Assembly Review

Personal log: “I don’t know for certain what happened. there was a meteor shower; fiercer than we anticipated. It was carrying some kind of virus that somehow breached the station and killed the crew. Well, almost. There’s just two of us left. We have to get off, the computer is shutting everything down, including life support, we don’t have much time to do what this station was designed for; build a ship and then get back to Earth.”

Game: Assembly

Designers: Janice & Stu Turner

Publisher: Wren Games

Artist: Mike Jessup

Player count: 1 - 2

Runtime: 10 -20 minutes

Part of me is tempted to write this entire review in the style of the game, mainly because the setting for this little 2 player game is both wonderfully simple and rich. But, I fear that would get old very fast, so I shall just wax lyrical in my typical rambling fashion.

[caption id="attachment_2766" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The final version will look very different, but I find the small bow and cards to be very functional.[/caption]

You’re the last two crew members alive on a space station that just about survived a meteor shower, the computer is essentially trying to kill you, but not in a Hal type of way, more like an “I’m sorry, but it’s you or the entire population of planet Earth.” But, you’ve got a little time before all the oxygen runs out to realign all the systems, build a space-faring vessel and set a course for home. I know what you’re thinking: “Smoke me a kipper. I’ll be back for breakfast.”

But, you have only limited access to commands and each command needs to be verified by the only other survivor.

Who is stuck on the other side of the airlock.

And, because of the damage done to the station (or because the station has gone Hal crazy), the communication network is glitchy as hell.

And the station is starting to malfunction. A lot.

This compelling sci-fi backdrop sits behind a puzzling abstract micro-game which is, quite simply, pretty damn great. I especially enjoy playing this game solo, due largely to the fact that I repeatedly Ace Rimmer the smeg out of it. Whereas playing it two player “someone” keeps letting the side down.

[caption id="attachment_2768" align="alignnone" width="1920"] I got very lucky on the first module, but do we lock doen just the one bay?[/caption]

The goal of the game is to realign each of the 12 Bay cards with their connected Room Modules tokens which players will draw and place randomly throughout the game. To do this you have your Command cards, a deck 16 cards, but with only 6 different commands, allowing you to add new tokens, rotate, switch and most importantly, lock them in. You’ll need to lock down all 12 before the deck circles through twice to beat the game. Mechanically that's it, but the mechanics of the game are only part of it.

[caption id="attachment_2764" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Each command is useful at the right time, but you need to not only plan ahead but anticipate what the support player will do[/caption]

The crux of the game in the two-player mode comes down to communication, each player must work autonomously - despite this being a co-operative game, where the cooperation comes from a shared goal and an intersection of individual actions. The game centres around the idea that players don’t discuss their plans, or share what their cards are, all that information is and remains secret. The active player chooses a command from their hand of three cards, the support player then must verify that command with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’, in other words; do they have the same card - in essence; can that crew member also enter that command into their terminal.

If it’s a “yes”, everything is peachy, the command is executed and, all being well you’re now one step closer to getting back to Earth. But a “no” doesn’t necessarily halt the progress, it means that if the active player wants to commit that action, the support player must discard a card to “override’ the system. This can be heart-breaking, plan-destroying and really, REALLY annoying. The active player switches but now, now, because of that smeghead on the other side of the airlock, you’ve got fewer choices. And fewer choices is bad.

[caption id="attachment_2765" align="alignnone" width="1920"] These are all half size prototypes, where the final version will have bridge sized cards[/caption]

Co-op games can suffer from quarterbacking; where one player takes charge, essentially taking everyone's turn for them. Assembly not only makes that tricky but it actually punishes the quarterback if they rear their head. It challenges players to become telepathic, which is no bad thing if gaining superpowers was that easy, or perhaps more realistically, it challenges players to synchronize their thinking and plans. You’ll very quickly realise how alike you are in your pattern of thinking to your support player in how you deal with your train of thought, how your problem solves and how good your memory is.

