The bottom of the ocean is home to countless treasures. Think of the many shipwrecks from the days of piracy, but also the most beautiful sea creatures. For those who are a little afraid of water, there is also plenty to do on the beach. An expert beachcomber knows how to find the most beautiful shells. Enough stuff to put together a nice museum in Wreck Raiders of Happy Meeple Games! Does your exhibit run with sea legs or is it landlubber?
Wreck Raiders is a worker placement and set collection game where players face countless choices. Each turn, a player chooses a die. Based on the value of this die, he/she may choose to move a diver to the beach or one of the wrecks in the water. On the beach you will find the most beautiful shells and in the wrecks you can find treasures. Sometimes you have a dilemma, because sometimes there are already divers on or next to your spot. Moving another player’s diver from a wreck gives that player an advantage, because that diver can be moved to the beach for free. If your diver goes treasure hunting, other divers at the same wreck may also find certain riches.
Shells can be used to purchase aquariums loaded with the most beautiful sea creatures and treasures can be displayed or stored in the vault in the hope that they will become more valuable later. By exhibiting treasures in your display, you can collect exhibition cards. The game ends once a player has collected a certain amount of exhibits.
A fun element of this game is that when all the dice have been chosen, they must be re-rolled into the lid of the game box used as a dice tray. Depending on their position in the lid, these dice may yield bonus shells in addition to their value. In addition to paying for aquariums, you can also use shells to enhance exhibits or apply special effects. The sea is infinite and so are the choices!
Wreck Raiders is not a complex game in terms of gameplay, but at the same time it is a very challenging and tactical game, where players face many choices and can thwart each other a lot. Which die do you choose and leave for your opponents? Where do you put your divers? Do you take the bonus for an opponent for granted or do you go for a different choice? Which aquarium pieces and exhibits are you trying to collect and do you manage to collect these before your opponents do? This game is definitely not a wreck, but a valuable treasure in your game cabinet!
