Terrible Analogies

For the past week a board game that’s owned my heart and soul is one that surprisingly went out of print and has only recently been resurrected from potential oblivion.  Robo Rally, back from the dead, sports new boards, new gaming pieces, and new factory elements meant to create an ever-changing, treacherous environment that your robot must successfully navigate if it wishes to not only survive, but emerge triumphant. 

The rules of Robo Rally (.pdf) are quite simple; Players program their robots to make a minimum of five movements per round, with the ultimate goal of being the first one to touch a given number of positioned flags in a specific order.  Your robotic buddy must avoid falling off the side of the board to its certain doom, plunging down pits to a gruesome death, and being damaged with either static lasers or shots fired from other users robots.

What’s unique about Robo Rally, and what sets it apart from other games, is that all players move their pieces at the same time.  The savvy player will use this to his or her advantage by savagely tracking down other players and damaging them with vicious laser attacks, or pushing them into unpredictable and destructive situations.

The game comes with four two-sided boards which can be combined to make intriguing and ever more challenging gaming environments each time you play.  And the more people on the board at the same time, the more opportunity for chaos!

Easy to learn and a grip-full of fun to play, Robo Rally is an addictive classic that has that rare ability to sink its claws into anybody fortunate enough to play it.  Variations of gameplay can be tracked down online if you want to up the danger factor, speed up, or even slow down game play.  

On my scale of 1 to 10, Robo Rally gets an “A”.

Robo Rally game board in action...can you feel the tension?

Player with one of his three lives spent

Robo Rally game piece, just after capturing the first flag

Damage Tokens and Life Tokens

A Robo Rally game piece waiting to be programed

A layout of the various game boards

The object of Pandemic is to discover cures to four different diseases before they’re given the chance to spread and become pandemics that rage across the board unchecked and unstoppable.  Each player is dealt a profession card that imparts a set of special abilities that are key to a successful campaign.  Where this board game differs from others is that all players work together as a team to build clinics, discover cures, and calm the hot spots before outbreaks can occur and overwhelm the board.

The wife and I have played through this game several times now and have yet to tire of it.  We’ve found that the goal to success is to stick together at the beginning, depending on the card draw decide what regions to concentrate on before the first turn, and travel together to be able to swap cards before outbreaks threaten to break out.  

Pandemic is one of those rare games where you find yourself thinking about various strategies in between game plays.  With only one chance to go though the single pile of player cards it’s imperative that at least one clinic is built early in the game for a good chance to successfully discover cures at later stages.

Pandemic is, quite honestly, one of the most enjoyable board games I’ve ever played.  If you get a chance snap up a copy where you can find one.  Doing a cursory check online it seems that most places are sold out.  Regardless, plunk down your hard earned coin and reserve a copy.  

Pandemic game session in action

Look out...the infection rate is creeping up

Pandemic board game

Pandemic box art

The front page to the well written game manual