It’s quite an unusual sensation mentally screaming at the other player to perform a switch command, because you can verify it, and then in your turn lock that bay down. Normally, when you see a perfect solution to your problem in a game, your screaming “Don’t do it, anything but that one.” You do that thing where you try not to look at the card you want. That is flipped on its head here which makes for quite a unique feeling. Obviously, they never do what you want them to do, invariably, they have their own plan. Smegheads.

[caption id="attachment_2772" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Every problem has multiple solutions in this game, it's just a case of know which one you are both working towards[/caption]

If, however, you are sick of being let down by your support player you can very quickly and easily play this game alone - by just removing a few cards. To be honest, I prefer Assembly as a solo game, having to tease out the puzzle solo presents enough of an engaging, puzzling challenge, and with such a short play time I can bash a game out while there's a pizza in the oven. Also, no-one lets you down.

Once you’ve mastered the simple version of this game you can throw in the malfunction cards - where the station starts to break down and fights you back. These will only affect 4 bays (those at 12,3,6, and 9) and ramp up the difficulty and frustration nicely. After that there are more ways to make the game more of a challenging...but I haven’t go there yet, but it’s a comfort to know they are there...sort of.

[caption id="attachment_2770" align="alignnone" width="1920"] These add an extra twist, an extra consideration and ramp the difficulty up quite nicely.[/caption]

One issue that can creep into games though is players “bending” the rules. Now I take my rules and gaming very, very seriously (look, I’m a nice guy but once those cards have been dealt and the dice rolled I don’t give a monkey’s about your dog/kids/wife/husband/job/parents/garden/car - just shut the hell up and play). There are three modes of play that relate to communication ranging from a general discussion on what players should focus on - to absolutely no verbal communication at all - the rulebook comes with a sign language section that covers all the command words you’ll need to play it. How you choose to play is in your remit, but one slip, one moment of frustration can reveal important information that can steal some of the fun of this game, but, it is all in how strictly you choose to follow the rules.

What you’ll get with Assembly is a neat puzzle game, but more than that, this strikes a great co-op chord. Not only does a victory feel especially shared and equally achieved, but in playing this game you’ll create a muster point of thought, where there is a degree of pleasure and alarm (in almost equal measure) when both players are on the same page. I find myself often impressed by microgames, the austere and economic design is something I can really appreciate, it also means that you can get a great game without too much damage to the wallet.

Assembly is on Kickstarter now for £16 and for that, you’d be a smeghead for missing out.

Disclaimer:

This review was based on a prototype version of the game provided by the publisher, as such the final version may differ from what is seen here.

Villagers Review

“If we build it, they will come.”

“But we need them to come so we can build it.”

“Good point. If we make some delicious food, they will come, and then we’ll build it.”

“Do you know anyone who can make ‘delicious’ food?”

“I do a pretty decent Spaghetti bolognese?”

“...”

Game: Villagers

Designer: Haakon Gaarder

Publisher: Sinister Fish Games

Artist: Haakon Gaarder

Player Count: 1 - 5

Run Time: 30 - 60 mins

This review first appeared on the Polyhedron Collider website, but if you didn’t catch it there you can enjoy it here now.



The plague has run rampant across the land, devastating and ruining lives in its wake, but we humans are nothing but resilient, and so we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and begin again. This is where you start, at the very beginning, you’ve found a suitable patch of land to build upon, and so construction can get underway. As people flee their old lives, or search out a better way to scratch out their livings they come across your blossoming village. If they have the right stuff you’ll offer them food and lodgings in return for their contribution to the greater good (the greater good).

Villagers is a smooth, uncomplicated engine builder. Your goal is simple; become the most prosperous village, achieved by attracting the most skilled and industrious villagers who in turn will generate the most gold. You need to not only feed and house them but you’ve got to be able to supply them with the materials and tools they need to do their job also. Not forgetting that you need to draft them into your own personal pool of villagers before any of your neighbours do so; which is the first phase of the game:



Players draft villagers in turn from a central ‘market row’ or is this game the Road, where there will be 6 face-up cards and 6 face-down stacks; I like to think of this as the face-up cards being those who are close enough to be able to identify, and those that are a little further away so you know roughly their trade. These six stacks also represent the general populace of the land, and the game ends once they have all been emptied. At the bottom of the second and the final stack is the Market Round, which is where you inhabitants will sell their wares and make the all-important, game-winning gold.



