Matthew BaileyAs we approach the start of the summer marathon, there are a few games that I really want to cover before that. With a new Mad Max in the cinema (and Mad Max Fury Road being my fave action film of all time) and Fortnite going all in on the “Mad Max” vibe it seems like as good a time as any to get out “Thunder Road Vendetta,” played by Jack (9) and Toby (6).
“Thunder Road Vendetta” is a remake by Restoration Games of “Thunder Road,” which was released by Milton Bradley in the mid-’80s. There was also a Hot Wheels version a few years back that took out the combat, but “Thunder Road Vendetta” is by far the definitive version of this game.
The general idea is that each player gets three cars—small, medium, and large—as well as a helicopter, and you are all hurtling down the Thunder Road trying to destroy each other and eventually reach the end of the race.
On your turn, you roll four dice and use these to denote the distance moved by your three cars, as well as a number of other things you can do, such as positioning your helicopter, making your car go faster, protecting yourself from crashes, and repairing damage.
If you approach behind another car, you can shoot, and if you hit, this can cause a cartoonish spin-out, which can smash or ricochet into other things, potentially causing damage or even destroying the car itself.
Equally, you can ram into another car, which causes the car to randomly spin out to a nearby space. The interesting mechanic here is that there is a two-thirds chance that the opponent’s car spins, but a one-third chance that your car is the one that spins, potentially backfiring.
At the same time, the choppers fly overhead, and if a car ends up on the same space as a chopper at the end of the round, that car is destroyed.
Everything is also held together by an interesting mix of terrain and a never-ending road with lots of variety. The warning tiles also give interesting things that can happen and add an extra element of risk as you hurtle down the road.
This continues down the never-ending road until two players remain, at which point there is a mad chase for the finish line.
While this all seems fairly simple and it is relatively simple to play, there is a decent amount of tactics involved. Your large vehicles are more likely to be shot but less likely to take damage in a shunt as if you are in a larger vehicle in a collision, you can choose the outcome to be re-rolled. The smaller vehicles are much harder to shoot because they are nimble and can dodge, but are more likely to come off worse in a straight-on collision.
The games don’t take very long, with a four-player game taking about 30 minutes. This speed is one of the reasons why this game is so compelling to play. You never quite know what’s going to happen, and even with your absolute best strategy, an awkward collision can send your cars spinning off, crashing into a brick wall, and ending your game. But you never feel cheated—the mechanics make it all work compellingly and excitingly.
The moment when you know your car is going to spin off, and only two out of six possible spaces will lead to your destruction, creates a tense and exciting moment. And the moment when your car defies all odds and somehow survives the collision is equally compelling.
The components are decent, with all the cardboard bits of good quality. The cars themselves are a little plasticky, and I would love to have seen a deluxe version with metal pieces, but sadly that is not the case.
There are a number of expansions that I am interested in getting. In the end, I backed the Maximum Chrome special edition, which I will also review when it arrives on my doorstep.
“Thunder Road Vendetta” has its feet set in old-school traditional games that we played as kids in the 1980s and ’90s, but with enough of a modern twist to be a super compelling game with very little reading. Even though the subject matter is slightly intended for older children and adults, you can 100% play this with children.
Toby and Jack both had absolutely no problem understanding the rules. They both really enjoyed it, and we ended up playing multiple games. I also took this into the school where I work and played a large game with 13-year-olds, and it went down extremely well, with them wanting to play regularly.
“Thunder Road Vendetta” isn’t cheap, and it’s not the easiest game to get hold of, as usual with Restoration Games being very U.S.-based. But if your children like cars and chases and this kind of thing appeals to them, this is a really good game that plays well at both lower and higher player counts. I am going to put this down as a big recommendation.
Put it this way: it’s very rare for me to rebuy a game in order to get the upgraded version, but in this case, I couldn’t help myself because “Thunder Road Vendetta” is very, very good.
