[Kickstarter] Corporations! by Monkey Finger Games
October 1, 2013 NewsRecently a new Monkey FInger Games Kickstarter campaign launched for their upcoming card game, simply called Corporations! This card game for 2 – 4 players is all about the scheming and underhandedness of giant corporations. Play against your friends and battle for control of their businesses using Power, MOney, or Stocks. The person with the most power at the end of the game is the winner.
If the name Monkey Finger Games sounds familiar, it may be because I previewed their previous Kickstarter campaign for a game called “The Award Goes To” (read the previous preview). Though that game wasn’t successful in its funding campaign, Monkey Finger Games did send a print-and-play copy of the completed game to all people who pledged to support the game. I like that integrity, and according to their page for Corporations! they’ll be offering the same treatment.
I was sent an early preview of Corporations! and had a chance to look it over. It’s up to the same standard of quality as “The Award Goes To,” which is to say the cards are simple but effective. I really like the iconography of the Power, Money, and Stocks cards especially–the images are large, simple to discern from one another, and not placed on top of cluttered backgrounds. It’s easy even for someone with a visual impairment to know, at a glance, what type of card is in his/her hand, and that’s a huge plus in my book.
The rules of the game are simple — you may either choose to discard 3 of your 5 cards and drop back up to 5, or you may choose to attack another player for control of his/her corporation. You may use Power (represented by a fist icon), Money (represented by money) or Stocks (represented by a Stocks icon). Each type of attack card shows–again in a large, clear font–whether it’s worth +1, +2, or +3 power. When you attack another player, show your appropriate cards (Power, Money, or Stocks) and compare them to the defender. If your cards total more than theirs, you get to take the corporation of your choice.
It’s not always a safe bet to attack another player though. If the defender beats the attacker by 2 or more points, the defender may take control of one of the attacker’s corporations. Better be careful.
The game isn’t just about using Power, Money, and Stocks though. Each of your corporation cards has its own unique mechanic and may provide other bonuses or special options that alter play somewhat. Some may grant you a +1 bonus on any attempt to use Power to overtake a corporation, for example, while another may let you discard and draw one card before making an attack (normally, discarding and drawing up to three cards will end your turn).
With a name like Monkey Finger Games you can expect some silliness, and you’ll find a lot of it in the names of the corporations. There are 18 different corporation cards, and a few of their names made me genuinely laugh out loud when I first read them. Here are some highlights:
“5. Fruit Saver Corp. (Founded: 1981 A.D.) Players with this card get to draw an unused corporation card out of the box if they take over MartSoft Computer Inc., with a MONEY attack” — think about this one for just a moment.
“9. Spears and Stuff, Weapon Manufacturer (Founded: 8250 B.C.) Players with this card have an additional +1 to FIST attack and defense.”
And my favorite…
“17. Pompeii Cement Company, Inc. (Founded: 60 A.D.)”
Overall, the game is very simple and even has an optional rule for children. I like that it’s kid-friendly, but the theme of the game seems like it may be a bit over the heads of the wee ones. Your mileage may vary with your own children, though.
Corporations! is an interesting and accessible card game for 2 to 4 players. If you’re interested in a fun game without too much complexity, you may want to consider heading over to the Kickstarter page and pitching in.
Visit the Corporations! Kickstarter page to Pledge.
