Justice League: Axis of Villains Strategy Game (2013)

Overview

Cooperative game for 2-4 players ages 8 and up. The Watchtower space station is under attack by villains (5 per hero plus randomly-appearing extra-powerful "ultra villains") and the players win by capturing them all before the Watchtower is destroyed.

The board consists of concentric rings in eight triangular sectors, with the station in the middle. On each player's turn, they roll two dice: a standard 8-sider and custom 6-sider. If the 6 shows a JLA logo the hero can move the 8-sider in spaces then attack. Otherwise, the 6 will show icons for villain advancement towards the station, or new villains appearing on the outer ring, and then the player rolls again. Thus, the villains will make totally random progress towards the station before each player's turn (and possibly even none at all). The Watchtower can take four villain attacks before it's destroyed.

Hero attacks are straightforward; each villain has a numeric defense value, and each hero rolls two 8-siders against their villains (e.g., Superman vs. Bizarro) and one against others (e.g., Flash vs. Luthor). Defense values range from 7 to 15, so it's unlikely for a hero to win without help.

Help comes in the form of allies and power cards. Other heroes stacked with an attacking hero can roll their dice and add to the attack, greatly increasing the chance of success. And power cards activate hero powers like moving other heroes (Superman, Flash), adding dice (Green Lantern) or allowing other heroes to play cards during your attack (Batman). However, power cards are limited; each player starts with two and only draws a new one when defeating a villain.

Game description from the publisher:

Defend the Justice League satellite from a super-villain onslaught!

The most dangerous villains in the universe have combined forces to attack the Justice League satellite. In Justice League: Axis of Villains, you can play as Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, or The Flash, and team up to defeat them in a powered-up strategy game!