Supervolcano Print And Play Preview

This is a preview copy sent to us for our early opinions. No money exchanged hands. Some art, rules or components may change in the final game. You can follow the crowdfunding page here. The pictures used here are from the Kickstarter page.

I don't cover many print-and-plays anymore because I just don't have the time to make them. The demands of daily life, work commitments, and other responsibilities often leave little room for the leisurely pursuit of creating and testing new games. However, this particular print-and-play game stands out from the crowd and is an exception to my usual routine. The beauty of this game lies in its simplicity and ease of setup; it takes only a matter of minutes to get started.

All you need to do is print a few sheets out, cut them along the designated lines, and you're ready to dive into the gameplay. There's no extensive preparation or complicated assembly required, which is a refreshing change for anyone who has experienced the often time-consuming nature of other print-and-play games. This accessibility makes it an ideal choice for those who are short on time but still crave the enjoyment and excitement that comes from engaging in a fun gaming experience that cost a few quid and can be access in minutes. No delivery times or waiting for a parcel here. Just download the files and print!

But what truly sets this game apart is not just its quick setup; it's the sheer brilliance of the gameplay itself! Want to know why? Well, read on. The mechanics are cleverly designed to provide a balance of strategy and chance, ensuring that every session is unique and engaging. The interactions between players are dynamic, fostering a competitive yet friendly atmosphere. The game also encourages creativity and critical thinking, making it not only entertaining but also mentally stimulating. Furthermore, I love theme of the game. It is captivating and draws players in right from the start.

The game works quite simply. There is a Super volcano in the middle of the main sheet. Place this down for all to see along with the second sheet, the Super volcano sheet! Then give each player their own Settlement sheet along with a pencil, rubber, and coloured pencil of their choice. You will also need three D6 for the table.

Players will now all choose their starting location: any City, Town, or Village on the map. Draw a line in your colour from the chosen settlement, arrowing into a nearby forest. Then colour in all six segments in that forest. This forest area is your starting power plant. You own this, and it will generate power for you for the rest of the game. The main map is broken down into two or three areas, depending on player count. You will see on the main sheet and your own player sheet that the power generated by your power plant will depend on what area it is in: either three, five, or six.

All players now must allocate their workers or civilians based on their starting settlement. If they chose a Village they get just one . A Town generates three. A city generates five. This is marked on the corner of the main map sheet. Depending on what your choice was, mark this many workers or civilians off on the top line of you player sheet. This is your starting settlement, and you can have a total of five workers and five civilians in any one location. Markoff your choice now.

Players will now take turns to count their total number of workers and mark this on their player sheet. They can then take that many turns on the main board. One turn allows you to either mark a line joining one area you are in to another, or come out of an area you are in by marking a second line on that area, moving in the direction you want to go, creating a path. The green areas cost one point, the yellow hill areas cost two, and the red mountain areas cost three, as shown on the main map sheet.

You can also use your action points to build a new power plant. Instead of drawing a line on a forest space, fill the entire area with your player colour instead. Then, when all six areas are full, this becomes your power plant. However, other players can sabotage this! When you have used all your action points, then work out your total Thermos production from your completed power plants. This may well be just the power plant you built during setup for round one; it is hard to build another in turn one. Then work out the total amount of your population based on your Civilians. You will then score the total amount of your population that has been catered for by your current Thermos production. Mark this on your player sheet. This will again start slow, but ramp up fast!

Then turn to the Volcano sheet and check off the required Thermos level for your round. In round one, this is zero, so you will be fine. Again, this ramps up fast! If in later rounds you do not meet the round's requirement, you need to mark off the next level in the player level area and roll the required amount of dice for that level. Then check your roll against the area on the right. You may start to lose your civilians if this goes wrong!

You can now move over one Civilian to a Worker or vice-versa if you wish, before you move the first player token one space clockwise and start another round. You will complete six full rounds, and then one final seventh where you stop after the scoring phase.

The whole process is incredibly simple, a very smooth process, a dream to teach and play, but is full of very interesting choices, a varied strategy, and a surprising amount of depth. The scoring really ramps up as various areas of the game exponentially quicken, in what is a very enjoyable print-and-play experience. I am delighted I went to the trouble of hitting print three times!

I love games where things develop fast. Where you go from one, to three, to twelve, to a hundred! This game seems to do that in multiple areas, and fast! And it is delightful. It keeps you on your toes, makes you stay focused, and makes every decision feel meaningful.

The game works brilliantly in solo, co-op, or in a higher player count competitive game. The early rounds, you can breeze through and pretty much play simultaneously, as long as players do not build their opening settlements right next to each other. So, you will fly through the first half of the game. Then, when everyone is a little developed and starting to form their strategy, the game will slow a little as players start to invade each other's space, and build power lines where other players were hoping to build their own, or worse, complete their own power plants. It becomes a bit of a race, as well as a bit of a push-your-luck experience, all combined with a fairly strategic area majority network building game. All in a game that you can fly through and access for less than a fiver! Well worth checking out.