Review: Urban Structures, expansion of Flashpoint: Fire Rescue

Urban Structures, expansion of Flashpoint: Fire Rescue

Players: 2 – 6

Publisher: Indie Boards & Cards

Year: 2011

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

On this blog, we’ve reviewed Flash Point Fire Rescue in the past and it’s a great game. For the continuation of this review, we assume you’re familiar with the game Fire Rescue. If not, check it out here.

Urban Structures was one of the first (of many!) expansions released for Flash Point: Fire Rescue. It features a new role, two new maps and new rules. I’ll examine them all in detail and how they change the flow of the game.

The new role that has been added to the game is the structural engineer, who can repair the house. The primary reason people lose this game, is because they run out of cubes to put on the board. This indicates that the house has taken too much damage and has collapsed. Now you have the possibility to repair the house, or remove hotspots, while trying to rescue people. The downside is that this character can’t extinguish fire. This character isn’t chosen a lot in smaller groups, as we need everyone to help, but in larger groups he’s often present as allows the other players to stay longer in the house. While not the best character, he prolongs the time that the groups have before the house collapses.

 

The apartments, note the dividing wall in the middle.

The apartments is one of the two maps that comes with this expansion. It represents two buildings in a row, which can only be assessed from the front or back, but not from the sides. The main twist of the game is that the map is divided in half and you either need to move around it, or create another opening to move through. Since you can’t easily get from one side to another you need to think ahead and move accordingly. Personally, this is one of my favorite maps and a great way to look for a new challenge.

The office building is another map, printed on the other side of the board. It’s supposed to be an office above ground level, and includes flimsy walls that are destroyed with a single cube. Other walls still need two cubes in order to allow someone to safely move through. Instead of dragging the people outside, they need to be evacuated through the elevator or with the help of the fire truck. Entering is a bit more difficult, as people leave and enter through the elevator, or use the ladder from the fire truck. The structural engineer is a great addition here. On this board there’s light wall, shaded in a different color, that collapse more easily. A few bad explosions can really eat up a lot of the damage counters and thus might need to be addressed. At least with the structural engineer you can reverse some of the damage. 

Overall, this expansion strikes a fine balance, but they’ve managed to achieve it. Gameplay isn’t really changed, but it provides more of a similar taste. The variety in maps, while also having an additional role, is nice and breathes new life in a game that can feel bland after repeated plays. If you wish to drastically alter your gameplay, you might look for another expansion, such as tragic events. In other words, this expansion adds more of the base-game to your game, while keeping the game the same. 

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.