Tabletop Tuesday - Forbidden Desert

Welcome to another edition of Tabletop Tuesday - Your weekly exploration into games of dice, cards, luck and more of the Tabletop world.

This week's game...the game of sandy setbacks and steampunk jet-packs that is Forbidden Desert: Thirst for Survival.

Players: 2-5
Time: 30-60 minutes
Genre: Cooperative



In Forbidden Desert, players take the roles of a group of explorers who have crash landed in the middle of a lethal wasteland, each role coming with a unique set of skills and abilities to combat the challenges ahead.  To escape, they must excavate the dunes to discover clues as to where mysterious parts are scattered about, of which once assembled will create a flying ship. Sometimes when searching for these clues, you may find useful items (such as jet-packs and dune blasters), or there may be water reserves waiting to refill your thirsty explorers' canteens.  Making good use of these morsels of aid is essential as the players combat the brutal elements of this desert.  If the sun beats down and the explorers are exposed, they'll need to drink water.  Run out of water?  You'll die of thirst.  If you don't clear the piling sand quickly enough and run out of sand tiles, you'll be buried alive.  Take too long to escape, and the sand storm will reach an intensity of deadly proportions.  Forbidden Desert is a game in which you are constantly calculating risks and making critical choices in what is a tug-and-pull for the advantage and your life.

Note: The actual game consists of a 5x5 grid of tiles (not depicted in this image).

With the unpredictability of the tiles, storm deck, and item deck, this game offers a fun and exciting experience each time you play.  Players are also able to control the difficulty of the game by adjusting the starting storm level, which offers recommendations based off the number of players and desired challenge.  As your skill and confidence grows, this adjustable difficulty and variety in game mechanics make this a game well worth playing again and again.  I would recommend this game for those who enjoy group collaboration and tough decision making.

If you have any questions about Forbidden Desert, be sure to ask in the comments.  And look forward to other cooperative games and more in future installments of Tabletop Tuesday!

Bonus: Similar to Forbidden Desert, there is also a game called Forbidden Island made by the same designers.  I don't have personal experience playing this other version, but from I've heard it offers a lighter, more introductory approach to what is this cooperative gaming genre, and is made for 2-4 players.  If such sounds more your speed or comfort level, it may be worth looking into further.  And if I get the opportunity to play this version, you can look forward to more information and detail on this other Forbidden adventure to come right here at Hughes3D.