In Steam Park, you are competing with others to build the best theme park for your guests ... and the rides just happen to be coal powered. Why they went with the Steampunk theme isn't necessarily clear - as it would work regardless - but that doesn't matter at all, nor does it take away from the fun.
In this game, you roll a handful of dice to determine your actions - but you can re-roll them as many times as you like (to a point). You can then expand your plot of land, build a ride, build a kiosk (that gives you a bonus ability) clean up your park, and so forth. You can draw meeples to visit your park, and if the color meeple you pull out of the bag matches the color of a ride, you can add to your score.
There are also goal cards that add to your total when you score them.
In this game, victory points are represented by money. Just about everything you do increases the level of dirt in your park, so you'll need to spend some actions to clean that up as well - or you'll be penalized for it at the end of the game. Allowing for some dirt, then, is a risk/reward, and it's up to you to find that balance.
The game lasts for six turns, then you total up the scores. There's a LOT more to it than that, but that's the general idea. It's a fun game.
**Components:
The components are colorful and well constructed. They seem durable. The dice are fantastic; they're the wooden ones with the bevelled edges, which are my favorite dice. The artwork is also nice looking. It is great on the table - the big 3D rides and attractions look awesome. You can create some cool visuals just by playing out the game. If I had to gripe about one thing, I guess the goal cards could be slightly better. But I'm really reaching here. Sleeve them, they'll be fine.
Big bonus - the money isn't paper. It's cardboard punch-outs.
**Gameplay:
Rolling the dice frantically trying to get what you want is exceedingly fun. Great strategy trying to select which rides you want and where. Drawing the meeples from the bag can be a bit random, but you have some control over what you're going to get from the bag.
There are tons of different actions that you can take, so you really have a lot of variety in what you can do. It keeps the game interesting, especially since you have a degree of control over what those actions will be.
**Theme:
It's a board game about building a theme park, and it holds up. The theme is everywhere in this game, right down to the idea of the dirt tokens and keeping a clean park. Everything that you can do makes sense.
**Overall:
Great game. Highly recommended. Not an incredible amount of depth, but a lot of variety and a lot of fun. Absolutely worth it.
- Amazon Business : For business-only pricing, quantity discounts and FREE Shipping. Register a free business account
