2020 and 2021 are marked by a global pandemic. People try to escape (literal and mental) exposure to the virus in various ways. People have (re)discovered games, put puzzles on the table and read a book again. Many people also choose to literally escape and go on holiday, for example. Also in Bristol: 1350, players try to escape from a deadly disease: the bubonic plague. Can you escape the city or will you be caught by the black plague?
The year is 1350 and Bristol (and indeed the whole of England and Western Europe) is under the spell of the deadly plague. Rats, pigeons, other pests and infected human inhabitants are rapidly spreading a deadly infection among the populace. Sick, pockmarked people and corpses lie strewn in the streets and alleys of Bristol. Coughing and other symptomatic individuals are avoided like the plague. You and your fellow players don’t know how quickly you must leave the city. You all dive on top of three apple carts and try to be the first to escape the city. The race to the end is not without danger. You might get catch the plague thanks one of the other players, your place in the cart might be stolen or the other players might even throw you off a cart.
Each round, all dice are rolled. The dice indicate which carts can move forward and how far they will go. The dice roll may also cause multiple infections on some carts. Each turn, a player may perform one of the available actions. A player may roll 2 dice again, draw remedy cards (action cards) or change his/her own position or the position of another player in the carts. Players can push each other or move to the front of a cart with an elbow. Players can even jump to the next cart (if there is space…). Players can use action cards to better protect themselves from the plague and the pests that are the other players, but remember: getting cured from humiliation and defeat as not as easy as avoiding the plague…
The players that are the first to leave the city (healthy), win the game (together). If only one player on this cart is infected with the plague, every player on this cart loses and the next cart still has a chance at victory. Bristol 1350 is a funny and fast paced game to be played with a large group of people. The game is best played with 6 – 9 players to ensure that there is enough interaction between players and the game runs smoothly. With more players there is simply more stuff happening in the game. Slowly but surely, the players conspire and betray each other. The plague might not be the deadliest aspect of your escape from the city… All in all, Bristol 1350 is a tad simple party game with a fantastic production value.
