Barrage

Summary

👥 A game for 1 – 4 players
⏳ Play time is 60 – 120 minutes
🏢 Publisher is Cranio Creations

Introduction

In Barrage, you fight to control the power of water in an alternate 1930s where fossil fuels have run dry and the Alps roar with untapped energy.
As the head of a powerful energy corporation, you’ll build dams, channel water through clever conduits, and generate electricity to drive a new industrial era. But you’re not alone, your rivals compete for the same resources and won’t hesitate to block your plans.

With the game’s unique construction wheel, you’ll manage resources, plan ahead, and shape your energy empire. Every move counts in this battle of strategy, innovation, and ambition.

Will you turn the tide and leave your mark on history?

Let’s get in on the table

Lay the main game board centrally on the table, depicting the intricate network of rivers and basins. Place the Energy Track and Management Boards adjacent to the main board. Prepare the general supply by placing Excavators, Concrete Mixers, Credits in separate piles, and set aside the Water Drops.

Shuffle the Headstream Tiles and randomly select four to place face-up in the designated spaces on the map, returning the rest to the box. Shuffle the Bonus Tiles and place five face-up on the Energy Track, and shuffle the Objective Tiles, placing one in the designated space at the end of the Energy Track.

For Contracts, shuffle the National Contract Tiles and place a number equal to the number of players minus one face-up on the Management Board. Divide the Private Contract Tiles by their backs, shuffle each pile, and place them face-down on the Management Board, revealing the top two tiles from each pile. Divide the Neutral Dam Setup Tiles by their backs, draw one from each pile, and place Neutral Dams in the indicated basins, placing one Water Drop behind each Neutral Dam.

Assign Company Boards and Executive Officer Tiles to each player as recommended in the rulebook for the introductory game.

Each player receives;

-Company Board,
-Executive Officer Tile,
-Construction Wheel,
-12 Engineers,
-6 Credits,
-6 Excavators,
-4 Concrete Mixers,

 And the structures in their color: 5 Bases, 5 Elevations, 5 Conduits, and 4 Powerhouses.

Each player also receives the Starting Contract Tile matching their Company. Randomly determine the first player and place Turn Order markers on the Energy Track accordingly.

Assemble each player’s Construction Wheel, ensuring it rotates smoothly. Distribute Player Aid Tiles to each player for quick reference during gameplay. Set up the Patent Office by placing the Patent Office Board next to the main board. Divide the Advanced Technology Tiles by their backs, shuffle each pile, and place them face-down on the Patent Office Board, revealing the top three tiles from pile I.

With the setup complete, you’re ready to embark on your hydroelectric adventure in Barrage. May your engineering prowess lead you to victory!

Let’s play

Barrage is a strategic resource management and worker placement game where players act as competing energy companies aiming to harness hydroelectric power.

The game revolves around building dams, constructing conduits, and generating electricity to fulfill contracts and score points.

How to accumulate the most victory points during the game:
-Constructing and upgrading dams, conduits, and powerhouses.
– Generating electricity to fulfill contracts.
-Achieve objectives and bonuses throughout the game.

The game is played over five rounds, each consisting of the following phases:

Income Phase: Players collect income based on their built structures and unlocked bonuses.

Headstream Phase: Water drops are added to the board according to the headstream tiles.

Action Phase: Players take turns placing engineers to perform actions such as building structures, acquiring contracts, or generating power.

During this Phase, players can:
-Construct Structures: Use the construction wheel to build dams, conduits, and powerhouses.

When you build a structure, you’ll place the required resources, Excavators and/or Concrete Mixers, along with the corresponding technology tile onto your Construction Wheel. After placing them, rotate the wheel. The resources and tile will become available again after a full rotation, simulating construction time.

The costs are related on where they are build.

Dam Bases are the foundation of your water storage. You can build a Dam Base in any available space marked with a Base icon. The cost varies by terrain;
Plains: 3 Excavators,
Hills: 4 Excavators and
The Mountains: 5 Excavators

You can only build Elevations on your own Dam Bases, the maximum level is three.

Elevations: To increase a dam’s capacity, you can add up to two elevations on top of a Dam Base. Each Elevation raises the dam’s level by one, allowing it to hold more water. Costs are;
Plains: 2 Concrete Mixers,
Hills: 3 Concrete Mixers
The Mountains: 4 Concrete Mixers

Conduits channel water from dams to powerhouses. To build a conduit the cost is 2 Excavators multiplied by the conduit’s energy production value. Conduits can be used by any player, but if another player uses your conduit, they must pay you 1 Credit per Water Drop, and you gain 1 Victory Point per Water Drop used.

Each player can have only one Powerhouse per basin, which convert water flow into energy.

To build one, the cost are;
2 Concrete Mixers plus 1 additional Concrete Mixer for each Powerhouse you’ve already built.
If the space has a red outline, add 3 Credits to the cost.