There are 10 different types or suits of villagers, ranging from Ore to Lumber to Grapes. You’ll draft as many villages up to the amount of food your fledgeling settlement produces, food being one of the two basic resources you’ll need to manage.

The build phase is where you’ll take those drafted villagers up into your hand and start adding them to the village proper. Naturally, this is also limited, this time by the number of builders you have. In short, to get people into your village you need food, then before they can start contributing to the village they need a house. Simple.

Now, to the nuts and bolts of you engine building village: it’s all based upon simple supply chains, to do G you F, which needs E, but if you had D then E is free, D obviously needs C, and if you have B then you’ll make more from G, but that also requires A. Which is very typical of this type of game, what Villagers does though is it takes this pseudo-algebraic nonsense and distills it in to a very accessible, very intuitive setting of 14th Century Europe…ish.

In the above gibberish what I really want is a Wine Trader – because on Market day the Wine Trader rakes in a pretty decent amount of gold, but before he can sell his wares a Vintner must first make it, and a Graper has to gather the choice grapes before that. But the Wine Trader also needs bottles from the Glass Blower, and the Vintner also needs barrels from the Cooper….and so on.



Villagers tricks you into believing you only have two resources to worry about; Food and Buildings, and that with its cute minimalist artwork style it’s a simple game. Whereas what you actually have is essentially two little engine builders that overlap one another creating rich, if not occasionally crippling decisions each turn. Each villager is a resource in themselves, providing a service or goods for anywhere between 1 and 10 other villagers (indicated by the keychain symbol). This includes neighbouring villages, meaning if you don’t have the required villager, but your opponent does, you have to pay them.



It isn’t always the largest village that prospers, it’s the most economical, and there are multiple ways to achieve this. A few of the direct supply chains end in very high-value cards, such as the Jeweller and Tailor, but an Ore Muler, Log Rafter, or Freemason can dish out plenty gold based upon who else is in your village during the final Market Round. Also, by just having those root villagers that everyone else will need you can gain a huge income from the other players like the Blacksmith and Carpenter.

Villagers does exactly what is said on the box, it’s a game about people building villages. You’re not juggling the raw materials that make a village; laying down roads and building up houses, your only concern is the people who will do this. You’ll be crafting a complex web of individuals, probably across other villages and players, to achieve your goals. Each card played branches out creating a new route and a new possibility. Above all Villagers presents a great engine builder but with a very accessible, and easily understandable theme, the links and chains between any two cards just makes sense.



I’ve walked away from this game each time thinking that I could have done it better, I could have built it more efficiently and I convince myself that next time I will. If you want to know more, or if this has been enough to convince you to get involved you can back this project on Kickstarter right now!

Disclaimer:

This review was based on a prototype version of the game provided by the publisher, as such the final version may differ from what is seen here.

The Great Big UK Games Expo List of Games I’m Excited About

Let’s get straight into it, so in Hall and Stand order, these are the games I’m going to try and see and play:

Coral Island - Alley Cat Games 1-B6

[caption id="attachment_2723" align="aligncenter" width="372"] Coral Islands Box Art[/caption]

When this hits tables properly in mid-2019, it will be a 2 for special. Containing all the components needed to play 2 different dice manipulation games, one of which is ready for us to play at this year’s expo:

Coral - Using the different coloured dice, players build three dimension reefs, how you stack your dice and faces showing all combined to make a different dice replacement, dice dexterity game I suppose. On top of all of this, they will be little tiny fish that you’ll be trying to make nests for too.

