I was recently introduced to Red November and was quite impressed with this little game.

Components
The box is very small. I find this handy because it makes it easier to fit in a game closet and makes it easy to transport. The pieces are packed in very efficiently and very little space is wasted. Games with enormous boxes and very few components bother me – much like a bag of chips that is mostly air. Red November is not like that at all.

The cards, like the other components, are rather small. I like this because there is no need to make them any bigger and the size of all the components contributes to the theme. The tiles are very thick and well made. The gnome pieces are extremely detailed and look great. The only issue I can see with these is that only one foot is connected to the base of the piece (the gnomes are running frantically) which makes them a bit delicate. However, the unique look of the pieces outweighs this possible problem.

The artwork throughout the game looks great! The whole soviet gnome theme is very catchy and well followed in all aspects of the game.

Setup
The setup is pretty easy. Shuffle and stack the cards, flip over the equipment tiles. Gather the disaster tiles, place the grog in the captains quarters, place the level markers and that’s about it.

Mechanics
You can tell that a lot of thought went into the mechanics of this game. The board layout is very good and the equipment/disaster balance is creative. The time track element works pretty well and the frequency of disasters gives a true sense of desperation. The stress of so many things going wrong and having to prioritize which issues to address makes you feel like you are really in a distressed submarine.

The fun part is that there is equipment that can be used to solve each problem. Some problems can be solved in multiple ways, but there is usually a “best” solution. Also, prioritization is key: fires can spread and low water areas can become high water at the turn of a card. There are so many different ways to lose it can make your little gnome head spin.

Luck
I’m generally not a fan of games with much luck involved, but Red November is a new exception. The shuffled deck of events, shuffled equipment pile, and tons of dice rolling amount to massive quantities of luck. However, not knowing what will happen next is a major part of the theme and really adds to the game. As a cooperative game the lack of competition makes the luck more acceptable. Also, the die rolling mechanic allows the players to decide how lucky they feel. For certain-death events, you will want to use up more time to ensure you complete the task. For lower priority problems, it may be more acceptable to take a greater risk on the dice roll and save more time to use elsewhere.

Apparently, the lucky charm (rubber ducky tile) was not so lucky for me. This item allows you to skip the next few events which could come in very handy considering the events are pretty much all trouble. The one time I used this item it was a waste as two of the three events I skipped were “nothing happened,” …go figure.

First three games
The first game we played was fairly short. It was a three-player game and we all died at a timed event almost halfway through.



The second game (two-player) was even shorter as we found ourselves in a worst case scenario and only lasted 12 minutes (you need to last 60 minutes to win). Much of this was caused by the annoying dice rolling at the very end. I needed an eight or below and rolled a nine (not just once, but twice in a row). Just after that I needed a seven or below I rolled a ten.



In the third (two-player) game we finally won after a few close calls. Two of the four gnomes died, both of which were mine. In some ways this made the final stretch a little easier as there were not as many event cards turned. However, both of these dying gnomes triggered a few events in just before death and then were not around to help fix them.



Compared to Pandemic
I played my first game of Pandemic a few months ago and Red November is similar as they are both cooperative games. However, here are the reasons I prefer Red November.

1. Size. Red November is very functional for its size. It could have been made the size of Pandemic, but on that same token, Pandemic could have been made much smaller.
2. Graphics. The artwork and style of Red November is much better in my opinion.
3. Mechanics. Red November involves several different types of problems, whereas Pandemic really only has one. Red November offers several tools to combat these issues. The “spreading virus” element of Pandemic makes the game enjoyable, but Red November also has problems that spread.
4. Theme. Saving the world (Pandemic) may be a more noble cause, but there is just something more endearing about trying to preserve the lives of a few silly gnomes.
5. Cost. I didn’t even realize it until later (both games I played belonged to other people), but Pandemic costs about twice as much as Red November.

Potential Cons
Grog - This game may not be good for children because alcohol “grog” is often consumed throughout the game and is used as a tool. There is an element of risk in using grog as even one drink can cause the gnome to become intoxicated and faint. Parents may want to guide their children regarding this element of the game to prevent any misconceptions. As a beer and pretzels game though, this would not be a negative.

Size - For any fat-fingered barbarians out there, the pieces may be too small. My non-sausage-fingered friends and I didn’t really have a problem with this, but some might. The scoring track is very narrow so we put the markers to the side of the board instead of on it. There were a few times where the board got bumped (just slightly) and we had to re-position it.

Much to do – It seemed like there was a lot to remember. Each time a fire starts, you are supposed to move up the marker on the oxygen track. With all the other stuff going on this can get missed. Also, figuring out how many spaces to move the ghost marker was sometimes tricky and tedious.

Replay value
Yes please! This game left me wanting more, especially after the losses. Resetting the board, cards, and tiles after a game is fairly fast. Even after finally winning, I can’t wait to play again to see what new disasters and adventures await my gnomes. (Maybe I’ll get to fight the Kraken!)