Review: Grifters: Nexus

Grifters Nexus

Publisher: Indie Boards & Cards

Players: 2 – 4

Year: 2018

A copy of this game was distributed by the publisher in exchange for this review.

Recently I’ve reviewed Grifters here and I’ll briefly summarize a few aspects of that game in order to give the reader a general idea of the game. After that, I’ll continue with the difference between this game and Grifters.

In this game you’re also a crimelord and your task is to acquire as much points or coins as possible. This can be done by stealing them from the general pile, other players or by completing jobs. For these jobs to succeed a certain combination of skills is needed, such as a brain-person, a brawn-person or a speed-person. Instead of having a ‘wild’-card specialist, that could be any color, there are now jobs that can take any color when the game is over. The game ends when there are no new gangmembers to recruit, no new jobs to complete or no more money to steal.

Various specialists.

At the start of the game three specific gangleaders and three random cards are given. Cards still cycle through the ‘three nights’ system as before. This means that after you have played them, they can’t be used for three turns and then go back in your hand.

Now the main difference between this game and regular Grifters is in the set-up and the ‘Laundering’ mechanic. Laundering money doesn’t give you the coins, but instead just removes them from the game. In other words, the general pile is reduced by a small amount every time a card uses this ability. 

Various jobs, including wildcards.

Another new thing is the different set-up. The jobs are now stacked in the form of a pyramid, where jobs can only be completed if lower ranking jobs are already cleared. As in regular Grifters, at the end of the game, the more you have of a certain card type, the more bonus points you get. Also there are several ‘wild’ jobs, that can go into any category and are a lot more valuable. However, all the jobs now need a leader and the reward is always the same: only the action of the leader.

So after a few plays, and comparing it with regular Grifters, a few things stood out. First of all, the launder mechanic wasn’t hugely popular. Reducing the general pile is indeed a possibility, but since the money just disappears, it’s less attractive than stealing coins from another player or from the general pile. In that case you at least benefit from your action, in the other case you don’t.

               In regular Grifters people wanted to complete jobs as soon as possible, either for the reward or to use it at the end of the game for a bonus. In this game, people generally preferred to use their single specialists, as there was no benefit for sending a team out somewhere. Jobs became more of an afterthought, as you might want a specific job, for the end-game bonus, or because you had a certain combination, but another job was blocking it. You could send your good specialists on a certain task, but then they wouldn’t be available to use for a job, which could then be completed by another player.

               As a result, the flow of the game is different. Whereas in Grifters people were aggressive, pursuing the jobs, and actively trying to interfere with each other. Grifters: Nexus is more hesitant and jobs aren’t completed as often as they could be. Of course there are also flaws in Grifters, but they are negated or forgiven, as the game is light, easy and fun. In Grifters: Nexus, because of these changes, it feels as it overstays its welcome. It felt a bit as if an annoying acquaintance comes over for an afternoon and then suddenly decides to spend the night at your place.

Most outstanding feature?

The ‘three night’ cycle system, where cards return to your hand after three turns. Also, the artwork is stunning, just like in the other game.

To compare the two games: I’d recommend Grifters over Grifters: Nexus. It’s easier and a lot more fun. However, if you’re looking for more of a challenge or think Grifters was too simple, then try Grifters Nexus.  

Review: Grifters

Grifters

Publisher: Indie Boards & Cards

Players: 2 – 4

Year: 2015

A copy of this game was distributed by the publisher for this review.

As the Dystopian Universe expands, different groups emerge. There are people that wish to overthrow the oppressing government, others might want to keep the system as it is, and now a third group emerges that’s indifferent to who’s in charge, as long as they got the most money. In this game you play as one of the latter and your job is to have the most money/points by the end of the game.

A selection of characters, with a speed, a brain and a brawn card.

You’re a crime lord and in this game you collect currency, labelled 1M ISK, as we’ve seen in other games by the same publisher. You do this by stealing from the coffers (the general pile) or stealing from other players or by completing various jobs. To do these jobs you need thugs or other henchmen to do your work. These are available in three groups: brain, brawn and speed. In general, brain allow you to recruit additional gang members, brawn allow you to steal from other players, while speed steals from the coffers. To complete a job a certain combination of cards needs to be played. This can be three brain cards and a speed card, or more, in the case of higher ranking jobs. If the henchmen are sent out on a job, their ability is not used, but instead the reward from the job is given. The game ends when there are no new gang members to recruit, no new jobs to complete or no more money to steal. Every 1M ISK you have is worth one point and additional points can be gained if several jobs of the same type have been completed. In my experience the jobs run out, before another of the endgame condition triggers.

The player board and a few 1M tokens on it.

