Big Boss Review
A few weeks ago, I showed the unboxing and components review of Big Boss – a classic strategy game that has just recently been translated into English for the first time ever! This game plays in a slightly unique way, which is always a welcome experience! This review will focus on the gameplay of Big Boss, from its mechanics to its ease of learning and replayability. If you want to know more about what’s in the box, the component review is available HERE. Now, let’s get right into it!
The objective of Big Boss is to obtain the most money, which may sound quite simple but actually involves a fair amount of strategy. Cards are dealt out, each with a number on them that represents a tile on the board. You play cards to create or expand businesses, which increases their share price. You can invest your money into shares of companies at their current price, which means taking a gamble that someone will expand that business, making your shares more valuable. It can be played with 2-6 players, although we have found a group of 4 to be the sweet spot.
There are some more complicated rules for expansion that we have not played with yet, as the standard set is more than entertaining enough for my board game group. for those looking for a greater challenge, however, you will be happy to know that the game has some rules for added difficulty baked right in. There are lots of opportunities for what I like to call ‘soft sabotage’ where you are not directly harming another player’s chances of winning, but indirectly affect them. One great example of this is not playing a card that would expand a business they are invested in, leaving them with cards that they in turn can also not play.
That being said, the game’s result is determined by a combination of luck and tactics, although I would say it leans towards strategy with luck often playing a minor role in the outcome. We really enjoy this balance because it gives weight to your decisions while allowing for some late-game combacks and friendly drama. Due to this, the game’s replayability in unusually high, with players often wanting to play a second game in a row because they want to try a new strategy. For such a simple-seeming game, Big Boss delivers quite an interesting mix of unique playstyle, luck-strategy balance and replayability.
If you and your board game group are interested in competitive capitalistic games then look no further! Big Boss is definitely one to keep your eye on. Buy low, sell high, friends! Big Boss is available at a number of retailers or direct from its publisher, Funko HERE!