Cryo (2021) Board Game – Board Game Guys

Cryo is a sci-fi themed board game released in 2021 by Z-Man Games. It was designed by Tom Jolly and Luke Laurie, with artwork done by Bree Lindsoe, Jasmine Radue, and Samuel R. Shimota. The game is set on a frozen planet where players must manage resources and salvage valuable items from a forgotten civilization to ensure the survival of their faction.

Game Components of Cryo

Game Board: Depicts the crashed colony ship and the underground cavern system.

Player Boards: Each player has a personal board to track resources and drones.

Drones: Three drones per player for navigating the board.

Crew Pods: 15 pods per player, initially in stasis chambers.

Resource Tokens: Crystals, Organics, Tech, and Nanites.

Cards: 40 cards with multiple uses (vehicles, upgrades, missions).

Incident Tokens: For early, late, and end game events.

Action Spaces: On the board and player platforms.

Vehicle Tokens: For transporting crew pods to caverns.

How To Setup Cryo

To set up *Cryo*, each player selects a color and takes the corresponding player board, drones, and crew pods. Players place their three drones on the leftmost docks on their player board and distribute their 15 crew pods across the stasis chambers on the ship. Each player receives five cards and keeps three, discarding the other two. The board is set up with the necessary action spaces, resource tokens, and incident tokens. The game is ready to start once all components are in place.

Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective

Worker Placement: Players deploy drones to available docks on the board to access adjacent action spaces.

Resource Management: Gather Crystals, Organics, Tech, and Nanites to perform various actions.

Card Utilization: Cards can be used as vehicles to transport crew pods, upgrades for ongoing benefits, or missions for endgame scoring.

Engine-Building: Upgrade your platform to generate additional actions and improve efficiency.

Area Majority: Score points by placing crew pods in the most valuable locations in the underground caverns.

Game Objective: The goal is to score the most points by safely transporting crew pods into the caverns and achieving mission requirements before the game ends.

Player Experience

*Cryo* offers a dynamic and strategic gameplay experience. Players must manage resources efficiently, utilize multi-use cards cleverly, and navigate the board to maximize their scoring opportunities. The game moves at a steady clip, with each turn involving deploying or recalling drones, taking actions, and managing resources. The setup and gameplay are designed to be engaging yet not overly complex, making it accessible to a wide range of gamers.

Pros

Unique Theme: A compelling sci-fi setting with a crash-landed spaceship and a race against time.

Multi-Use Cards: Cards offer flexibility in usage, adding depth to the game.

Engine-Building: Upgrading your platform enhances gameplay efficiency.

High-Quality Components: The game features unique and psychedelic art, along with high-quality plastic pieces.

Strategic Depth: Balances short-term resource management with long-term strategy.

Cons

Disconnected Endgame: The scoring mechanism can feel disconnected from the rest of the gameplay.

Limited Replayability: Some players find the game lacks replayability due to the limited number of card types.

Resource Scarcity: Managing resources can be challenging, sometimes feeling too restrictive.

Personal Thoughts on Cryo

*Cryo* is ideal for fans of worker placement and engine-building games who are looking for a mid-weight experience that doesn’t drag on for hours. It’s perfect for those who enjoy strategic gameplay with a unique theme and high-quality components. However, players seeking a game with tightly integrated scoring mechanisms might find the endgame scoring in *Cryo* somewhat disappointing. Despite this, *Cryo* remains a fun and engaging game that offers a fresh take on traditional worker placement mechanics.

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