Born to Serve

After huge boxes, I am always happy to return to a small one that does not need to occupy the entire table to prove its worth. Born to Serve was my indie Kickstarter surprise of the year: it has fantastic production, a good sense of humour, and a thematic premise that is hard to forget. Unemployed superheroes, former teammates, and a waiter job at a restaurant: nobody needs to take it too seriously, and thankfully the game knows that too. I could easily imagine it as a Moideas mini box.

At its core, it is a simple, quick area-control game. Players compete for control of the spaces and, through that contest, symbolically fight over the job everyone wants. The flow stays immediate and the playtime is under an hour, so it has no chance to become tiring or turn its funny premise into a chore.

The interaction is exactly where it should be for this kind of game: the other players are not just decoration, since they are contesting the same spots and force you to account for their presence. The variable player powers give the sides some personality without changing the game's character: it remains an approachable, quick game of area control rather than some huge strategic revelation.

My verdict is a straight 8 out of 10. It is not the game that will make you reconsider everything you believe about area control, but it is very honest about what it offers: quick, entertaining, and very well produced. The only less entertaining part was the 25-euro Kickstarter customs charge; as far as I know, it still does not have a European distributor. Good luck hunting it down.

Updated session

I played it again at 3, 4, and 5 players, and my initial positive impression held steady. It did not suddenly become something “super-wow,” but it continues to be a good, quick area-control game with variable powers. If your collection lacks this sort of thing, it is worth seeking out.