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3000 SCOUNDRELS
Designer: Corey Konieczka | Publisher: Unexpected Games
There’s something forever pleasing about transparent cards. The insane inflation to production costs means few games can ever justify them, but it always tickles part of my brain when I can layer plastic cards to create seemingly endless possibilities. Well, in the case of 3000 Scoundrels there’s definitely a finite number of options, but you’d be hard pushed to ever see all of them.
3000 Scoundrels is a bluffing & deduction game set in an anachronistic Wild West, where a time traveller has been over-sharing technological wonders with the locals, such as a ‘Knowledge Box’ or ‘Sunlight Harvester.’ Unfortunately, said traveller has now vanished, leaving a (sometimes literal) power vacuum as the townsfolk scramble to team up and break into safes for the finest tech to rule the frontier’.
The eponymous scoundrels are fabricated by combining one of the 50 character trait cards with one of the 60 clear plastic job cards, providing a wealth of varied powers and trigger conditions, whilst also leading to a lot of hilarious/cool looking cowboys, cowgirls or even an actual cow that’s somehow become ‘Legendary’. The art design as a whole is to be highly congratulated, with top notch character illustrations breathing life into every malformed muchacho. Even the player boards have their own unique backstory comic and a charismatic leader, letting you dive deep into the sci-fi western theme.
Each turn, players choose one of their four cards (setting the rest aside in a personal deck) to play on an action space. These can either grab extra cash, let you scout out a safe or even embark on a heist. After which, players can either buy a new scoundrel which themselves trigger when specific actions are chosen, or pass for a few dollars more.
Each of these choices give players the opportunity to deceive or deduce; whilst you require specific cards to play each action, nothing stops you from lying about the value of your card, given that all of them are played face down. These lies can all be uncovered by another player sending out a henchmen to raise suspicion on a card, earning valuable reputation points that not only significantly impact your final score but can also lead to you having the vital first turn in the future. Of course, if the player was telling the truth... you’ll lose that henchmen, so sensing exactly when an opponent is lying is critical.
Scouting offers another deception opportunity: you may know a card’s true value, but will you place a number marker to let others know its worth? Will you tell the truth to increase its value or lie to manipulate other players into grabbing garbage? Turns fly through a back and forth of action, triggers from scoundrels and adding another member to your posse, as players scramble to discover the most valuable loot without letting on that they’ve struck gold. The wild variety of scoundrel possibilities rewards those that think on their feet and can take advantage of sudden fortune (or their opponent’s misfortune.)
The game keeps a consistent pace that definitely rewards the longer (and recommended) three days/rounds format, as otherwise it feels like it’s finishing just as things are heating up.
I greatly enjoyed my time spent in this weird world of Wild West, but even with its technically gigantic variations, this is a game to break out every now and again, for when you want a game high in novelty and laughter with just that extra zing of getting away with the fib of the century.
MATTHEW VERNALL
WE SAY
By mixing a card combining gimmick, deductive bluffing and pouring gallons of character into its design, 3000 Scoundrels proves that a good game can simply be a unique experience delivered superbly.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX?
◗ Game Board
◗60 Clear cards
◗66 Card sleeves
◗108 Cards
◗82 Cardboard tokens
TRY THIS IF YOU LIKED CELESTIA…
Both games are about enjoying beautifully illustrated worlds where you push your luck whilst attempting to see through your friends’ lies, trading whimsical sky adventures for crunchy cowboy cardplay.