Outpost: Amazon (2018) Board Game

Outpost: Amazon is a cooperative card game released in 2018 and designed by Ron Joseph and Matthew Sweeney. The game is set in the Amazon rainforest and players must work together to survive while exploring and encountering various dangers.

Game Components of Outpost: Amazon

Character cards with unique special powers and hit points

Health marker tokens

Expedition deck containing Threats (monsters) and Events (good and bad)

Outpost deck for player hands and supply

Combat cards for attacking monsters

Food and water tokens

Net and cage tokens for capturing monsters

Starting Cage (Supply) area

How To Setup Outpost: Amazon

To set up the game, each player receives a character card and a health marker token, which is placed at the maximum health value. The Expedition deck is formed by shuffling Threats and Events (good and bad) together. The Outpost deck is prepared separately, and each player draws a card from it to form their initial hand. The Expedition deck is placed face-down in the play area, and the Outpost deck is positioned above it.

Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective

Gameplay Mechanics

Card Drawing: Players draw three cards from the Outpost deck, discarding one, adding one to their hand, and placing one in the Supply.

Actions: Players can attack monsters using combat cards from their hand or use equipment from the Supply.

Enduring Expedition Cards: Players must handle events or monster attacks, which can require sacrificing food or water or losing health.

Capturing Monsters: Players can capture monsters using a net from the Supply if the monster’s health is reduced to half.

Game Objective

The goal is to endure every card in the Expedition deck and capture or kill monsters while keeping all players alive.

The game is won if the last card of the Expedition deck is survived. It is lost if any player drops to zero health or if there are five monsters in play.

Player Experience

Playing Outpost: Amazon can be a mixed bag. The game features good artwork and a captivating theme, but it is marred by several issues. The gameplay is often repetitive and heavily reliant on luck, particularly the availability of first aid kits, which can make or break the game. The rules and monster abilities sometimes feel poorly edited, leading to confusion. However, the new items and cage mechanic introduce some variety and strategy.

Pros

Engaging Theme: The Amazon survival horror theme is well-realized with good artwork.

Cage Mechanic: Capturing monsters adds a unique element to the game.

Improved Items: First aid kits and nets are more effective compared to the previous game in the series.

Cons

Repetitive Gameplay: Rounds often involve similar actions with a focus on survival rather than strategy.

Luck-Dependent: The game’s outcome heavily relies on the draw of certain cards, such as first aid kits.

Poor Editing: Some monster abilities and rules are unclear or inconsistent.

Limited Player Scaling: The game does not have rules for player scaling, making it less enjoyable with fewer players.

Personal Thoughts on Outpost: Amazon

Outpost: Amazon is not the most engaging cooperative card game, despite being an improvement over its predecessor, Outpost: Siberia. It is best suited for players who enjoy survival horror themes and are willing to tolerate some randomness and repetitive gameplay. However, for those seeking a more strategic and polished cooperative experience, there are better options available.

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