Freedom: The Underground Railroad

best board games 2013 — Freedom is a very thematic and good cooperative board game.

Cooperative board games are a great way to enjoy time together. Everyone works as a team to beat the game – celebrating the victories or agonizing in defeat together.

Most of the cooperative board games we enjoy establish a unique, imaginative setting and struggle in which to fight the game battles.

Forbidden Island has us searching out treasures.
Forbidden Desert has us finding buried plane parts.
Escape: The Curse of the Temple has us running through a jungle temple about to collapse.
Castle Panic has us defending a castle from monster attacks.
Pandemic has us discovering cures for viruses spreading around the world.
And Shadows Over Camelot has us completing different quests around Camelot.

Freedom: The Underground Railroad board game — Let’s work together to get the slaves to the free North.

Freedom: The Underground Railroad on the other hand doesn’t need to create an imaginative setting for the game tension. In Freedom, the tension is set as soon as you see the game title and box cover. Because Freedom is set in a very tense period of actual history – freeing slaves through the “Underground Railroad”.

The great news is that even though the game deals with a serious historical topic, it isn’t an oppressive experience. Yes, the theme is very well integrated. But it’s also a very well designed game.

It’s a challenge to win and it will definitely require working together well to achieve your goal. And that’s an enjoyable, shared experience.

See a quick overview of how to play Freedom: The Underground Railroad in our video review.

Can the whole family enjoy Freedom: The Underground Railroad?

With many cooperative games, younger players can join in playing because older players may simply direct them in what to do on their turn. But Freedom is really best suited for open discussions amongst all players.

The publisher recommended age is 13+ and we’d agree that it’s pretty accurate. The theme of the game is also so well integrated, that the best experience is for players to understand the historical significance. It really boosts the tension in the game which makes for a more engrossing experience overall.

Great treatment for a heavy theme

We all know that board games are about fun. When people talk about fun board games, we imagine a lot of smiles and laughter.

So how then can a game about such a serious topic be fun?

It’s because the players are all working together for a glorious cause. We tip our hats to the game designer because he was able to take a somber theme and create an engaging game experience.

The main objective of the game is a noble goal. The challenge of maneuvering the slaves North, keeping them away from the slave catchers, and raising funds along the way is a tough proposition. It takes a lot of coordination and special help to do so. Playing that out as a team feels good.

Sure Freedom isn’t a game that spurs laughter, but the team efforts during the game feel rewarding. And it’s hard not to think about the challenges of the time with a new respect while playing the game.

Every card in the game has a terrific tie-in to the time period represented. As the team progresses through the game, different decks of cards will come into play during different representative eras.

The rulebook also does a great job at providing a brief history of the Underground Railroad. It also highlights many of the individuals of historical significance that are also represented on the cards. In addition to the cards that help move the cause along, there are also Opposition cards that hinder the progress throughout the game.

And because only a handful of the cards will come out during the course of a game, every time you play the options available will be slightly different. But every time, you’ll get a glimpse into this pivotal era of American history.

How does Freedom score on the “Let’s Play Again” game meter?
Freedom: The Underground Railroad falls in the middle-range on our “let’s play again” game meter. It’s not a game that we’ll play multiple times in one night because of the length of the game.