The town is safe from the monsters that lived in the nearby dungeon. Now it’s time to gather that sweet sweet loot! Up to 4 amateur explorers will grab loot that’s valuable to specific Merchants in your home town. Don’t get too greedy because the very objects you want can be taken by your sticky-fingered opponents.
Loot Dispute is a card game from designer Jeffrey D. Allers who designed the delicious New York Slice. Players enter dungeons that are setup in an asymmetric grid during the 5 rounds of the game. When placing your character in the dungeon, you have to create a split along a single seam in the grid. This represents the loot you’ve claimed for the round, until someone tries to take it from you.
Each time another player claims a section of loot, they have to create a division along a seam. If they divide an area that includes another player, this previously placed player is tossed out of the dungeon. This tossed player will have to claim another section of loot on their next turn.
Greed Will Be Your Downfall
Players who try to grab a big chunk of loot will be tossed from the dungeon quickly. You put a target on your back when you claim a large section of loot. It’s inevitable that someone will split up your spoils and you’ll be thrown out of the dungeon. The more players fight over a section of loot, the fewer pieces of loot everyone will walk away with.
Loot Dispute is an “I Cut, I Choose” game which is a unique mechanic. Players need to focus on specific pieces of loot they need rather than grabbing the largest quantity of items. If a character remains on a section of loot for a full turn, they take those items and put them in their tableau.
When you leave the dungeon with your loot, you get to draft a Merchant from the center of the table. Each round will bring new Merchants and this is how you earn big points through the loot you’ve collected. Your newly drafted Merchant has to be assigned to a loot type at the end of the round.
In the early rounds of Loot Dispute, these Merchants can really help you focus on the specific loot types during the game. For players who want to “hate draft”, there’s plenty of opportunities to foil the plans of the other players.
The 5 rounds of Loot Dispute last about 25 to 30 minutes. Players score loot types that have a merchant assigned to them. The player who scored the most in their tableau wins the game.
Tough Choices
Each of the 6 loot types are color-coded and it’s easy to quickly identify the items you want to collect when the cards roll out. We really liked how the configuration of the grid of cards changes each round. This can pose some serious issues depending on the number of players. Nobody really wants those two loot cards hanging off at the bottom of the dungeon. But, maybe that’s exactly what you need to be the first to draft a valuable Merchant.
Loot Dispute is a card game that feels fresh. The natural flow of the game penalizes players who try and take more than their fair share. The more you play, the more you realize that targeting specific Merchants and loot types will lead to victory. Don’t forget to force your opponents to fight for the loot that they want.
Loot Dispute is being published by Gold Seal Games through Kickstarter. Visit the campaign today and learn more about this loot collecting good time.
A prototype of the game was provided for this coverage. Components and rules covered in this preview are not finalized. Read more about our preview policies at One Board Family.
