Robots and board games go hand in hand. There are a lot of good games out there with our android friends mixed into the theme and it can feel like you’ve seen them all. What about a robot game with mystery and hidden information? Today we will discuss a game that does just that titled “3 Laws of Robotics”.
3 Laws of Robotics is a 4-8 player game from Floodgate Games. It is designed by Ben Kanelos and illustrated by Tristam Rossin with game development by Ben Harkins.
The game is played over four rounds with players receiving a Faction Card each round that reveal to everyone but themselves. Players ask questions to learn their own faction and rank.
Gameplay:
Setup is based on player count, where a certain number of Factions will be used with variable rankings. Shuffle the Law and Victory Point cards and set them off to the side. Give each play a Security Key card to begin. Each round a new Law card is revealed, 1 less than round (example: Round 3: 2 Law Cards).
Shuffle the Faction cards and give one to each player face-down.
Each round has 6 phases:
1-Wake Up
In the first phase, players will show their cards to all other players without looking at their own card. Laws are now in effect.
2-Query
Beginning with the starting player the current player must query another player. The questioned player must respond but it doesn’t have to be the truth. The goal of questioning is to try and determine your faction and rank from other players.
3-Transfer
Beginning with the starting player the current player chooses to keep their Security card or give it to another player. That player may reject or keep it.
4-Reveal
All players simultaneously reveal their Faction cards placing them face-up on the table in front of them. Laws are done now
5-Score
Players earn Victory Point cards (worth 1-3 points) based on their faction as follows:
-If only the high ranking member of the faction has one or more security keys, every gets one card.
-If a player is the only member of the faction with keys, they earn an extra card.
Players also earn VP cards for enforcing errors during the round. Any player with an Enforcement token earns a VP card. Players may look at these cards but they keep them secret until the end of the game.
6-Clean Up
Collect all the Faction cards and shuffle them together. Place Laws in the discard pile and return all Security Keys. The player with the most VP cards is the new start player.
Law cards introduce a fun mechanic that must be obeyed for the round. If a player catches another player breaking the Law card, they may call an Error on that player and gain an Enforcement token from the supply.
Overall Impressions:
3 Laws of Robotics sets up a simple yet fun and effective hidden-information game that can be played in a relatively fast amount of time. The game plays well with a larger amount of people so it can be a great gateway game or party game to start a night. Make sure to check this one out if you enjoy bluffing/party styles games that are high on fun-I expect this one to be a hit for our more casual gamers!
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