Roads & Boats

Some games regard themselves as rather epic. From the giant boxes of Twilight Imperium the thousands of pieces in Heroscape, some games are huge spectacles of gaming grandness, and they are well aware of that. Roads & Boats isn't that self-aware, despite being a rather epic game itself. It's difficult to describe, but Roads & Boats has a down-to-earth mentality that pervades the entire experience. From the manual that speaks plainly and unobtusely, to the simple bits and hexes, the game is almost humble in its presentation.

The game itself is rather unique, as it throws every notion that players have of ownership and territory out the window. In Roads & Boats, you have a home hex and some transportation vehicles. Eventually you'll get some goods on those transporters and build yourself some walls, and that's the extent of "your" stuff in the game. Everything else, every other building, good, or other resource is up for grabs belonging to no one. People will violate "your" territory constantly and take "your" goods to go make other goods. As Yoda once said, "You must unlearn what you have learned". You can't sit back and just try to meaninglessly defend what you might think is your lands just because you started there. You need to stay mobile, keep producing, and work to make stuff and score points.

Roads & Boats takes some getting used to, but it's still a well-designed and engaging gaming experience. If nothing else, you really ought to play simply for the opportunity to broaden your gaming horizons and learn to think differently on the fly. The game's landscape can change rather quickly, so if a long-term strategy becomes no longer viable, you have to adapt or abandon your original plan. This is mostly true of other games, but it can be surprising how fast things can change in Roads & Boats. All in all, it's a wonderful game that I look forward to playing again. 8/10.