Restoration Games is known for “restoring” well-loved board games from the past, creating new versions of classic games that capture the feel of those older games, but with updated gameplay and components. Hot on the heels of last year’s Geekdad-Approved Return to Dark Tower comes their latest game to fulfill on Kickstarter, Thunder Road: Vendetta. This is a reimagining of the much-loved Milton Bradley game from 1986, Thunder Road.
I originally took a look at Thunder Road: Vendetta in one of my Kickstarter Quick Picks last year. While I wasn’t able to get my hands on a physical copy of the game at the time, I did get a chance to play it virtually on Tabletop Simulator with Restoration Games’ Suzanne Sheldon and GeekDad’s own Jonathan Liu. I had a great time when I played it then, squeaking out a win as the last man standing. Restoration Games recently sent me a copy so I could actually get my hands on all the toys and see how the production copy came out.
What Is Thunder Road: Vendetta?
Thunder Road: Vendetta is a racing and car combat game for 2-4 players, ages 10 and up, and takes about 45-75 minutes to play. It was originally on Kickstarter last year, where you could pledge for either the base game or a “Maximum Chrome” edition, which included all of the expansions and the base game together in one collector’s box with specially designed inserts. Now that the Kickstarter campaign has been fulfilled, both the base game and its first expansion, Big Rig and the Final Five, have arrived in stores. The base game is currently available on Amazon and local game stores and retails for $60.
Thunder Road: Vendetta was designed by Brett Myers, Dave Chalker, Justin D. Jacobson, Rob Daviau, Brian Neff, and Noah Cohen. It is published by Restoration Games, with illustrations by Marie Bergeron and Garrett W.Kaida.
Thunder Road: Vendetta Components
Note: While I will be touching on all of the expansions, the main focus of this review will be on the base game.
This is what you will find in the base Thunder Road: Vendetta box:
- 5 Double-Sided Road Tiles
- 5 FX dice
- 1 Double-Sided Finish Line
- 20 Damage Tokens
- 26 Hazard Tokens
- 4 Wreck Figures
- 12 Cars – 3 Each in 4 Different Colors
- 4 Choppers in 4 Different Colors
- 4 Command Boards in 4 Different Colors
- 12 Dashboards – 3 Each in 4 Different Colors
Restoration Games sent me their Maximum Chrome box with all the goodies. I’ll be discussing just the base game components in this section and will be discussing the expansion content later in the review.
All of the cardboard pieces are nice and thick, with printing on both sides. The artwork and graphic design give off a fun, retro grindhouse vibe.
The double-sided road tiles have different layouts on each of their sides, giving players a lot more variety. Here’s a look at one side of the starting tile:
And here’s the other side:
Different types of road terrain have different rules for interacting with vehicles, and some terrain will even destroy your cars!
Speaking of cars, everyone gets a set of 3 road vehicles in their player colors, as well as a chopper. The larger cars are easier to hit but are less likely to be moved if they slam into another car.
I should note that the vehicles in the Maximum Chrome box came with a paint wash, to make the detail pop out more and give them that weathered, racing across the desert look. In the retail version of the game, they are plain colored plastic.
Each player also has a Command board and 3 dashboards, one for each of their cars. Players assign dice to these boards both to move their cars and trigger different commands.
As players race across the boards, not only will you add different road tiles, but you will place face-down Hazard tokens that could be harmless road, but more likely something much more dangerous.
When cars take damage, you draw a random Damage token and resolve it. Like with the Hazard tokens, these can produce a variety of effects and can result in quite a bit of chaos on the road.
Many of the Hazard and Damage tokens will require rolling some of the FX dice to resolve. Additionally, the Road die is rolled each round by the starting player and represents bonus movement you can take if your entire move is solely on road spaces.
How to Play Thunder Road: Vendetta
You can download a copy of the rulebook here.
The Goal
The goal of the game is to either be the first to cross the finish line or to be the last player standing.
Setup
Choose either road tile 1a: The Parking Lot or its reverse side, 1b: Runway to Ruin, and place it on the left side of the table as your starting rear road tile. Shuffle the remaining tiles and connect two more tiles to create the middle and lead road tiles. Place the remaining tiles in a draw pile on the table.
Shuffle the Hazard tokens face down and place them in all areas of the 3 road tiles showing hazard spaces. Note that on the starting tile, you will only place Hazards on spaces showing the player count for your game. Place the remaining Hazard tokens in a pile near the play area.
Shuffle the Damage tokens face-down, and place them in a pile near the remaining Hazard tokens. Place the FX dice nearby.
Each player chooses a player color and takes the matching Command board, dashboards, cars, chopper, and movement dice. Place the dashboards in a row connected to the command board, and place all of the cars behind the rear road tile.
