The Hunger Games: District 12 – Session Impressions

Hey!  The Hunger Games: District 12 podcast (Psst.  Click the link.) is up!

I do find it funny that our play group spends a fair amount of time comparing this game to the book.  Wasn’t there supposed to be some movie that Wizkids went nuts getting the rights to and publishing a gigantic pile of products over?  Oh well.

So here’s the quick and dirty for those too snooty to listen and laugh along with our podcast.  If you’re going to play one game based upon The Hunger Games, so far, this is your best bet.  I would call District 12 enjoyable.  Many would disagree with me.  There’s a lot of contention over the main mechanic which goes: “As we play the game, whenever a person falls behind, they put a number of ballots into a large glass ball.  At the end of the game, one name is pulled, that person is going to the Hunger Games and loses, and, out of the people who has not yet lost, the person who did the best wins.  By the way, everyone always has one ballot in the glass ball.”  There’s a lot of people who don’t like losing out of left field, and a lot who don’t like people who win by stretching themselves out beyond what should be rational.  Whatever.  The world of the Hunger Games is cruel and capricious, like this raspberry that I’m sharing with all those logic game purists.  Ppffffffttt!

To be fair, though, if you have no interest in The Hunger Games franchise at all, you should probably pick up another game.  This isn’t the most revolutionary thing I’ve ever played, it’s just a good translation for the book/movie.  Everyone else who isn’t completely turned off by this mini review, should probably listen to the podcast to figure out whether you will like the game or not.  To everyone who is completely turned on by this mini review… I’m free on Sunday nights.