After a popular campaign Kickstarter and some controversy regarding the materials in the versions received from the backers (problems solved to the full satisfaction of the buyers), Skull Creations releases the retail version of Barrage, the placement of workers of Thomas the Baptist e Simone Luciani.
After trying both the game with different player counts and the base game and the advanced game, we are finally ready to publish our review.
Setting and materials
In a dystopian version of the 1900s, world powers have exhausted the planet's resources and are competing for control of the only remaining energy source, hydroelectricity.
Each player represents an energy company and will be able to manage his team of 12 engineers to acquire credits and machinery (the game's resources), build structures and activate the production of power plants to meet the electricity needs and the contracts stipulated.
The materials of the retail version are of good quality: the wooden components are practical and well made, the dashboard is clear and well designed despite its complexity, the wheels are easy to use.
The game requires a lot of space: we were able to play it up to three players on our table but for the games of four we had to use another surface to be placed next to the main one.
Barrage dynamics
The main mechanics of Barrage is that of the placement of workers: for five game turns we will place the 12 engineers at our disposal on the available action spaces, paying any costs (in credits or machinery).
Our board contains four construction actions, which can only be activated by us, through which to build new structures on the map. The necessary machinery is not lost but placed on the wheel in our possession: they will be available for us again after a complete rotation (5 movements).
The spaces on the action board are instead shared by the players and allow you to acquire machinery, credits and contracts, turn our wheel of one or three spaces, increase the flow of water from the sources and activate energy production.
Production is the most complex part but also the main way to score in Barrage. To activate it, at least four elements must be on the map: a power plant (of your color) connected via a pipeline (of any color) to a dam (yours or neutral) that contains one or more drops of water. The amount of energy produced, net of any bonuses and malus, allows us to fulfill contracts and access the prizes provided at the end of each shift.
Considerations
Barrage it is a complex but elegant and streamlined title. We liked the absence of rules and exceptions to remember during the game (which usually abound in titles of this thickness), once you have learned the flow of the game you can easily explain it to anyone.
The interaction between the players is high and is not limited only to occupying the best action spaces: timing in energy production is essential and it will be necessary to better manage the water currents to fill our basins and be able to exploit the flows again. with the power plants further downstream. Above all, it must be taken into account that the pipes (of any color) and neutral dams can be used by all players: it will therefore be necessary to plan carefully where to erect our structures and carefully choose the basins to fill, to avoid that an opponent can benefit of our efforts.
The scarcity of resources makes it essential to learn how to better manage the wheel, the “maintenance” action and the maintenance bonuses offered by the contracts are here to help us a lot. While not entirely original, this mechanic is central to Barrage and it will catch our attention for the whole game.
With such a large amount of information it is possible to run into situations of analysis paralysis but in a game of this magnitude the risk is inevitable.
Barrage, Ultimately, we enjoyed it enormously and we consider it one of the best titles to come out this 2019.
