Pocket Landship - a review

I have been given the opportunity to do a preview/review Pocket Landship designed by Scott Allen Czysz and published by Word Forge Games. 

This is currently on Kickstarter and you can join in this project through April 9, 2019 via the link below.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wordforgegames/pocket-landship?ref=discovery_saved_ending_soon

This game is based on a print and play game that was created in 2017.  The original game was set in World War I, but this edition has a Steampunk theme.  This game is coming to Kickstarter later this month and the copy I was given is a demo copy.  So, some component quality can change from what I have, and I know they plan to include more content in the game than what is included here.

I really like the artwork included in the game and hope they can add more to the final version.  I’m a fan of Victorian science fiction and this game really evokes that theme.

This game can be played solo or as a 2-player co-operative game.

Story (from thr rulebook)

The war in Europe rages on.  What started years ago as sporadic attacks by unknown enemies and strange stories of land ships, has grown to horrific slaughter by monstrous, steam powered mechanizations.

These land warships and the destruction they caused have shifted alliances.  The major forces of western Europe have joined together. Desperate to gain a technological edge, the new alliance has developed landships of their own, powered by oil, not steam.  These landships are smaller, faster, and better armoured than the enemy.  Although still heavily outnumbered, these new weapons finally offer the Western Alliance hope.

Set-up

The player chooses their landship by selecting a Hull and cannon and either sponsons or an infantry unit.  Each of these is represented with a card and has a set amount of damage it can take and has a chart on the card showing the effect of the die roll each turn.  You will also choose a commander for your landship.  The commander will give you a one-time ability that you can use during the game.

You will be facing 9 enemy units, set out in three columns 3 rows deep with the front card face up. 

A die is placed on each of the cards of the landship and on each enemy unit showing the damage points they can take before they are destroyed.

Objective

To win the game, the landship must destroy all the enemy units without losing its cannon or hull.  If the landship’s cannon or hull are destroyed, the player immediately loses.

Game Play

Each turn, the player will roll 3 dice and will assign one to a section of the landship.  It is up to the player on how they die are placed and the order in which they are resolved.  The value of the die determines the effect that turn.  This can range from damaging a unit in a specific section, repairing damage to your landship, or getting stuck in the mud.  There are also results that give you extra dice to roll on the following turn or allowing you to adjust the result of a die.

On the enemy turn, a die is rolled for each unit in the front line (typically 3) and assigned from lowest to highest from left to right.  The dice are then resolved from left to right.  The enemy’s fire might damage a section of your landship, or it might pull back to repair itself, or it can fire and miss.  The enemy might also reduce the number of dice you can roll on your next turn.

The game continues alternating between your turn and the enemies turn until only 3 enemy cards remain or the player only has 2 cards and then we enter the Final Battle.  During the final battle and most of the mechanics stay the same, but neither you nor the enemy can repair your units any longer.

In addition, the player can choose to roll 1, 2, or 3 less dice in a turn and make repairs to their landship.  They may repair 1 section of the landship for each dice they chose not to roll but may only repair a section 1 point.

For every 2 landships the player destroys, they get access to a card from the advantage deck.  These cards give the player a perk that can help them out of a tight spot during the game.

Thoughts

This is a light, dice chucking game.  It is easy to learn and plays quickly. 

There is not a lot of depth to this game, but it isn’t trying to be something it isn’t.  The enemy reacts with randomness, but it can feel like they are making a hard push with lots of damage a couple of turns in a row, or they can make a cleaver withdrawal with a unit that is nearly destroyed.

The decisions the player makes are limited, but there is a nice balance between repairing your landship or attacking the enemy.  Once the final battle starts and neither side can make repairs, you must hope and pray that you are able to deal out damage more quickly than the enemy.

The demo copy only came with a couple of the campaign scenarios.  They look interesting and I’m intrigued by what the options there will be. 

I’m hoping that the additional cards that will be included will give more replayability and more options for your landship and wider variety of enemies, but even as it stands now, I will be giving it my support on Kickstarter.

You can watch my video review of the game below.