The starting hand consists of three gang members, one of each color, and three random cards. There are certain cards that are highly situational, while others are always useful. To complete a job, a team is created, based upon the requirements of the task at hand. If these are met, the job is completed. Of course, it’s also possible to play a single criminal, which can do various things. Once a card is played, it’s inaccessible for three turns (or ‘nights’ as the game calls it). After it, the cards end up in your hand again. This is interesting, as it gives you a lot of information. You know where your people are and you also know where the opponent’s cards are. As such there’s a lot of information going around.

The game manages to hit a sweetspot across various gamer groups. It appeals to those that are interested in games, but don’t play a lot. People that are dedicated gamers will also like it. There are various winning conditions and based upon the group, you can decide to play for one or the other. It’s really well-done. You can teach it quite fast and after showing one full cycle once, most people will get the idea of the game. It’s great as introduction game or as something to bring along on game-night. 

A downside is that it can be a bit shallow after repeated plays. However, that’s part of the game. To make it more complex, would’ve meant that it would put off more casual gamers, family members, or people that aren't really into board/card games. It also isn’t a huge loss, as more casual gamers are usually fine with doing something else after two or three plays.

Most outstanding feature?

There are several close contenders. The interesting deck-cycling mechanic, the artwork and the fact that it seems to fit with a lot of groups. I’d choose the latter as this game can be played with a diverse crowd and all will enjoy it. Another nice touch is that the game-length seems to be perfect, at around 30 minutes it neither overstays is welcome or is it too short to be shallow. Do you wish to end the game as fast as possible? Go for the jobs. Do you want to reap as many profits as possible, keep stealing from your opponents.

Overall, there are great mechanics in the game, it's light, easy and a lot of fun! It's great for social gatherings or similar events. As the length of the game can easily be tweaked, it never overstays it's welcome.

Review: Avalon

The Resistance: Avalon

Players: 5-10

Year: 2012

Publisher: Indie Boards & Cards

A copy of this game was distributed by the publisher for the purpose of this review. Another note: From here on Avalon will refer to The Resistance: Avalon, while the Resistance will refer to board game The Resistance, which has been reviewed on this blog before. I must also admit, that I’m slightly in favor of the Resistance over Avalon.

Generic roles

Many reviewers have written about both the Resistance and about Avalon. Avalon is a stand-alone game from the same company, which features aspects of the Resistance and adds an Arthurian theme to it. Instead of fighting against an oppressive government, the players are knights in service of Good (Arthur) or Evil (Mordred). The idea is the same, that through 5 quests, one side overcomes the other.

For these quests teams are selected and there’s a vote to approve or reject the team. If the team is approved, it’s sent out to fulfill the quest, where the participants can play for the success or failure of the quest.  As soon as one side wins the majority of the quests, the game is over.

What’s nice about this box, is that it features everything in order to play the basic game of Resistance, as well as several extra’s. Included is for example a few roles, such as Merlin or Morgana, who have certain knowledge that others don’t have. Another example is the Lady of the Lake, which allows a player to determine the loyalty of other players.

Special roles

Difference between Resistance (2^nd) and Avalon.

The main difference is of course that a few roles have been added already. As such Avalon is a stand-alone game, which also has a few additional elements to enrich your experience. While the Resistance has several dedicated expansions with unique elements, Avalon can stand firm on it’s own, providing both the base game of the Resistance as well as parts of the expansions. It also provides a cheaper alternative to players that want the Resistance and a few extra’s, but without the additional costs of the expansions.

A slight downside is that the new roles are nearly all catered around ‘Merlin’, who knows who all the evil players are. However, he also comes with the ‘victory’-condition that not only does his side need to win, but also do the Evil players need to guess wrong. If the Good side won, but the Evil side guess correct who’s Merlin, the Evil side still wins. Therefore if people wish to incorporate roles, they need to start with Merlin and go from there.

Storytelling is also different in Avalon. While in the Resistance, a lot of things are unnamed and open for interpretation according to different settings and themes, this is slightly more difficult in Avalon in my personal experience. There’s only a setting, while with the Resistance it was easier to change it. Usually we come up with our own missions and narrate them accordingly. This is works a little bit different in Avalon, which doesn't have to be a bad thing.  

Most outstanding feature?

The most outstanding feature in this game is the blending of the theme with the artwork. Everything fits together nicely and the cards look gorgeous. I would highly recommend it.

Post-game reflection

I remember at the beginning that I was strongly in favor of the Resistance versus Avalon. Now that I've played it a few times, I must admit I've mellowed my opinion. The gameplay is largely similar and the difference is largely in theme only. Although I'm still slightly in favor of the Resistance due to personal experiences, both games are great. 

In short: The biggest difference is in theme, between a sci-fi setting or a medieval/fantasy setting. The Resistance has a lot of room for potential expansions, which add different things to the game at a price. However, if you only want the base game and a few extra’s this stand-alone is perfect! Public opinion is also in favor of Avalon and it certainly is a worthy addition to every collection.

