Bottlecap Vikings Review

Bottlecap Vikings’ title is actually a bit of a misnomer. There really isn’t a bottlecap (despite what the rulebook may say), and you certainly don’t feel like Vikings no matter how hard the game insists. Instead, you simply sail in circles, collecting but two resources, and then turn those into points for a win. The best word to describe this game: bland.

Bottlecap Vikings is a rondel game. This means there is a little wheel of eight potential actions. Players put their marker on the rondel on any action. But on each turn, they can only move their marker 1-3 spaces clockwise. So if they pass up an action, they won’t be able to take it until they make it all the way around again.

What makes this title unique among rondel games is that the rondel isn’t set. Instead, there are eight trapezoidal pieces which represent the possible actions. They have slightly different versions on the front and back as well, leading to tons of possible variations. Those eight pieces are then arranged around an octagonal cardboard piece (fancifully called the “bottlecap” by the rules) to form the rondel.

Meanwhile, each player gets a village to set in front of them. They have one side that is the same for all players, and one that is unique to each player. During the game, players can use gold to upgrade their village and doing so adds new permanent abilities to the player. Or, they can use gold and wood to get Glory points. If one person gets 10 Glory or fully upgrades their village, they win.

The randomized rondel is a neat idea. But implementation actually falls well below expectations. For instance, the game includes two alternate victory paths – Glory or Village improvements. You can try to focus on huge amounts of gold to upgrade your village to win, or you can try a balanced approach and use a little gold and wood to get the needed Glory. These differing paths seem like they would be interesting. But, the rondel undercuts this dichotomy. Depending on what shows up and in what order, it is likely that one strategy or the other will make more efficient use of the rondel. So everyone gets crowded into the same thing.

And getting crowded also brings us to the “combat” portion. Although described as “battles” and “damage,” Bottlecap Vikings has nothing of the sort. If a player lands on another player while going around the rondel, both players draw a damage chit. There are five red ones and a bunch of grey ones. If four red ones are collectively drawn among the players, then everyone discards their damage chits and loses resources based on how many chits (red & gray both) they had – potentially losing even Glory.

This doesn’t feel like a Viking battle. It doesn’t even feel like combat. It just feels like you’re picking up chits and hoping you don’t get one of the bad ones. Plus, it can also be incredibly random. I might end a turn with only one or two chits, but if my opponents all land on me, I might get a ton of chits and lose resources or Glory before I can do anything about it. Or maybe only one or two red ones are out so I think I’m safe. But if my opponents all draw a red one, then I get hit. It may be a necessary mechanic to discourage players from more popular spots, but it doesn’t feel fun.

As a euro player, I love me some resource conversion. I love to shift cubes around and flip chits from side to side. That’s a good time. So I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Bottlecap Vikings is really just about moving the same chits back and forth ad naseum. You don’t feel like you’re really getting wood or gold, you simply land on spaces. Chits go up. Then you land on another space to exchange the resource for improvements or glory. Chits go down. The game lacks any kind of drama or emotion behind it.

It may sound like I’m being harsh on Bottlecap Vikings. And to an extent I am. But I also think the game will find success with the right group – especially among family and casual gamers. If you are an experienced hobbyist, though, the game is just unremarkable and unworthy of play. There are lots of better games with the same short play time.

But if you’re looking for something to play with family from time to time, this is a good grab. If you are a casual gamer looking for something light that won’t overwhelm anyone at the table, Bottlecap Vikings succeeds. Where hobbyists will see too familiar ideas, casual gamers and newcomers will see interesting innovations and choices to be made.

I’m not sure that Bottlecap Vikings is a fundamental improvement over other so-called “gateway games,” or other titles that can be easily introduced to non-gamers. But if you are looking for something a very particular niche, this game will deliver. Otherwise, stand clear.