The Last of the Independents (2010)

Ever wonder what happened to Studebakers, Packards, Ramblers, and all the rest of the “orphan” brands? Last of the Independents is a Euro-styled resource management game that simulates the building, engineering, and promotion of cars by the smaller independent American automobile companies in the post-WWII era. It depicts some of the difficult challenges executives faced as they vied against each other and the “Big Three.” Design, engineer, and advertise your way to commercial success in the wide-open car market of the Golden Age of automobiles.

Last of the Independents is a Euro-style, Americana themed historical simulation game. Set in the post WW2-era, it is as fast paced and cutthroat as the automotive industry itself. Players must design, engineer, and promote cars as they compete against each other, "The Big 3," and the economy. This is accomplished with a combination of set "Company Profiles", advantageous investment allocation, and clever card play. The object is to win victory tokens which can be accomplished three ways; win the majority in any category, fill a "trend" which is winning a specific section in each of all three categories as strategic card play, or winning the "Car of the Year" draw. The game proceeds with players allocating their money in various sections, placing more money from their "Company Profiles", and manipulating it with tactical card play and random draws from a bag. A normal game covers three years or rounds of play, but can be adjusted to a shorter or longer game easily.