Review: Czas Honoru

Czas Honoru Dystopian Game Reviews

Players: 2

Publisher: Phalanx

Year: 2013

In 1944, in German-occupied Poland testing was done for the V-2 missiles, Hitler’s latest secret weapon. As they were being tested, and the missiles crashed, fragments were being collected with the purpose of being sent to London for further examination. In this game the Polish underground forces are pitted against the Germans.

The home-zones

Setting up is easy, as both players take a deck and the zone cards are placed between them. Cards are divided along various units, such as regular soldiers/partisans, or elite units as the SS/Silent and Unseen. Cards start in their Home Zone. Based upon how they are positioned, they can perform an action or not.

A turn consists of several phases. Players draw their cards and rocket fragments are placed. Afterterwards players take their actions, which continues until both players pass after each other, does the turn end and is a new turn started. This is repeated four times. Afterwards, the victory conditions are checked. The player that has the most rocket fragments (cubes) after four missiles have been launched (rounds played) is declared the winner. If the players have an equal number of cubes, the German player wins. If at any stage, your Home Zone is invaded and you have no friendly forces to fight them, you automatically lose the game.

Two player cards

The game is a bit simple and plays fast. There are special cards for every deck. It’s interesting how the historical past has been implemented. The cards are language-independent, using only symbols to provide information, although this might be a bit complicated at times. Not all symbols are as self-explanatory as might have been expected.

A downside is that the game can only be played with two people. So if you have a larger crowd, it’s unsuitable. It also has a few nationalistic tones. For example it feels as if the Polish are more powerful than they might have been. However, I’m not an historian, so I don’t know.

The rockets and their fragments

This game's most outstanding feature?

Thematically, it’s a niche game, which is great! It’s an unknown aspect of the Second World War and that alone makes it interesting. It’s wonderful tosee how they have incorporated historical features. The Polish can protect their fragments with Operation Wildhorn III, while the Germans can perform operation Sturmwind, which was an anti-partisan operation. Another example is how the Polish player always starts with the player actions.

There are several interesting mechanics and features. The theme is really cool, but there are also a few flaws in the game. Overall, it’s an above-average game, carried strongly by the theme. If you’re interested in the history, you can certainly get this game.

Review: 1500 expansion: The Netherlands

This review assumes that the reader is familiar with the boardgame 1500: The New World by Dan Verssen Games. If not, you can read about it here.

As this review will look at two of the expansions for the 1500: The New World, there can be overlap between the individual reviews. The first part will explain how AI works, which can be skipped if the other review is also read, the second features the Dutch deck. 

A copy of this expansion was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.

The backs of the Netherlands AI and player deck

In general:

The set gives everything necessary to play as a specific country during this historical time period. Included are 56 cards for a player deck, 56 cards for an AI deck and rules to incorporate AI-decks. The deck allows the player to include an extra artificial player to the game. So instead of having just two players, they can be boosted by an artificial one. This means that the player and the AI can play as the same nation at the same time.

The deck includes unique cards and a special mix of cards, as you no longer draw from the same deck as other players. The AI cards are marked as such, with a special background and ‘AI’ on the front. They are easily identified and separated.

In this boardgame AI always goes last in player order. The AI draws cards as normal, but no one looks at them yet. Instead they are placed in a row and first the cards marked ‘Start’ are played, from left to right. Then the other cards are played, going from left to right again. Cards that can’t be played or would make no sense to play are used to advance the AI along the Royal Support Track or minimizing the Royal Support of the human players. Any remaining cards are used for building or reducing colonies (from the highest scoring player).

Normal rules for losing points for struggling colonies apply to the AI and they are removed afterwards. The AI targets the player with the most points, which could be a human player, or another AI. If the AI is the highest-scoring player, it takes on the player in the second position. If there are equals, the target is randomly decided.

Interesting is that some cards feature a minimum condition, so that for example up to 6 colonies may be struggled, but at least four must be chosen in order to trigger the card’s condition. This is of course to help the flow of the game and ensure that cards are left over for the Royal Support track.

The AI and player deck are almost identical, except for some nation cards. The AI contributes to the game as it allows you to play solo, provide a different challenge and adds to the replay ability of the game.

The Dutch nation-powers in the player and AI deck

Regarding The Netherlands Expansion set:

The Netherlands Expansion features a deck of 56 cards for a human player or 56 cards for an AI deck. In the player deck there are 10 cards devoted to special Dutch powers. These include ‘Late Arrival’, allowing the player to remove one colony in each region and replace them with their own. Another one is ‘Appropriation’, where up to 4 colonies can be replaced with your own if all areas have colonies. The last one is ‘Dutch Antilles’, where if you have a successful spice colony, you can take over the other spice colonies from other players.

