cards in that row. However, the fun part is trying to have exactly 10 syllables on cards in that row since you then get to activate the completion effect of the last card. Playing your cards in such a way that you’re able to get 10 syllables may require some planning, but was a ton of fun and felt refreshing and thematic 🤩.
It's safe to say all characters in Slings and Arrows play very differently and some of these feel really fresh in regards to the way they’re designed and play. Part of the charm of Unmatched, and one of the reasons we like it so much, is that we get to play as characters we’ve initially wouldn’t think of such as William Shakespeare for example. It’s also a ton of fun to combine characters from different sets or to team up with other characters in Unmatched Adventures. We’ve also played as all of the characters from Slings and Arrows in Unmatched Adventures and can tell you that they’re a blast to play with. Maybe you should inform Mothman that his days of terrorizing Point Pleasant are over? 💪
/pic8822281.png)
Conclusion
Is Slings and Arrows a must for fans of Unmatched? What about new players?
🧔🏻♂️ Mr. & Ms. Meeple👩🏼
We don’t have to beat around the bush. Slings and Arrows is a very good set that has fun characters with distinctive playstyles. Is it a must? That depends on your personal preferences, but we feel it’s one of the better sets out there and that’s why we’ll be recommending this one 😉. Though we can see some of the characters being a little intimidating at first for new players, we’re confident that these also can be enjoyed by those new players once they get a sense of their playstyle.
If you’re interested in what we thought about some of the other content for Unmatched you can always take a look at our previous reviews:
• Unmatched Adventures: Tales to Amaze
• Unmatched: Battle of Legends - Volume One
• Unmatched: Sun's Origin
/pic8822285.png)
A review copy was provided by IELLO 😊.
Greetings,
Mr. & Ms. Meeple
Wesley & Elke
Instagram - Mr. & Ms. Meeple