Built To Rule The Skies
Airport Empire is only the second game I’ve ever backed on Kickstarter, I’m not against backing games, I’m just new to it, and want to back projects I really truly expect to enjoy and not just ones that look good. When I saw Airport Empire it looked like a great board game adaptation of a casual simulation video game I’ve played and enjoyed and I couldn’t resist the chance to get my hands on a copy.
My copy of Airport Empire arrived mid-February and I immediately jumped into the unboxing but managed to resist telling my husband for a few days so it would be a great birthday surprise for him, for us to play together. It’s safe to say he was pleased with the game too.
Game Unboxing and Setup
I firstly want to point out how much thought I believe must have gone into the boxing itself of Airport Empire and its components. The thing that stands out most for me is the foam box insert that safely holds everything and feels like a step up from the standard cardboard or plastic inserts that most games come with. (Plus I love that my game came with a gold Kickstarter edition sticker on the box, a touching feature.)
Airport Empire came with two decks of cards (bonus cards and event cards), a whole load of different building tiles (such as terminals, car parks, and security guards), the pieces that make up two complete player boards (a 3-4 player expansion was available but I chose not to get this at the time), and various other essential game components such as coin tokens and counters.
Setup is simple and easy, each player takes the smallest piece of their airport board, an airstrip (which as the game progresses is added to to increase the size of the board), and a tracker to help them keep score of their airport ratings, plus a bit of starting money and the player cubes of one colour. First player is determined and gets to choose one of two airstrip suitable planes to place in their airport, and the other player gets the remaining plane. Then play can begin.
Gameplay Overview
Playing a game of Airport Empire is fairly simple. Players take alternating turns, each time following the same structure. Take an event card and read it out loud, completing the effects if there are any. Roll the dice and compare the result to the aeroplane board (this determines how much money each player earns based on which planes they have on their board). Players can then spend as much or as little of their money as they like on purchasing buildings and services for their airport (such as a terminal, a hangar, a bus stop, a fire truck) and/or bonus cards (to give them the edge over the other player), and then end their turn by improving their overall score based on their individual airport ratings (which are happiness, profit, and efficiency).
The game can progress quite quickly to begin with as buildings are inexpensive and only a small number are required before expanding the airport to incorporate more planes, but with each expansion of the airport the buildings cost increases and players have to determine whether or not to continue to purchase the smaller and less-effective buildings or splurge on something more costly for a higher reward.
Final Thoughts
As the actions taken by players in Airport Empire rely on luck-of-the-die (as this determines your financial gain and therefore what you can and can’t buy), we’ve had playthroughs where one player totally annihilated and dominated over the other, and playthroughs where the differences between us were so slim it was impossible to tell who was going to win even after the game was over (there is a slight adjustment to scores with endgame challenges). I personally both love and hate games that are luck-based; love them because I don’t need full brain power to play and have fun and it’s just as easy for new players to win as it is for skilled players, but I hate them because, well, when things are unlucky for me I’m just a naturally sore loser.
I love the simplicity of Airport Empire’s basic structure, it’s a game I could play with friends who are totally new to board games without too much trouble, but it’s just complex enough to not be boring for us experienced gamers.
Personally, I would have loved the 3-4 player expansion to be part of the base game and not something that was made available separately as part of the Kickstarter project. I initially thought when backing the project that Airport Empire would be more complex than it is, and that my son (age 9) wouldn’t be able to play. He hasn’t yet had a go at the game but I think after a single game with some support and guidance, he would be able to play on his own, and enjoy it just as much as we did (yay).
Heads up, this game can get mean! The bonus cards are used whenever you feel like sabotaging your opponent or creating a significant advantage over them and can really change the game in a matter of moments!
My Own Playthrough Score?
I like to add a little bit at the end of my thoughts to share my own success (or failure) on the game. Before sharing my results I feel I should first point out that I have an uncanny way of being better than everyone else at board games when we are all totally new to playing them, and then falling behind when everyone else develops a play style for the game. My husband and I have already played many games of Airport Empire and my win percentage is around 75%, so it’s safe to say I’m doing alright.
In order to end the game, one player has to reach maximum points on the scoreboard and have one of each specific type of building (hangar, terminal, accommodation, transport). Usually by the time one player has triggered endgame the other is really close behind, and with one extra turn, can pull into the lead or create a draw; every turn counts.
About the Author: My name is Charlotte and I’m a married mum of two boys, one with special needs, and one who is turning into a gamer like me. I love board and video games and have been playing games since before I can remember. Airport Empire is only my second backed Kickstarter board game and I’ve not regretted it one bit. The positive experience is leading me to look into even more Kickstarter games.
