The general roster of The Meeple Guild are diehard fans of a good role-playing romp or a tabletop miniature battle.
So when Caladium hit the table, there was a sense that we should like this one.
Caladium is a 2–6 player PvP combat game set in a fantasy world. Players select a fighter and equip them with unique weapons, armor, and abilities before throwing them into the arena for an epic showdown with plenty of dice to roll.
Very quickly, I was getting something of a Chainmail vibe—a game that might be one of the most underappreciated miniatures games ever made. For this writer, that comparison is definitely a positive.
This one is easy to pick up, especially for veteran RPGers and miniatures gamers, with straightforward rules that still manage to include some interesting twists.
Perhaps the most innovative idea here is that each turn players roll for initiative (nothing new there), but the winner can choose to go first or last, as well as whether play proceeds clockwise or counterclockwise for that round. In a team game—2v2, 3v3, and so on—that decision matters. You can capitalize on an advantage a partner has or give them a chance to escape danger. It’s a neat little strategy generator.
Caladium also comes with plenty of gameplay options. There are six characters in the core box, with 28 more joining the fray across three expansion boxes.
The characters are further individualized by “kitting” them out with a variety of cards representing skills, items, and equipment. There are plenty in the core box, with even more included in each expansion.
Still, this is an arena battle, so it will generally come down to a toe-to-toe slugfest, and that’s when you need that pesky d6 on your side.
Adding to the mayhem—which perfectly fits the arena atmosphere—are event cards drawn each turn that might either benefit a player or hurt their chances of success.
As a game, we loved Caladium—so much so that it was even mentioned as a possible Top 5 Game of 2026.
But—and yes, there is a “but”—there are a couple of aspects that some players will balk at.
To start with, the characters are represented by cardboard standees, and most gamers naturally gravitate toward 3D miniatures. The standees work just fine, although they could use artwork on the reverse side.
You likely have miniatures you can substitute, but unfortunately the board is designed for small hex bases, which are less common in most collections.
Then there’s the artwork.
For some at the table, it was reminiscent of the illustrations from the early editions of Dungeons & Dragons.
Some thought it was different enough to be charming.
Others were simply unimpressed, and we suspect that may be the more common reaction.
Certainly the artwork—all by Andy Nelms, giving the core game and expansions a consistent visual style—is very much an acquired taste that will influence some players’ appreciation of the game.
Still, for The Meeple Guild, the fun gameplay and somewhat nostalgic feel outweighed any concerns about the standees or the artwork. Caladium delivers great gameplay in a simple, fast-paced arena battler.
About Author
Calvin Daniels is a Saskatchewan-born, self-taught journalist. He is currently Editor of Yorkton This Week, with 35-years in the newspaper business.
Caladium
So when Caladium hit the table, there was a sense that we should like this one.
Caladium is a 2–6 player PvP combat game set in a fantasy world. Players select a fighter and equip them with unique weapons, armor, and abilities before throwing them into the arena for an epic showdown with plenty of dice to roll.
Very quickly, I was getting something of a Chainmail vibe—a game that might be one of the most underappreciated miniatures games ever made. For this writer, that comparison is definitely a positive.
This one is easy to pick up, especially for veteran RPGers and miniatures gamers, with straightforward rules that still manage to include some interesting twists.
Perhaps the most innovative idea here is that each turn players roll for initiative (nothing new there), but the winner can choose to go first or last, as well as whether play proceeds clockwise or counterclockwise for that round. In a team game—2v2, 3v3, and so on—that decision matters. You can capitalize on an advantage a partner has or give them a chance to escape danger. It’s a neat little strategy generator.
Caladium also comes with plenty of gameplay options. There are six characters in the core box, with 28 more joining the fray across three expansion boxes.
The characters are further individualized by “kitting” them out with a variety of cards representing skills, items, and equipment. There are plenty in the core box, with even more included in each expansion.
Still, this is an arena battle, so it will generally come down to a toe-to-toe slugfest, and that’s when you need that pesky d6 on your side.
Adding to the mayhem—which perfectly fits the arena atmosphere—are event cards drawn each turn that might either benefit a player or hurt their chances of success.
As a game, we loved Caladium—so much so that it was even mentioned as a possible Top 5 Game of 2026.
But—and yes, there is a “but”—there are a couple of aspects that some players will balk at.
To start with, the characters are represented by cardboard standees, and most gamers naturally gravitate toward 3D miniatures. The standees work just fine, although they could use artwork on the reverse side.
You likely have miniatures you can substitute, but unfortunately the board is designed for small hex bases, which are less common in most collections.
Then there’s the artwork.
For some at the table, it was reminiscent of the illustrations from the early editions of Dungeons & Dragons.
Some thought it was different enough to be charming.
Others were simply unimpressed, and we suspect that may be the more common reaction.
Certainly the artwork—all by Andy Nelms, giving the core game and expansions a consistent visual style—is very much an acquired taste that will influence some players’ appreciation of the game.
Still, for The Meeple Guild, the fun gameplay and somewhat nostalgic feel outweighed any concerns about the standees or the artwork. Caladium delivers great gameplay in a simple, fast-paced arena battler.
About Author
Calvin Daniels
Calvin Daniels is a Saskatchewan-born, self-taught journalist. He is currently Editor of Yorkton This Week, with 35-years in the newspaper business.
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