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Game Info
Year
2016
Collection
Mechanic profile
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Description
The world you know no longer exists. There is no government. No army. No civilization. The United States has collapsed, and now thirty years after the war started, new powers finally try to take control over the ruined country, try to establish a new order, try to control others and create a new country, a new state: the 51st State.
51st State is a card game in which players control one of four powers trying to build a new country. Players put new locations into play, hire leaders, and send people to work in buildings to gain resources and new skills. To do this, every card in 51st State can be used in three different ways:
Raze a location to gain many resources once.
Deal with this location to gain one resource every turn.
Build the location so that you can use its skill each turn.
51st State: Master Set marks the rebirth of the 51st State line, with this set containing 88 cards from the original base game, and 50 cards each from both the New Era and Winter expansions; one of these expansions can be mixed with the cards of the base game, but not both at the same time. The entire set has been rebalanced to offer a cohesive experience no matter which expansion you choose to use.
Featured Videos
Playthrough
51st State: Master Set Full Playthrough
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 3
This page: 3
Sentiment:
pos 2 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–3 of 3
Video 3kvJqTLTrkg
Review at 0:03 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 65781 · mention_pk 159562
Click to watch at 0:03 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Straightforward engine builder with a simple card-based core system
- Easy to learn with depth
- Nice looking cards and nifty resource tokens
- Excellent and funny English-language rulebook
- Excellent multi-use card system providing many options
Cons
- Game ends just as you feel it's gearing up
- Typical post-apocalypse theme and setting
Thematic elements
- Humanity attempting to rise from the ashes and create a domain within ruins.
- North America in the aftermath of an apocalypse, 30 years after the war ended.
Comparison games
- Imperial Settlers
- Arctic Scavengers
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action selection — Players then alternate taking actions until they all pass.
- Area development — Developing requires brick or a development token and allows you to upgrade a region and score of a victory point.
- card drafting — Players draft cards from an open pool.
- engine building — Your state must work efficiently and effectively.
- Resource management — The main resources are iron, guns, fuel and bricks with ammo being a wild card resource.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- hello and welcome to the 51st state
- in the aftermath of the apocalypse humanity attempts to rise from the ashes of North America
- the winner is the state with the most points at the end of the game
- if a card has a star on it like this it's part of your path to victory
- the main resources are iron, guns, fuel and bricks with ammo being a wild card resource
- the game uses the same core engine but has a lighter brighter theme and art
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video p2duW6nmHtc
The Board Gaming Doctor Discussion at 12:26 sentiment: positive
video_pk 36691 · mention_pk 110161
Click to watch at 12:26 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Rich engine-building with broad expansion content
- Great variety and replayability through multiple expansions
Cons
- Complex rulebook; heavy on setup
- Iconography can be dense for newcomers
Thematic elements
- Card-driven engine-building and resource management
- Post-apocalyptic United States / environment-altering factions
- Strategic, empire-building
Comparison games
- Innovation
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Deck building — Draft and build a deck to optimize actions and production
- deck-building — Draft and build a deck to optimize actions and production
- engine building — Develop a faction board for ongoing bonuses and income
- engine-building — Develop a faction board for ongoing bonuses and income
- market/deals — Generate resources and trade to fuel expansion
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I've been grinding to just really understand the game and get to a point where I feel very comfortable about putting out more content for glass Road
- Glass Road is so quick that you don't need to worry about that too often
- This game offers a lot of Randomness in the cards that come out
- it's a solo only game it's pretty easy to pick up
- the Mundus expansion to world wonders
- King Domino is a classic game
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video vloqwCVCc1g
Getting Games Playthrough at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 1235 · mention_pk 3585
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Crunchy puzzle with strong hand management and engine-building interplay
- Tight two-player balance through asymmetry (Mutants Union vs Merchants Guild) and token economy
- Narrative feel of a post-apocalyptic engine-driven race with satisfying chaining of actions
- Open production and development options create meaningful choices each turn
- Expands well with expansions; base game provides a solid, dense experience
Cons
- Can be space-intensive on the table due to tokens and multiple card zones
- Early game can feel punishing or slow as players gather tokens to build engines
- Two-player game can still be dense and occasionally slow due to heavy card/text interactions
Thematic elements
- engine-building through multi-use cards, resource production, and area/territory feel via tokens and ruins
- post-apocalyptic city-state where factions contend for control and survival
- thematic, somewhat dystopian, with a strong emphasis on faction asymmetry and opportunistic card play
Comparison games
- Imperial Settlers
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- deals_and_rewards — making deals converts tokens into resources and VP over time; deals can be upgraded or converted into ongoing VP effects.
- develop_action — bricks and symbols enable development to upgrade existing cards, with rewards such as VP or new capabilities.
- engine_building — cards when built or activated generate resources and provide ongoing benefits, enabling players to chain combos across turns.
- hand_management — players curate a hand of production, feature, and action cards, then decide which to keep, discard, or destroy to optimize engine results.
- open_production_buildings — certain buildings can be activated by either player; involved in dynamic engine shaping and can be stolen/contested.
- ruins_and_development — ruins count as multiple icons and can be developed into more powerful cards, changing the board state and VP potential.
- token_economy — blue, gray, red, and other tokens are used to buy, build, and enable deals; tokens also power denial/interaction with opponents.
- two_player_turn_structure — players alternate actions with lookouts/turn milestones; end of round triggers and first-player token rotation influence pacing.
- victory_point_race — the game ends when someone crosses 25 VP; location points and post-round bonuses can swing the final tally.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the game is a race to 25 victory points
- it's largely a multiplayer solitaire game
- the mechanics of the game present a great puzzle like it's like most hand management games
- the asymmetry between Mutants Union and Merchants Guild adds a lot of spice
- this is a puzzle that rewards careful resource conversion and timely upgrades
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–3 of 3