Review Control: A Strategic Card Game

Hello there,

Now I shall proceed forthwith the first of many entries. Ladies and gentlemen, I present you Control: A Strategic Card Game.

Control: A Strategic Card Game

Game Title     : Control
Designer        : Mattox Shuler
Publisher       : Keymaster Games
Player Count : 2-4 players
Time               : 5-15 minutes
BGG Rating   : 3,479 as of Dec 2016


There are numerous games that have been release in the past year and I believe I have spent a considerable sum of money this year in procuring them (backed about 14 Kickstarter projects this year 😭). The reason I chose this game is due to the fact that it is the first game I backed on Kickstarter and thus it will forever have a special place on my shelf. So lets begin shall we.


I believe we should start in explaining what is Control? You play as one of many time travellers caught in a riff between time and space. You must quickly install fuel cells in to your TARDIS, I mean time machine. Strangely enough, your TARDIS , GOD DAMMIT I MEAN TIME MACHINE will only work if you have 21 fuel cells in it. Only then can you leave your other Time Lords behind and trapped in limbo. During each players turn, they can only choose one action which is either draw a card, install a fuel cell, burn a fuel cell or block an opponent from reaching 21 by defusing one of their installed fuel cells. If you would like to know more on how to play, I've included their tutorial on the game below. Enjoy.

Now lets talk about what I think about this game. It is a ridiculously simple game to play and teach. It takes about 5 mins to get everybody know the game. One round of play for everyone to catch on and from there you'll probably spend an hour or so of it. The cards are numbered from 1-10 and your decision process will be either to play a card or stop someone from reaching 21. You can either quietly try to sneak in an 11 during your turn and hope that no one is having an eye on you so that you blow them all away with that Nova (the card numbered 10) you had hidden all along. Bluffing your mates trying to force the current player to mess up another players plan so you can steal victory by putting your Exotic Matter ( Number 2 card that causes a chain reaction) to steal all the glory. 

I adore all the components in the box even though there are not a lot in it. The metal coins feel nice and heavy. The insert works well and allows you to either sleeve it or let it be. The linen finish on the card is beautiful to watch and lovely to hold. The box with spot UV and varnish is a sight to behold. The short comic in the rulebook adds to the flavor of the game. The explanation in the rulebook. All these components are well though. It feels like a pricey game. 

Now, having said all that this game has a flaw. Not a major one. Its that after a few rounds I came to a problem with my game group, we ended up coming to the same game strategy of finishing the deck before we all duel to the death. It kinda became apparent that this was how we would be playing the game. We might have just dealt all the cards to each other. I'm not sure if other players have encountered this. I would also like to point out that, my group and I found that drafting the game was another way to play, everyone would get a kinda balance hand, thus making it interesting to see their hands are played.

Conclusion

I would recommend this game to anyone who likes quick easy game from waiting that one friend who is always late or in between meal courses. Its one of the games that should sit well with Love Letter. My advice don't overplay it till it becomes stale.

7/10