Minions Whoops I Did It Again
Expansion Review – Smash Up: Oops, You lot Did It Once again
What other game other than Smash Up would allow you to see what would happen if such varied things such equally Cowboys, Monsters, and Teddy Bears got into a large fight?
I think that's i of the things I love most the game, even if sometimes the factions don't go together that well.
While Smash Upward did not quite brand my Superlative 25 Games Played of All Fourth dimension list, information technology was quite shut (#27) and I'd accept to say that I've played it the nigh out of whatsoever game that's not a quick die-rolling game.
And had a smash with it equally well.
The Oops, You Did It Once more expansion (the latest, and yay I got this review in under the shadow of the impending next release!) is a smashing new addition to the franchise.
Alderac Entertainment Grouping opened the door again to letting fans vote on which factions would be included in this expansion, and permit's just say the fans went a bit nuts. Just that plainly inspired designer Paul Peterson and the residue of the AEG group who piece of work on the factions because they took what the fans wanted and turned in some brilliant work.
Let'due south meet how things go.
As with previous expansion reviews, I'm not going to go into how Blast Upward works. You can go see the original review for that.
Oops, You Did It Again brings iv new factions into the Smash Upward universe, and all of them bring some unique abilities as well as adding a couple of new mechanics to the game.
The factions are:
- Cowboys
- Samurai
- Ancient Egyptians
- Vikings
Permit'south showtime with those ornery Cowboys, every bit they're already hither with guns out.
Creative person: Carl Frank
Cowboys bring 1 of the new mechanics, Dueling.
For example, when the Gunfighter is played on a base of operations, the player can decide to duel another minion at the aforementioned base of operations.
Duels are basically a comparison of minion power. Each thespian, beginning with the initiator of the duel, gets to play i card face downwardly if they want to.
Once cards are placed, they are turned over starting time with the initiator. If a minion was played, then it goes back to the histrion'due south mitt.
If an activeness was played, the action goes into effect (even if the activity has zero to do with the dueling minions).
That action tin increase the dueling minion's strength, or perhaps motion information technology to some other base of operations, or maybe even put the opposing minion dorsum into the opposing player's mitt.
Or it could just be an action to play on some other base. In other words, you lot could use this as a way to go a free action play.
Once both cards are revealed and whatsoever deportment are taken, the minions' strengths are compared.
The strongest minion wins. The dueling carte says what happens to the winner and loser (many times the loser is destroyed, just sometimes something else happens).
If the strengths are tied, both minions get both the winning and losing effect. This can be of import fifty-fifty if the loser is destroyed, with cards such every bit High Noon where the winner also gets to play an extra minion. Fifty-fifty with both minions being destroyed, both players would get to play an extra minion.
The Cowboys are a fun faction, but the dueling mechanic that they innovate tin can actually lengthen the game until you get used to it. This is the first time (that I've seen, of grade, as 1 of the previous expansions may have had something) that an expansion has added a mechanic that's more than merely card play and adding power-ups. You lot have to actually retrieve about whether yous want to duel, and who. And then decide if you want to play a bill of fare. If you exercise, will it be a bluff and play a minion, or exercise you want to become an activeness out there? Or exercise you want to endeavour to win the duel even though you're vastly overpowered? Did y'all desire to waste matter that +3 ability in what might exist a losing cause?
Every bit we got used to it, it became a fun little addition to the game that I really liked.
The artwork is gorgeous, as usual, really evoking that Old West theme. Grizzled cowboys, desert mesas, and all that good stuff.
A fun faction, though a flake i-dimensional (they are all almost the dueling).
Artist: Caravan Studios
Samurai take a footling dueling too, but they are more about power-ups and going honourably to their deaths while helping their fellow minions.
The Shogun gets +1 power every time another of your minions at his base of operations goes to the discard pile. So killing other minions at his base of operations will just make him stronger.
Honor the Fallen played on a base means that every time one of your minions at that base goes to the discard pile, you draw a card.
Remember, "goes to the discard pile" includes when a base scores and all minions there become to the discard pile. If this action was played on that base, then you would draw a card for each of your minions there when the base scores.
Sweetness!!!
If Bushi goes to the discard pile and you've powered him up at least once, you get a victory point. That ain't zip, and the Samurai practice have a number of cards that volition at least temporarily power up minions. Play one of those "become +2 until the end of the plow" cards on the turn that you break the base, and you non just get VP for the base of operations, you also get 1 VP for Bushi!
Information technology tin can brand not winning the base a bit easier to bear.
Samurai also have a few dueling cards, but non about as many as the Cowboys.
Nevertheless, information technology's almost better for the Samurai because most of the time they get a skillful effect even if they lose (because they're going to the discard pile).
I really liked this faction, though I'grand not as in love with the artwork on the cards as I am with the Cowboys or other factions. It's smashing (it'southward no Shapeshifters), simply it feels a fleck muddied.
I really like the not bad twist of having peachy effects when cards are discarded. Drawing more cards, other minions getting stronger, they are really a lot of fun.
