Spyworld

Spyworld is a highly interactive flip&write from Don't Panic Games. It's designed by Frédéric Morard, with art by Emanuele Arnaldi, and it's notionally a game for '2–99' players tho' in reality you probably wouldn't play with more than 6–8. Gameplay is simultaneous so player count doesn't materially affect playing time, which you can expect to come in at around 30 minutes.

The game starts off with similarities to the Welcome To... games from Blue Cocker in that cards are flipped offering a choice of elements that players can incorporate in the 'lair' they are building on their individual sheets. For any element you add, there's a card that tells you which column or row it must ordinarily be placed in. However, you can mark off cash to pay to modify the constraints set by a card... Some placements can increase your budget but you can also spend some of your budget to increase the capabilities of your 'agents' in the next round of the game when you will be sending your agents into the lair of another player.

The writesheets for Spyworld are perforated so you can tear off the section that relates to your agents. You mark off a point of movement as you trace a line through your opponent's lair. You can score by reaching your opponent's 'secrets' (floppy disc icons drawn in the map of the base) but you need to cross off stealth or combat points to pass through squares containing guards. You score for your agents' exploration of your opponent's maze as well as for elements of your own lair; for example, floppy discs not taken by your opponent.

It's with three or more players that the scoring gets more interesting because there are end-game bonuses to be picked up for having explored the most squares, getting passed the most guards and for deploying the fewest gadgets.

With its two distinct phases of planning and exploration, Spyworld might seem like a small step up in complexity in comparison with the average flip&write or roll&write game but it's straightforward once you get going. It's worth flagging that a big plus for Spyworld is the variety that comes in the box. You can play with different boards that vary the effects of the various traps and guards, and you can play with more advanced rules for any gadget cards that are used. This makes for a game with great replayability.

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