Nightshift takes board games away from fantasy or sci-fi and into the real challenges faced by real people, with a few extraordinary twists.
When I talked about the importance of board game themes the other day, this is exactly what I was talking about. Nightshift is a prefect example of how a theme can make a game stand out above the rest. First, take some action point economy, mix in some push your luck mechanics and top it all off with a theme that isn’t just another steampunk fantasy, and now you’ve got something really interesting.
This actually isn’t even the first time I’ve talked about Nightshift. Around this time last year, we took a first look at the game after its initial announcement. But now it’s officially on Kickstarter, and we have a lot more information. I promised a followup, and plus Nightshift is the top of the BGGs hotness list right now. So, here we go! And who says BoLS doesn’t have their fingers on the pulse of the latest board game news?
Nightshift Overview
In Nightshift, players take on the role of a strip club dancer. The overall goal of the players is to charm clients in order to earn the most money over the course of the night. Players might have a chance to interfere with another dancers clients, but that might end up costing them more in the long run.
Each turn, players use action points to navigate the club and discover new customers. Each customer has their own combination of wealth and loyalty. Some will even have preferences for a specific dancer. Engaging with customers requires rolling dice and adding the dancer’s ability score to the roll. Plus power cards and maybe a few drinks can also affect the result.
Once a customer is charmed, players can take them to a private room, or even better, the VIP room. Here, players will use a push-your-luck mechanic in order to maximize earning from the customer without breaking the illusion. This is done either through a combination of dance moves through card draw, while in the private room, or through dice rolls while in the VIP room.
Purchasing drinks at the bar can be a great way to persuade customers to join you for a private meeting, or help keep them with you a bit longer. But don’t forget to keep track of when you’re supposed to get on stage, which can provide extra tips and bonus power cards. But strange things can happen during a full moon, so be ready for anything, when you’re working the Nightshift.
Nightshift is currently running a crowdfunding campaign over on Kickstarter, so be sure to go check that out. Or follow the the games’s main page for all the latest. Like I said before, it’s great that Nightshift is not only exploring a new theme of game, but also one that helps break stigmas for this popular industry.
Will you help out your fellow dancers, or play dirty?
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Matt has loved games of all kinds his whole life: board, video, war, roleplaying. He’s worked as a writer for BoLS since 2017. He’s worked as freelance editor for board game rulebooks and has designed many of his own games as well.
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