The deck is good and features several interesting mechanics. The Dutch Antilles and the Late Arrival cards provide a historical note to the game, although the downside of the Antilles cards is that it only targets spice colonies and not other export products. The appropriation card can be useful, but only if all areas are full. This is not likely to happen early-game, but can be useful later on when the map is full and players are struggling over resources.The cards assume that the player deck is used. Only the Dutch Antilles card works a little different in the AI/Player deck, as can be seen in the image.

Overall, the Dutch expansion provides new mechanisms, through the nation cards as well as a whole new mode of playing, through the AI or through the nations deck. It’s a good expansion that adds to the game and provides a bit of historical background. Does it radically change the game? Not really, it’s more of the same, gearing towards a specific challenge, but with a different (historical) flavor. It will certainly be interesting for people that play a lot of solo games.

Review: 1500 expansion: England

This review assumes that the reader is familiar with the boardgame 1500: The New World by Dan Verssen Games. If not, you can read about it here: https://dystopiangamereviews.blogspot.com/2019/10/review-1500-new-world.html

As this review will look at one of the expansions for the board game 1500: The New World, there can be overlap between the individual reviews, because the review of another expansion will be posted soon. The first part will explain how AI works, while the second part will feature the English deck. 

A copy of this expansion was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.

The backs of the English player and AI deck.

In general:

The set gives you everything to play as a specific country during this historical time period. Included are 56 cards for a player deck, 56 cards for an AI deck and rules to incorporate AI-decks. The deck allows the player to include an extra artificial player to the game. So instead of having just two players, they can be boosted by an artificial one. This means that the player and the AI can play as the same nation at the same time.

The deck includes unique cards and a special mix of cards, as you no longer draw from the same deck as other players. The AI cards are marked as such, with a special background and ‘AI’ on the front. They are easily identified and separated.

If the AI is included, it always goes last in player order. The AI draws cards as normal, but no one looks at them yet. Instead they are placed in a row and first the cards marked ‘Start’ are played, from left to right. Then the other cards are played, going from left to right again. Cards that can’t be played or would make no sense to play are used to advance the AI along the Royal Support Track or minimizing the Royal Support of the human players. Any remaining cards are used for building or reducing colonies (from the highest scoring player).

Normal rules for losing points for struggling colonies apply to the AI and they are removed afterwards. The AI targets the player with the most points, which could be a human player, or another AI. If the AI is the highest-scoring player, it takes on the player in the second position. If there are equals, the target is randomly decided.

Interesting is that some cards feature a minimum condition, so that for example up to 6 colonies may be struggled, but at least 4 must be chosen in order to trigger the card’s condition. This is of course to help the flow of the game and ensure that cards are left over for the Royal Support track.

The AI and player deck are almost identical, except for some nation cards. The AI contributes to the game as it allows you to play solo, provide a different challenge and adds to the replay ability of the game. 

Unique English cards, note that they work differently in the player or AI deck.

The English deck:

The England Expansion features a deck of 56 cards for a human player or 56 cards for an AI deck. In the player deck there are 10 cards devoted to special British powers. The AI and player deck are identical. The powers include ‘Sea Dogs’, where a player has to either remove 4 colonies of their own or lose three points. The ‘pirates!’ is a reaction card and allows you to steal points when another player is counting them. You gain the monopolies points instead. The ‘Domino’ card makes allows you to reduce an equal number of colonies from another player after someone else has reduced colonies. The AI cards all work differently and as the Sea dogs for example for the player to chose between losing three points or being set back two along the royal support track. The pirates don’t target a specific player and the domino allows you to reduce six colonies.

The cards are different between the AI/Player deck. The nation cards are interesting in that they provide the target with a choice or that that they are reaction cards. As such the English deck is aimed at intercepting the other players. The downsides of course are that the reaction cards can only be triggered under specific circumstances, which might or might not arrive. The reaction cards don’t work so well for the AI -they can’t decide when to play their cards after all-, so they have been changed to something similar.

Overall, the English expansion allows the player to incorporate an AI or play as England themselves. The decks are tailored towards a certain playstyle, give a bigger challenge, richer experience, and it adds to the historical depth of the game. It will not drastically alter the game, but it will enrich your experience. The expansion is certainly recommended for solo-players.

Review: Xenoshyft: Dreadmire

Xenoshyft: Dreadmire

Players:  1 - 4

Publisher: Cool Mini Or Not

Year: 2017

Some games are about deception, subtleness and stealth. Some games are not. This game clearly falls into the latter category, with all it’s blood, guts and glory. Xenoshyft: Dreadmire puts you (and other players) in the position of a CEO in a mining colony and above all else you need to make sure the operation is completed, so you can harvest the profits.

