Moonshine Empire (2021)
Designed by: Jason Mack and Caleb Zwar
Produced by: Barrel Aged Games
Players: 1-4
Age: 14+
Play Time: 60-90 minutes
Overview:
In Moonshine Empire, you and up to 3 other Shiners, compete in a one night challenge to prove that you deserve to inherit Pappy's Moonshine Empire. The game plays over the course of 8 rounds, full of distilling, dodging and delivering. Rounds are played in 5 quick phases: turn order, placing shiners, acquiring customers, Pappy's auction, and move and deliver. Moonshine Empire features variable player powers, worker placement, set collection, auction bidding, and pick up and deliver mechanics to produce a truly fun, thematic game!
Main Mechanics:
Pick-up and Deliver
Worker Placement
Set Collection
Auction Bidding
Components Review: I played Moonshine Empire as a prototype and the components were a fantastic preview for what's to come.
The cardboard components look great and well refined. This applies to the box and board especially. The box art is fantastic and is something that would really catch my eye on a shelf. The board has a nice matte finish, which helps convey the night swamp theme.
The plastic components were 3D printed, which is expected for a prototype. I have a 3D printer, and while these are not the cleanest prints, it is clear that the models themselves are great, so I can imagine what the final pieces will look like. That being said, the shiners, gators, and vehicle pieces are just awesome! They all have space to physically hold components, which really helps thematically! I've since seen some print prototypes and they look even better than when I got to test them.
The paper components, like rulebook, score pad and cards are the things that seem to still need the most work, although I wouldn't say they seemed under done. The rule book is easy to navigate, relatively short and easy to understand, which is great because it will probably only get better. The card art seems mostly finished, but will undoubtedly get better with the production process.
Gameplay Review:
3-PLAYER REVIEW: Rounds play quick and were casual enough to have good conversations and play. Our game sat right at the advertised 90 minute mark. I'm sure we could've played faster if we had talked less, however I really enjoy a game that where we can play and talk without throwing off the rhythm. There are a lot of ways to score, which means there are a few things to consider when thinking strategy. I thought I was winning the whole time, but I ended up losing, as my strategy was customer focused. While I think should've spent more time with a more balanced strategy, I might have been able to win by picking different customers. Our game had low player interaction, we were each kind of focused on our own operation, although the game leaves room for some player interaction if you look for it. Overall, all three of us really enjoyed the game and can't wait to play it again!
SOLO REVIEW: The solo variant of Moonshine Empire plays the same as multiplayer, but gives the player two challenges to complete to win. I played my game as Gus Chuggins using the solo scenario: "bartender." I ended up losing with 6 out of 8 customers, but with more than enough money (needed a least $200). I got some really lucky upgrades the first 3 turns, but this was probably balanced with the fact that I realized at the end that I used the wrong starting units. I won't say I would have won, but having an ATV would've helped! Game play lasted about 30 minutes and provided a good puzzle for how to maximize each turn, especially with movement. Definitely look forward to playing solo again!
Final Thoughts: Moonshine Empire was the first pick-up and deliver game that I have ever played and I really enjoyed it. The theme is fun and comes across well. The components are innovative and the game play is solid. There are many ways to set up and score, leading to plenty of replayability. Really can't wait for the release later this year.
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