Dec
14
Submarine
Theme Week: The Fewer, The Better
Games by designer Leo Colovini tend to be more strategic and less chaotic when played with the fewest number of people listed on the box. (Some argue that his games are most fun when played with zero players, but we’ll ignore those sourpusses.) FAB has already reviewed Colovini’s Cartagena and Familienbande; this week, seven more games from Signor Colovini.
Designer: Leo Colovini
Publisher: Rio Grande Games/Winning Moves Germany
Year Published: 2004
Price: $27.95
Playing Time: 45 minutes
Number of Players:
2
3
4
5
Age Range:
Teen
Family
10-up
Game Type:
Set collection
Many of Leo Colovini’s games have themes that are only an inch deep. They provide players with some mild story to wrap around their actions and give them meaning, but for the most part, they’re disposable.
Despite the name, Submarine also boasts a shallow theme that you’re unlikely to think about while playing. Players are leading underwater expeditions to recover artifacts from the recently discovered world of Atlantis, and whoever recovers 12 artifacts first—or possesses the most artifacts when the game ends—wins.
The board depicts a waterline and an ocean view of some civilizations’ remains, but more importantly for game play is a grid overlaying the picture that’s six boxes wide and five tall. Each player has a recovery ship that will move from left to right in the top row of boxes across the waterline. Players also have a number of bathyscapes that they take …
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