Review: Among Thieves

Among Thieves

Players: 3-8
Publisher: Indie Boards & Cards
Year: 2019

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

Among thieves is another game set in the Dystopian universe, where players try to rob three different corporations. However, the corporations aren’t the only ones that money gets taken from, as players can also take a disproportionate part of the loot. What follows is a rough game of stealing, plundering, backstabbing and betrayal.

This game revolves around extorting money from big corporations. The goal of the game is to get as much money as possible from these powerful businesses. And if you’re at it, why not take it from your other players as well? Every turn a heist is performed and the gained money handed out. The person that decided who joins and who doesn’t, moves from player to player and as the game progresses the payout becomes larger and larger. Of course, more money on the table, also means that people are more likely to choose for their personal interests.

On a turn, the heistmaster creates a team for the heist. You want to be on the heist, because only then you can participate in the payout. However, promises are not binding, so be wary. As soon as a team is formed, a corporation is robbed. This can be one of the three corporations. The players on the heist then decide whether to be honorable or dishonorable. There are only two options in this case. Based upon the actions of the players, various things can happen. Events are resolved if they come up and the reward is handed out. Lastly, honor is gained and/or lost. The honorable players gain one honor and the dishonorable players lose one.

Cards that determine the payout.

The payout is determined by how many players were honorable. For every honorable player a card for the payout is drawn and their value is added to the total. Two honorable players means two cards for the payout, while three honorable players means three cards for the payout. I mentioned it briefly earlier, but the payout of the heist also depends on the actions of the players. If everyone is honorable, the players collect credits equal to the payout. If there was at least one dishonorable player, but not everyone, the dishonorable players gain credits equal to double the payout. They may also draw a card from the corporation that they robbed and place this behind their screen. They don’t contribute to the payout, but these cards can be beneficial at the end of the game, when determining final honor. The payout is still determined by the sum of cards for the honorable players, although the honorable players gain nothing. If everyone was dishonorable, no one gains anything.

The game can end in several ways. If a pile from one of the corporations runs out, the game ends after that turn. The player with the least honor is eliminated and the remaining player with the most money wins! However, in the three corporation decks there are three Game End cards. These are in the bottom third, but can be shuffled through the deck for a shorter game. The Corvid ending eliminates the player with the most and the player with the least honor. The remaining player with the most money wins. The Paragon ending eliminates the player with the least money and the most honorable player wins. The Le Fleur ending eliminates no players and the player with the most money wins.

A Game End card and two Event cards.

As the player screens hide the money, but not their honor, you have some information, but not everything. You don’t know how much money is hidden behind their screen, although you can make an estimate, and you don’t know how their hidden cards affect the ending of the game. I like it as you have some concrete information to work with. You have a rough estimate as how the game is progressing and you have an idea of which ending is more likely to trigger. You can act accordingly, but your plans might still be ruined by luck of the draw.

This game keeps everyone involved in the game. There’s no player elimination and as the payout increases, players have a decent chance of recovery. Two lucky heists can have people really bounce back. As such, everyone really plays until the end. Also, the top player has no immediate benefit, which is good.

This game depends a lot on how other people play. If they all play as honorable and no one tries to take anything from another, the game doesn’t really shine. The same happens if everyone is dishonorable all the time. Promises are not binding, so not all players might appreciate this sort of game. The artwork has been used in earlier games set in the Dystopian universe, such as Coup G:54 or the Resistance. While not immediately bad thing, it’s a something that we noticed.  On the other hand, new artwork might have made the game more expensive.

A comparison of the banker in Coup and that same banker in Among Thieves

Most outstanding feature?

I’d say the honor track. The addition of this in the game is nice, because now people can’t just betray everyone every turn, as then that would mean their end rather fast. Instead, there are several things that people need to keep an eye on. As it’s uncertain which ending is going to be resolved and which ending is more likely to happen, you don’t merely want just money, but also honor. As you don’t know how much honor all other players will have at the end of the game, due to the hidden cards, it’s sometimes better to be honorable rather than acquire the most money. The different, and uncertain, endings are a great addition to the game that really let this mechanic shine.

  

Overall, if some of the aspects described above, please don’t play this game. If betrayal games are not your cup of tea, you will not enjoy this game. Players try to be as mean as possible and cheat each other as much as possible. However, if this does appeal to you, then certainly give it a try. It’s a great game and you’ll have a lot of fun backstabbing (or not!) your friends!

