CAGE OF REASON (#40)
REVIEWER NAME: Brian Hollenbeck/Kuma Pageworks
1) CREATIVE AND EFFECTIVE INCORPORATION OF RULES (1-10): 5
Feedback: Cage of Reason blends 18th Century philosophical battles with modern-day wrestling. The ingredients – law, team and steel. I went back and forth on this score – overall, I think that the connections between the chosen ingredients are half-hearted. But then I also think that that it’s a combination that I wouldn’t have come up with myself. The time component is strong, with each session having its own purpose – showcasing a different wrestling extravaganza.
2) CLARITY (1-10): 8
Feedback: The game is quite well written, and it should be immediately clear to the reader what’s going on – which is an asset, considering the odd nature of the game’s combination – philosophy + wrestling.
3) COMPLETENESS (1-10): 8
Feedback: Cage of Reason is quite complete, with everything that you need to play except a working knowledge of 18th Century philosophers. The game gets around this by suggesting that you create fictional characters. I would have liked to have seen a selection of historical philosophers and orators in the back of the game, simply to help players find their ground with creating moves for their own characters. The author does a great job with the sample characters, but doesn’t offer a lot of advice on how to come up with the moves and special moves on your own.
4) ESTIMATED EFFECTIVENESS IN PLAY (1-10): 7
Feedback: I’m not sure how effective the game would be at the table – I’ve heard of one group giving it a try already, so maybe it’s just me – but the juxtaposition of the two in the game might leave a lot of folks cold.
5) SWING VOTE (1-10): 6
Final Feedback: This was the hardest of my four official games to review. I want to like this game – I want to like it a lot. But the professional wrestling stuff leaves me cold and makes me rate it a bit lower than I would otherwise in this category. On the other hand, I think that it’s a very creative and inventive game – which is something that I’m all for and want to reward. I think it’s a good sign that a game can actually make me think this hard about my own tastes in gaming.
TOTAL: 34. Average: 6.8