Game is not playable with the components included (rule book fails at presenting a complete set of rules). However, if you play around with some possible rule sets you will discover that Yetisburg blurs the line between game and activity. In short: choose to attack with Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery, or Yetis. Result: entirely random. As such this doesn't really count as a game.

If you'll notice, the game insists that it's a Vol. One, and that Vol. Two (Dismember the Alamo) is on its way. You'll also notice that no such sequel has been published, nor ever will be published, because this simply fails as a game.

I enjoyed Yetisburg, not 5-star enjoy, but enjoyed (probably a 3-3.5 review under normal circumstances). The game is fairly fast-paced and easy to learn, both positives for game of this type. The tongue-in-cheek background story adds to the ambiance as you imagine mastodon artillery and giant yetis swarming the battlefield.

Unfortunately, once you get past the shiny coating and fun story, the game itself is just a hair too random. While not obnoxious, this did bring down the overall appeal to the game for me. Strategy is important, but it becomes overshadowed by elements such as pulling to generals to the battlefield, poor drawing of actions you can take, and the completely impossible-to-estimate damage your own troops will do. I understand this is supposed to be one of the entertaining elements of the game, but I feel it just goes a hair too far.

The primary problem with Yetisburg though is that it failed the critical "Girlfriend Test." My gamer girlfriend was barely capable of playing one game and walked away with the comment, "you don't ever need to pull that one out again." Thematically she wasn't that interested, and the randomness screwed with the game so much she couldn't wait for it to be over.

On sale for $5 (as I've heard it does on occasion), this game could be worth it, but at $19.99 I'd suggest spending your gaming dollars on something with a lot more crunch.

I purchased this for $5 via Paizo's Black Friday sale. And for $5, it would be worth five starts. At $20, I'd say closer to 3.5 stars, but I'll round up to four.

The Pros:
a) fun two player game;
b) easy to learn (my girlfriend likes it!);
c) great/funny art;
d) original premise (Canadian yetis vs. mastodons in a civil war game? Now that's different!);
e) The "meat" tokens for marking wounds;
f) Exploding mastodons that can damage/take out enemy and allied forces when they explode, and the unexpected chain reactions they can cause;
g) It's pretty quick-paced;
h) Combination of luck and strategy required to win;
i) Shooting your own forces at random :-);
j) As a Canadian, I appreciate the nod from the game designers.

Things I feel could have been better:

a) Victory conditions -- it would make more sense to me if victory was achieved when the loser had completely lost one column, rather than when they were no longer able to replenish their front and relief lines. The victory conditions feel a bit anti-climactic;
b) Non-officer mobility between columns;
c) An option to bring some of the forces placed in your hospital back into your hand.

The game is fun, but can feel "the same" after a while, as the strategic options are quite limited--especially when bad luck rears its ugly head and you blow your own troops up (or your opponent sets off a chain reaction with unanticipated consequences that totally decimates your ranks).

Overall though, I recommend it. I really hope Titanic will release the sequel that had originally been planned -- I will definitely buy it, at full price.

(To the tune of The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down)

Joseph Smith that's me
And I served as elite cavalry,
Til Hancock let the yetis run free
And they went on a killing spree.
In the winter of 68,
All we could eat was mammoth steak,
By the time the first snowflake had fell
The South was a snarling, shaggy hell.

The night they drove old Bigfoot down,
And all the generals were scowlin',
The night they drove old Bigfoot down,
And all the yetis were howlin'
They went Gragh! Gragh! Gragh! Gragh! Gragh! Gragh! Gragh!
Gragh! Gragh! Gragh! Gragh! Gragh! Gragh! Gragh! Gragh! RAWR!

My husband and I sauntered into the Paizo booth on the last day of Gencon looking for a good two player game. I wish we had done this earlier in the con. Yetisburg is one of the best two player games we have ever played. We loved it so much we started demoing it to other con. goers for about an hour.

The best thing about this card game is that after you buy it, you don't need to purchase a billion more booster packs to stack your deck. Don't be fooled though, there is still a strategy to the game.

Picked up the last box of this at Origins. (Sorry if you couldn't snag it.) After my GF and I got home and read the instructions, we got to playing. Fantastic game. Not hard to learn and more strategy than I expected. Cheers roared as the friendly fire took it's toll on both sides of the trench. Needless to say, it has become a new favorite at our game nights. I highly recommend this and can't wait for the expansion.

My first 5 Star review

Just made it home from Origins. Had a blast running and playing this game (as did many of the troops). I was even fortunate enough to get my copy signed by Josh Frost AND Mike Selinker!

Great production values. Hilarious gameplay. Infinite potential for expansion and sequels.

I am greatly looking forward to the 4-player rules and "Dismember the Alamo".

Played a game with my wife when I got home, and now she is insisting that we take it with us on our vacatiion at the Shakespearean Festival. Massive Brain Disjunction!!!

I just ran demos of this game for four days straight and had a blast. Actually, several blasts, most of them composed of chunks of exploding mammoths! The concept made me laugh to begin with, and the game-play is equally fun. There's a lot of chaos in the game, but after a few games it became evident that strategy also makes a big difference.

I'll definitely be using this as a pick-up game for game nights while waiting for late players to arrive.