Ruthless - Alley Cat Games 1-B6

[caption id="attachment_2736" align="aligncenter" width="372"] Ruthless Box Art[/caption]

I’ve been following this game for some time, or more specifically the designer and artist, Roland McDonald on Instagram (@rolandtheillustrator).  I’m a sucker for Pirates - I just love the rich vibrant landscape of games that the theme can be put to.  I’m also a sucker for great artwork and you don’t have to look much further than the cover art to see what got me hooked (“hooked” get it?).  This is a deck building game that has players build crews via a draft and poker/rummy system - it strikes me as a game that will be very easy to teach but will also have a bit staying power too.

Wildlands - Osprey Games 1–C4

[caption id="attachment_2743" align="aligncenter" width="370"] Wildlands Box Art[/caption]

Normally, I don’t care for miniatures games - mainly because I feel so bad for leaving all of those gorgeous sculpts unpainted - and they’re left unpainted because it’s far safer than letting me at them with brush and paint.  That being said what grabbed me most about this game was the fact it is meant to be a perfect intro into skirmish games.  The fact that Martin Wallace is the designer also may have held some sway...

Gladiatores: Blood for Roses - Bad Cat Games 1-C20

[caption id="attachment_2728" align="aligncenter" width="571"] Gladiatores: Blood for Roses Box Art[/caption]

This is an arena combat game played out using deck draft, trick-taking combat system.  Your hand of cards is your stamina, so you’ll always need to make sure you have something left in the tank, but what separates a good gladiator from a good one, is that a great one will always have the right thing in the tank.  Attacks, defence, counters and finishers you’ll balance your deck/hand against what you need to do now, and what you can do later.   I managed to catch this at Dragonmeet in December last year and I have to say I really rather enjoyed it.  In fact, I enjoyed it a lot.  I think this game will do very well when it comes to Kickstarter later in the year but I’m not going to miss a chance to treat myself to another game.

Detective: A Modern Crime Boardgame - Portal Games 1-C22

[caption id="attachment_2725" align="aligncenter" width="373"] Detective: A Modern Crime Boardgame Box Art[/caption]

The tagline: You are not playing a detective; you ARE a detective!

My reaction: Sold! Take my money!

Everything about this screams amazeballs!  This game supposedly breaks the fourth wall, in that to further yourself in the game; you have to come out of the game to use an online database.  There is a sense of detective sandboxing, in that players will get to choose how to play, how much to invest to get the win, either cooperatively, or as the best damn detective in Antares!

The Everrain - Grimlord Games 1-D7

[caption id="attachment_2727" align="aligncenter" width="382"] Everrain Box Mock Up[/caption]

There isn’t a wealth of information about this game at the time of writing.  Co-op, Miniatures, and a world being drowned by the Old Gods who have awoken to find the world not as they deem it to be.  If nothing else I’m curious to know and see more.

Ragusa - BrainCrack Games 1-D8

[caption id="attachment_2735" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Ragusa Prototype in play[/caption]

This marks an exciting change of pace form this UK indie company moving previously from small box games like Downsize and Mined Out to first the wargame, Farsight and now a Euro.  From designer Fabio Lopiano (Calimala) this is all about building the legendary city of Ragusa (now Dubrovnik) in the 15th Century.  Making use of a mesh of worker placement, market manipulation and engine building this is a crunchy little Euro that looks right up my street!

The Gig - BrainCrack Games 1-D8

[caption id="attachment_2741" align="aligncenter" width="579"] The Gig Prototype in Play from Above[/caption]

Since I’m a fan of these guys and because this game also sounds really cool, I’m sticking around this stand to play another game. A dice drafting jazz gig game where players will collectively be trying to put on a hip jazz show by the central board, but will also be crafting smooth solos via a Sudoku-y style roll and write individual board.  The show must come together as a cohesive whole or everyone loses (especially the audience) but you want to make sure that you’re the brightest star on the stage too.

ITB: 1-D22

All I know is that there will be 4 new games; I know all of their names, and most of the designer’s too.  Also, I know that ITB are always worth checking out.

Robot Wars (I’m sure not about the TV show) and Odyssey both from He who is named Reiner Knizia.  Castle Cards from another tower of the gaming design world, Brett Gilbert, and finally Alba.  And all I know about Alba is the name.

