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.
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