RED RISING: Take a Tabletop Trip to Mars

I recently got a chance to play Red Rising, a board game published by Stonemaier Games in 2021. The game is based in the universe created by Pierce Brown, the author of the book, Red Rising, published in 2014. The novel is set on the planet, Mars, in the future. It is the first book in a five-book series. 

 

 

I had never heard of the Red Rising Saga, but I had heard good things about it AND the new board game (really a card game) so I am glad I was asked to play. I found it quite enjoyable. The mechanics of playing a card for its action text, and then picking up a card to use the action on its location is interesting and provides solid tactical and strategic choices. I also enjoyed building the hand that I would use to score bonus points at the end of the game. This added additional layers of strategy and even more tension. Also, the game plays pretty fast with little downtime, which is also welcomed. 

 

I recorded the playthrough, so if you’d like to watch it played, here you go. Thanks for watching, and keep nerding on.