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In Evacuation, players face the imminent expansion of the sun, which threatens to consume their planet. But just within reach is a new planet teeming with plant life vital for their survival. Players represent nations embarking on a mission to this New World, competing for the best landing sites and racing to establish their new homes.
👥 1-4 players, ages 14+
⌛ Playing time: 75-150 minutes
📝 Designers: Vladimír Suchý
🎨 Artwork: Michal Peichl
🏢 Publisher: Delicious Games (review copy provided)
The game has a duration that spans over a maximum of 4 years, with each year further divided into seven distinct phases. The main goal is to reach specific milestones concerning stadiums and production. If a player achieves these thresholds, the game concludes. However, if no player manages this feat by the end of the fourth year, the game will come to its inevitable end. Subsequently, penalties are given out for any sites players didn’t evacuate, and the individual closest to the victory condition is crowned the winner.
💰 Starting every year, there’s the income phase. During this, players collect resources from both the Old World and the New World. Each of these worlds has its own production, with resources allocated on separate sides of a player’s board. Post-collection, it’s paramount for players to satisfy their population’s food requirements. Those not meeting the mark or failing to establish the necessary number of stadiums in the New World face penalties.
🏗 Players then transition to the actions phase, taking turns based on markers on the order indicator. In each of these turns, a player is allowed a single action from options available on their board. With actions grouped into four categories, managing energy resources becomes crucial. Energy gets depleted with each action and occasionally, extra energy might be demanded. This phase wraps up once all players either exhaust their energy or decide to pass.
🚀 The gameplay involves diverse actions, from acquiring or playing infrastructure cards, researching novel technologies, to settling on the New World, and constructing spaceships, stadiums, factories, and even increasing the population. Every action comes with its rules and perks. For instance, settling permits players to use population tokens and factory tiles to secure sites on the New World, though these sites have specific conditions. Alternatively, constructing a spaceship demands resource payment, sourced from either the Old or New World based on a player’s tactic.
🚢 During the transport phase, players employ their spaceships to shift resources and population from the deteriorating Old World to the flourishing New World. Each ship has a fixed capacity, determining the volume and type of goods they can transport. The objective here is to evacuate as many sites from the Old World as possible to avoid end-game penalties.
🔄 Once the transport is concluded, the turn order for the subsequent round is adjusted. This is based on the quantity of happy faces players possess on their stadiums and technologies. The player leading in happy faces commences the next round.
📈 Progressing to the progress phase, players journey forward on the progress track. Their advancement is gauged by the collective power levels of the actions they’ve chosen. Some landmarks on the progress track offer on-the-spot benefits or icons critical for settling specific New World locations.
🎁 Every year introduces its bonus card, and during the bonus phase, players equate their power levels to numbers on this card. Achieving specific numbers rewards them with the respective bonus.
🔄 The cleanup phase marks the end of each year, with the exception of the final year. This encompasses moving the year marker ahead, unveiling a fresh bonus card, renewing game components like infrastructure, spaceships, and stadiums, and resetting player actions.
🏁 As for the game’s conclusion, there are two methodologies: the Race Mode and the Points Mode. In the former, the game might wrap up prior to the fourth year if a player reaches specific production and stadium standards. Once this unfolds, bonuses and penalties are computed to ascertain the victor. The individual meeting the victory conditions after these adjustments reigns supreme. Conversely, Points Mode guarantees gameplay until the fourth year’s termination. Players amass points based on production markers, achievements, and more. After deducting penalties, the player with the most points emerges victorious.
Designed by Vladimír Suchý and brought to life by Delicious Games, Evacuation challenges 1-4 players, recommended for ages 14 and up, to embark on a strategic journey of survival. Most games we played hovered around the 2-hour mark. With 2 players, it was slightly quicker, while 4-player sessions often extended closer to the 2 hours and 30 minutes that’s suggested on the box.
📖 The rulebook, detailed and replete with illustrative examples, is a commendable aspect of Evacuation. While the multitude of rules and phases may present a steep learning curve for newcomers, the rulebook does an excellent job guiding players through. The thematic artwork by Michal Peichl enriches the game’s ambiance. As for the game’s components, they are straightforward and functional. While they serve their purpose well, they don’t stand out in terms of extravagance or opulence.
⚖️ At the game’s core lies the art of balance. Players start with abundant resources in the Old World, but as the game progresses, these resources begin to wane. In contrast, the New World’s offerings increase, emphasizing the game’s pick-up-and-deliver mechanic. Players must be strategic in transporting their population and factories from the Old World to the New World. Leaving anything behind in the Old World results in penalty points at the end of the game, adding tension to every decision.
⚡ Dominating the gameplay, the Actions Phase commands attention with its focus on energy resource management. Performing basic actions is straightforward; players play a card under one of the four slots on their board and carry out the actions shown. However, a unique twist is the division of actions into power levels, ranging from 1 to 4. Summing up these power levels determines your progression for the year. Advancing on the progress track opens up the New World’s biomes, starting from the tundra and unlocking others as you progress.
🌍 Balancing the two worlds is essential for success in the game. Each world yields separate resources during the income phase, and players must use these resources judiciously. For instance, if you use Old World resources to build stadiums, they will be constructed there, making transportation to the New World crucial.
🔧 One of the game’s charms is the asymmetric set of technologies each player receives. These technologies, which vary with every game, not only enhance replayability but also offer direction. While the initial technologies offer minor advantages, the higher levels are a game-changer, but they demand more actions and strategy to unlock.
🏁 Evacuation provides two primary game-ending modes: Race Mode and Points Mode. The former is fast-paced and can be quite ruthless, whereas the latter promises a more calculated, prolonged gameplay, ensuring every player experiences the game’s full breadth. Both modes have their unique charm, and alternating between them offers varied experiences.
🧠 For players craving more depth, the Advanced Action Variant intensifies the decision-making process. Players can now perform actions either on their board or on one of their cards, further expanding strategic horizons. The game also introduces modules like Public Objectives and Line Majorities, providing diverse objectives and adding another layer of competition, rewarding players for fulfilling specific criteria.
💭 In conclusion, Evacuation presents a masterful blend of strategy and decision-making. Despite its complexity, the game rewards players with a fulfilling experience, especially for those who appreciate detailed eurogames. The game’s theme, combined with its intricate mechanics, makes it worth the investment. If a blend of thoughtful strategy and challenging decisions is your cup of tea, Evacuation is worth a shot.
📝 Disclaimer: We received a review copy of Evacuation from the game’s publisher, Delicious Games.
