Update #6 Making decisions & planning

Hello Travellers,
We’ve less than three weeks to go now! With our print & play version ready for the end of our Kickstarter campaign, we’re actually under seven weeks away from you getting your hands on the game!

Our community has recently expanded by more than 300 new subscribers (HELLO!) so we thought we’d do a quick overview of the key bits that make Route East the action-packed gateaway game you will want to play time and time again.

While Route East is a take on your classic racer, there’s a lot more strategy involved than meets the eye! We’ve been refining this delicate balance for 15 months now, and over the last few weeks, we’ve had some great feedback from our playtesters.

Your Route

George (one of our founders) worked out that there is something like 700,000 different route variations you can take. Will you head north and cross the Caspian Sea by boat? Do you go South through Iran? Do you head through Uzbekistan where there’s no fuel, or take the longer route through the mountains of Tajikistan?
The two or three attractions you’re dealt at the start of the game will determine the specific locations you’ll need to pass through, but how you get there is down to you.

Fuel

Fuel plays a big part in the game. You’ll need a Fuel Token for every border you cross (unless you have a specific Action Card in place of it). To get fuel just pass through a fuel station. However, there isn’t one in every country so plan ahead.

On top of that, you’ll need to plan for some level of foul play too. One of the best ways to slow other players down is by stealing their Fuel Tokens with an Action Card – do this just as they get to a border (a favourite play of Jonny’s), and they’re royally screwed. That’ll put them back a few days and if they’re in a country with no fuel, well, that could be a deal-breaker for their race.

Money

You’ll get $450 when you start the game. This will NOT be enough. You might scrape by just with a single visit to an ATM, but picking up Bank Cards blind could either line your wallet, or be a pointless trip. You could dash ahead and skip the ATMs to give yourself some space, but then find yourself in a pickle, or, go to too many out of fear of bankruptcy, and get left behind.

Action Cards

Our playtesters who have enjoyed Route East the most have done so when they’ve realised the true value of Action Cards. From Freight Trains taking you 8 places within a single country, to cards to steal money and fuel off competitors, these are your secret weapon to success. Fast and furious doesn’t always win the race! Sometimes slow and cunning gets you further.

That concludes our short recap! We hope you found it useful.
As mentioned, we’re under 3 weeks to go. Tell your friends, your grandparents, your neighbours and your social acquaintances! We’ve got a realistic goal in place and with your help, we’re going to smash it!

Honestly, we can’t wait for guys to play Route East.

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