Review: War of the Worlds: France

War of the Worlds: France

Player: 1
Publisher: Dan Verssen Games

Year: 2018

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

H. G. Wells War of the Worlds is a classic in fiction. It inspired many movies, series, board- and videogames. DVG’s The War of the Worlds places the invasion of the martians on a global level and allows the player to take control at a tactical and strategical level. As earth is being invaded, you need to organize the human defenses and beat back the martian invaders. However, instead of invading the United Kingdom, the martians attack France!

Everything was peaceful in France, before the martian nation invasion attacked!

There are several ways the game can end: A Martian or Human victory based upon victory points, a Human Germ win or a Martian Colonization win. The Martians can gain points for capturing people, refugees and military units, or by devastating the country. If they acquire enough points, they can colonize France and win. The Humans can gain points by evacuating refugees or by starting production. If they have enough points, the humans win based upon biological warfare. Of course, the Martians can also win if they assemble their flying saucer or if Paris is destroyed.

The player’s turn consist of the production phase, where soldiers, ports or other things can be acquired or moved. Infantry, which costs 6 points, is cheaper than siege guns, which costs 16 points. The infantry however can’t destroy Tripods in a battle, but the siege guns can obliterate them. Based upon the still working factories you gain a certain number of points to use. However, infantry can be captured, which gives victory points to the martians, unlike the siege guns.
               Next is the battle phase, where all the battles are resolved, but only on land. Battles continue until either side is wiped out. The danger in battles is that units can be captured, which would mean extra victory points for the martians.

               Afterwards in the devastation phase, the martians wreak havoc. This can range from the loss of workers to refugees fleeing from the martian advance. The loss of workers means trouble for the production later on and they can’t be replaced easily.

               After this has been resolved, there’s the human action phase. Different actions can be taken here, such as moving units or refugees. This if followed by the escape phase, where naval battles are resolved. This is also fought until one side is wiped out.

               Up next are the martians, who receive reinforcements at set intervals and can perform different actions, based upon what the humans are doing. For example, they can work on their flying machine, which would mean a martian victory if the four parts are built. At the end of the martian turn, their points are counted. The of the countryside that has been laid to waste, the more points they get for their colonization victory. In the assembly phase, the martians can receive additional machines, which help them get more tripods later on.

The tripods. Left one used for sea battles, the right is used for land battles.

Interesting is that the battles on land or on the sea are fought differently. The naval battles are about securing safe passage for the freighters with refugees. As long as they aren’t captured by the martians, it can be considered a victory, even if all of your warships are destroyed in the process. The battles on land are much more aggressive and about annihilating the opponent. In order to achieve this various tools are at your disposal. They battles feel like mini-games within a larger game and can be highly entertaining.

              

The same tripods, but damaged. 

It blends elements of tactical skirmishes and strategical games very well! Generally the die has three outcomes: green, yellow, red, which can have different meanings depending on the context in which they are used. Three sides are green, two yellow and one red. The mix of both the strategic battles and the tactical conflict is really interesting.

               While a benefit, it also has a downside. The Martian-AI is relatively simple. Of course, it could have been interesting to have the option to play as the martians, actively trying to colonize Earth, but that would be a whole different game. Of course, it would be impossible to blend both elements together in the same box. 

               Sometimes it feels a bit awkward to have the battles reduced to such a roll of the die. Also units can’t be retreated. So warships that survived the battle can’t be used in another battle. This is a bit of a gamble sometimes, as certain battles are almost an immediate loss and the forces could better be used elsewhere.

Most outstanding feature?

I would say the battle maps as well as the many counters. As such, the game combines elements of wargames, and miniature games. The battles aren’t only fought on the battlefield, where the player resolves combat between the humans and the martians, but also on a national scale. In this case it’s France, but it could also have been the US, the UK or Japan.

               The nice part of it is that it forces you to think on a tactical level, what works on the battlefield and how do you destroy the enemy, while also keeping an eye on the strategy, what creates the most beneficial situation for your soldiers and ships? You aren’t merely focused on destroying the enemy, but how to achieve victory in the long run. In order to achieve that it might be beneficial to sacrifice a few units in order to set up a trap, which destroys the martian attacks.

Overall the game fits in the niche between miniature wargaming and boardgames. It allows player from either side to experience the themes with which they are familiar, while also adding elements from the other side to it. It fits in here very well! There’s plenty of counters and tokens to go around. The game is more complex than some boardgames, but light enough to be enjoyable and swift.