Smash up is a game about world domination and what factions you can smash together to achieve your victory.
Designer(s): Paul Peterson
Artist(s): Dave Allsop, Bruno Balixa, Conceptopolis, Francisco Rice Torres
Publisher: Alderac Entertainment Group
It has been a while since I did an article like this, but I wanted to touch on a childhood favorite of mine: Smash Up. This was a game I remember playing over Thanksgiving at a cousin’s house. We played several rounds and I was hooked as it was one of my exposure to board games in my formative years.
While Smash Up has fallen a bit out of favor as I discovered more about the world of board games, I still wanted to take some time to look back and review it. At its core, Smash Up is a card dueling game. But it has some quirks that sets it apart and makes it unique.
If you have played Smash Up before, tell me about your experience in the comment section below! I am always interested in hearing about other players experiences!
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Gameplay Overview
This is a general overview to provide context for the review, not an in-depth how to play. Some rules may be glossed over or missing.
I have played Smash Up with two players. I have played the game with four players. There is not really a sweet spot in player count, but I do prefer the higher players counts when playing Smash Up. This is abnormal for me because when it comes to dueling games, I generally find two players is best.
The Goal of the Game
The goal of the game is to get Victory points. Which is like the goals of like 80% of the games out there. Okay that might be a high estimate but still. It is a common goal. In some respects, Smash Up is a point racing game because the first person to reach fifteen victory points wins.
One thing find interesting is that two people can get over fifteen on a player turn. And it might not be the active player who gets these points (although I am not sure why the active player would trigger something and cause someone else to win).
Ties are possible, and ties mean that the game keeps going until someone has the clear victory. I love this. I have seen so many games that have tie breaker rules based on turn order, faction, some other game resource, etc. It is rare to find a game that just keeps going. But Smash Up does that!
Setup
The setup for Smash Up is simple. Pick two decks and “smash” them together. Or just shuffle. Shuffling might be better. The base game comes with eight different factions which leads to twenty-eight possible combinations. And of course, there are expansions with even more faction.
Some combinations just do not work with each other. Whiles others feel completely overpowered. But it is fun to see what you can do by combining different factions and how they meld together. While it feels like there should be a lot of variation in playing with two different smashed up decks, the plays can feel a little same-y since there are only so many core actions you can take.
Then you put out base cards equal to the number of players plus one. Base cards are what I find very interesting about Smash Up. They are locations that you need to take control of to get points, but they do not only hand out points to the winner. And, in all likelihood, you will need other players in order to secure the location. There is an interesting cooperative element inside this competitive game.
Player Turns
A player can do one of three things on their turn: play a minion, play an action, or play one of each. Minion cards will go on a base and will potentially have some ability that that interacts with the game states. That could be helping yourself of hindering your opponents. But the effect is more than likely going to target the base that the minion is played to.
The minion also has a power value in its top left corner. This is how much power the minion is providing in taking over the base. If my memory serves me correctly, there are a lot of minions with low powers. So, you need a lot of them to take a location and keep your hold over the space.
Action cards can help with this as they have effects to help yourself or hinder your opponents. What a surprise. These action cards can be one-time effects or ongoing abilities. I find it interesting that no cards have a cost to play. This really simplifies the game as the player does not need to worry about resources to play the cards. Instead, the player is limited to playing just one of each card.
Concept:Bases
Bases are key to winning the game of Smash Up. They are the main (and maybe only, I cannot remember) way of winning points. Each base as a number in the top left corner that is considered the “breakpoint”. If the minions of all players at a location is equal to or greater than this number, the card is scored.
Whoever has the most power among their minions will get first place and so on. And some bases can have special effects that cause problems or benefits for players while in player or after being scored.
Bases are what I find truly unique about this game. While there are other area control games, and there are a lot, I have not seen a dueling mechanic combined with an area control mechanic before.
Who Will Like it?
At its core, Smash Up is a dueling game. It has a feel like Magic: The Gathering, but it does not require resources. And it is not direct competition with opponents as the Base acts as a middle ground. I feel like I am getting some Blue Moon vibes from this game, but I really can’t put it in a similar category with other games.
What I Think
I have such mixed feelings about this game now. I want to like it. The concepts seem great. The idea of smashing different decks together to make a unique experience? Fantastic. But something about it just feels a little lack luster. And I cannot quite put my finger on it.
What did I like?
I really like the modularity of the game. The card combinations and different potential bases that can come out feel good. The base factions are also fantastic in theme. Who does not like aliens, dinosaurs, ninjas, pirates, robots, tricksters, wizards, and zombies? Such classics!
Considering this is a deck dueling game, I really like how it can be multi player. Since many dueling games are about personal tableaus, there is typically some sort of direct attack involved. And with multiple players, it can sometimes turn into a 3 vs 1 type game. That is not the case with Smash Up. Since the game space is shared, I have not really felt any ganging up on a player.
What didn’t I like?
I am not sure how to put it into words but there is something just missing from this game for me. I feel like it is a fun game, but it is missing some sort of crunch. I was something more intricate, more details, more action, more something. I am not sure why this game no longer gels with me, but something is just… absent.
My Take
Smash Up is a fun, simple game that is not too complex but offers a lot of modularity. The shared playing space and cooperative but competitive incentives are a unique approach to a deck dueling type game.
Breakdown
Rulebook/Learning the Game
The rulebook is simple to reach and very straightforward. There are some great picture examples which makes learning the components of the cards all the easier. I do find the wording of the rulebook to be a little silly in places, but I think that it trying to convey the feeling of the game.
Rating
5/10
I have not sought out Smash Up in quite some time. I feel like there are other area control games that I would rather play. Or some really good two player deck dueling games. While it was a favorite once upon a time, it has since fallen out of favor.
*See my rating scale Here
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