We looked at gameplay, replayability, player interaction, quality, as well as graphics and style to create an overall score for our Buy The Voice magazine. See the breakdown by category below.
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– A BREAKDOWN BY CATEGORY –
Fun (7 out of 10)
We give a perfect 7 out of 10 for the “fun” section of our Buy The Voice magazine. It’s hard to find a game that is both simple and fun, but this is one of them. It’s a pure secret offering through a resource management game. You have money, things to bid on, and nothing else. To keep it interesting, it has to compete against a 15-minute stopwatch. Not only does it keep it exciting, but it also adds a lot of chaotic decision-making that makes some themes go out of style.
State maps are published in eight cycles. They represent all the states of the United States and the corresponding total numbers of electoral votes. California, for example, is worth 55 electoral votes, while a smaller state like Vermont is worth 3. You receive cash injections at different rounds and for the shades you can bet any amount you have on hand for each seat. If you have the highest amount when the bets are revealed, you get it. That’s it, there’s nothing else. But because there are so many choices and so many different ways to make all the bets, it will be a lot of fun.
Reproducibility (6 out of 10)
We give it a good score of 6 out of 10 in the Buy Voice section. The best thing about this section is that the games are specifically designed to be fast-paced and as an extension of chaos. Given the 15-minute clock and the ease with which you can jump from one side to the other, it is very easy to play over and over again.
But with such a specific game, the novelty fades. The fact that each round results in such a spectacular shuffling of cards makes the game incredibly different each time, but ultimately you can only become President of the United States a certain number of times before you’re ready to move on.
Interacting with players (6 out of 10)
We give a 6 out of 10 points for the “Player Interaction” section of the “Buy Your Vote” rating. It’s a battle to win, and if you finish second, you lose everything. The stakes are high and mind games are necessary. If your opponent can see through you, he has a huge advantage. There are so many different approaches you can take, and not only that, knowing when the change is going to happen is what will distinguish the players from the champions. You can bid on anything and the value of the property will change dramatically. Will you go for the lowest point in real estate because there is less competition, or will you go for the highest points? It’s all about reading others and making the right decisions.
It all happens at the same time. There are no rounds where someone is active while everyone else is sitting. Everyone is still in the game. When the action is so present all the time, players have to keep their heads up and really fight for the best. It’s a fast-paced game and you’ll feel like you’ve gone to war when the 15-minute timer reaches 0.
Quality (8 out of 10)
We give a fantastic 8 out of 10 points for the quality of the Buy Voice section. The game is incredibly tight and well balanced. For something so simple, it is beautiful, interactive, entertaining, supported by a great theme and takes you through a sea of emotions. For an event that lasts only 15 minutes, you go through many different stages and experience many twists and turns.
It would be great to see a box that can hold tons of different tokens in the game, but conversely, it could also be one of the most efficient packaged game boxes out there. You can feel the weight of these quality tokens, and they fit perfectly in the game bag.
Art and style (9 out of 10)
In the Art and Style section of Buy Vote magazine, we give it a score of 9 out of 10 points, which is almost impossible. The theme is brilliantly connected to the gameplay. It is an amusing social commentary on the US presidential election, saying that votes are mostly bought (ads, data consultants, etc. ) and not won. It’s cheeky, but also educational, and most importantly, it’s the perfect packaging for the game it contains. It’s great to use a blind auction as a basis to buy votes in an election.
The game is very well thought out. The use of color, space, typography and design elements are all first-rate. The art on the boxes is great, with fantastic gold leaf elements incorporated, and even things like silver coins score highly with lots of well-placed information and dense design. It’s clear that it was all planned and well thought out.
– INCLUDING –
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Buy The Voice is a great, completely secret auction game set against the backdrop of the satirical explosion of the U.S. presidential election. Although the game is simple and can be played in 15 minutes in a very focused way, it offers a lot of fun. It is a well-oiled machine with great interaction, design and overall balance. An excellent example of how to run a very specific auction game. Here is our review of Buy the Vote, we hope you enjoyed it!
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A full explanation of the evaluation criteria can be found here.
What would you put in your Buy Vote rating? Let us know in the comments below or on our BGH Facebook page.