Lifeform - Hall or Nothing Productions 1-E8

[caption id="attachment_2731" align="aligncenter" width="557"] Lifeform Box Art[/caption]

Remember Space Crusade? Space Hulk? I loved those game growing up, and I loved the movies this game is so clearly based upon.  I have longed for a great survival horror game for nearly as long as I’ve been in this hobby.  I mean, who doesn’t like being a little bit scared? Lifeform was hugely successful on Kickstarter earlier this year, and the expo will be a great opportunity to have a little play with the game ahead of my copy hitting the table.

The Sanctuary: Endangered Species - Cube Factory of Ideas 1-E9 (I think)

[caption id="attachment_2737" align="aligncenter" width="372"] The Sanctuary: Endangered Species Box Art[/caption]

In this hand management and worker placement game you are tending to endangered animals in your wildlife reserve, the twist is that the actions you can take with your work depend on what is in their line of sight.  As an animal lover the theme of this game resonates strongly with me and as an often enjoyer of worker placement games this is something really want to see.

Villagers – Sinister Fish Games 1-G3

[caption id="attachment_2742" align="aligncenter" width="534"] Villagers Mock Up Box[/caption]

I was lucky enough to get a review copy of this game a little while ago, so you can check the full review here.  In short, this is a cracking Engine building game that has a very intuitive play system making it highly accessible.  This games is chopping down stretch goals left and right on Kickstarter right now, so if you haven’t backed you’ll be able to try it at expo weekend.

Tang Garden - Thundergryph Games 1 – H20

[caption id="attachment_2739" align="aligncenter" width="372"] Tang Garden Box Art[/caption]

Thundergryph games are another publish with whom I have an affinity, having previously backed and enjoyed Overseers, Dead Man’s Doubloons and Tao Long, this three-dimensional panorama-tableau building abstract game set during the Tang Dynasty doesn't look to disappoint either.  Players will be creating vertical panoramas by placing tiles, miniatures, cards and backdrops. In an attempt to create the most perfectly balanced and beautiful garden.

Microbrew - One Free Elephant 1-J7

[caption id="attachment_2733" align="aligncenter" width="372"] Micro Brew Box Art[/caption]

Things I love about this game already:

1. Beer - I quit drinking beer a few years ago, so any game that will allow me to vicarious enjoy one will be welcome on my shelf.


2. 2 Player games - most of my gaming is with my partner, and games that are specifically designed for two players always just feel a little more comfortable than those that have to scale down.


3. Microgames - I find these microgames to be utterly fascinating, accomplishing so much with so little always worthy of my attention.


4.  Did I say beer already?

A worker placement game where you can knock previously placed workers out of their spot - but it gives that player another go.  That in itself will lead to some great and dynamic choices and play styles; I must try game for me.

Lord of the Horde - Inspiring Games 1-J20

[caption id="attachment_2732" align="aligncenter" width="372"] Lord of the Horde[/caption]

A 2-4 player card game based on the idea of an invading orc horde.  You’ll come up against non-orc settlements and have to smash your way through, but at the same time fend off from the other orc warbands so that you can be crown Lord of the Horde.  I saw this game very, very briefly at the expo last year, this time around I’m going to have a proper game and generally ogle at the great artwork.  What has me most interested is the investment into the story; this game is part of the Legends Untold saga, but set hundreds of years before it. This sounds like a great game, but for those of you like me, if we look a little deeper we’ll also get a great story when we play it.

5 Minute Chase - Board & Dice 1-K2

[caption id="attachment_2722" align="aligncenter" width="372"] 5 Minute Chase Box Art[/caption]

I’m a fan of Board & Dice, so it should come as no real surprise to find two of their games on my hit list, the first of which is this little gem.  A real-time pursuit game, where players will either be on-the-run prisoners or the pursuing guards, placing tiles to construct your path.  No turns, no order and I’m sure a lot of fun.

