Europe has fallen into chaos. Riots, street fights, failing economy. Inventing genetic modifications was supposed to fix these problems but failed miserably. The discovery started an even bigger conflict: the modificant faction rose to power, opposed regular humans and led the world to ruin.
It’s year 2045 now, two decades after all these events. You have wandered through abandoned wastelands of the post-war world to finally arrive at the Fortress – a final asylum for humans. After a year of living inside, you’re forced to go on your first expedition outside the walls, and finally be of use to others.
What will you find? What is left of the old world? Can you survive more than one day in this unforgiving territory?
Posthuman and post-Posthuman
Mighty Boards is a board game publishing company based on Malta. They’re a tabletop specialized branch of Mighty Box – a video game development studio.
Mighty Boards began their Kickstarter journey in 2015 with Posthuman, and followed it with Vengeance, a weather themed Petrichor and historical strategy Nights of Fire: Battle of Budapest. Posthuman Saga is actually a new take on their debut project. According to the creators, apart from similar settings, both games have little to do with each other. If you look closely at their stories though, the newer one could be considered a sequel.
Surviving in the Wilds
Each player picks a character and gets a mini board and a figurine. There are 4 to choose from, with additional 2 coming in the expansion. While playing you keep track of many resources and values. There are tons of these: broadcast tokens, food, intel, reputation, ammo, drugs, weaponry, experience, fatigue, morale and more.
Everyone draws a mission objective card, but keeps it secret from others. Players can improve their characters by spending XP on Development Cards. You win by gaining the most reputation points, so that your hero becomes famous enough to have a guaranteed spot in The Fortress. How to achieve that? You can turn unused XP points into reputation but the main source comes from completing mission and recon objectives. The faster you complete them, the more rewards you get.
Broadcast Bidding
Broadcast Tower is yet another interesting mechanic used in Posthuman Saga. It sends messages about nearby terrain but finding signal, and getting the operator’s attention, is close to a miracle.
Each turn begins with auction-like bidding, where heroes place bids using broadcast tokens. Amounts chosen dictate the new turn order and how the tiles are picked. Winner has more tiles to choose from and can affect the future terrain according to his or her taste and needs.
The Saga Continues
There is also an expansion planned and higher pledge options already have it included. The story deals with slave trains and a stronghold created by the mutant faction. Posthuman: Resistance expands the base game with 2 character figurines, new terrain tiles, additional cards, objectives and mechanics.
The campaign for Posthuman Saga had a strong start, and early bird discounts for first 48 hours surely had some influence on it. The game itself feels fresh and unique enough to attract even more backers. Numbers are currently sitting 205 000 USD, but the pledge amount is growing fast. Core box is planned to ship in May 2019, and there are still 28 days left in the campaign.
