The Command Board (コマンドボード Komando Bōdo?) is the board game level-up system in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix. It can be used to power up your Deck Commands used in battle by gaining Command Panels and leveling them up. You toss the dice and move toward your goal, gaining Game Points (GP) along the way.
The player also will have the chance to steal GP from their rivals and use certain panels and Command Cards to their advantage. When it is your turn you have the option to roll the dice, use one or more of your Command Cards as part of a Hand, check the status of the game, or choose different options to adjust gameplay and help.
After you roll the dice, you can go any direction on the board except from the direction you just came from. There is no specific path you have to take in order to win the game. There is a certain number of total GP that a player must have before winning the game.
Once you've arrived back at the starting point and have the required number of total GP, you have finished the game. The winner will receive medals to be used in the Moogle Shop if the Command Board session is played as an Event in the Mirage Arena. Even if you didn't win, your commands will still be leveled up and any new commands purchased from Bonus Panels or opponents will be received (outside Mirage Arena).
Playable Boards[]
Here is a list of the playable boards in the game. Each Command Board is based on a world and has a different panel formation to represent that world. The boards are available to play once the adventures in the respective world are completed, excepting the Honeypot Board (unlocked by examining the Winnie the Pooh book in Merlin's house) and the Secret Board (unlocked by winning a game on each of the other boards).
- Land of Departure: Keyblade Board (キーブレードボード Kīburēdo Bōdo?)
- The panel formation forms the shape of a Keyblade.
- Castle of Dreams: Royal Board (ロイヤルボード Roiyaru Bōdo?)
- The panel formation forms the shape of the Glass Slipper.
- Deep Space: Spaceship Board (スペースシップボード Supēsushippu Bōdo?)
- The panel formation forms the shape of a spaceship.
- Disney Town: Toon Board (トゥーンボード Tūn Bōdo?)
- The panel formation forms the shape of an ice cream parfait.
- Neverland: Skull Board
- The panel formation forms the shape of a skull. Not available in the Japanese release of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep.
- 100 Acre Wood: Honeypot Board (ハニーポットボード Hanīpotto Bōdo?)
- The panel formation forms the shape of a honey jar.
- Land of Departure: Secret Board (シークレットボード Shīkuretto Bōdo?)[1]
- The panel formation forms the shape of the Mark of Mastery found on the attire of Ven, Terra, Aqua and Master Eraqus.
Character Pieces[]
You will control Terra, Aqua, or Ventus based upon whose storyline you are playing through.
World Characters[]
Besides your own character piece, you will play the game along with certain Disney characters. The Disney characters that appear on the board will only show up for the board for their respective worlds. You can play with two players or only one. You can choose from a set order of who will go first or you and the other characters will roll a die to see what the order will be. Below is a list of characters. Each of them have their own strategy on the board.
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Display[]
GP Counter[]
The GP Counter is in the bottom right corner and keeps track of all the character's current and total GP. The above number is your current GP "Wallet", which you can spend like cash and use to buy panels or to pay other character's panels when you stop on them.
The bottom number is your total GP "Wealth" which is the total of your current GP and the points that you've used on panels of your own. The GP Counter also shows which character is which color and how many of the Check Panels the character has passed through.
Map[]
At the top right corner, there is a map of the current game board. It shows you the character pieces' position, which command panels are claimed by certain characters, which white Command Panels are still available, where the four Checkpoint Panels are, and where the Start Panel is.
Command Cards[]
Command Cards are cards that represent Deck Commands or Action Commands that you have. The dealer AI gives preference to Commands you have yet to master, but if you use up your un-mastered Commands, it will begin to deal from your mastered deck. The cards are given to you at the start of the game.
You can hold up to five cards in your hand at a time. You can use them after you have purchased Command Panels to set a certain deck command or action command to level up. You can also activate different effects by spending them before you roll the dice. The different types of command cards and effects are:
Cards[]
Effects[]
There are some Command Cards that can protect you from Special Panels.
If you run out of Command Cards, you can no longer buy Command Panels. If you reach a Check Panel, you receive one Command Card, and if you reach the Start Panel after passing all Check Panels you will receive as many command cards as you can hold.
Panels[]
There are many different kinds of panels that are on the game board that each have their own purpose.
Start Panel[]
The start panel is a golden panel with a Keyhole on it. You start the game here and once you make it back to this panel with the required GP Goal, the game will be over. If you simply pass over this panel after reaching all four Check Panels, you will be rewarded with GP from Lap Bonus, Panel Bonus and Card Bonus. If you happen to reach the GP Goal after landing on the Start Panel, you have to land on it again (and not lose GP in the process) to secure victory.
Check Panels[]
There are four Check Panels throughout the board that act as checkpoints. They come in four colors; blue, red, green, and yellow. Although you don't need to pass through all four panels to end the game, you will be rewarded with extra GP if you pass through them all and pass the Start Panel if you haven't reached the amount needed to win.
Command Panels[]
There are white Command Panels that can become yours after landing on them, paying a certain amount of GP, and selecting one of your Command Cards. After you purchase a Command Panel, it is colored to represent that you have bought it and it shows what level the command is at.