Escape Tales: The Awakening - Board & Dice 1-K2

[caption id="attachment_2740" align="aligncenter" width="372"] Escape Tales: The Awakening Box Art[/caption]

Second up from this Polish indie company is an escape room-esque card game that you can replay, and even play solo.  Where the focus isn’t so much on the “escape” it is to do with the story told.  The narrative for this game, a father conducting a ritual to awaken his comatose daughter is different, exciting and just a little chilling.  (It’s also one of the two games that tackle this theme making their debut at the UK Games Expo - a new hot trend perhaps…)

Mourne Quest - Back Spindle 1-K12

[caption id="attachment_2734" align="aligncenter" width="372"] MourneQuest Box Art[/caption]

I managed a passing look at this last year when it was in a very early demo version.  A charming looking co-op that features clurichaun, faerie folk and nightmare monsters.  Cute and fantastical it’s a game I want to have a proper look at this year without a doubt.

Wreck & Ruin - Dream Big Games 1-K22

[caption id="attachment_2744" align="aligncenter" width="660"] Wreck & Ruin Box Art[/caption]

Everyone has by now heard of Wreck & Ruin, but despite being at a number of conventions at the same time as this game I’ve not been able to get a seat at the table.  This year Mark is reserving me a chair so I can finally play this game that I’ve heard so many good things about.  A post-apocalyptic wasteland where players wage war on one another via converted bikes, buggies, cars and trucks.

Summoner’s Isle - Peculiarity 2-A29

[caption id="attachment_2738" align="aligncenter" width="372"] Summoner's Isle Box Art[/caption]

Back in May 2017, I was lucky enough to get a preview copy of this area control battle game, everyone I put it in front of thoroughly enjoyed it and judging by the work designer; Robbie Munn, has been doing this newer version looks even better.  As a summoner you can manifest three types of beast, Imps, Trolls and Wyrms, each requires more power than the former, but equally, each, in turn, is stronger.  With a very simple combat system which doesn’t always mean the biggest creature will be victorious this game provides plenty of tactical and strategic choice with a small footprint and runtime.

Everdark - Edventure Games 2-D5

[caption id="attachment_2726" align="aligncenter" width="608"] Everdark Prototype In PLay[/caption]

Back for a third year, Ed will be showing an all-new version of Everdark.  It was the talk of the expo in 2016 when he was new, last year saw his table constantly full and so this is game I really want to see.  I love that there is such a narrative behind the game and I think where there is that much heart and soul the game will probably have something very special about it.  Everdark is a semi-co-op game that features a rotating maze for players to navigate.

Holding On: Troubled Life of Billy Kerr - Hub Games 2-E2

[caption id="attachment_2729" align="aligncenter" width="372"] Holding On: Troubled Life of Billy Kerr Box Art[/caption]

A co-op worker placement game about a touching and very different theme: recovering the memories of a man lying comatose in a hospital bed. You know next to nothing about him, all you know for sure is that for some reason he isn’t letting go of his mortal coil just yet.    If I’m honest the theme alone has me very interested, but couple that with a narrative gameplay and I just have to take a closer look.

Dare to Dream – Turtle Dream Games 2-G1

[caption id="attachment_2724" align="aligncenter" width="373"] Dare To Dream Box Mock Up[/caption]

A one versus many asymmetric game about protecting small children from terrible nightmares.  This game has charming art and an interesting costly semi co-op style, where the actions the guardians take to empower the darkness.  A hugely successful Kickstarter (587% funded) from this small Irish publisher, a lovely theme and wonderful art puts this game squarely on my radar.

 

And that's it!

Of course, there are many, many other games to see and enjoy at the expo, including the Playtest zone which graciously opened its arms to me with my design (which I’ve done next to nothing with since) but I would highly recommend checking out that space too during your weekend.

So, how many cross-overs do we have?  Did I miss anything obvious or are there any surprises that I’ve included?  Let me know, and hopefully, I’ll see you in a just a few days!

