kickstarter Game Preview: Raid and Trade

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The following is a paid preview for a current Kickstarter project. The art work the component and the rules may not be in their final form.

Overview

As a survivor of World War III, your desire to enter the Golden City is matched only be your ability to raid, trade and fight to gain the resources you need to gain the favor of those that will reward you with a better life. In Raid and Trade each player takes the role of unique survivor.There are three paths to victory: Gain Skill points by gathering resources to craft items, gather Favor points by paying to work at an Outpost, or gather the resources necessary to complete three Quests.

Your path to a better life won’t be easy. Raiding houses for resources takes planning and some luck – failure could have dire effects. The city is covered in barricades, making movement difficult. And of course you have to watch out for the other players who might decide to attack you for your resources instead of trading for them in a more civilized fashion. Succeed in any of the three goals and you will gain favor with the elite and be invited into the Golden City.

Gameplay

Each Player in Raid and Trade portrays one of five different characters, each with their own personality and abilities. Players begin the game with a player board that tracks three crucial statistics: Skill Points, Actions Points and Favor / Blacklist Points. In a turn a player may us their Actions points (AP) to Move around the town, Raid houses for resources, Attack other players to steal their resources, Craft items to gain Skill points, Trade resources with other players or enter an Outpost in order to work for Favor points.

During a player’s turn they can move and spend Action points to perform one action. After which, the next player clockwise may move and take an action. This process continues until all players have spent all their AP. The round then ends, all players’ Action points are reset to their appropriate levels based on Items that have been crafted or Quests that have been completed. At the beginning of each Round, two Global Events cards are turned face up. The first player chooses one of these cards to remain face up and turns the other face down. This Global Event affects all players during the upcoming round. Play continues until one player achieves victory.

A Better Life

The game ends immediately as soon as a player gains 20 skill points, completes three Quests or gains 10 Favor points.

Who would enjoy this game?

Family Gamer {maybe}
Nothing specifically makes Raid and Trade a good choice for a Family. But there isn’t anything objectionable about the game either. It really will depend if the gritty subject matter and post-apocalyptic setting is appealing to older children and parents. If the game seems interesting, then it may be a good fit.

Social Gamer {no}
It’s “none for you and all for me!” in this run, raid and race to achieve victory. Friendly interaction is minimal. Social gamers can take a pass on this one.

Casual Gamer {yes}
Action points determine the possible gameplay choices each turn, so Casual players will be able to start playing almost immediately. There is a good level of interactivity as you can see what victory conditions other players are going for which may allow you to shift gears mid game, foil other players’ plans and advance your own. It’s a good experience for Casual players.

Strategy Gamer {maybe}
Raid and Trade is effectively a strategy game that will take many turns of planning to achieve your chosen path to victory. Resource acquisition and management is key to completing quests and crafting items for Skill points. However the best strategy can go awry as players can attack you and use global events to curtail your progress. Some randomness is also involved. The strategic challenge is not deep, so some strategy gamers may feel untested.

Avid Gamer {yes}
Definitely a game for Avid gamers to try. There are multiple paths to victory and some unique Raiding mechanics. Unique player powers and a good “in world” feel thanks to some great art work create a great thematic experience to the game that Avid gamers will enjoy.

Power Gamer {no}
A race to acquire resources or skill points doesn’t really provide a Power gamer with the gameplay experience they crave. The only chance to directly influence other players is to attack them and this will not allow you to advance quickly to victory.

First Impressions

Looking at the quality artwork and the amount of components, Raid and Trade may seem complex, but it plays out quickly and is easy to jump into. Strapping on the boots of a post-apocalyptic survivor is very enticing and there is a character to fit any personality. This is achieved creatively by giving each player their own specific deck of Items they can craft for Skill points. In this way there is no competition for crafting a common pool of these Items. The competition comes with the Raids and scrambling for resources to achieve one of the three victory conditions.

There is a good balance in resource management and the different resources that can be found in the different houses. You can find yourself on one path to Victory (say by completing three Quests) when another opens up (when you gain Favor for example). Finally, the gameplay sequence which has players completing one action in succession until all action points are spent allows for tactics to develop as each player reveals their intent one action at a time. This is much preferred rather than a player spending all their actions then passing to the next. This also gives the game a very “stay on your toes” feel where players are constantly engaged.

Almost Final Thoughts

The strong theme and intensity of competition comes through thanks to the great art and the constant motion of the game. Although multiple paths to victory is not a new concept, it gives this game a refreshing departure from a victory point track and rescues it from being two dimensional. Random game board/tile setup keeps the game different each time you play and the player boards with the dials (a la King of Tokyo) is a nice touch that’s just cool. If the theme and intensity of a post-apocalyptic setting with some fresh mechanics appeals to you, Raid and Trade will deliver.