If someone stops on one of your purchased Command Panels, it takes GP from their "Wallet" (as well as their "Gol"), but if you land on a Command Panel of another character, you will have to pay them GP. The number on the panel is the amount of GP the one who lands on it has to pay if it's not theirs. You also have the choice of stealing the panel from them, but you'll have to pay a large amount of GP.
If you've stopped on any of your Command Panels, you can spend your current GP to level them up. You can also level them up by landing on a Check Panel or the Start Panel and selecting whatever Command Panel you want. If you level them up, you can take more GP from other players when they land on your panel and your Deck Commands will receive more CP in normal battle.
You can level up your Command Panels all the way until they are mastered. The amount of how much GP you will get from the game is decided by various things like the position and value of the panel. If you purchase an opponent's Command Panel, you will receive that Command at the end of the game, unless it is a Command your character is unable to equip.
In the event that you lose so much GP from your "Wallet" that its amount ends up as negative, you have to sell Command Panels to return its value to positive.
Bonus Panels[]
From the beginning of the game, some Command Panels are set as Bonus Panels and are represented by a gold star. Landing on the Bonus Panel allows the player to receive a new Deck Command without using a Command Card while still having to pay for it. Do note that if you play in the Mirage Arena, there will be fewer bonus panels and they might have different commands. If you are looking to complete the reports, it is advised to play command boards through menu instead of going to the Mirage Arena.
Damage Panels and Prize Cube[]
Damage Panels are board spaces that are flat squares instead of cubes. If you land on one of these, you will lose the amount of GP from both your current and total GP that is displayed on the panel. There is one way to avoid these panels and that is a panel that looks like a present called the Prize Cube and can be rolled around to travel over the Damage Panels safely. The GP that has been taken from the damage panels will be given to the Prize Cube.
However, there is a limit to how many panels the Prize Cube can go and once the counter reaches zero, the Prize Cube disappears and gives you the GP inside and all the GP taken from players on the damage panels. It then pops up again and if the player hasn't finished their move yet and they're at the middle of the Damage Panel area, they will resume traveling on the Prize Cube. If another player makes it to the Prize Cube while another is on it, if the Prize Cube can be moved, it will move with the new player, dropping the old one to the Damage Panel below, where they lose GP to the Cube.
Special Panels[]
If you land on a special panel which is gold and purple in coloration, a unique event will occur. These events are carried out by other characters depending on the Command Board. These events may help and others may hinder your progress as well. Here are the characters, the board where each event can be found, and their events:
- Terra, Ventus, or Aqua: "Keyblade Glider": Allows the player to move to any spot on the game board. Can be used on the Keyblade Board and the Secret Board.
- Experiment 221: "Gigawatt Jolt": Allows the player to steal GP from nearby characters when either the player or the opponent ends their turn at least three panels from each other. Can be used on the Spaceship Board.
- Fairy Godmother: "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo": Gives the player the value of a single dice roll times 200 GP. Can be used on the Royal Board.
- Rabbit: "Hunny Hunt": Awards player 500 GP and places pots of Hunny over the game board that can either give you GP or, if they have Honey Bees, take away GP. Can be used on the Honeypot Board.
- Chip and Dale: "Fantasia": Rewards 300 GP plus an additional 300 GP for every space owned. Can be used on the Toon Board.
- Tinker Bell: "Pixie Dust" Allows you to move an opponent to any panel you want. Can be used on the Skull Board.
- Captain Justice: "Captain Justice": He will follow a player, either rewarding GP every turn or purchasing a square cheaper than its normal cost, placing a card on it for free. He will follow a different player if they come in contact with him first. This effect eventually wears off. Can be found on any board and in Western releases unlocks Pete as a D-Link.
- Captain Dark: "Captain Dark": He will follow a player, either stealing GP from them every turn or purchasing a square and paying more than its normal cost. He will follow a different player if they come in contact with the first. This effect eventually wears off. Can be found on any board and in Western releases unlocks Pete as a D-Link.
GP Up Panel[]
The GP Up Panel is a black panel that increases the rate of GP you receive when people land on your panels, when you land on the checkpoint and starting panels and if you successfully use the Prize Cube on the damage panels.
Wireless Gameplay[]
Like regular battle has Joint Struggle multiplayer gameplay with the Mirage Arena world, the Command Board game has its own wireless multiplayer gameplay option that allows you to play on all the different world game boards.
You can play as either Terra, Aqua, and Ventus and they will appear as they do in their armor. The rules are the same as the single player Command Board and you can still gain GP to level up your Deck Commands.
Trivia[]
- Tetsuya Nomura explains that he included a board-game element because he enjoyed board games as a child in elementary school, and even used to make his own.
- In the Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Ultimania, there is artwork and images of a Neverland Command Board. It is unknown why it was taken out of the Japanese version of the game as it is available in the International release.
- The gameplay of Command Board is very similar to Itadaki Street, a popular video game series also created by Square Enix in Japan, known to the rest of the world as Fortune Street and Boom Street.
Notes and References[]
- ↑ Unlocked after winning on all of the previous boards.