Stats:
No. of players: 2-4
Amount of time to play: 20-60 min
Age requirements: 12+
Set-up time: minimal

Infernal Contraption is a card game where you take on the guise of a goblin bodger. Each round you add parts to your machine. Then you start it up and watch the mayhem.

Infernal Contraption Rules Description:

You win this game by being the last player with cards in their parts pile. The game begins by evenly dividing all the cards amongst the players. The resulting stack of cards is your parts pile.

You also start the game with a Power Core. Contraption and Consumption cards must be adjacent to a power source so you start the game with one.

Everyone draws eight cards from their parts pile and may discard any they don’t like and then draw back up to eight.

There are five card types you’ll find in the parts piles: Power Sources, Contraptions, Upgrades, Consumables and Sabotages. Power Sources are needed to run your Consumables and Contraptions. Contraptions are the main parts of your machine. Upgrades modify their attached Contraptions’ effects. Consumables give a one-time effect than are removed from your machine. Sabotages are one-time effect you play on an opponent’s machine.

On your turn you may add cards to your machine (or Sabotage cards to your opponents’ machines). A card’s connection must match the connection of the card you are adding it next to. Cards are laid out horizontally and may have one card placed above and/or below them vertically. If you add more than one card you must discard a card from your hand for each extra card you added.

After you have added cards, you start your machine up. You choose an opponent and then starting from the top left you resolve each card in your machine. Many cards will allow you to take their parts or force them to scrap parts. Some allow you to take or scrap cards already in their machine or even rearrange your machine.

Lastly you draw up to seven or discard down to ten cards in your hand. The player on your left starts their turn.

Once you have no cards in your parts pile you are done and the player that outlasts the others wins.

Quick Review of Infernal Contraption:

Infernal Contraption is an easy game to play, teach and learn. There is a ton of “take that” in this game. So you won’t want to play with anyone overly sensitive.

The artwork and components for the game are excellent. The cards look great and are full of fun scenes of bodgers doing crazy things. The rules are a quick read and are easy to understand.

The whimsical artwork and theme come together to make a fun lighthearted game. You will enjoy adding parts to your machine then starting it up and watching your opponent scrap a bunch of cards from their parts pile or hand. You might not like it so much when they do it back to you.

I really like having to match cards with like connections. It reminds me of Galaxy Trucker and is a nice touch here. Also having to discard a card for each extra card you add to your machine can help make up for a bad draw and adds some tension. The more cards you discard, the more you’ll need to draw and less you’ll have in your parts pile.

With two players the game may take a bit too long, but the timing seems right with three or four players. My only other warning is to have a big table. Some machines can take up a lot of space so be aware before you start.

If you are looking for a fun card game for two to four players and don’t mind some “take that” in your games, you should pick up Infernal Contraption Second Edition.

Score and synopsis: (Click here for an explanation of these review categories.)
Strategy 3 out of 6
Luck 5 out of 6
Player Interaction 6 out of 6
Replay Value 4 out of 6
Complexity 3 out of 6
Fun 4 out of 6
Overall 4 out of 6