Saboteur, the latest offering from Frederic Moyersoen and Z-Man games, is quite simply, a great example of a simple game done right.

Saboteur is very playable with as little as 3 players, but the game really shines with 6 or more (the game can easily accommodate up to 10). Interplay between players, bluffing, and acts of treachery exist quite readily in the game, and it is in these mechanics where Saboteur really shines.

In Saboteur, players take on the role of dwarven miners, hunting for buried gold in a twisting underground labyrinth. At least, MOST of the players are hunting for buried gold. Some players take on the role of dwarven traitors, trying to secretly sabotage the digging expeditions laid forth by the other players, and steal the gold for themselves.

Saboteur is strictly a card game. The game is easy to pick up, and the rules are clear and straightforward. Someone who has read the 2 page rulebook, can quickly explain this game to a group of friends in under 5 minutes, making it readily accessible to both young teens as well as a fun game for adults.

At the start of the game, the dealer hands out Role cards to each player, face down. These cards will indicate if the player is either an honest dwarf, trying to dig a tunnel to reach the gold, or a traitor, bent on hampering the progress of the others to keep the gold for himself. Based on the number of players, there are a variable number of traitors, so players are never sure how many traitors are in a particular round, or, in a smaller game, if there is even a traitor among them at all! To complete the game setup, an Entrance card is placed on the left side of the playing area. This card depicts the start of a tunnel entrance. Then 3 Exit cards are shuffled and played face down, at a distance of 7 card-lengths away from the Entrance card. These hidden cards depict the 3 possible exits in the game. Two of these exits are actually dead ends, but one of them holds the true exit out, as well as the hidden stash of buried gold! It is up to the “good” dwarves to work together and build a complete tunnel to the gold, and it is the job of the saboteurs to foil that endeavor in any way possible.

Players are then dealt 6 cards each. Cards are of two types; Cave cards and Action cards. Cave cards enable a player, on their turn, to continue the mazelike tunnels by placing the card next to an already-played cave card in the playing area, thereby continuing the underground tunnel. Some cards have twists and turns, and some have dead-ends. By playing Cave cards, players slowly create a maze-like labyrinth stretching out across the playing area.

Instead of playing a Cave card on their turn, players may opt to play an Action card, which can do any number of things. Most action cards show a picture of either a lantern, mining cart, or pickaxe. Some Action cards show these items to be broken, others show them as intact. Players can play these cards on themselves, or each other. If one player gives another a broken item, then that player may not continue adding Cave cards to the tunnel until he, or someone else, plays an intact item of the same type upon him. For instance, if Player A places a broken pick axe in front of Player B, then Player B cannot play Cave cards until someone plays an intact pickaxe card in front of him. Other Action cards let players remove an existing piece of tunnel, thereby removing a roadblock or stopping a tunnel from being finished, or letting a player peek under the hidden exit card of their choice, giving them a crucial piece of information.

Play continues in this manner until either the players successfully create an intact tunnel leading to the gold, or all the playing deck runs out, with no players able to play any more cards, and no tunnel to the gold created. At this point, all players reveal who they were. If the gold was successfully reached, all good players share in grabbing some gold cards. These cards show either one, two, or three gold nugget on them. The player who finished the tunnel gets the first pick from the cards, with all players except saboteurs getting some gold as well. If the Saboteurs win, however, only the traitors share in the spoils.

This ends a playing round, and a new round beings. Players are reassigned roles each round, so a Saboteur in round 1 may be a good dwarf in round 2. Play continues for three rounds, at which time whoever has the most gold nugget is the winner.

Saboteur is a great game. It is light enough for casual gamers, but fun enough for anyone. The social dynamic is where the game truly shines, as devious players try to sabotage the others, while casting suspicion each other. A typical game with a large group will seldom take more than 45 minutes, adding even more to its “accessibility” factor. This is one light game that should not be overlooked.