As a Gamer who prefers the heavier side of gaming (check my other reviews) this wouldn’t be the usual sort of purchase for us, and I confess since we picked it up in the summer it hadn’t made it to the table, which is a shame, as it turns out as it’s a fun package and as reviewed here, so is the expansion.
Viking Raiders - winner of the judges award at UKGE 2023, is a compact, family-friendly card game in which players take on the role of rival Viking chiefs. The aim is to build strength across three areas: your Navy, your Clan and your Loot.
We had some friends round and we decided to open it up and try it there and then. Simple to teach, straightforward gameplay and we had a bunch of fun - introduce the Loki expansion and you get more chaos - and yes, there's some unpredictability but it all adds to the nice little package called Viking Raiders.
Neatly packed and nice artwork - functional rather than award winning and with slightly comic style, but it actually doesn’t matter as the gameplay moves so fast and the information on the cards is so clear, it doesn’t need to be over engineered artistically.
One thing that is engineered is the pre set deck for your first game and teach - more games should do this. No need to shuffle, just open and play your first game - brilliant. (read the rules first as well, of course!)
Each turn is quick and easy to understand: draw cards, gather resources, buy from the shared market and, when the timing is right, raid your opponents or call on help from the Norse gods. There is a bit of a take that mechanism - one that is not quite as chaotic as flip 7, which is more of a wham bam and push your luck game, whilst this is a little bit more thinky.
The game sits neatly in the gateway-card-game space. It has enough hand management and market timing to give players meaningful choices, but it avoids becoming heavy or slow. The central market gives everyone something to watch, while raids add direct interaction without making the game feel overly punishing. Because the win condition requires progress in multiple scoring categories, players cannot simply focus on one path; they need to build a balanced Viking reputation, therefore if you miss a particular market card its no the end of the world.
There is a good amount of player interaction, and in such a quick game there is little to no down time between turns, and there is a decent amount of giggling to ensure it is not too serious. If you want a quicker game, just amend the victory point condition.
At two plyers, this is where the game might get a little tricky - you introduce a dummy hand called the Arctic Clan which takes a turn in between each player, and this keeps the market active and gives the players another clan to raid, but it can win the game through its own card accumulation - so watch out!
The same accessibility that makes Viking Raiders welcoming also means it may not satisfy players looking for deep long-term planning - its not imperium, and its not intended to be. Luck does play a role, especially through the card draw and disruptive mythological effects, so some turns can feel more reactive than strategic, but just go with it and have fun with the game.
You might like
- Easy to get to the table - pre set first game in the deck.
- Easy teach and play, suitable for all levels
- Fun and slightly chaotic at times but that is just the game
You might not Like
- The same unpredictability that makes it fun might frustrate some
- Two player variant requires a third dummy player
Components - 3/5
Replayability - 4/5
Player interaction - 4/5
Complexity - 2/5
Artwork - 2/5
Overall Score 70