Each player takes their 4 movement dice and rolls them. The player with the lowest total becomes the first player, and also takes and rolls the road die. Note: All players should keep the dice that they rolled, as these will also be the rolls for the first round of the game.
Gameplay
As mentioned in the setup, each round begins with all players simultaneously rolling their movement dice, and the starting player rolling the road die. The results will be used for the entire round.
On a player’s turn, they will follow these four steps in order:
- ASSIGN one die to an operable road vehicle.
- Activate a COMMAND (may only be done once the entire round).
- MOVE that road vehicle.
- SHOOT with that road vehicle, if able.
Assigning Dice
Choose an operable vehicle that you have not previously activated this round. Inoperable vehicles are ones that have been assigned 2 damage tokens.
Place the die on the die space in the center of its Dashboard. The number of the die indicates how many spaces that vehicle will move in step 3.
If you still have unassigned movement dice but do not have any available road vehicles, you may assign an unused movement die to a previously activated vehicle to coast, which will allow you to move the vehicle 1 space during step 3. A vehicle may be assigned to coast twice.
Activating a Command
Once per round, in addition to assigning a die to a road vehicle, you may assign an unused Movement die to the Command board. Some of the commands require specific die faces to activate. An example of this is the “Repair” command, which will only activate if you place a “6” on that command. Note: You may not issue a command on a turn that you coast.
- Airstrike. Place your chopper on an empty board space, then shoot with it if able. Can be activated using any value die.
- Nitro. During the movement step, you add the value of the die placed (1-3) to the movement die placed on the vehicle in the previous step. You must make the full movement.
- Drift. You may pass through the first space containing another road vehicle without slamming it. Requires a die with a value between 3-5.
- Repair. You may remove one Damage token from any of your road vehicles. Shuffle the token face-down into the damage token pile. If the vehicle had been inoperable, it now becomes operable.
Moving a Road Vehicle
You now move the road vehicle assigned a road die during step 1. You must move it the number of spaces indicated on the die face unless an effect would cause you to stop. If you issued the Nitro command this turn, you would also move those additional spaces.
Each space moved is along the vehicle’s front arc, which is any of the three spaces immediately in front of the vehicle.
There are various types of roads, with different rules for each:
- Road spaces cost 1 move to enter and may allow road die bonuses.
- Off-road spaces cost 1 move to enter.
- Muddy spaces cost 2 moves to enter, though you may move into one if you only have 1 move left.
- Impassable spaces, marked with a double yellow border, will destroy a vehicle that moves into them.
If you have moved only on road spaces your entire move, you may add the Road die bonus. If you add it, you make an additional move exactly the number of spaces (1-3) as shown on the road die. This bonus move does not have to be on road spaces.
A road vehicle may move through a space with a chopper. However, if it ends in a space with a chopper, it is eliminated.
If a road vehicle enters a space with a face-down Hazard, turn it face up and resolve it. Hazards include:
- Road. The token becomes a road space and stays on the board.
- Mud. The token becomes a muddy space and stays on the board.
- Oil slick. Roll the Direction die, and move your vehicle one space in that direction. This does not cost a move. The token stays on the board.
- Mine. The road vehicle takes a Damage token, resolving the token’s effect. The vehicle loses any remaining movement.
- Wreck. Place a Wreck marker on the board, and the moving road vehicle on top of it. Resolve a Slam.
Slamming Another Vehicle
If a road vehicle ever makes contact with another road vehicle, the moving vehicle is stacked on top of the other vehicle and a Slam occurs. An exception is made to this if the active player had activated the Drift command during the same turn.
To resolve a Slam, the following steps occur:
- Roll the Slam die and the Direction die. These will tell you whether the top or bottom vehicle will be the one moving and in what direction.
- If one vehicle is larger than the other, the owner of the larger vehicle may ask for a single re-roll of both dice.
- Move the affected vehicle one space in the direction shown on the Direction die. This may result in another Slam.
If a vehicle is moved into an Impassable space or off the road as the result of a Slam, then it is eliminated.
Shooting
Note: No shooting is allowed in the very first round of the game.
During this step, you may shoot with the road vehicle you moved, and additionally, the chopper if you issued the Chopper command this turn. To shoot with one of your vehicles, a target must lie within your vehicle’s front arc (the 3 spaces immediately in front of your vehicle).
To shoot, choose a target, and roll the Shooting die. If the result of the roll matches the size of the vehicle you are shooting at, then you hit. The owner of the vehicle draws a damage token, resolves its effect, and places the damage token in one of the two spaces on the matching car’s dashboard.
Should a road vehicle ever have 2 damage tokens, it is rendered inoperable. Turn that car to face backward on the road, and flip that car’s dashboard over. It cannot take additional damage, but may still be affected by slams.
