Radlands Review

Who knew that apocalyptic wastelands were so beautiful?

Radlands from Roxley Games is two player card battle game with a really impressive set of rules and is about as thematic as you can possibly get. Both players will start with 3 camps, some cards, and some water. There are two types of cards that you can play, people and events. Events will trigger first. They're on a timer and once they hit zero, they'll trigger. These can be devastating to the other player. Next, you'll draw a card and play people/events. You spend your water to play cards and trigger abilities. The people cards are your defense from the other player as well as your offense to attack their bases. Players can each have 2 rows of cards out at a time and can trigger their abilities as long as they have the water to do it. The game goes until one player has destroyed all three of the other players bases.

The Good: The first thing that anyone is going to notice is the artwork. It's incredible. I wanted to keep playing just to see more of the cards come out. There are so many swings in this game as well. You can be in control at one moment and the next you've lost two of your bases and you're scrambling. I also loved that the cards had secondary effects as well so you could discard to do an action instead of being forced to hang onto it.

The Okay: The game is actually very simple at its core but I had a tough time with the rulebook. The general flow makes a ton of sense but I had to actually go and watch a video to see how it's actually meant to be played; let alone taught. Once you overcome this, however, the game is phenomenal to play.

The Not So Good: It's a bit tricky to keep track of your water at times. They have a negative side so you can know what's been used but I would have liked to see this done in a somewhat more elegant way. It's also tough to know how to space cards out. The playmats aren't necessary for the game but they'd definitely be a nice to have if you pick this one up. If you aren't aware I'm really reaching here.

Overall: 8.5/10

Radlands is a good game. It's a great game actually. It may not be without its flaws but it is such a joy to play. You can teach it quickly and it plays really quick as well but you feel satisfied win or lose. I can see Radlands becoming one of our go to two player games.

Thanks to Roxley for sending me a review copy.