 

 

 

 

Dead Man’s Doubloons Review

Land Ahoy! Grab your shovels and cutlasses boys, there’s treasure to be a digging and throats to be a cuttin’! I’ll lead a party ashore to pillage, explore and return with all the booty I can carry, you lads on the ship, follow the code and keep those filthy pirates at bay! Dead Man’s Doubloons from Thundergryph Games is a pirate adventure game of island exploration, naval battles of action programming and a doubloon-laden trove of take-that style mechanics.

Game: Dead Man’s Doubloons

Designer: Jason Miceli

Publisher: Thundergryph Games

Artists: Matthew Mizak

Player count: 2 - 6

Runtime: 40 - 60 mins

Doubloons and cannon balls will fly back and forth as easily and as frequently as the curses and name-calling. Each player will be desperately racing for the treasure buried at the peak of mount Zotétmon, once it has been claimed it’s all hands on deck as you either try and sail away as quickly as possible or send the wretch with all the gems down to Davy Jones’ Locker!

Right out of the docks I’m going to tell you some straight up facts about this game.

1. The artwork and components (especially the deluxe versions photographed here) are flippin brilliant.

2. The gameplay is ruthlessly take-that: sensitive souls beware!

3. The rulebook and insert are worse than a rum-infused hangover where you spent the night in a hammock in a cramped and smelly boat on rough seas.

[caption id="attachment_2713" align="alignnone" width="1600"] It's a manic and dangerous time on both land and sea[/caption]

Dead Man’s Doubloons tells a story over two game phases, the first; finding the treasure, followed by getting away with it. Using your rather lovely captain meeple you’ll slowly explore the unnamed island, judging and picking your route to spot marked “X”. There are various routes to the top, some more perilous than others, and some more rewarding. You’ll have to choose your way according to your needs and desperation; the blue coastal path is by far the longest but the safest, in contrast, the most direct route, red route, has a steep cost but will let you play catch up to the other captains.

[caption id="attachment_2716" align="alignnone" width="1600"] Losing two crew means your ship's special ability is lost, and for the Razzias this means doubloons could soon go missing too[/caption]

You see, you’re not alone looking for the treasure, in fact, your not the only pirate with that piece of the map. At the beginning of the game the map fragments are dished out to each player, and over the first few turns when taking the Quest action you’ll find additional fragments to better aid you in uncovering the treasure. Now, whenever you take a quest action to advance along a route on the island, any pirate who also has the same type of fragment you have declare you are following, well, they also get a free move. This quickly becomes an interesting choice, as you desperately try to keep your opponents back but advance yourself, send them blindly forward to suffer a cost you then don’t have to. It’s perfectly possible, you just need to pull off the right action at the right time against the right opponent. Which is about as easy as getting a bunch of sailors to clean up their language.

[caption id="attachment_2710" align="alignnone" width="1600"] With the right three cards, played at the right time you can quest and sail to victory...hopefully[/caption]

All the actions are managed using a programming mechanic with a slight variability via the multi-use cards. You’ll start the game with five cards and providing your crew doesn’t get pinched or killed you’ll stick with five cards, three of which you’ll use each turn, placing them face down in front of you. These cards present a simple set of actions, you’ll perform. The top of the card is your ship movement, and then you have a range of choices such as questing, attacking, repairing your ship or boarding one of your opponents. Each player, in turn, will complete a card’s action choice before play moves onto the next player, so you have those scant few moments of having a quick look around the table, mainly at the pirate you’re hoping to attack, trying to work out if, how and when you will launch your attack.

[caption id="attachment_2714" align="alignnone" width="1600"] The dreaded ghost ship prowls the waters, dishing out extra damage and carrying cursed doubloons, it's also immune to taking any further damage which makes them something to avoid[/caption]

This tandem play keeps engagement up, since one phase of the game is not reliant on the other, however, neither can be ignored. Once a route on the island is mostly explored playing catch up can be very safe, likewise if your ship is sunk it returns as a ghost ship, unable to take any more damage, but able to dish out extra - further to this it means that any doubloons or gems are cursed, but it turns out un-cursing yourself is “easy” it just requires five of those fateful coins.

