Some of my favorite memories as a kid was biking around the neighborhood and hanging with friends during the Summer. We lived 2 streets over from undeveloped property which became the location of many forts over the years.
FORT from Leder Games has a theme that brought those childhood memories flooding back. Players gather a team of kids in order to build and upgrade their fort to a legendary status.
My Fort Brings All the Kids to the Yard
FORT is a deck building game where gathering friends is key to winning. You’ll see a diverse cast of kids that fall into 6 different suits. Leder Games has captured the fun of childhood by using pizza and toy tokens as currency throughout the game. Most of the kid cards will have a private action that only the active player can do and a public action that other players can follow. Some of these actions are multiplied when you play multiples of a single suit.
If your hand isn’t empty at the end of your turn, you’ll be forced to put the unplayed kids into your yard. Kids that are in the yard can be recruited by other players at the end of their turn. This is a really unique rule because unlike most deck builders, your cards may not end up back in your discard pile.
As FORT plays out, players can gain points by meeting criteria on kid cards, hoard resources in their backpack and upgrade their fort. The first player to reach a level 5 fort earns the coveted macaroni sculpture (5 points) and triggers the end of the game. The end game can also be triggered when a player reaches a specific score on the score tracker.
Pizza and Toys for All
FORT is dripping with theme from the gorgeous card illustrations to the tiny wooden pizza and toy tokens. While the theme screams “kids”, I couldn’t see children younger than 10 connecting with the strategy of FORT. Our 12 year old daughter enjoyed it and did well against Erin and I who had previously played a couple head-to-head games.
There are loads of deck builders on the market but FORT feels different. I never feel like there’s a card that is a silver bullet to winning. Collecting kids from multiple suits is a must, but being spread too thin is also an issue. Each suit has kids that assist you in gaining points, upgrading your fort or hoarding resources. You have to be willing to adapt and jump at the opportunity to follow another players actions as often as possible.
It took us 2 games to get the rhythm of FORT down but once it connected, the game was so enjoyable. We found ourselves getting excited when recruiting certain kids.
As players upgrade their forts during the game, you’ll draft “made up rules” and “perk” cards. At the end of the game, your “made up rules” card will give you points based on a secret objective.
Leder Games did a great job playing up this theme and making players feel like they’re gathering the neighborhood kids to build something fantastic. Kyle Ferrin’s illustrations drawn you into this fun world that I’m sure will continue to hit our game table for years to come.
You can purchase FORT at your local game store or purchase it on Amazon today.
This game was provided to us by the publisher for review. Read more about our review policies at One Board Family.
Highs
- Unique illustration style sets the game apart
- The theme is felt in every area of the game
- Player aids are a huge help with the iconography
Lows
- Took a couple games to understand the flow
- Strategy might go over younger kids head
