Kings of Air and Steam is a new Kickstarter project. Tasty Minstrel brings us this steam-punk game designed by Scott B. Almes, developed by Seth Jaffee, and will be illustrated by Josh Cappel - all of whom have successful games under their belts.
I received a demo version of this product to play. First I need to say that what you see are not the pieces you will be getting when you order the game. Second, the game is so neat, I forgot I was playing with a mocked-up demo. Kings of Air and Steam is a game with interesting mechanics and setup.
The set up: The tiles are labeled so you know which ones to use according to how many players are playing. Each player picks a color to play with matching airship and depots. Each factory (of five types/colors not related to the player colors) gets goods, and every good has a price that can rise through the six rounds of the game.
The play: Players use their airships to collect goods from factories, drop them at their depots, and ship them by train to cities. Between two and six players first pick four cards to determine their four movement actions with their airship this turn. The order that these are resolved is based by the letter on the card (A through F, with shorter moves happening before longer ones). Players move their airship to factories to pick up as many goods as their ship can handle. Then, the player can build a depot, ship a product to a city, adjust their ship a space (since sometimes the movement cards don't work out the way you planned), improve their ship to hold more goods, improve their train to go further when shipping, or pass. This process happens four times for each player in one round. There are six rounds in a game. Between rounds, three random goods go up in price when "adjusting the market" and factories have their products refilled. If you are interested in the full rule set, there is a link on the Kickstarter page. I was a little worried at first that the game was going to be too complex due to the number of actions that need to be completed on each turn and because of the volume of pieces the players deal with. It all ended up being necessary and not bad at all. A new board gamer or young player might have a difficult time becoming acclimated to the rules, but overall, the game was so unique and fun, it didn't matter that it was a little on the more complicated side.
The pieces: Sometimes pieces in a game can detract from the play of the game. If there are too many little things that need to be moved or set up, it can be turn off. There are a lot of pieces involved in Kings of Air and Stream, but not so many that it detracts from the game play. The demo version came with goods in a variety of colors, enough player tokens for six players (including a ship, depots, movement cards, and a small play mat), game board tiles, replacement cities for when their demand is met, and rules. It seemed like a lot to handle when I opened the box, but each piece was used and needed. The quality of the pieces in the final game will depend on the Kickstarter funding level.
Mother Approved: Kings of Air and Steam is a unique blend of tiles, resource management, chance, and movement planning mechanics. The game moves quickly and uses all the bits-and-pieces to its advantage. This game has replay value because of the theme, flow, and vast game outcome possibilities.
Dust Collector: The rule set may be a bit complicated for new or young gamers.
Though this might all seem complicated, it only took one full turn through to understand the mechanics. Kings of Air and Steam has a favorable balance of strategy and chance. I recommend you order your copy through the Kickstarter (which is going through the beginning of December) for a minimum of $45 (well worth the price). If you want to wait, the game will be out late summer 2012 and will be available at retailers and through Tasty Minstrel Games - though at a higher price!
**I received a demo copy of this game for review purposes**