Once the treasure is found, all players who are at the big X or even near it get to dig for some gems, then its all back to the ships and off you go. At this point the Captain Cards are shuffled into the deck, these when used advance the game end condition. All those landmark tiles that previously marked the route on the island, well they are now ‘exploits’ throwing them at your opponents, or should you need a little boost keeping them for yourself. It’s in this second stage of the game that there is quite a dramatic shift of pace. The player who thinks they’re in the lead just needs to stay away and stay afloat until they can cause the game end. For everyone else, it's a free for all.

[caption id="attachment_2712" align="alignnone" width="1600"] With a heap of diamonds each captain returns to their ship hoping to escape intact[/caption]

As is fitting for the theme, this is a cut-throat game from the off you’ll be firing, boarding, stealing, pillaging and it won’t stop. In fact, it gets worse. So, player beware, if you don’t like this style of game this isn’t for you. I had a blast, and thoroughly enjoyed my second and subsequent playthroughs of this game.

I didn’t enjoy my first game though, and if this were a “First Thoughts” style review it would read very differently. The rulebook is utter shite. I could sugar coat it, but I’d be doing you, dear reader, a disservice. My first playthrough was more or less out of the box with the rulebook open - because I was excited to play it - that excitement faded quicker than a wotsit when a sailor realises too late that that mermaid is actually a manatee. There is no anatomy of a player board, no indication as to what separates a Captain card from the seemingly identical action cards, the two-player variant is hidden at the back of the book as the third possible game variant - with no previous clue as to it even being there (making this game very flat in a two player game in my humble opinion).

Regarding my other irk about this game, the insert...well it’s clear the good folks at Thundergryph games tried really, really hard, but they missed the mark by a clear margin. Yes, it holds everything nice and safe. Too safe, getting those delicate looking ships out of the plastic insert...well, you know that feeling when you tear a cardboard counter when punching it? Now imagine it is a unique fragile plastic pirate ship. Removing this from the insert and putting them back is also an exercise in holdings one’s breath.

[caption id="attachment_2717" align="alignnone" width="1600"] There is a beautiful, tense moment before the first card is flipped, where all your plans and schemes could still work![/caption]

But, these “problems” are easily passed once you’ve dealt with them once, so you can get on enjoying this game, preferably at the higher player count, with a gaming group that is going to enjoy dishing out and taking damage. At two and three players though this game does suffer somewhat. You see as you lose crew, and you will, often and frequently, your hand size is reduced, from five to four, and then shortly after to three. At this point you are really on the back foot, you have no choice over how your ship moves, which, means the multi-use aspect of the programming become moot. With fewer ships on the board, you can often find yourself just sailing around not doing anything. Which, is pretty rubbish, because you’re still in the game but your role is perfunctory, not something you want in a game.

There are a number of modes of play, which in some ways feels a little like there is too much going on, as if designer and/or publisher couldn’t decide what should be cut, or kept having cool ideas that just bolted on to the game, but few of them feel truly at home. The Curse of the Black Gem feels a little unbalanced, and the “advanced” alternate Island board is a hot mess which might be fun if you can decrypt the rules for it - I gave up halfway through and house ruled it because I was sick of trying to figure it out.

[caption id="attachment_2715" align="alignnone" width="1600"] A fabulously colourful game with plenty of character and great take-that action[/caption]

All that being said, however, Dead Man’s Doubloons can tell an exciting story, and it does so in a very fun way. It is very easy to fall behind in this game, so providing you are ready for that type of game and know that when you start sliding down that slope you have to immediately claw it back. Dead Man’s Doubloons is simply (once you’ve figured out how to play), pretty and a lot of fun. Refreshingly this game comes in around the £40 mark, which is absolutely bang-on for this type of game.

Also: Pirates!

Disclaimer:

This review was based on a full priced Deluxe Kickstarter edition paid for out of my own money from my own pocket.  As such, some of the contents may vary from retail editions of the game.