Review
Peak Oil
Peak Oil is a light, quick economic game with a few interesting ideas and a pleasant table presence. It loses momentum, however, once the likely winner becomes clear too early.
- Published
- 2017
- Designer
- Tobias Gohrbandt, Heiko Günther
- Publisher
- 2Tomatoes Games
- Players
- 2–5
- Playing time
- 75 min
I brought it out as a surprise course in place of Scythe, since we were not six, and it did a fine job as a quick warm-up before we moved on to the main event. I would not call it a bad game; it is breezy, pleasant, and moves so quickly that you can forgive quite a few of its weaknesses.
As an economic game, Peak Oil does not weigh the group down or demand that you commit to an endless session. Its flow is quick, and that lightness is a big part of its charm: you play, watch things develop, and it does not have time to wear you out.
The tension between players, though, does not hold up equally well to the end. By the middle of the game, it is often fairly easy to tell who will win, and from that point on the interest drops noticeably. It does not stop being pleasant; the rest of the journey simply lacks the suspense I would want.
I place it next to Stockpile, not because they share mechanisms—they do not—but because both are short, entertaining economic games. Peak Oil is fun and, despite its predictable finish, we will definitely play it again.
Source: BoardGameGeek
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