Artist: Gong Studios
Ancient Egyptians add together some other new mechanic: burying (because they were all well-nigh the tombs and such).
If a menu allows y'all to bury it (or bury another card), you identify that carte confront down at a base. While it can be afflicted by actions and abilities that affect other players' "cards," it tin can't be afflicted by anything that affects minions (i.e. information technology can't exist destroyed).
Burying just happens when a card says it does, but at the beginning of your turn, you can uncover one menu. Other cards may let you uncover more than that.
This can be quite powerful if you have something like Lost Knowledge above, which can be played earlier a base scores. Bury a powerful minion at a base with this bill of fare in your hand, and you can unbury it to add to your strength before information technology actually scores.
SURPRISE!
The Pharaoh will let you uncover a card at its base to do the same affair, which is nice.
And those Mummies! Put them down one place and they show up someplace else. One game, I had iii Mummies at a base, so when the base scored, I spread them out to the other three bases.
Information technology was actually cool.
Other actions and minions will get additional power if cards are buried at their bases, and so the burying mechanic is very prevalent for this faction.
I like how the Ancient Egyptians work, but I didn't care for them as much as the other 3. The burying mechanic is neat, just it doesn't always go well with other factions (I guess that could exist said of a lot of faction combinations in this game, though).
The artwork is nice and evocative of that aboriginal Egypt feel, and I also beloved how information technology incorporates other expansions on some of the cards (like Lost Knowledge using the Explorers faction).
And the mummy wearing the T-shirt on Seal the Tomb is priceless!
Artist: Francisco Rico Torres
Finally, nosotros get to my favourite faction in this game simply i that complicates the tear-downward after you've finished the game considerably.
That's right, the Vikings.
The Vikings are all well-nigh stealing cards from other players.
They're non like the Ignobles faction where information technology'southward about taking and retrieving command of minions. It's about outright raiding and pillaging (i.e. theft) of cards.
The Shield Maiden reveals the top bill of fare of a thespian's deck. If information technology's an action or a minion of power three or less, she places that carte into your paw.
Theft!
She steals whatever action, or almost of your minions (not the actually powerful ones, though).
That Valkyrie, though, can exist really devastating. A base simply scored using one of your opponents' 5-power minion and it goes to the discard pile.
Play Valkyrie and smash! That 5-power minion is yours.
Yikes!
Pillage takes a random carte du jour from a thespian's mitt, so it could be really good or maybe not so adept. Who knows?
Vikings also have a number of cards where you lot place cards from your hand on top of your deck in guild to power up minions. This tin be very constructive when a base is almost to score.
The mechanics for the Viking faction are a lot of fun, though you have to be sure to exist clear who controls a carte when information technology's out on the bases. At that place tin can be many combinations of cards out there and if you're not careful, information technology could exist hard to tell who controls what (this is mainly virtually base actions and not minions, as minion placement is pretty standard).
And clean-up tin can be a bowwow (definitely count your cards after y'all've got them all together).
I love the artwork on the Vikings. Lots of fighting, the dark colours set the mood, and it simply looks similar a lot of fun.
I've seen a comment or 2 most the Valkyrie carte du jour and how it doesn't fit into the Vikings faction. Not because Vikings didn't worship Norse gods, but because the residual of the cards are near real historical Vikings and the Valkyrie is from their religion.
I don't really have a problem with that. I think information technology may exist more than of a problem if they always exercise a Norse faction (Thor's Hammer, etc), though, as that card really should go into that faction.
But for now, I just run across it equally another aspect of Viking civilization.
And it'southward a cool card, and then I'll give it that.
The bases are all pretty bones, giving everybody a taste of the host faction's mechanic.
The And then-And so Corral (great name) lets anybody duel anybody else. The Pyramids let anybody bury a card. Drakkar giving the Shield Maiden'due south bill of fare-stealing ability to anybody when they play a minion there.
I also notice the base of operations-breaking number on some of these. The Rockstars would love these! (and who could pass up the adventure to bury Elvis?)
As bases go, they're pretty standard. Zip that interesting about them other than spreading the new mechanics around.
They're still nice, though, and the artwork is great!
All in all, while this isn't my favourite expansion, it ranks pretty loftier up there.
The factions are interesting and I like the new mechanics (though they do add to the play time initially every bit you lot get used to them).
The faction designers took what the fans requested and did a stand up-up job of making them fun to play.
Cheque these out if you lot go a adventure.
(These expansion factions were played 3 times)
Other Smash Upwardly Reviews:
- Blast Up (base game)
- Science Fiction Double Characteristic
- Cease & Desist
- What Were Nosotros Thinking?
- World Tour: International Incident
- That '70s Expansion
- World Bout: Civilisation Shock
- Awesome Level 9000
- Monster Smash
- Blast Upwards: Marvel
- It's Your Fault
Source: https://dudetakeyourturn.ca/2019/02/20/expansion-review-oops-you-did-it-again/
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