A steampunk-themed game in a wooden box, colour me immediately intrigued.
And that is exactly what I was, intrigued, when I first read about the new card game Leagues of Adventure: Rocket Race.
The game, by designers Robin Elliott and Paul "Wiggy" Wade-Williams, is a very recent release, another game to gain funding via www.kickstarter
The crowd-funding site has become a boon for many game designers, who are able to raise capital to produce games which would never have a chance to be picked up by a major games maker.
Rocket Race is one of those games.
So the game arrives and it is a small package, about the size of a small jewelry box. There is a striking slipcover, and once that is removed you find the game is in a small wooden box.
Now the box is not expensive being like those you find at any dollar store, but it is still wood and that just makes it better intrinsically.
Inside is a 57-card deck of specially designed cards, a few small plastic markers which actually come with stickers so they will end up looking like actual tiny gear cogs, a couple of tiny dice, and a rules booklet.
To start with the cog stickers are a neat surprise. It speaks to the designers desire to make the game look good. The plain plastic markers would have sufficed, but the stickers add to the look. That said there are only enough stickers to do one side of the plastic pieces. To add the stickers they might as well have gave enough to make both sides look sharp, although that is a tiny complaint.
The cards are great. They have excellent 'steampunk-themed' art, are well laid out, with the details needed to be gleaned from a card during game play easy to follow.
So onto the game;
"The year is 1898 and the government of her Imperial Majesty, Queen Victoria, has declared that the British Empire shall place a man (or woman), on the Moon before the end of the century, thus ensuring the Moon becomes part of its territory. With the challenge laid, the Leagues of Adventure immediately begin working on manufacturing the parts for and constructing Moon rockets. Do you have the financial sense, technical acumen, willingness to take risks, blind luck, and ruthless ambition necessary to win the ultimate race - to be the First Men on the Moon," details the rules booklet introduction.
The aim of the game of course is in the sweet spot of steampunk. "The Leagues of Adventure are gentlemen's clubs, social clubs, scientific societies, and collectives of like-minded individuals striving to achieve various cultural, social and scientific objectives, as well as earn public recognition for their deeds. Each player represents the combined resources one such League that has taken up the challenge to construct and launch a Moon rocket.
In order to achieve this magnificent feat you need to assemble a rocket comprising a Capsule, a Propulsion system, and a Steering mechanism, plus any accessories you think might help you in your noble quest."
Mechanically, players have a supply of resources (the cogs), which they use to bid on rocket components as they are played from the deck.
The same deck has event cards, which may be played to enhance your own rocket, or to throw a wrench into an opponent's effort.
The game accommodates 3-6 players, which makes it a versatile option, and plays out in 20-miinutes, or so, depending on how many, and how experienced the players are.
This is a nice package, but ultimately you must like the steampunk theme, and the idea of a bidding card game, or it might not quite fit for you.
You can check out game in more detail at http://www.tripleacegames.com/