The box

Xenoshyft: Dreadmire is the second game in the Xeonshyft series. It’s a cooperative defense game, where you and other players work together to defend your base against an ongoing horde of monsters. These can vary from nasty vermin to giant insects. Over the course of nine rounds, divided into three waves, the players have to defend the base. If the base takes too much damage, the operation is abandoned and the players lost. To defend the base, players get Xenosathem, the fuel that is mined and which is also used to pay for new, and better troops. Every third round, the difficulty advances, as tougher enemies appear and stronger troops can be bought. As soon as the third wave is over, if the base is still standing, the players have won the game!

The goal of this game is to create a suitable deck, by getting rid of your old cards and buying new ones. This is done by distributing Xenosathem every turn, as well as any other you might have. These go towards the troops or the equipment that you have available every turn. While certain troops might be useful for a few rounds, as soon as the wave goes up, they are outclassed and easily decimated. As soon as they have been bought, the troops are placed in your personal lane. Next the monsters are placed and the resolution start. As you don’t know what monsters appear, it could be that the troops which you needed are in the wrong position or that the troops that you wished to protect, are suddenly attacked. If the monsters kill all your troops, any remaining damage is dealt to the base. If your troops get rid of all the monsters, good job and prepare for the next round.

Influencing this all is the weather ability, unique in the Xenoshyft: Dreadmire. This can help your troops, but also the enemy. It might just be the buff you need to pull of the defense or it could be that the timid horror changes into a rampaging nightmare.

The monsters in Xenoshyft: Dreadmire

The troops in Xenoshyft: Dreadmire

What’s great about this game is that it’s a co-op deck builder. It’s not just that different people sit in their respective corners and the only time they meet is when damage is dealt to the base, people need to work together to survive. Different players might have different bonuses or discounts, which are vital to survive. This can be achieved by having players play in other people’s lanes, rather than just their own, although it impacts down-time as well. Other than that, the artwork is amazing as well!

While there is a ton of replay-ability in this game, it sometimes feels a bit similar. It’s like the same, but different. The cards are minor variations of each other, but not totally different. Perhaps it could be just my personal preference, but we had a certain feeling of similarity between various games.

Most outstanding feature

The artwork is amazing! The art is gorgeous and every card is amazing to look at. They really blend in with the theme as well. There’s a distinctive Horror/Science-Fiction vibe. At times it feels like the world of Predator. It’s the artwork that carries the game and every enemy looks frightening/amazing.

Some more artwork!

Overall, the game is solid and it’s a great co-op deckbuilder. Every wave the game gets more difficult and new troops need to rise to the challenge. The question is, can you scale with it?

Review: The Resistance

The Resistance
Players: 5 – 10

Publisher: Indie Boards & Cards

Year:  2009

Before we start, I must confess something. This is my favorite party game. Having said that, in this review I’ll explain why. Of course opinions can differ and reviews are subjective.

In this game, people take on various roles, playing either as a member of the Resistance, colored blue, or the Spies, colored red. The Resistance is working together to overthrow the evil government, however, the government has infiltrated their ranks with Spies and both sides are trying to sabotage the other one side. Over the course of the game, five missions need to be carried out. As soon as one side has achieved three victories, they win. These victories don’t even need to be in a row, but can be throughout the game. The groups that carry out these missions, as well as the requirements for a success or a fail, depend on the amount of players.

A leader is chosen and that person assigns people to send out on the mission. Depending on previous missions they can estimate what combination of people will bring about their preferred outcome. A Spy might try to include the other Spy or him-/herself in order to sabotage the mission, while the Resistance members will try to pick other Resistance members. There can be a vote about the chosen combination of people and this can create lively discussion as people will need to argue over who they chose and for what reason. If the team is rejected, because too many people voted against it, a new leader creates a new team. If the team is accepted, two cards marked ‘success’ (in blue) or ‘fail’ (in red) are given to each person in the team. They secretly decide which card they want to play, which influences the outcome of the mission. Afterwards the cards that they wish to play are taken together and revealed. As stated before, if there are enough ‘successes’, the Resistance has completed the mission. If there are too many ‘fails’ (usually one or two are enough) the Spies win the mission. 

 

Double-sided gameboards that give all the information you need.

In this game, the Resistance don’t know who to trust, because they are unaware of the affiliation of the other players. For the Spies it’s easier, as they might know who are on which team. Every mission is assigned a group to carry out the assignment. The number required is determined by how many players there are. The mission is successful if enough successes are played. Usually a single fail is enough to fail the mission, although there are exceptions. In order to sabotage the mission, the spies need to be on the team, however, they can’t be too obvious about it, because then they risk exposure.

Tokens that are handed out to people that are selected for the mission.

The biggest reason I like this game is that there’s no player elimination. So everyone that starts the game, continues until the end. This is unlike Mafia or Werewolf, where people are killed and thus out of the game. They will need to wait until the game is finished, before they can do something again. However, in the Resistance plays until the game is over, even when people are exposed as being a Resistance member or a Spy. Everyone can still discuss or try to influence the outcome. There’s no downtime as everyone is always capable of contributing the game. This makes it much better than Mafia or Werewolf, where people have to wait out the game, before they can participate again. Another aspect, that contributes to why I like this game, is that it’s capable of handling large amounts of players. The game can be played with five to ten people, so everyone can join. 

