Undermining
Undermining is a game where players need to make the best of the actions available to achieve short term goals, like gaining particular resources, as well as to consider how to set themselves up long term through upgrading their mining vehicle and fulfilling contracts. The game is all about gaining star bucks, with the player who manages to earn the most being the winner in the end. To earn starbucks players will be vying to satisfy contracts for certain resources, but may also earn them for upgrading their vehicles, having resources at game end and finding alien technologies.
Upgrading your mining vehicle, or UMVee, is something that will provide the vehicle with permanent special abilities that come in very handy if used wisely throughout the game. Choosing the upgrades that suit the strategy you are pursuing is a vital part of playing the game well.
Undermining is a highly interactive game, with players actions sometimes benefiting and sometimes impacting the future actions of others. The competition for resources is, of course, very important. But the use of open tunnel spaces to get where you need to go, and the blocking of such spaces is also key. Players can move through other UMVees, however, doing so costs battery power - and managing your batteries, which allow extra actions, is also an important part of playing well.
Undermining comes with a double-sided board, meaning the way players are forced to interact can be significantly different one side to the other. With a random layout of resources, different strategies and bonuses that can be achieved through upgrading your UMVee, the timing of contracts for different resources, and one off special bonuses that can be achieved by finding alien technology, no two games of Undermining are ever the same.
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Undermining was a game that, when I first heard about it, I was not very interested. It didn’t sound to me like there was much going on, or that meaningful decisions would need to be made. I am pleased to be wrong. Undermining is not a deep strategy game, but it is fun, and does a great job of filling a 45 minute game slot.
You’re mining for precious materials, drilling through worthless rock to gather the resources to upgrade your vehicle, or fulfill contracts for starbucks (victory points). As with most games, gaining the most points wins. Of course, if a game is enjoyable enough, just playing it makes everyone a winner!
Game Appearance
The first thing you’ll note is the large, darkly colored board, covered with cylindrical tiles. Rock tiles are randomly distributed with colorful resources and alien technology amid the craggy underground.
Next, you’ll see the player board, thick cardboard depicting your mining vehicle (UMVee) with multiple slots that will eventually hold upgrades. I especially like the long horizontal slot for battery cubes. As you get more, your batteries are charged, and the visual works great. Finally, and certainly not least, the little UMVees, which may be one of my new favorite game pieces. They’re detailed, and fun to move around. Overall (and this is coming from someone that usually doesn’t normally care about components) this game is visually very appealing and incredibly well done.
Game Play
You get three actions on your turn to use wisely. You can spend an action to: drill one space, move two spaces, charge your batteries (gain one cube), or move from one open portal to another. Additionally, if you’re on the single factory space, you can also (for one action) unload goods, build new parts for your UMVee, or fulfill a contract. You may also spend two battery cubes for an action.
For the most part, you’re going to be moving your UMVee around, drilling out rock and grabbing resources. These resources can be turned in at the factory and stored, or used to upgrade or gain victory points by fulfilling specific contracts. Which upgrades to get will be important, and are based on the resources you have. Your UMVee can hold up to five upgrades. You can grab a drill bit to increase your drilling ability, rockets to move farther, an extra cargo bay, or a reactor which gives an extra action.
Full rocks need two drill power, if you only have one, they’re flipped to the other side, showing rubble that only needs one more drilling. Resources and alien technology only need a single drill action to collect.
My Thoughts
This game feels like a race to me. You’re trying to get the most out of each turn, and stay ahead of the competition in the upgrade/contract fulfilling game. You cannot occupy the same spot as another player. If you want to move through them, you have to pay two battery cubes (and the movement points) to do so. This allows for some blocking as you make yourself a nuisance to your opponents.
There are two different sides to the game board, expanding the variability in setup. The vast number of randomly distributed tiles ensures games will be very different, and allow players to explore different board areas.
The best part of the game is deciding when to upgrade (and which upgrade to go after) compared to spending resources to grab victory points through contracts. Contracts fulfilled later are worth fewer points, making the early ones attractive, at the cost of grabbing an upgrade to allow you to be more efficient later in the game. The alien technology cards can be quite strong, but require space on your UMVee to get to the surface.
In the end, Undermining is a relatively quick playing, light optimization/race game. It’s more than a filler, but not quite a main attraction game for the evening. It’s easy to learn and play, requiring some decision making without being mentally taxing. I view it as a change of pace game for more avid game players, with the ability to fit into a more casual gaming group. See what Z-Man games (and Matt Tolman) have dug up and try Undermining for yourself!