Automobile

Ever since I saw Automobile being played at a recent Super Fantastic Gaming Hour I’ve been intrigued. I’m not sure why exactly, as the box and board are decorated with a nicely appropriate art deco touch, the bits are somewhat unremarkable save for the oodles of little wooden cars, and the gameplay is almost nothing but resource management. Still the game called to me like no other recently and I set out to give it a try and was lucky enough that a buddy was able to help me scratch my itch. No, not like that you pervs, sheesh.

Automobile is the unassuming name of the most unassumingly awesome game I’ve played in a while, as its plain presentation and simply style made for some really good board gaming. The game reminds me a lot of Roads & Boats in its approach to the game’s art, and this is a refreshing change.

I’ve talked a lot about how the game looks, because how it plays is very simple. Choose an auto industrialist character and get a special ability for the turn. You build factories that you use to build cars. You then sell cars to meet the demand of your distributors, or special abilities or the public. You can slash prices to sell more cars for less profit, and then you take losses on your older factories and excess supply. That’s it. It then all comes down to managing your cash and making returns on your investments.

There would seem to be very little player interaction, but it’s the actions of the players that drive what you have to do and how you have to adapt. New factories built by other players quickly date older factories, and require that you continue to upgrade and provide newer cars to not fall behind. The choice of a character can also be critical, as the special abilities have the capability of affecting an entire turn’s strategy.

My only concern with the game would be its replayability, since aside from the number of players and some of the choices made, theres not a lot of things that can change from game to game. The game is a little on the longer side though, and as fun as it is I can’t see it hitting the table enough to get tired of it quickly. It’s a rewarding experience, but all the mathing and resourcing and cash-making can get tiring. Again, I cannot emphasize how cool this game is if you dig resource management exercises. 8/10. HOORAY FOR MASSIVE PRODUCTION!