As a few minor drawbacks, I would say that the expansions are great, but they are rarely used. People first need to understand the basegame, before they can proceed to the more complicated modules or set-ups. Also the science-fiction theme might not appeal to everyone, but it’s a matter of personal taste. There’s Arthurian-themed one also available for those that prefer it.

Overall, the best parts of the game are the lack of player elimination and the fact it handles large numbers of players well.

Review: 1500: The New World

1500: The New World

Players: 2 – 6

Publisher: Dan Verssen Games

Year: 2017

A copy of this game was supplied by the publisher for the purpose of this review.

1500: The New World is published by DVG and features the settling of America by European colonists during a timespan of almost 200 years. The goal of this game is not to establish the most colonies or to acquire the most profitable trade-route, but to acquire as many points as possible as fast as possible. Players compete for the limited resources and there are historical expansions that allow players to play as different nations (or allow an AI to play as such a nation). The game ends after 6 rounds and the person with the most victory points is declared the winner.

The game is easy to learn and quick to play. Set-up is easy, as players need to pick an appropriate color and determine the first player. While this may seem like a benefit, it might be better to hang back and go later in the round. The first player may sometimes draw less cards than other players and it can take longer to advance on the royal support track. The appropriate number of cards are drawn. The goal is to gather as much points as possible. Victory points are awarded for the following:

+1 point for struggling a colony from another player.

+1 point for every successful colony at the end of your turn.

+2 points for each regional or export monopoly.

-1 point for every struggling colony at the beginning of your turn.

Scoring is done at several moments, as some points are calculated at the beginning of your turn, while others are calculated at the end of your turn. It helps to have monopolies or lots of colonies. Having a monopoly can be done in two ways: on a certain type of export, which can be lumber, gold, fruit, jewels or spice; or by controlling an entire region. The first works by looking at the appropriate symbols on the maps, the latter works by controlling a colored region. Successful colonies grant 1 victory point at the end of your turn, while struggling colonies cost you 1 point at the beginning of your turn. The map is small, which means a lot of time people are interacting with each other.

The map with bottom-left the Royal Support track and upper-right the score track and the turn counter.

At the start of your turn you lose points for struggling colonies. Then you can use your cards. During your turn, you can use your cards in a few ways. For their intended effect, where you use it for the effect that is stated on the card itself. However, you can also use it to build or reduce a colony. Colonies are placed on the map and exist in several states. These can be successful, or struggling and cards are used to change their states. A card is discarded to change a colony from struggling to successful or vice-versa. Other cards can be used to influence the Royal Support track, which determines how many cards a player draws and may have in their hand. A single card thus has several ways in which it can be used, but it can only be played for one of the previously mentioned effects. Once you are finished with playing your cards, the next person starts their turn and so on. After everyone’s had their turn, the game advances to the next round. After six rounds the game is over.

Reactions are good, as it gives players a choice to do during when it’s another person’s turn. This is also where a choice needs to be made. You can keep back several cards to anticipate the other person’s turn. However, if you keep many of them, you might need to discard cards later on to the appropriate hand size. Reaction cards are noted as such and do indeed provide something extra to the game.

A sample of cards. The cards on the right are reaction cards.

Another good thing is that the game plays fast. One of our players compared it to ‘Settlers of Catan, but on steroids’. Colonies are built fast and lost rapidly. While it might be a shame it doesn’t have to be a bad thing. After all, struggling colonies detract from your score, while lost colonies don’t count towards your total.  Regarding the actions of other people, you have to make a decision about this involving the cards in your hands. They can be used in your opponent’s turn under certain circumstances, but if the situation doesn’t present itself, the player is left at a disadvantage.

The amount of cards also contributes to another point. Hand size is essential to success, because the more cards you draw, the more things you can do during your turn. While this is good, it can also result in situations where a specific player gets picked on. If several people work together to keep a player small, it’s really hard to make a comeback, as you are limited in your options every turn. Someone on the top of the Royal Support track has 7 or 8 cards to spend per turn, while someone at the bottom has ‘just’ 4 cards per turn. The difference is that the top player has almost double the amount of actions than the unlucky player. The top players can then consistently use a few cards to limit the hand size of their opponents, while they can continue to grow. With a larger number of players, or an AI, this situation won’t take place, but in lower player numbers it could occur more often. Although the situation is not likely to present itself, I wanted to mention it.

