Return to Android

Android

So, we normally get a game in for Black Friday. This year it was a smaller group so we decided to play Android, first time in years.

The box comes out

The Murder - The World Changed Crime Did Not

A murder has occurred in a Blade Runner style world. Each player takes a detective tasked with solving the murder. Players also are randomly assigned which suspect they are to prove innocent and which to prove guilty. This kept secret from the other players. As the game progress through the two weeks evidence is found, alibis determined, perjury, and all placed on the suspects. At the end of two weeks the case is closed and the guilty determined.

The suspects with some evidence

 Not so simple - Life is always about Balance!

Characters also have their own weekly story with baggage tokens. Each weekly character story has special goals and rules. They also have four possible endings resulting in positive to negative victory points. With only so many hours in a day, focusing on just the investigation can cost your character greatly and your victory points. There are also conspiracy tokens, favor tokens, taking out hits on suspects, etc....

Light and Dark Cards

To play a special card to help your cause you need to shift to the light. However you can only go four steps. This cards are specific to the characters. However, to reset your cards to the dark you need to play dark characters cards on other players. These can be played when specific things happen during other players turns. This keeps you active in all turns. It also makes the screw your neighbor aspect not as mean since it is needed for your cards. They also add a good deal to the story.

The Board

How far the flying car can move.

One time aspect is crossing the board. You have a car that has a set travel distance limiting movement. The board is divided into the Moon and Earth. Besides an expensive drop ship the normal way between the two sections is the space needle. For my character's story he needed to make it to one location on Earth, another player sent me to a corner of the moon. This left me rushing across the board skipping clues but worked out in the end.

The puzzles piece on the board is the conspiracy section. You can choose to pull a piece instead of a clue. The conspiracy can cause other pieces to count for VP and give you some extra benefits. Numerous locations also have special rules giving you plenty of options.

Final View

I really like this game. First rounds were a tad slow as we relearned rules. The remaining went very quick. This game has so much theme. It also has so many directions to victory, and very hard to predict who will win. This game I focused on my character over the case and did well. We also have done games where the case one it for the player. This variety and story flow is great. However, the balancing of time and the numerous ways to win could cause analysis paralysis in some. Can't wait to get some more games in.