Alessandro Rocchi
In this review we talk about The Score, a minimalist RPG that allows you to carry out adrenaline robberies in just 30 minutes of gameplay.
This game is published by Tin Star Games in English only, and we appreciate you providing us with a preview copy to help us write this review. We recommend that you follow them on their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and their official website to discover many new and exciting projects!
But above all I suggest you visit the Kickstarter page through which the author is funding the project.
The Game Materials
Let’s start by saying that the game is designed for a number of players between 2 and 6, so it can definitely become a great tool to introduce, in one fell swoop, so many people to role-playing games.
As play material we have: Talent Cards, Deed Cards, Playguide, card block and the sheet with instructions.
The 18 Talent Cards represent special abilities, advanced technological gadgets or similar; their characteristics are simple to understand and well presented.
Then we have the Act Cards, which represent the 5 (numbered) moments of the robbery, from its beginning to its end. The odd acts are those in which everything goes according to plan; even ones are those that contain the critical moments.
5 Playguides are cards that summarize the game system and important information for players. I think they are another great tool to put newcomers at ease.
The sheets block allows you to keep track of the variables that outline the progress of a game; each participant must have one to be able to write down what is explained later in this review.
The instructions are written in a clear and easily understandable way, allowing a quick consultation; a further advantage is the large presence of examples.
In short, cards, blocks and the foldable instruction sheet make The Score a role-playing game that can be brought to dinners, fairs, meetings and many other occasions; all the materials are in a small container and to play you don’t need anything else (except something to write)!
The Preparatory Phase
Speaking of preparation, the first thing to do is to extract three cards from the deck of Talents and with the prompts that are at the top of the cards build the previous one; by this term I mean what will have to be stolen, where and any NPCs involved.
12 of the 18 available Talent cards are divided among the players. Therefore, depending on the players, you can have 2 to 6 cards in your hand. Once this is done, each player records the “Talents” received in his card; they will be the skills that the character will have available during the robbery. After that the cards will be put back into the deck.
Now you have to build the actual deck of the game; you draw, blankets, 4 cards and place the card Act 2 under them; then the card Act 3 will be placed under 3 other cards covered. Then it will be the turn of the Act 4 card and so on. This part is important because, until you draw the card of the next Act, you remain in the current Act and activate all the effects related to it.
The preparation of The Score is really fast and simple, in a few minutes you are ready to jump into action!
Review of The Score System
The rules of The Score are minimalist, simple and immediate; it manages to fully comply with the promise of concluding a session in just 30 minutes.
Starting from the player who has seen a robbery movie more recently, you turn the card at the top of the deck and check if one of the members of the gang has the Talent; if so, if it is an odd act, the player with the Talent tells how it helps him in the robbery; if it is an even act, he will tell how the Talent helped them, but with the addition of a complication.
In the case that none of the gang possesses the extracted Talent, in odd acts one of the players (the one with the fewest cards) will tell how that Talent is not useful; in even acts, instead, it will be told how the enemies use the Talent against the players. Whoever tells the scene then keeps the card to himself. Then continue with the next player, who will turn the next card and continue with the same method.
The final act represents an exception to these mechanics; if you extract a Talent possessed by a player, it is told as if you were in an odd act, while, if the Talent is not present on any card, it is told as if you were in an odd act.
In short, a simple regulation that focuses everything on roleplay; it is definitely suitable for game groups that really like to play, but also for those who just want to enjoy a quick card game to play. I found very fascinating the feeling at Ocean’s Eleven that it was able to give me.
The Artistic Side of The Score
The Score from an aesthetic point of view is truly captivating, especially thanks to the chosen color palette that contains only three colors: red, white and black. This makes all the materials immediately recognizable, with its own stle and beautiful even just to exhibit. You can see some of these illustrations from The Score among the images included in this review.
All Talents cards have simple illustrations and an unmistakable style; with a little experience, they therefore allow you to understand their operation without even reading the title. In addition, the font is simple and well readable, another value that favors the immediacy of the game.
From an artistic point of view, The Score is a laudable title.
The cards are about the size of a playing card, they are rigid and porous to the touch, so they will withstand the elements. It can be seen that the care in the materials is at its best and that the author aims to exploit high quality materials.
Back for More – The Expansion
Along with the base game we were provided with the Back for More mini-expansion, a really interesting addition. In fact, it adds 7 new Talent cards, 1 additional Playguide as well as new rules and game variants.
Let’s start by saying that the quality of the mini-expansion cards is the same as those of the base game; moreover, the new Talent cards are all special, excellent to give a little more pepper to your plays. I find extremely useful the presence of a symbol of a building on them, which allows to divide them easily from the base ones. But remember that the game is calibrated to use a deck of 18 cards, so you will still need to remove some base cards and replace them with those of the expansion you want to use.
Among the new game modes introduced we have the one that allows you to play up to 9 players, the one that allows on the contrary the solo games and the one that brings the style of play to movies like Die Hard or Mission Impossible.
We also find more gameplay tips and other examples, which are never too many. In short, the expansion manages to give a breath of freshness and very welcome new content.
Conclusions of The Score Review
In conclusion, The Score is a great hybrid between RPG and party game, a quick game to bring on various occasions.
Its strengths are the quality of the materials, the simplicity of the rules and the speed of a game; as a defect (although it does not necessarily have to be) instead we must bear in mind the fact that, in the absence of proactive players, the game could easily become a simple card game in which the story loses value.
That said, it is definitely a recommended purchase, if only to try something new to play in a halfhour!
