The internet is filled with tropes and cliches, and dammit if it isn't all the better for it. With digital corners for every element of fandom, whether you think that Pirates are better than Ninjas or Aliens could take on Robots with no issue, there's always a place for you. Unfortunately, there's no actual way of proving your preferred faction is better than anyone else... until now, of course. Thanks to the medium of games, you can now discover exactly who is the most awesome in AEG's Smash Up. Admittedly, you won't be fighting alone but hey... teaming up is fun, isn't it?
This is a relatively simple game that introduces the idea of shufflebuilding – in other words, you'll be combining pairs of factions before play starts to create a hopefully all-powerful teams.The base set includes eight groups for you to smoosh together, so you could be working with a set of Zombie Robots or Dinosaur Pirates. Nicely, the different factions reflect their 'real world' counterparts – the undead cards have a nasty tendency to keep returning from the discard, Pirates just love to steal from other players... it's a light thematic touch that only becomes apparent after a few plays, but a sign that a fair bit of thought has gone into the design.
The factions each have Base cards that are shuffled and randomly placed face up on the table. Each of them have a number showing the Defence level as well as the amount of points you could score if you have Minions stationed there. After drawing a hand of cards from your Smash Up deck, you play one to the table and follow the instructions on it, which could be anything from destroying other players' cards to moving stuff around the table... perhaps you'll even get to play extra cards. Once a base’s defence level has been equalled or surpassed by the total power of the Minions attached to it, you total up the amount of points each player has contributed to the attack and generally whoever has done the greatest amount of damage takes the most points. The Base is then discarded and a new one takes its place.
Unfortunately,nothing in the world of games is that simple – you'll also have to contend with the powers exhibited by the Bases themselves! While some are simple enough to take down in the manner described above, others will dole out points based on how many Minions you have placed there or perhaps even allow for the destruction of the base itself, taking everything that's stationed on it out in a single blast. Smash Up is a game that combines cruelty and silliness in spades...
The winner is the first player to hit fifteen points in total, a target that's often achieved in less than twenty minutes – ideal in a game that's light and funny such as this. It's an ideal filler for a game group that wants a quick break from epic three hour plus efforts, as well as being perfect for families looking for something that the kids can get into while still being entertaining for the grown ups.
Smash Up is the kind of game that is ripe for expansion and, never being afraid of such a proposition, AEG have recently released the first pack: Awesome Level 9000. This introduces four new factions: Killer Plants, Ghosts, Steampunks and (my personal favourite) the Bear Cavalry, all of which can be combined with elements from the original set or used as a stripped down, standalone two player game. It's a great way to experience the game in a cheaper fashion, though you'll invariably want to get as many options as possible and pick up the bigger box quickly, allowing for an even bigger range of Smash Ups.
Awesome Level 9000 also fixes a couple of issues that stemmed from the base game. Originally, there was no way to track the amount of points that you'd scored included in the box – you'd have to scribble down your own totals or use another method – but you now get punch board tokens to show just how incredibly you're doing. Also, as well as eight new Bases for the fresh factions, you also get the original ones from first game that have been reprinted with clearer text. AEG has built a reputation for listening to their fans and this has been reflected in Smash Up's first expansion. Here's hoping it continues in the future.
After all this positivity, a minor caveat – not everyone will enjoy playing Smash Up, particularly if they're the kind of person who gets aggravated if they feel they're being targeted unfairly. In reality, of course, EVERYONE is getting targeted – that's the nature of the game – but you should make it clear before starting that this is something which focuses on screwing over opponents with plenty of opportunities for Take That style play. If you can get over that, then you'll have fun with Smash Up – I know that I certainly do,and the addition of Awesome Level 9000 has given it a whole new lease of life on our tabletop.
This is a relatively simple game that introduces the idea of shufflebuilding – in other words, you'll be combining pairs of factions before play starts to create a hopefully all-powerful teams.The base set includes eight groups for you to smoosh together, so you could be working with a set of Zombie Robots or Dinosaur Pirates. Nicely, the different factions reflect their 'real world' counterparts – the undead cards have a nasty tendency to keep returning from the discard, Pirates just love to steal from other players... it's a light thematic touch that only becomes apparent after a few plays, but a sign that a fair bit of thought has gone into the design.
The factions each have Base cards that are shuffled and randomly placed face up on the table. Each of them have a number showing the Defence level as well as the amount of points you could score if you have Minions stationed there. After drawing a hand of cards from your Smash Up deck, you play one to the table and follow the instructions on it, which could be anything from destroying other players' cards to moving stuff around the table... perhaps you'll even get to play extra cards. Once a base’s defence level has been equalled or surpassed by the total power of the Minions attached to it, you total up the amount of points each player has contributed to the attack and generally whoever has done the greatest amount of damage takes the most points. The Base is then discarded and a new one takes its place.
Unfortunately,nothing in the world of games is that simple – you'll also have to contend with the powers exhibited by the Bases themselves! While some are simple enough to take down in the manner described above, others will dole out points based on how many Minions you have placed there or perhaps even allow for the destruction of the base itself, taking everything that's stationed on it out in a single blast. Smash Up is a game that combines cruelty and silliness in spades...
The winner is the first player to hit fifteen points in total, a target that's often achieved in less than twenty minutes – ideal in a game that's light and funny such as this. It's an ideal filler for a game group that wants a quick break from epic three hour plus efforts, as well as being perfect for families looking for something that the kids can get into while still being entertaining for the grown ups.
Smash Up is the kind of game that is ripe for expansion and, never being afraid of such a proposition, AEG have recently released the first pack: Awesome Level 9000. This introduces four new factions: Killer Plants, Ghosts, Steampunks and (my personal favourite) the Bear Cavalry, all of which can be combined with elements from the original set or used as a stripped down, standalone two player game. It's a great way to experience the game in a cheaper fashion, though you'll invariably want to get as many options as possible and pick up the bigger box quickly, allowing for an even bigger range of Smash Ups.
Awesome Level 9000 also fixes a couple of issues that stemmed from the base game. Originally, there was no way to track the amount of points that you'd scored included in the box – you'd have to scribble down your own totals or use another method – but you now get punch board tokens to show just how incredibly you're doing. Also, as well as eight new Bases for the fresh factions, you also get the original ones from first game that have been reprinted with clearer text. AEG has built a reputation for listening to their fans and this has been reflected in Smash Up's first expansion. Here's hoping it continues in the future.
After all this positivity, a minor caveat – not everyone will enjoy playing Smash Up, particularly if they're the kind of person who gets aggravated if they feel they're being targeted unfairly. In reality, of course, EVERYONE is getting targeted – that's the nature of the game – but you should make it clear before starting that this is something which focuses on screwing over opponents with plenty of opportunities for Take That style play. If you can get over that, then you'll have fun with Smash Up – I know that I certainly do,and the addition of Awesome Level 9000 has given it a whole new lease of life on our tabletop.