Moving Off the Front of the Board
If a player’s vehicle moves off the front of the lead board, and it was the final tile, that player wins!
If a player’s vehicle moves off the front of the lead board, and it wasn’t the final tile, then the following occurs:
- All road vehicles on the rear tile are eliminated.
- All Hazard tokens on the rear tile are discarded.
- Any choppers on the rear tile are returned to their owners.
- Remove the rear tile from the board, flip it to the other side, and place it on the bottom of the road tile draw pile.
- Slide the middle and lead tiles backward, as they have now become the rear and middle tiles.
- Take the top tile from the draw pile and place it in front of the middle tile. This is the new lead tile.
End of Turn
Slide the movement die on the Dashboard of the car you just activated into the “end turn” space. It cannot be assigned another die for regular movement during this round but may be able to Coast.
The player to your left now becomes the active player.
End of Round
After each player has taken 3 turns, pass the Road die to the player to the current first player’s left. They will become the first player in the next round.
Game End
Determining the Final Tile
In a 2-player game, the final tile is the 5th tile played. Add the finish line to that tile.
With 3 or more players, once one player is out of the game (all of their road vehicles are eliminated or rendered inoperable), then the current lead tile becomes the final tile. Add the finish line.
The winner is either the first player across the finish line or the last player with any operable road vehicles.
Expansions
The Maximum Chrome box comes with all of the Thunder Road: Vendetta expansions included, along with trays to keep everything organized. That pledge was only available during the Kickstarter campaign. So far, only one expansion has been released to retail, but to my knowledge, all the main expansions will eventually find their way to stores. So let’s take a look at those expansions, and what they provide.
Big Rig and the Final Five
Big Rig and the Final Five provides new road vehicles with different mechanics, and in doing so, also adds a potential fifth or even sixth player into the mix. This is the most rules-heavy expansion, as both the 18-wheeler and the motorcycles have a lot of unique movement and interaction rules. Just as one example, the Big Rig can demolish hazards, taking a small amount of damage and turning the hazard into an open road tile.
This is a great expansion if you want to add more players, or if you want to add just a little asymmetry to the game. If you add in this expansion, you’ll probably want to have the Big Rig or the Final Five motorcycle gang controlled by more experienced players at first, as they are a bit more complex to play.
Carnage at Devil’s Run
This will likely be one of the expansions most anticipated to arrive at retail, as it adds a lot of content. There are multiple new hazards, including fire, toxic goo, and ramps that your vehicles can jump.
Carnage at Devil’s Run introduces ongoing damage to vehicles. This is expressed in two ways. When your vehicle gets damaged, you may draw an “ongoing damage” Damage token. When you do so, you also draw a card from the Ongoing Effect deck and apply it to your car. When you Repair the damage, the Ongoing Effect is also removed.
The other type of ongoing effect is called being On Fire. When your car is On Fire, you must roll the Fire die before you move. The die results can increase the speed of your car, put the fire out, or even eliminate your vehicle.
As there are all sorts of new road types and hazards, it’s no surprise there are also new road tiles in this expansion. Carnage at Devil’s Run provides players with 5 more double-sided road tiles, for even more variety during each race.
For sheer variety and even more chaos, this is a great expansion. In one of my games, I ended up catching two of my vehicles on fire, and somehow rolled the skull for each, eliminating them. And when your vehicles take those jumps, you’ll never know how far they’re going to go (and what they’re going to land on) until you roll those dice. You could end up smashing into the side of a cliff.
Choppe Shoppe
The last of the major expansions, Choppe Shoppe adds two significant additions to the game. The first of these is Crew Leaders.
The Crew Leaders replace a player’s Command board. They each have unique special powers that don’t require dice. Additionally, the various Crew Leaders have a mix of different Commands and different dice values required to activate common Commands.
There are also Car Upgrades in Choppe Shoppe. Players choose three cards in a draft during setup that are then assigned to each of their cars.
This is definitely the expansion you’ll get if you want a lot of asymmetry between the players.
Extra Ammo
This mini-expansion was a Kickstarter bonus to all backers, and as such is unlikely to see a retail release. That being said, it may be available for purchase on the Restoration Games webstore at some point in the future.
The five small decks of cards provide minor additions/tweaks to gameplay and can be easily added into games of Thunder Road: Vendetta as desired. There are 8 Road Conditions cards, 10 Advanced Airstrikes cards, 8 Bounties cards, 6 One Shots cards, and 8 Bonus Commands cards.
German Engineering
Finally, there is the German Engineering mini-expansion. This one provides a deck of cards for each player, which are used to replace the movement dice and resolve shooting attacks.
This expansion was designed for players that want less randomness in their game. However, in my humble opinion, the randomness of Thunder Road: Vendetta is one of the things that makes the game so enjoyable.
