Artalis

Artalis is a competitive arena game for 2–4 players, set in a world where an ancient magical disaster has become a public spectacle. Centuries ago, a power-hungry mage attempted to unify all forms of magic, but the spell tore open a rift from which monsters still pour into the world. Now, each new wave marks the start of the Artalis Festival, where warriors fight for glory, riches, and the crowd's adoration. But the rift corrupts everything it touches—and its influence is growing. At the heart of the game is a fast-paced dice-bidding system using a full set of polyhedral dice (like those in Dungeons & Dragons). Each round, players use their dice to claim monsters, recruit companions, and acquire equipment. Conflicts over cards are resolved through clever positioning: higher rolls beat lower ones, but in case of a tie, the larger die (d12 beats d8, for example) prevails. Games last 4 to 7 rounds, with each player having 6 minutes per round to take their actions. Players earn Favor Points by defeating monsters and optimizing their builds. The player with the most Favor at the end of the game becomes the Festival Champion. But beware—nothing in Artalis stays pure for long. —description from the designer