USD ($)
EUR (€)
We have a plan, we have a getaway car and we have an…..average gang. Let’s recruit some better gang members, go do some heists, steal some loot and get away from the cops. Sounds fun doesn’t it, this is Bad Company from Matagot Games and they are using a dice system seen in other games (most notably Space Base) to generate this excitement. It is a 1 to 6 player game and lasts just 30 minutes regardless of the player count due to its almost simultaneous play.
So does crime pay or should this game be locked up? Read on to find out.
Running Around Robbin Banks All Wacked Off Of Scooby Snacks
All players start with a basic crew of 11 gang members made up of two sides of a player board randomly put together. The members for positions 2 and 12 never change and always give the same benefit, but everyone else has a single benefit such as getting $2, moving the car 1 space, or gaining a marker (glove, lock, torch, mask).
The current start player (Boss) rolls all 5 dice (4 gold and 1 black) and then decides how to pair up the gold dice. The black dice is used for moving the cop car later on.
Once the Boss has decided how to pair the dice they inform the rest of the table. The Boss gets to use both pairs and activates two gang members (getting whatever bonus is on the gang member) whilst all the other players only get to use one pair of dice.
Players then use the money to move their recruiter further up a track recruiting 1 new member each time they move. Use the steering wheel to drive further away from the cops (getting benefits along the way) or use the markers to complete heists.
Once everyone has finished the cop car is moved forward the same number that is on the black die and then all the dice are passed to the next player to become the Boss and roll for a new round.
The game continues like this with players completing heists, grabbing loot, recruiting gang members and keeping ahead of the cops until 1 player either completes 6 heists or drives into the getaway zone at the end of the road board.
The player with the highest points wins. Points are gained from heists, loot, upgraded gang members, having the necklaces, markers leftover, and for getting to the getaway section of the road.
Part Of The Crew
When you recruit a new member you look at 3 options and then pick 1. This member then sits on top of, but slightly above, the same numbered member you currently have in your gang (a 7 on a 7). Not only do you now get the benefit of both gangs members bonus you also have an increasingly taller crew. It can look quite hilarious to keep on recruiting the same numbered gang members just to see them get taller and taller.
Don’t spend too long upgrading one number to the perfect crew member as you only score points for the top card and it might not come up too often before the end game is triggered.
Dice & Heists
Completing heists gives end of game points but sometimes will also provide a continuous bonus such as the ability to re-roll the dice for free once (normally costs a coin) or your car moves forward when the cop car moves 2 spaces. There are a lot of combinations to be played around with and you can build a little engine to either help you progress or score points.
Sometimes you will be awarded with a loot card. These can provide one off bonuses such as money and markers, or they could just provide points.
On all of the heist cards are symbols (4 in total) which correspond to the 4 necklaces. At the end of each round you look to see who has the most of each symbol (on completed heists) and award them with the necklace. This necklace is then placed on one of your gang members. When you receive the necklace you receive a bonus of $1and each time the number is chosen for the gang member wearing a necklace you will receive another $1.
Solo Review (The Chase Scene From The Blues Brothers)
Playing this game solo feels very different to playing with other people and that is for one reason only, the cop car. In the multiplayer game you can ignore the cop car if you like, never moving your car forward with the worst case scenario being that you don’t get the benefits for moving along the road and you lose 3 points at the end of the game.
In the solo mode you automatically lose the game if the cop car goes past you. In addition you always add 1 to the dice roll for the cop car so they are always moving forward even when they roll a 0.
This makes for a very tense experience as you are always looking to move at least one or two spaces down the road. All of a sudden the short cuts look very tempting. But you don’t want to race off too quickly as the game end is triggered when you get into the red zone (the getaway zone). If you arrive here too quickly you may not have completed many heists. In some ways it feels like this could have been incorporated into the multiplayer mode but with a slower moving cop car.
Space Base Lite?
Comparisons to Space Base have to be made. Both have a grid of cards which are activated by a dice roll and give benefits to the other players when it isn’t their turn. However, Space Base is a pure numbers game which takes a while to get going. Whereas Bad Company gets you up and running as soon as you start and despite having many things to consider (heist cards, loot cards, keeping in front of the cop car, grabbing the necklaces and recruiting new gang members) it feels like an easier game, and dare I say it a more fun experience.
Although I like Space Base, I prefer Bad Company due to its speed of play, theme and the solo mode. This feels like an easier game to teach because the theme is so fun combined with the hilarious gang members that get taller and taller as you upgrade them.
It’s not a perfect game with the car chase being a disappointment when not playing solo, the end game can occur too quickly, and it is still a dice rolling luck game (with some mitigation) but I still really like it.
If you like a fun silly game that plays super quick, has lots of decisions to be made but there is no downtime, I think Bad Company might be the game for you.
Now, I told you to just blow the bloody doors off.
That concludes our thoughts on Bad Company. Do you agree? Let us know your thoughts and tag us on social media @zatugames. To buy Bad Company today click here!