The aim of the game is to acquire as much points as possible and it offers an area-control game where the players scramble for points. It’s a brutal conquest, which involves a lot of betrayal and destruction as the players fight over the Royal Support and/or the Victory Point track. While other DVG do a better job of blending theme and mechanics, the game is still good. Overall, the game is easy to learn and fun to play and provides good entertainment for a light evening.

Review: Coup: Rebellion G54 – Anarchy

As I have reviewed Coup: Rebellion G54, I’ll not be going over the rules. Instead I will look at what the expansion adds to the game and examine the cards in detail.

Contents:

18 influence cards (3 of each role)

7 role action cards (1 of each role, and 1 Social Media)

1 general action card (bank)

1 role token (bomb)

6 role dividers (1 of each role)

Two new general actions are available:

Social Media (General action): Take 1 card from the deck. Return 1 card to the deck. This cannot be challenged or blocked.

Bank, enables Loan (General action): Take 1 coin from the treasury. Add 1 coin to the bank. This cannot be blocked or challenged.

The roles and general actions in this set

The roles: 

Plantation owner (finance): Active player takes 1 from the treasury. Then any other player may claim Plantation owner. Once all claims have been made, challenges have been resolved, everyone gets the number of coins equal to the surviving claimants.

Financier (finance): The Income General Action card is swapped with the Bank card, enabling people to take the Loan general action. Active player may claim the financier to take all the coins from the bank card.

Anarchist (force): Active player does not have to claim anarchist to take this action. Active player pays 3 coins to the treasury and declares a target. The target gets the bomb token and can either Defuse or Pass the bomb to a new target. If they do not Pass or Defuse, the target loses a life. Counteraction: Target may claim anarchist to either Defuse (discard) or Pass the bomb to another player. The bomb may never return to any player that had the bomb, including the player that first took the bomb action.  

Paramilitary (force): The player declares a target and pays 3 coins if the target has 2 lifes remaining or 5 coins if the target has 1 life remaining. Target loses a life. Counteraction: Target may claim paramilitary to prevent the loss of a life.

Arms dealer (Special interest): Active player names a character role and then turns over two random cards from the deck. If any of those two cards is the named role, the player gets 4 coins from the treasury. Return the cards to the deck and shuffle.

Socialist (Special interest): All other players must give either 1 coin or 1 card. Active player keeps all the coins. The player then looks at the cards acquired, adds 1 card from his or her hand and chooses 1 card to keep. Then they add 1 card from the deck, shuffle and give 1 card to each player that gave a card. The leftover card is returned to the deck.

Thoughts and review:

 All cards are advanced, and add two new roles to force, finance and special interest. For finance and force it's nice to have more options, as they had less options in G54. Communication is missing, but replaced with Social Media. Now every turn, someone can swap a card with the deck and hopefully assume a new role. This has influence on the communications card that people might wish to use, as some of them lose their purpose. I can’t say much about them in play, as the mechanic of G54 is different with each set of cards.

Plantation owner: Another special mechanic. People are encouraged to claim plantation owner, as everyone benefits from it. However, the danger is that you might just help your opponents too much, because now they have more coins than you’d wish them to have.

Financier: To take all the coins in the bank is interesting, but the downside is that everyone is also eyeing it. There’s also no counteraction for this, except challenging the player directly. The biggest change is that it influences the general actions, so people might think twice about gaining income and instead steal coins from their opponents.

Anarchist: Anarchist is interesting, as you don’t need to have the anarchist yourself in order to claim the bomb. Also you can’t get the bomb back yourself, so there’s an incentive to light the fuse. However, because another player can defuse or pass on the bomb, you’re not guaranteed that someone will lose a life.

Paramilitary: Basically, it’s a guerilla, which always costs 4 coins, but with some cost variations. The first time people pay less, as they have more lives remaining. To finish them off costs more, so the incentive could be to equalize gameplay.

Arms dealer: The arms dealer can acquire a lot of money in a single turn, but only if you’re feeling lucky. You might just get what you want or be left empty handed. I like this card.

Socialist: My personal favorite in this expansion! You either mess with other people’s plans. If you’re targeted by this you can buy yourself out or might just end up with a new card. Again there’s a luck component, but due to the general reshuffling, you might just end up with the card you needed (or not).

Does this expansion take Coup G54 to a whole new level? Not really, as basically G54 remains G54. However, what it does add is another 6 roles, which are of various interest. Most of them are fine and fun additions. The Plantation Owner, Financier, Anarchist, and Paramilitary are all equal to me. Nice to have, but it’s no harm if you don’t have them. The two remaining roles are exciting, Socialist and Arms Dealer. The Socialist, which allows you to mess with other people’s cards and plans. They can have a plan with their roles, but you can mess these up. The Arms Dealer is also nice, but mostly because it’s amusing when you guess correctly. The remaining cards are nice, but more on the same level for me. Overall, I would certainly recommend this expansion. However, keep in mind that as it’s no radical overhaul of the game, but an addition to the existing game. G54 can also be played without it and plays perfectly fine. If you want more options, however, then certainly get this expansion!

