Review: 3000 SCOUNDRELS is a Phenomenal Engine-Building Game With Infinite Replayability
Towards the beginning of October, Unexpected Games and Asmodee released 3000 Scoundrels. This is a Wild West-themed engine-building game with a touch of sci-fi from the mind of Corey Konieczka. The team at Asmodee was kind enough to send me a copy of the game to review and I’m sharing my own original opinions below. You can grab your own copy of 3000 Scoundrels from your favorite retailers now.
In 3000 Scoundrels, 2-4 players enter an alternative history Wild West, assuming the roles of rival crew leaders attempting to steal futuristic technology left behind by a mysterious man known only as the Traveler. During the game, players build their crew of scoundrels by layering transparent “job cards” with “trait cards,” making a team that’s ideally suited for their strategy. Each turn, they’ll play a poker card face down, then use all of their scoundrels that match that card – but they don’t have to tell the truth… and savy players will understand the power of bluffing their way to the top. At the game’s end, the player with the most tech will claim victory and determine the fate of the American Frontier.
In a game of 3000 Scoundrels, each player takes on the role of a character trying to get the most leftover tech from when a mysterious stranger stopped by your town. You’ll gather a crew of scoundrels, use henchmen to call the bluffs of your opponents, and steal vaults to do so. On your turn, you play cards to corresponding slots on your board to perform various actions. You play the cards face-down though which allows you to bluff your way to the actions that you really need. Be careful because your opponents also have henchmen ready to call you out.
A player board, a Scoundrel, a Job, and a Trait
From the get go, I’m going to let you know that I really like 3000 Scoundrels. My list of cons is very short. First, the artwork is hit or miss for me. I like some of it and don’t like some of it. Second, there are so many jobs and traits that it’s entirely possible to play several games without having all of the possible cards come into play unless you purposefully set out to use them. Third, I would’ve liked a little more thought to go into the box insert. It’s not the worst insert, but I’ve seen better. That’s it. Those are my complaints.
3000 Scoundrels is loads of fun. It is a game that sounds complicated when you first start explaining it, but once you get started, it quickly falls into place and is easy to understand. The game is infinitely replayable as the Scoundrels will be different just about every single time thanks to the clever use of transparent cards. This helps prevent any kind of set strategy from game to game and keeps things fresh. You do get some funny combinations too like the Burly Cow or the Nuclear-Powered Butler. In addition, the game comes with card sleeves to go with the 60 clear job cards and they’re decent quality ones too. Big thumbs up there.
Another strength for 3000 Scoundrels is that it works just as well in a 2-player game as a 3-player one. So often, games say they can accommodate two players, but the gameplay feels off or it’s not as fun. In 3000 Scoundrels, it’s just as fun and just as simple. The gameplay feels spot on.
The final point I want to talk about is the bluffing. This is handled so well in my opinion. I don’t like bluffing mechanics in games because I’m usually awful at it. This means that I’m constantly getting screwed over because my opponents are able to see through me and call my bluff which often has some devastating consequence. In 3000 Scoundrels, if someone calls your bluff, you basically lose a single point and they gain a point. With how easily that can fluctuate and the various ways to get points, the bluffing mechanic felt like I wasn’t completely lost because I suck at bluffing. I could easily regain any ground that was lost and my turn kept going.
If you like engine-building games, 3000 Scoundrels is a delight to play and a game that I’ll definitely be playing for the foreseeable future. I’m very excited to bust it out during the holidays this year and see what crazy combinations we can get for the Scoundrels.
