The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Cheapass Games, you rule.

This time, I'm raving about "Spree! (Hong Kong Edition)" which is another dirt-cheap board game. This time, you're a gun-toting looter at a run-down mall. Your goal is to get all of the stuff you can carry from the shops and to your car. Once you have enough, you drive away- i.e. you win.

Of course, everyone else has guns too. That means that the mall becomes an urban warzone as crazed looters ransack the stores, blast each other and mug their rivals- all in the pursuit of driving away with loads of free stuff. It's a lot like an old-school Car Wars scenario, without the cars (or half the rules).

You'll need two pawns per player; one is the man, the other is the man's car. You'll also need two poker decks, which get shuffled into a single deck (Identical decks are a plus, and retain the jokers.), 2d6, a scoring pad and a pencil. The rest is in the envelope.

To play, shuffle the decks together and deal five cards per player. (When the deck runs out, reshuffle.) Roll to see who parks first; high roll wins. First player parks his car, then go around the table. (Yes, this is important. It cuts distance you have to run.) Play starts with the last parker- *he* goes first, then go around again.

You roll the dice to move. You use the cards as a shopping list; the board has squares that match certain cards. Reach that square, and you put the card on the table. It's now in your cart. (You can do this several times a turn, and you usually will.) 10s and 2s can be used to augment movement, at your option. Jokers are wild, and Aces can counter actions (including other Aces).

You steal by reaching a rival's square. You play cards that match ranks with your rival's cards; doing so means you steal all matching cards, so playing one Queen gets all three of your rival's Queens. This forces you to discard the one you use to steal with.

You shoot by rolling 1d6, then count out from your square. (This makes all rolls of 1 an automatic miss.) If your roll is less than the range, you miss. If you're dead-on, you knock down your rival and take another turn straight away. If you exceed it, you push the foe back before knocking them down- then take another turn.

You score by taking your loot to your car. When you do this, you record your score on the pad. Numbered cards score their worth. Face cards score 10 + rank, so a Jack is 11 points. (Aces = 15, Jokers = 0.) There's no stealing from cars.

There are rules for a more Hong Kong flavor, and I do suggest using them once you get the hang of the base rules. This is one game everyone can get into, and it's great for party playing. It's only $3, so why not get a copy?

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 3 (Average)

Spree! (Hong Kong Edition)
Author: James Ernest Category: Board Game Company/Publisher: Cheapass Games Cost: $3 (US) Page count: n/a ISBN: n/a Capsule Review by Bradford C. Walker on 01/14/99. Genre tags: Modern_day Comedy	Cheapass Games, you rule. This time, I'm raving about "Spree! (Hong Kong Edition)" which is another dirt-cheap board game. This time, you're a gun-toting looter at a run-down mall. Your goal is to get all of the stuff you can carry from the shops and to your car. Once you have enough, you drive away- i.e. you win. Of course, everyone else has guns too. That means that the mall becomes an urban warzone as crazed looters ransack the stores, blast each other and mug their rivals- all in the pursuit of driving away with loads of free stuff. It's a lot like an old-school Car Wars scenario, without the cars (or half the rules). You'll need two pawns per player; one is the man, the other is the man's car. You'll also need two poker decks, which get shuffled into a single deck (Identical decks are a plus, and retain the jokers.), 2d6, a scoring pad and a pencil. The rest is in the envelope. To play, shuffle the decks together and deal five cards per player. (When the deck runs out, reshuffle.) Roll to see who parks first; high roll wins. First player parks his car, then go around the table. (Yes, this is important. It cuts distance you have to run.) Play starts with the last parker- he goes first, then go around again. You roll the dice to move. You use the cards as a shopping list; the board has squares that match certain cards. Reach that square, and you put the card on the table. It's now in your cart. (You can do this several times a turn, and you usually will.) 10s and 2s can be used to augment movement, at your option. Jokers are wild, and Aces can counter actions (including other Aces). You steal by reaching a rival's square. You play cards that match ranks with your rival's cards; doing so means you steal all matching cards, so playing one Queen gets all three of your rival's Queens. This forces you to discard the one you use to steal with. You shoot by rolling 1d6, then count out from your square. (This makes all rolls of 1 an automatic miss.) If your roll is less than the range, you miss. If you're dead-on, you knock down your rival and take another turn straight away. If you exceed it, you push the foe back before knocking them down- then take another turn. You score by taking your loot to your car. When you do this, you record your score on the pad. Numbered cards score their worth. Face cards score 10 + rank, so a Jack is 11 points. (Aces = 15, Jokers = 0.) There's no stealing from cars. There are rules for a more Hong Kong flavor, and I do suggest using them once you get the hang of the base rules. This is one game everyone can get into, and it's great for party playing. It's only $3, so why not get a copy? Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 3 (Average)