Survive this apocalyptic neon wasteland!
The moment finally arrived on my birthday when I was finally given the game I had been asking for. Radlands takes you to a barren, apocalyptic wasteland, where you must raid other survivor camps as well as protect your own. Water is in scarce supply, and you must do whatever it takes to retain all you have.
Each player takes control of three base camps with unique abilities. Players take turns protecting their camps with raiders and punks and using their abilities to attack the other camps. The first player to destroy all three of their opponent’s camps wins!
Borderlands has been one of my all-time favorite video games, and after seeing the artwork and theme of this game, I knew it would be a game I would enjoy. The icing on the cake is that former Magic the Gathering developer Daniel Piechnick designed this game. Having the challenge and complexity that Magic offers in a board game is excellent for our two-player board game nights.
Mechanics: Dueling card game
ART: 9/10
Everything about this style I love: vibrant, retro, neon colors and a crisp action-like graphic design. The blended gradients in the landscape art on the cards are calming and beautiful. Even the typography used on the box is on point for a “punk” outlander raid game. Modern, minimal box design paired with high contrast cards makes this quite a beautiful game.
STORYTELLING: 4/10
From the first few playthroughs, I have only seen a minuscule comic in the rule book. That being said, the theme of most wasteland apocalypse stories is to kill or be killed. Both the art and gameplay fit that trope. The character designs let you peer into what their faction might be like compared to others in the wasteland.
Some camp abilities I have come across feel mechanically synonymous and flavorful with their title (such as the Reactor, which destroys itself and all humans on the board). The tiny details can make players feel like punks themselves. Perhaps the story of the world could have unfolded with flavor text on the cards.
COMPONENTS: 5/10
The super deluxe version of the game would score 10/10. The game only has two components (cards and water tokens). The base game uses cardboard punch-outs for water, whereas the deluxe version uses acrylic, backgammon-style discs.
The cards are synthetic with a lovely texture which are more durable than your average paper card. I would also buy clear sleeves for this game to keep it in pristine condition. The deluxe version of the game includes a uniquely numbered box art and two beautiful “hazmat” playmats that clearly indicate where player cards should be placed.
COMPLEXITY: 8/10
This game challenges me more than other board games. Maybe it’s the player vs. player aspect as opposed to many other games where you can focus on optimizing your plays to improve your score. You have to be able to see what your opponent might do and react accordingly.
Cards in this game can be used in two ways: “junking” them or playing them. Junking them allows you to discard them for a small benefit while playing them enables you to start using their abilities in the following turn (aside from a few characters you can use immediately). There are also event cards that may take up to three turns before they can activate. Lastly, the position of your punks and raiders impacts how your opponent will try to destroy your camps. Players must kill any humans in the way of camps before targeting the camp!
Balancing timing, utilizing your cards effectively, and protecting your valuable punks becomes very challenging with few cards in hand and a wide variety of actions you can take. After many games, I feel that I will become more familiar with the cards and anticipate what my opponent will do. But in these first few games, I think it will take a lot of practice to know how to place my punks in addition to discovering nifty combos across cards and camps.
TRAVEL-FRIENDLY: 9/10
All you need is the deck of cards and water tokens (of which there are only 12). The base version’s box is already small and convenient to pack, but you could also easily bring the cards in a smaller deck box of your choice. The only downside for this category is that there are specific locations to place your cards that require a moderate-sized play space.
UNIQUENESS: 8/10
I have played many dueling card games, but none quite like this one. I have only come across the placement mechanic of protecting your camps in the game Netrunner. Playing or junking a card could be the decision that leads to your ultimate demise. Strapped with so few resources, this game is a challenge compared to many others, where the amount of resources generally increases over time.
Final Comments
I have only played a few times since my birthday, but I can see this becoming one of our go-to travel games. I have a very high standard since I am a competitive Magic player, but Radlands is complex and has a gorgeous art style that will continue to draw me in. I am curious to learn all the combinations I can create with my punks and to try out new base camp abilities. I have a lot to learn with this game, and only time will tell if it reaches the top of my list.
Mash Up Of: Dice Throne, Android: Netrunner, Flesh and Blood
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Publisher: Roxley Games
Game(s) Pictured: Radlands base edition
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