Saboteur is a popular card game that involves strategy, deception, and teamwork (kind of). The game is played with a deck of path cards, action cards, and gold cards. The objective of the game is to be the first player or team to collect the most gold nuggets by the end of the game.
Gameplay
At the start of the game, players are randomly assigned roles: miners or saboteurs. Miners work together to build a path to the gold while saboteurs try to prevent the miners from reaching it.
Players take turns playing path cards to create a path toward the gold or to block other players’ paths. Action cards can also be played to help or hinder players. For example, a player can use a pickaxe card to destroy a path card or a map card to see the location of the gold.
Gold nuggets are hidden on the path cards and can be collected by players who reach them. However, not all path cards lead to gold; some may lead to dead ends.
The game ends when either a player or team collects enough gold nuggets to win or when the path to the gold is blocked and no one can continue the game.
My Experience
My experience of this game was a little broken. My team played this game while we were still working on our first board game project for this class. Because we were looking for ideas and testing mechanics, we used Saboteur as a way to do that. At one point in our play-through, everyone was claiming to be the saboteur; breaking routes and debilitating other players with power downgrades.
We took the social deduction in a completely new direction. The game incorporates a cognitive type of interactivity where players have to not only participate by placing cards, but also introduce an emotional and somewhat psychological element. Players are required to make choices in front of the whole party, this includes the saboteur who is supposedly trying to hinder players at the same time of keeping their identity hidden.
As stated before, my team did not follow this typical structure. So, what were the results of our choices? A whole lot of fun. This complicated the game in a way that was not intended by the designers, yet, it still accomplished what it wanted to. The goal of the game was reached despite our attempts to break it.
Conclusion
Saboteur is a fun and challenging game that requires players to think strategically, work cooperatively and be deceptive. If you enjoy games that require strategy and teamwork, Saboteur is a great choice. The game is great for all ages and dynamics have the ability to change based on the players and how their play. The game is easy to learn and offers a lot of replay value.
