anderoy

Right off the bat, this game is beautiful. The artwork is stunning and fits the dystopian theme perfectly. Not only does it look good, but it is also a joy to play.

It is a worker-placement game where you win by exerting your power and being the first to place your ten authority tokens. Each player has their own colored dice that serve as their workers with their intelligence represented by the value of the dice (from 1-6). Smart workers can be beneficial in expanding your totalitarian regime, but will revolt against you if they become too wise to your schemes. A great thematic concept that is well executed in the game mechanics.

It definitely takes a full play through to get a sense for all the various tasks that you order your workers to accomplish. But by the end of the first game you will already be looking forward to how you might trade, tunnel, and trick you way to victory the next time.

There is a fair amount of strategy with a healthy amount of luck and player interaction that makes it a perfect game for seasoned gamers and casual gamers alike. After a few play-throughs, it felt like it supported a variety of strategies and pathways to victory, giving it a high replay value.

Highly recommended for those who appreciate a impressively-designed game with a desire to brain-wash their opponents.

Bonus points to Stonemaier Games for being responsive and sending me a single replacement worker-die after it was chomped in half by a hungry dog. All I had to do was fill out the form on their website and a week later, there it was in my mailbox.