Every now and again a truly great game comes along with a massive amount of potential.  The world that it inhabits is fascinating and unique.  Eden has all the key players you want in a post apocalyptic extravaganza.  Mad Maxian (original not reboot) characters in the Convoy? Check!  Truly terrifying degenerate mutants and monstrous humans?  Check!  Jumpsuited innocents escaping from a vault?  Check!  Japanese influenced killer robots pursuing said escapees?  Check!  But then it gets even wackier... darker... more creative …  Hive mind insectoid mutant humans.  Killer clowns bent on anarchy.   African warriors mutated to fight in wars.  Insane bikers who are convinced this is Hell and it is their duty to torment the inhabitants.  Aliens come to pillage Earth and don't forget the radical militant feminists who resemble a bondage "party".  This mad, mad world is Eden AND IT IS AWESOME!

The game itself is really good.  Factions feel different.  There are some clever mechanics that mean you have a lot of options.  The Burnout pack adds a whole new layer of complexity and depth.  Objectives are varied and can be faction specific and mean no two games feel the same.  At it's heart it's a melee heavy game but it is soooooo much more.  Special powers on the cards allow lots of diverse playstyles.  Hits are located on the enemy by rolling a dice and hitting a limb.  They can be modified by paying successes to move the hit.  When all the points are gone the model is gone too.  Shooting is much more involved and trickier to pull off.

The models are generally good, with a little bit of hobby skill they became outstanding.  The poses and characters themselves are little works of art.  This is a game made by really creative people and is clearly a labour of love.  The newer models are easier to work with.  Some of the earlier ones were a little tricky and a little fragile but quality keeps getting better.  These are models you'll be proud of when you're finished and they're in the display cabinet.

There are some interesting quirks.  The first language of the game is French, which means there are some interesting translations on cards and in the rules.  The community is also largely francophone but it is active and Google translate and the translation tool on Facebook are a godsend.  Still there can be some interesting translations (who knew most translation services don't have gamers as a primary market when they develop software?)  It's huge in France with a regular tournament scene and there are some great campaign rules.

And here we hit the greatest challenge of Eden certainly in the UK.  The big BUT so to speak.  It's not as widely played a game as it clearly deserves because it's tricky to get your hands on.  You can get it from France but people tend to be nervous when it comes to buying in a different currency.  I don't know if there are any UK distributors.  As far as I'm aware there aren't.  It's such a shame.  This game feels like WWX before Warcradle.  Awesome but hard to get hold of.

Oh and it's in centimetres.

So where does that leave us?  Well to some of us Eden is one of the most cult games out there.  It's definitely in my top 5 games, probably top 3.  If you can get your hands on it.  Don't hesitate.  Buy it.  Ideally with a few mates and have an absolute blast!