Living Planet

Here is a rare phenomenon: a good Kickstarter game whose existence I had completely missed. Dear Ioannis brought it out for us — the kid is ahead of the curve even at KS sniping — and we sat down to suck the planet dry. And honestly, Living Planet is a fine piece of work: it feels carefully made, and it has the presence of a game that wants to spread across the table and pull you into its atmosphere.

At its core, the group sets out to exploit the planet, with the game revolving around that shared, not exactly discreet, draining of its resources. This is not merely a theme pasted over the rules: the sense that we are all dipping into the same thing is central to the experience.

Then come the stock-market funerals. Its economic side allows values to head downhill, creating those small, delicious disasters that you watch unfold on the table and think, yes, this is always good. You do not need to sell me very hard on the idea of a game where the market can bury something with such theatrical flair.

My only small objection is the overproduction. The production clearly wants to impress, but the artwork makes certain elements difficult to tell apart. Fortunately, it is a minor issue and does not undo the rest of the package. In the end, this is a polished and pleasantly spectacular game, and I am very glad it did not remain hidden any longer in the Kickstarter pile.