#ninjastargames

“How's that working out for you, being clever?” - Tyler Durden

A review by Globus the Elder

(Note: All components are pre-production, and subject to change)

The hardest part of writing reviews is being entertaining. Some days it just flows, some humor, some evocative writing, some Googling the meaning of evocative to confirm you're using it correctly. Encapsulating the rules for quick consumption is the easy part, for me at least. Telling you what's wrong with something, also easy, but trying to be clever enough to be interesting, not use the same words over and over, creating articles that other people want to read, that is the challenge.

And it doesn't take much to throw a wrench in the works. Some days you can't write anything more substantive than, “Game good, you buy now,” and you deserve more than that.

Warren Ellis, one of my favorite writers, has a process of stuffing his head with input until ideas and concepts smash together and create literature. I draw on that for inspiration. Stephen King has said that to be a writer you have to write, as much as possible. I draw on that for inspiration. Sometimes, though, it's just deadlines and obligation, and you put out your best, and hope you're doing justice to someone else's labor.

And so, here we are.

Gameplay

Construction Fever is played over 10 rounds. Each round, the players will be bidding on a Green Project and a Black Project. The goal is to have the most Credits at the end of the game, without having the lowest Reputation of all players. Juggling these two competing aspects is what sets this game apart from other auction/bluffing games.

Players start the game with 8-10 Workers on their Player Board (More players equals fewer Workers). Two decks of ten (one Green Projects, one Black Projects) are set in the center of the play area, along with a token for each deck, and a Bank of Credits. The first player is the player who last built a building, or at random.

During the Round Setup Phase, the top card of each deck is revealed. The Black Project then creates a pool of the number of Credits listed on the Black Project card.

Next comes the Worker Rest Phase, when Workers assigned to Projects on previous turns will begin to return to each player's Player Bpard. A player will have up to three Workers return to the rest area, one from each of two Green Projects, and one from the Black Projects. More on that later.

Following that is the Bidding Phase. Starting with the first player, each player will either: Bid on the Green Project, Bid on the Black Project, or Pass. This round ends when all players Pass consecutively. This is an important rule, as a player may Pass their current Bid, but jump back in when it comes back around to them. If a player is the highest bidder on either Project, they must Pass. If they are then outbid, they may bid again in the future.

When bidding on a Green Project, a player bids any number of Workers from their Board, exceeding any existing bid by at least 1. They then take the Green Project token, placing it next to their Worker bid. Should they be outbid in the future, they return those Workers to their Board.

When bidding on a Black Project, the process is different. Black Projects indicate how many Workers must be bid, 1 or 2. The bidder also moves Credits from the pool to the Green Project, at least 1. Credits moved in this way remain on the Green Project until the bidding is complete. The player then takes the Black Project token.

If a Project isn't bid on, it is returned to the box with any associated Credits.

When bidding is complete, play enters the Construction Phase. The winner of the Black Project takes the Credits, places the Black Project face down in front of their Board, and places their bid Workers on top (all Black Projects form a single stack, and all Workers combine on top).

The winner of the Green Project takes any Credits, and places their Workers and card face up in front of them until the Developing Phase.

In the Developing Phase, the players to the right and left of of the winner of the Green Project engage in a bid to participate in that Project. Each of those two players takes all the Workers from their Board into hand, secretly bids an amount in their other hand, and simultaneously reveal them. High bid wins, ties go to the player on the left. Place the Green Project in the stack between the Green Project winner, and the Developing bid winner, and add all the winning bid Workers to the pile on top.

Finally, the Workers Return Phase, move any Workers in the Rest areas to the HQ section of the Player Board, move the first player to clockwise, and begin the next round.

Once 10 rounds are complete, players total their Reputation. Each Green Project has a positive Reputation, as do Worker locations on the Player Board. Black Projects have a negative Reputation. Total these values, and compare them to the other players. The players with the top 3, or 2 in a 3 player game, Reputations are eligible to win. In case of a tie for lowest 2, or 3 in a 5 player game, Reputation scores, all players are eligible.

Eligible players then total their credits, highest value wins. Ties share victory.

Theme

The theme of Construction Fever is futuristic construction, and i'st there in everything, except the Workers, which are standard meeples (this may change with the Kickstarter, but it doesn't detract from the experience).

The Flaw

The only flaw I can find with the game is the name. Yokai Septet had a great name to go along with a great game, and I would like to see that here, but as I don't have a suggestion, my opinion has limited value.

I like this game a lot, and is another home run from Ninja Star. The balance between when to bid, how much to bid, and what to bid for, while establishing an efficient engine to get your Workers back from your Projects, really made this a great experience, regardless of player count. Adding the Reputation mechanic adds one more plate to keep spinning, making this a standout, unique game. Definitely a Buy.