Access Denied at a Glance:
Rules Complexity: Simple
Complex
"Rules are simple, but card interaction needs some
interpretation."
Luck/Skill: Luck
Skill
"This is a "chaos" game like Wiz-War and Castle.
Card effects have a big impact."
Gameplay: Lots of laughsLots of
thought
"Best played with heavy dose cybergeek speak."
Overall rating: Poor
Outstanding
"Grows on you, but it needs several playings. Many good,
unique ideas."
What type of players will like this game?
I work in IT for a high tech company. The theme is very
appealing to me on face value. Bottom line, this game is Clue
meets the "chaos" games of Tom Jolly/Bruno Faidutti. It
can be quite fun in the right frame of mind.
The review:
Introduction
This is the second game I've played from Interformic Games.
I've also played and enjoyed Gro:Battle for the Petri Dish, a
very enjoyable abstract strategy game. Access Denied is a hacking
game for 3 to 6 players. The goal is to be the first player to
attain Root access to three different player-controlled sectors.
Each player controls and protects one sector (Banking,
Government, Micronopoly, NewsMedia, TeleComm, and Universities)
of the Net. Hacking, which is accomplished by correctly guessing
the all or part of a three letter code of your opponent, adds a
level of cloak-and-dagger. Cards like Anti-Virus, Counter-Virus,
Software Update, Packet Sniffer and WinZap, add to the flavor as
well.
Game overview
This is a game in the Cheapass tradition. It comes packaged in
a zip-lock baggie. Cards and boards are printed on heavy card
stock. But Interfomic goes a step beyond and includes all the
plastic chips you need to play.
In the baggie, you'll find:
- 63 unique playing cards (Each has a code letter, a type--when
and how it's played, and an action. For example: "Firewall-Play
when someone attempts to improve access to the sector you
control. Keep all the cards that a player handed you and
deny improved access to your sector even if the player
handed you the correct codes.")
- 6 sector cards (Banking, Government, Micronopoly,
NewsMedia, TeleComm, and Universities - each has a
special power if you have sole root access)
- 2 help cards
- 1 guessing checklist (need to be photocopied)
- 36 plastic chips in 6 colors
- 1 rules booklet
Brief Summary of Rules
Each of the 6 sector has 3 access levels: User, Oper, and Root.
You are trying to gain Root access into three different player-owned
sectors first. There are 63 cards, each with a type, an action
and a code. Playing these cards are the main part of the
game. The fist step you take is to establish a 3 letter code
which the others are trying to Hack. There are action cards that
let you change this code during the game which throw off all your
opponents. You play three cards to crack the code of another
player's control code. You hand the cards to your opponent and he/she
returns cards that match their code. If there is one match you
gain User access, two Oper access, and match all three for Root
access. But you must establish User access before Operator access
and Operator
Read
more information at the Board Game Geek website
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