As with the Extra Ammo expansion, German Engineering is unlikely to see its way into stores, but may eventually be available to purchase directly from Restoration Games.
Thunder Road: Vendetta is a 2023 Game of the Year Finalist!
Why You Should Play Thunder Road: Vendetta
Ever since I played an online demo of Thunder Road: Vendetta way back in January of 2022, I’ve been anxiously awaiting the fulfillment of the Kickstarter campaign. This is a game that takes the vibes of one of my all-time favorite movies, The Road Warrior, and transforms it into a fun, exciting experience full of memorable moments. I will say for the record that I never played the original Thunder Road board game from 1986, as I was a little too old for it to be on my radar when it came out. But had I still been a kid at that point, I’m sure it would have made my Christmas list.
While I can’t compare Thunder Road: Vendetta with the gameplay of its predecessor, ultimately that’s a moot point. Restoration Games has a definitive hit on its hands with this one. Not only have I been enjoying the heck out of it, but I brought it to a local gaming convention recently, and everyone that got their hands on it there had a great time.
Of course, it being a gaming convention, one of the first games of Thunder Road: Vendetta we played there started out as a very strategic affair, with players jockeying for position and trying to plan their optimal routes. After a couple of rounds of this, I felt that I had to step in and play like a kid, as everyone else was behaving too much like a conservative adult. And so I intentionally slammed into another car.
Once they saw my opponent’s car go careening into a hazard as a result of the slam, it was like a lightbulb lit above everyone’s head. It’s not that strategy flew out the window from that point forward, but rather, everyone at the table saw how much fun it was to inject some chaos into the mix.
Setting up a game of Thunder Road: Vendetta is a fairly swift affair, making it an easy game to get to the table often. The trays from the Maximum Chrome edition are fantastic, but even without those, putting out the components is quick and uncomplicated. Of course, there’s a bit more to do if you start adding in components from expansions, but there are easy-to-follow instructions on incorporating those into your games.
The rules are very easy to understand, particularly if you’re just playing the base game. The rule book is well laid-out and easy to follow, with plenty of illustrations and examples. I did find that some of the finer points of the rules could be a little harder to find. For example, it took hopping onto the Boardgamegeek forums to find out that you can’t place a chopper onto an impassable space. But other than small clarifications like that, getting the game onto the table for your first playthrough should be fairly effortless.
I would have loved to have seen an inclusion of player aid cards for each player that explains each of the road types, hazards, and damage. Thankfully, you will pick up on how everything works fairly swiftly, but the player aids would have kept our returning to the rulebook down to a minimum during games.
Thunder Road: Vendetta is a board game that crashes and burns, but that’s what makes it a great game. The joy of sending an opponent’s car to its doom never gets old. The action is fast and furious (much like a certain movie franchise) and you’ll constantly be jockeying for position and trying to race ahead of your foes, even though you know this paints a literal target on your back. Don’t forget, vehicles always attack cars from behind.
There is a lot of randomness in the game, thanks in no small part to both the setup of the hazards and road tiles and the fact that much of the gameplay is determined by die rolls. But in the case of Thunder Road: Vendetta, this is a feature, not a bug. The more chaos that occurs on the road, the more fun everyone is having.
To that effect, this is also a game that’s more enjoyable with more people. The greater the number of vehicles on the road, the more hijinks that can ensue. You could potentially get several cars slamming into each other during a single turn that way.
Turns of Thunder Road: Vendetta go quickly, even when you’ve got a player prone to analysis paralysis. While games can take a bit longer if everyone is playing conservatively, most matches feel just right for length. You could easily get in 2-3 games of Thunder Road: Vendetta in a night.
Thunder Road: Vendetta is simple to learn, and a blast to play (pun intended). The artwork feels just right, suggesting a post-apocalyptic desert wasteland. There are nice little graphical touches that bring the world to life, like putting a touch of road grime on the back of the Hazard tokens. And there’s no discounting the toy factor, either. Those cars and choppers look great on the road, and the adults in the room will definitely feel like kids again maneuvering their vehicles.
The base game is thoroughly enjoyable to play, and the expansions definitely add to the enjoyment without overly ratcheting up the complexity. Thunder Road: Vendetta is fun for all ages, and I can’t recommend it highly enough, which is why I’m giving it our GeekDad Approved seal.
Thunder Road: Vendetta is currently available to purchase on Amazon and at game stores. I have also heard that Restoration Games will be selling leftover Kickstarter copies of both the Maximum Chrome edition of Thunder Road: Vendetta and the game’s various expansions on their webstore sometime within the next month. To be alerted for when those go on sale, be sure to sign up for their mailing list.
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Disclosure: GeekDad received a copy of this game for review purposes.
