Stats:
No. of players: 3-5
Amount of time to play: 90-120 min
Age requirements: 12+
Set-up time: 5 min

Raid and Trade takes place in a post-apocalyptic setting. You need to gain access to the Golden City. And though there are a few ways to do this you must do so before your opponents.

Raid and Trade Rules Description:

Raid and Trade is a race to see who can meet one of the three won conditions first. You win by reaching 20 Skill points, completing 3 Quests or having 10 Favor points. In addition to obtaining these goals you must have 20 Energy to spend.

Each round there is an event that will change some aspect of the game for that round. For example one event disallows combat while another grants extra resources when raiding. At the start of each round you get 15 Energy. A round ends once all players have passed or run out of Energy.

On your turn you may move and take one action. The board is made up of a 3 x 3 grid of tiles. You may move from one tile to the next for one Energy. If you need to cross a barricade, that costs an additional Energy.

The actions you may take a raid, combat, craft or trade. It costs different amounts of Energy depending on the size of the house you raid. Smaller houses are cheaper, more common and give you fewer resources than medium or large houses. Some houses require you to roll a die to see how successful your raid was. Other houses give you negative Favor points when raided.

Combat lets you attack another player on your tile. It costs 5 Energy and a gun resource. If the attacked player wishes to defend, it costs them 3 Energy and a gun resource. A die is rolled to determine the outcome and if the attacker wins they steal resources from the defender.

Each character has a unique set of items they may craft. It costs you one Energy and specific resources to craft items. Crafting an item lets you use its bonus one time later in the game and grants you one to three Skill points.

Trading costs each player involved in the trade one Energy unless Garcia, the trader is involved then it is free. You can trade with anyone on the board no matter your location. And you may trade resources or items (even if they have not been crafted). You may also trade at the Black Market in the middle of the board. In this case you must be on that tile and it trades four resources for one. It still costs you one Energy.

There is a special location on the map called the Outpost. Here you may work to gain favor. It costs 5 Energy to enter the Outpost. Then you may work for 8 Energy to gain a Credit Disc. Credit Discs grant from 2 to 4 Favor points, but can be stolen in Combat. You may also test medicine for 10 Energy and gain 2 Favor points. These cannot be stolen like Credit Discs. Only one player may be in the Outpost at a time. You may expel someone from the Outpost by attacking it. It costs you 7 Energy and takes 3 of your Favor points if you do this. In addition to booting them from the Outpost you get to take three of their resources.

The game continues until one player meets one of the three win conditions and has 20 Energy to spend on their turn.

Quick Review of Raid and Trade:

Raid and Trade has elements from both Euro and Ameritrash board games. You need to manage your resources and Energy, but you can still directly attack your opponents.

The components for this game are really nice. I like the art and design. Everything looks really good. The character boards have dials to track everything too. The miniatures look good and the tiles and cards are durable. The rules are easy to read and have lots of examples.

I like the theme and how it comes through in the mechanics. Like getting more resources for doing a better job raiding or getting caught raiding and losing Favor if you go through with it.

Each character plays differently and has a unique set of items you can craft. This adds to the replay value of the game, as you’ll want to try them all.

Being able to trade resources and any item can create some fun negotiations too.

I am torn on how I feel about needing 20 Energy to win. Since you start each round with just 15 Energy, you need to get that extra 5 by eating food resources or using items that grant you extra Energy. This requirement means it is hard to meet a win condition and win in the same round. The telegraphed win lets opponents react but not always stop the eventual winner.

I am also not sure all the win conditions are equal. Favor seems to be important for many of the quests. So having positive Favor gives you a good chance to win with Quests or Favor.

Lastly combat is costly. You must give up one gun resource and spend 5 Energy. This can get you from 3 to 5 resources, if you win that is. Raiding a house tends to get you more resources and doesn’t cost you a resource just more Energy. So combat is not always your most efficient option.

If Raid and Trade sounds like the type of game your group would enjoy pick it up. It is a nice blend of Euro and Ameritash games with some negotiation and a fun theme.

Score and synopsis: (Click here for an explanation of these review categories.)
Strategy 3 out of 6
Luck 4 out of 6
Player Interaction 4 out of 6
Replay Value 4 out of 6
Complexity 4 out of 6
Fun 4 out of 6
Overall 4 out of 6