-Acquire Contracts: Obtain contracts that provide points and bonuses when fulfilled
-Generate Electricity: Activate powerhouses to convert water flow into energy
-Upgrade Technologies: Enhance capabilities through advanced technology tiles
-Manage Resources: Efficiently allocate concrete mixers, excavators, and credits

Production Phase: Players generate electricity by moving water through their dams and conduits to powerhouses.

End of Round:
Players check for bonuses, objectives, and prepare for the next round.

Determine New Turn Order: The player who produced the least energy during the round becomes the first player in the next round.
Reset Energy Track: All players move their Energy markers back to the “0” position on the Energy Track
Retrieve Engineers: Each player collects their Engineers from the action spaces and returns them to their personal supply.

Refresh Advanced Technology Tiles

Income and Headstream Preparation: Players receive income bonuses from their built structures, as indicated by the “!” symbols on their Company boards and place Water Drops on the Headstream tiles according to the number shown on each tile.

The End-of-Round Phase is not performed after the fifth round, as the game concludes following the Scoring Phase of that round.

Water is a central element in Barrage. It flows from the mountains through rivers, and players must strategically position their structures to capture and utilize this flow. Controlling water effectively is key to generating electricity and fulfilling contracts.

So, at the beginning of each round except the fifth, water drops are placed on the Headstream tiles at the top of the game board. The number of water drops added to each Headstream is indicated on the tile for the current round. These water drops will begin to flow downstream during the Water Flow Phase.

After all players have taken their actions for the round, the Water Flow Phase begins:

Water drops move one at a time from the Headstreams down the rivers and basins on the board.

When a water drop encounters a dam, it stops behind it if the dam has available capacity. Each dam can hold a number of waterdrops equal to its level, base plus any elevations. If the dam is already at full capacity, the water drop continues downstream.

If there are no dams to block its path, the water drop continues to flow downstream until it either encounters a dam or exits the board at the bottom, representing water lost to the sea.

Players can also influence water flow during their turns by Water Management Actions.

Adding Water Drops and using the Water Management action, players can add water drops to Headstreams, either to be released immediately or during the next Water Flow Phase. By carefully choosing where and when to add water, players can control the availability of water for their own dams and potentially disrupt opponents’ plans.

This is how you play Barrage!

The Game Ends

The game ends the scoring phase of the fifth round. Then the final scoring take place.
You score victory points according to the objective tile. The first player scores 15 VP, the second 10 VP and the third player scores 5 VP

Score VP for the resources you have left in your supply, add those together and for every 5 items you get 1 VP.
Score 1 VP for each Water Drop held by your personal dams.

And the player with the most VP is the winner of Barrage.

Conclusie & eindscore

Difficulty: 4.12/ 5
Re-playability: 8
Our score: 8,5 out of 10 dice

Barrage is a captivating and enjoyable game that had been on our review radar for quite some time. Now that we’ve had the chance to play it, it’s brought immense joy to our game nights.

Even with just two players, Barrage offers a compelling experience. However, as the player count increases, the strategic depth intensifies. The diversity in terrain types adds an extra layer of strategy. Players can choose to invest early in higher terrains to better control water flow, a decision that, while costly upfront, can pay dividends later. Conversely, starting in lower terrains can also lead to victory, depending on how one leverages contracts and energy production.

The game’s multiple avenues to earn victory points, be it through fulfilling contracts or maximizing energy output, ensure that each playthrough offers fresh challenges and strategies. The variety of Companies and Executive Officers further enhances replayability, making every game feel distinct.

With three or four players, the board becomes a dynamic arena of competing strategies. It’s common to plan a move only to have another player disrupt it, forcing a quick pivot. This constant need to adapt keeps everyone engaged and sharp. Moreover, focusing on your Company’s and Executive Officer’s unique abilities can open alternative paths to success, even when others are vying for common objectives.

Water flow is central to Barrage, and it’s commendable how players can influence it through water management actions on the management board.

While the construction wheel is an innovative mechanic, it did present some challenges during gameplay. A more refined design could enhance the user experience.

A standout feature in Barrage is the contract system, which adds a compelling layer of strategy and motivation. Fulfilling contracts requires careful planning of energy production, as each contract specifies an energy value that must be met. This mechanic encourages players to anticipate when they’ll have sufficient energy to meet contract requirements and to strategize accordingly throughout the rounds. The satisfaction of aligning your energy production with contract goals adds depth and enjoyment to the gameplay.

We had the privilege of using the Folded Space inlay for Barrage, which we consider a must-have. Without it, setup time increases significantly, potentially deterring players from bringing the game to the table. That said, the game’s components, especially the wooden pieces, are of commendable quality. We did encounter some issues during the initial unboxing, with a few damaged contracts. However, these were promptly replaced, resolving the concern.

Despite its depth, Barrage doesn’t dominate table space excessively, leaving room for other essentials, a pleasant surprise for a game of its caliber.

Thanks to Cranio Creations for this review copy and the opportunity to write about this game.