Let's get this out of the way right from the off: Men at Work is just brilliant fun. It's tense, it's difficult, and it is absolutely hilarious to play. I love this game. You start with three supports, a girder of each colour laid across them, and a single brave worker (a 'meeple') ready to risk it all for the project.
Men at Work uses a clever draw deck system. You flip the top card to see what you have to do, but the back of the next card in the deck tells you what you're laying. It might be a worker with two bricks, or a girder that has to touch at least two different colours. If you screw up and something falls, you lose a safety certificate (you have three lives), and the next player has to deal with the carnage you've left behind.
Nitty Gritty Stuff
It's hard to have a complex "nitty gritty" for such a straightforward dexterity game, but here goes. Each turn, you flip the top card to find your instructions. There are two main categories: Girders and Workers. And just as a side note, the workers have little removable hard hats safety first, after all!
Let's get this out of the way right from the off: Men at Work is just brilliant fun. It's tense, it's difficult, and it is absolutely hilarious to play. I love this game. You start with three supports, a girder of each colour laid across them, and a single brave worker (a 'meeple') ready to risk it all for the project.
Men at Work uses a clever draw deck system. You flip the top card to see what you have to do, but the back of the next card in the deck tells you what you're laying. It might be a worker with two bricks, or a girder that has to touch at least two different colours. If you screw up and something falls, you lose a safety certificate (you have three lives), and the next player has to deal with the carnage you've left behind.
Nitty Gritty Stuff
It's hard to have a complex "nitty gritty" for such a straightforward dexterity game, but here goes. Each turn, you flip the top card to find your instructions. There are two main categories: Girders and Workers. And just as a side note, the workers have little removable hard hats safety first, after all!
If you pull a Girder symbol, you have to place a beam of the corresponding colour while following the instruction on the card. This might be "must be the highest point" or "transporting a brick," meaning you have to balance a brick on the girder while you're actually laying it.
If it's a Worker symbol, you must place a worker on a girder of the matching colour. These also come with challenges, ranging from "close to an edge" to the truly diabolical "holding two beams" on their shoulders.
Each player has three safety certificates. If you place something that falls and touches the table or if you cause a chain reaction that sends half the site into the abyss-you lose a life. If the person before you caused a collapse, it's your job to fix it before you start your turn. You can use your fingers, but there's also a little hook provided to help you reach into the precarious mess.
About two-thirds of the way through the deck, the Manager appears. From then on, if you lay the highest piece of construction on the site, you get an "Employee of the Month" token. These act as victory points if the game ends before everyone is eliminated, but I'll be honest: I've never actually seen a game where more than one person was still standing by the time the cards ran out!
Tips and Tricks
Steady Hands: You absolutely need nerves of steel for this one. Deep breaths and a calm environment are your best friends.
- The Worker Trap: Worker cards are the bane of your existence. Balancing tiny beams and bricks on a meeple's shoulders is a nightmare. Don't rush it.
- Risk versus Reward: Don't overcomplicate your move. You might want to place a girder in a way that makes life difficult for the next player, but make sure you can actually pull it off yourself first!
- Keep it Light: Don't take it too seriously. Men at Work is a light-hearted game meant for laughs, not for a serious architectural debate.
Final Verdict
I love this game, despite my arch-enemy-the beams and their propensity to fall off a worker I've just spent 90 tense seconds trying to position. It's easy, it's funny, and it's brilliantly tense. It's perfect for families, provided the kids have moved past the "let's knock everything over for fun" stage of childhood. A proper winner for any game night.
Zatu Review Summary
Zatu Score
85%
