Hull Breach: In Defiance of Dictators

There are games you chase for so long that, once they finally reach your hands, you worry they will not bear the weight of your anticipation. This was one such minor grail for me: I had been looking for it since 2015, but something always went wrong — it went out of stock, another purchase came up, or my card would not work. When I finally got hold of it last week, there was no chance I was not going to make the group set it up at the first opportunity.

At its core, it is a card game that brings dice into play in a way that immediately caught my attention. It had been years since I had seen dice integrated so interestingly into a card game, since the days of Warlord: Saga of the Storm, and here the idea does not feel like a decorative addition but like an essential part of the experience.

Our first game had the expected messiness of learning it, so we had to get through the “what exactly do we do now?” stage before finding our rhythm. Once the game started flowing, though, it showed that it has a lot to offer. The interaction around the table also came through its twists and turns — we are still laughing about Hida, who died first despite being ahead.

In the end, I was right to chase it. The Kickstarter package felt like very good value for money and, although I would not call it perfect, it comes close to perfection often enough to deliver plenty of satisfying moments. For anyone who loves heavy economic games, I believe it should not be missing from their collection. As for me, I think I have already found what I will be taking on holiday.