Critical Component Comparison: Coup & Coup: Rebellion G54

A while ago we reviewed Coup on this blog and recently Coup: Rebellion G54. Of course a comparison is logical to make. The purpose of this post is to review the components of both games and share some thoughts on the mechanics. This review shall start with a overview of what’s in both boxes, before examining them in detail.

Coup (Coup)

Players: 2 – 6

Publisher: Indie Boards & Cards

Year: 2012

Coup: Rebellion G54 (G54)

Players: 3 – 6

Publisher: Indie Boards & Cards

Year: 2014

Both games are about deception and bluffing. Both games are published by Indie Boards & Cards. They’re set in the same universe and the goal is to eliminate other players. Coup was published first, while Coup: Rebellion G54 came out later. The following aspects will be compared: total components, player aids, cards, coins, box, extra's.

Total components

Total components

Coup comes with 15 characters cards, 6 summary cards, 50 coins, a rulebook.

G54 comes with 75 influence cards, 2 general actions cards, 25 role actions cards, 8 role tokens, 50 coins, rulebook, 25 role dividers, 2 dividers.

Judging by the components alone, G54 gives a lot more than Coup. Not only in terms of cards, but also other additions as well, such as the tokens and everything else. The nice aspect is that it’s not just the game, but also storage of the game that they thought about.

  

Player aids

The player aids

Coup comes with simpler version, which is double sided. One side features the available actions, while the other side shows the roles and their related actions, explained in two sentences. Illegal actions, or actions that can’t be taken are marked with a cross. Also symbols related to the roles are shown.

G54 comes with cards that explain the role, as well as general action cards. These cards are divided into several sections (force, communications, special interest, finance) and that makes swapping them easier.

Equal. Both serve their purpose. The benefit of Coup is that they are personal and are in front of you. It would be impossible to fit all the cards from G54 on a player help and it are separate cards. Because of the space, more text can be put on it, so more complex roles can be added to the game.

  

Cards

The cards

Coup comes with bigger and sturdier cards. On it the person and their action is shown. These stand up better to repeated playing, shuffling and transporting. Sleeves for these cards are less easily available.

G54 comes with smaller cards, features the artwork and a box with the text. The cards are numbered in the bottom, relating to their set and the game. They are also better sleevable, making them more durable and standing up to repeated play.  

G54: Cards are a smaller size and sleevable. While they would be equal and both have benefits, the size is the dealbreaker.

  

Coins

The coins

Coup comes with 50 coins. These are all valued 1. They look like a cross between poker chips and sim cards for your phone. They are good to wield, except that they are all the same value.

G54 comes with 50 coins. These are valued either 1 or 3. The look like small sim cards for your phone. The value 1 is silver, while the value 3 is gold. It ensures there’s enough money to go around for every player, while you don’t need to gather big piles in front of you.

G54: Because the coins have different values.

Extra’s: Dividers and tokens

Extra's

Coup doesn’t have this feature.

G54 comes with 2 big divider cards and 25 role divider cards. These can be inserted in the box to split the cards and to make it easier to take out the cards that you want. You can use them, but it’s optional. While they are okay to have, I haven’t used them so far and to me it doesn’t seem to add a lot to the game. G54 also has tokens, which can be used to make more complex roles.

No points awarded.

Box

The boxes

Coup comes with a smaller box, which contains everything. The game is much more manageable and transportable this way. This is a huge benefit compared to the other box.

G54 comes with a big box, which can hold everything. You can even fit the box of Coup in there. The size is also the detrimental here, because it’s not easy to carry around. While Coup can easily be added to your backpack or taken along, G54 fills the whole bag. However, it’s nothing that can’t be fixed by putting the game in a different container.

Coup: has a better box.

Even the Coup box can even fit in the G54 box!

Score: Coup – 2 (Box, player aids) G54 – 4 (Coins, cards, player aids, total components)

Final thoughts.

G54 comes out better in comparison. Coup is leaner and might have trimmed out some of the unnecessary fat, such as the divider cards, but it also lacks the extra possibilities of G54. Of course, this can be explained as Coup was published two years before G54 came out. Therefore it’s logical that G54 is like an improved version compared to the previous game. There’s several benefits to G54 that make it more suitable than the basic game, such as the different coin values. However, the main feature that really improves this game is that there’s so many cards that can be used and added. Where as Coup can only be played in a certain pattern with the same cards, in the same environment, G54 offers the possibility of changing everything. This way you can introduce new mechanics, new strategies and a whole lot of more replay value to the game than just basic Coup. It stays interesting, even after several playthroughs in a single session and elevates it from a light filler game to something that can be used to spend the evening. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed this comparison and it might help you make a better decision if you’re still on the fence about which game you should buy.