by Doctor Phil
[poll=1978713]Youtube Video
Game Overview: The goal of this game is to be the last team of cars standing, or to cross the finish line first with at least one car. On your turn, you roll dice and assign them to your board to advance your cars, repair them if damaged, launch airstrikes and much more. Avoid terrain obstacles and smash into your or opponents cars to send them randomly away, and watch as chaos ensues as you try to win this race.
Game Highlights:
Chaotic dice rolling: This game embraces the chaos that is set in this racing game, as not only are you at the whims of what you roll, but everytime you land on a spot with someone else, or one of your own cards, or if you land on certain terrain, or if you shoot another car, etc, there's some sort of dice rolling check.
Modular gameplay: The game comes with a multitude of mini and major expansions to make the game variable, including different hazards, fire damage, customizable asymmetric player powers that includes card drafting, new vehicles to race with, and different maps. The reason this game is on kickstarter is to promote the latest map pack expansion called “Carnival of Chaos” which features an arena-style map to play on.
Game Comparisons:
Dice Throne - When thinking about games that I own and have played, the first one that reminded me of TR:V is Dice Throne. You are rolling dice in a Yahtzee style and assigning them to your asymmetric player and trying to beat up your opponents. Sure, there’s some cardplay and strategy that is offered, but whenever I play that game, I feel like I’m reacting to what the dice rolls give me and who they tell me to attack sometimes, with minor decisions along the way. The same thing happens in TR:V, which is what is intended from this game.
Dungeons and Dragons - I feel like not only is everything mediated through dice rolls, just as in DnD, there’s a feeling of wanting to role play and be in the world that is created by TR:V.
Ready, Set, Bet - I haven’t played this game yet, but it’s a recent game that received a lot of hype, just like TR:V, for being chaotic and fun with dice rolling. I wonder if the same people who enjoyed RSB will enjoy TR:V.
Robin of Locksley - This Rosenberg game is not one that is talked about a lot, and I haven’t played it yet, but this 2019 release is a two player racing game that has you lapping around a modular board of times, moving a knight pawn like you would with the knight in chess, fulfilling objectives to move your person around the board as you pick up tiles from the modular board. Sure, it’s a light Euro game, but the element of racing and lapping your opponent is here like it kind of is in TR:V.
Peer Review:
Praise: This game is highly thematic that captures the essence of an 80’s style chaotic game, while modernizing it with decisions and customizations to make each game feel different. To many it feels quick to learn, quick to play and overall brings lots of laughter to the table. The components are great, too.
Concerns: The high luck factor is prevalent in this game, and to those who do not like that much luck, it may not be the right fit. Some people even say this version is more luck driven than the original game. Despite the customization and modules this game as a whole offers, there were some that said the replayability wasn’t there for them, with the game feeling samey after a few plays. Finally, there is player elimination, and at higher player counts, that may mean the game goes on for a bit before it’s over, after you have left the game.
My first impressions: I take the game for what it is, a light experience that is inclusive to folks both in and out of the hobby, with lots of highs and lows dependent on dice throws. My game experience in the lighter, more social sphere consists of DnD mostly, as well as social deduction games like The Resistance: Avalon. When I’m in the mood for a purely social experience, I turn to those games. When I want a board game with the most thematic experience, I tend to turn to games like Lord of the Rings LCG/ War of the Ring: The card game, etc. If you’ve listened to my top games of all time, you won’t find those high up on my list, because I tend to be playing more Euro-style games these days, and even with people who want a lighter experience, I’m playing games like Azul, Clank!, Citadels, 7 Wonders, and those kinds of games. So going into my thoughts on Thunder Road Vendetta, I didn’t have a background with the original game or would have chosen it as my first choice to play. I wanted to see if it lived up to the hype it received last year by reviewers and by its ratings on BGG.
I came away with a pleasant experience, but I think I side with the people who feel this game isn’t immediately replayable, but perhaps a game that can come out once and awhile. It’s easy to relearn and get to the table. I don’t think there’s quite enough for it to be like a weekly or monthly type of game, but time will tell with the modules and expansions. In addition, I feel the game is too long for what it sets out to do. I would want my experience to be a half hour tops, but this game, as well as other popular dice chuckers like Dice Throne, tend to be longer and eat up into time I would rather have with other games. The fact that it’s got player elimination is worrisome for me too. I typically host game nights, and I would feel bad if one of my guests was eliminated quickly and had to watch for an extended amount of time. Unfortunately, this didn’t strike the same cord as it did with the majority of gamers out there, but I would be happy to play it again with good company.