Game Reviews

GAME REVIEWS

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Review by Neil Thomson – Border Gamers

Style: Tactical Board Game
Difficulty: Pick-up & play
Ages: 10+
Players: 2
Time: 15-45 minutes

Game Overview

THE GAME NED KELLY pits the Kelly Gang against the police and the game uses the famous shootout at Glenrowan as the backdrop and theme for the game. There are 24 police up against the 12 gang members and Ned himself. The pieces are nicely designed with the police depicted as blue helmets and the Kelly Gang depicted as the famous helmet of their leader. Ned is larger in size than his gang members, which appropriately makes him larger than life. The board consists of an 11 x 11 grid and the Kelly Gang starts in the centre of the board (with Ned right in the middle of his gang). The set-up is completed by the police surrounding the gang on all sides (6 to a side) on each of the board’s edges. If the Kelly Gang are to win the day, Ned must reach the safety of any corner square on the board. A shamrock is depicted on these squares and they represent Ned’s hideouts. If the police are to win then they must simply get their man – Ned of course.

Like chess and other tactical games, the rules for play are simple but the options limitless and this is a great strength of the game. Each turn allows the players to move 1 piece. They can move horizontally or vertically and they can move any number of spaces in that direction until they hit another piece forcing them to stop. For a piece to be captured it must be trapped on two opposite sides by enemy forces. When this happens the capturing player can decide to remove the piece from the game or leave it in play and return one of their captured pieces to the board. Having two pieces stand back to back protects them from capture (think draughts). These capturing rules apply to both sides, however Ned is a little harder to capture than that. Ned must be totally surrounded on all sides by the police if he is to surrender.

For a twist a piece can voluntarily move in between two enemy pieces and not be captured, as the enemy did not actively carry out the capture. This manoeuvre can wreck the best laid plans. The board also includes 8 squares that allow mirror moves to capture enemy pieces but I’ll let you discover those for yourself. Finally the police have one more trick up their sleeve. Once during a game they can turn any one gang member into a traitor (informer). This piece is replaced by a policeman and can land the Kelly Gang in some sticky situations. This is a nice touch that keeps up the tension and suspense.

The Final Word

I really enjoy this game and highly recommend THE GAME NED KELLY! Tactical games are not usually my first choice but I find this game intriguing and there is something rewarding about playing a game that uses a theme from our history. The game play is challenging and the options wide open. After only a few plays I began to discover new tactics and options and in this way the play seems to continually evolve. The rules are well written and on a double page the designers have even had the room to include numerous historical sections regarding Ned and that fateful day.

The components are well designed and CMK Partners should be proud of their product. The final words - support a game that is 100% Australian and look for the unique cylinder with Ned on the front. It should be easy to find on the store shelf and even easier to store in the home

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Review by Ian Hammet - Games Downunder

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Review by Carol Witt - Child Publications

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Review by Nick Moore - QLD University Chess Club

TO ALL YOU CHESS PLAYERS OUT THERE

Easy to learn.

As a chess player myself, I have enjoyed playing this game and recommend it for a number of reasons. Firstly, understanding the rules is easy, making it playable for any age. All pieces move as a rook in chess would. It features a unique but straightforward method of capturing. The objectives for both sides are also straightforward.

Strategic.

On the other hand, playing the “Ned Kelly” skilfully is a different matter. Because the board is quite large (11 x 11) and because the pieces have considerable freedom of moment, there are countless possibilities at each turn of the game. You or your opponent may discover a move that changes the balance drastically. Making captures is just a secondary objective. There are several interesting rules that affect the play, for instance it is much easier to get captured when next to a hideout. Also, the strategy is totally different depending on who you are.

The police.

The police outnumber the Kelly gang two to one and are in a better position at the start of the game. As the police, you aim to stop the gang breaking out and above all cover Ned’s escape – it is very easy to let him get away. I have played about fifteen games and am still discovering new strategies. For example, in the final of the inaugural tournament, the police blocked all the hideouts and looked to have won, only to discover that this left many, allowing Kelly to gun them down.

The gang.

The Kelly gang has the easier objective, and have a powerful leader who is difficult to capture. As the gang, you need to create escape routes for Ned, but you also have the option of using him aggressively to capture. Beware – if Ned gets too aggressive he may suddenly find himself cornered!

Great for tournaments.

Draws do not happen in a shootout like this. There can only be one winner!

So there you have it – a game for any age, simple to learn but difficult to master, with distinct objectives and strategy for each of two sides. Are you game enough to guide Ned to safety, or will the police have the last laugh? Find out in the Game Ned Kelly.