/pic5124398.jpg)
Game Info
Year
2018
Collection
Ratings
Creator Score
Mechanic profile
Not enough video data yet
Vibe profile
Not enough video data yet
Description
Narcos: The Board Game, which is based on the television series Narcos, puts players in the roles of the series' most powerful characters and factions as they rewrite the story behind the rise and fall of El Patrón. One person acts as El Patrón, managing a growing narcotics empire while trying to keep their location on the board a secret. The remaining players lead the Hunter factions: the DEA, Policía Nacional de Colombia, Cali Cartel, and the guerrilla extremist group. These seemingly disparate groups are united in their common interest to discover the hidden position of El Patrón, sharing information and discussing strategies. If the El Patrón player manages to complete their secret objectives without being captured by the Hunters, they win. However, if the Hunters are able to uncover El Patrón's location, they succeed in their mission and win.
—description from the publisher
Featured Videos
Ask a Rules Question
All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 2
This page: 2
Sentiment:
pos 1 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 1
Showing 1–2 of 2
Video KMVJ4XbBvpo
Game Night Picks - Pair Of Dice Paradise Discussion at 6:12 sentiment: positive
video_pk 30675 · mention_pk 90309
Click to watch at 6:12 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Strong thematic tie-in to the Narcos series
- Engaging hidden-movement feel
Cons
- Complex for new players
- Balance and rule clarity can be tricky
Thematic elements
- Power struggles among drug cartels and law enforcement
- Narcos narrative in Colombia
- historical-dramatic
Comparison games
- Spectre Ops
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- asymmetric roles — One player acts as El Patrón while others take on hunter/faction roles.
- Asymmetric Teams — One player acts as El Patrón while others take on hunter/faction roles.
- Hidden Movement — Players move pieces with hidden positions, creating tension as teams hunt for targets.
- Secret objectives and information sharing — Goal is to achieve personal objectives while avoiding capture.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is a very intense looking euro style game
- I want that game on my table
- Trap Words is just a little party word game but it's a game that kind of reminds me of Taboo
- it's like dancing in a minefield
- This is a fantastic family game that I got a chance to play at bgg con
- I thought this was a really complex euro game and I shied away from it thinking it was real brain burger
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 0pOdlu-fbok
BoardGameBollocks Review at 0:00 sentiment: negative
video_pk 3424 · mention_pk 10167
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
negative
Pros
- Novel twist on the hidden movement genre
- Easy to learn and pick up
- Strong IP/theme and production value
- Miniatures and components are solid
Cons
- Balance heavily favors the Patron side
- Hunters have limited depth and variance
- Poor scalability to 3–4 players; best with 2 or 5
- Components can be improved (thinner boards, fiddly tokens)
Thematic elements
- Cartel warfare, pursuit and evasion, law enforcement vs cartel
- Colombia during the drug trade era, featuring Pablo Escobar and cartel conflict
- asymmetric pursuit with secret positioning of the antagonist
Comparison games
- Fury of Dracula
- Scotland Yard
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action order and sequence — Patron acts first, then factions activate, cycling until all have acted each round.
- asymmetric roles — One side controls Patrone and his drug network, while other players control hunters/factions.
- Asymmetric Teams — One side controls Patrone and his drug network, while other players control hunters/factions.
- Blockades and control markers — Patron can place control markers; hunters can remove blocks or place them to restrict movement.
- Capture and recapture mechanic — Patron can be captured, then must hide and be recaptured to win.
- Combat resolution via card numbers — Attacks are resolved by comparing numbers on chosen cards against a sakario defense value.
- Compound Scoring — End-of-season scoring based on objectives and remaining sarios; multiple seasons.
- Hidden Movement — The Patrone/Pablo Escobar's location is secretly set; other players hunt using information and actions.
- Investigations and proximity clues — Patron provides distance or region info to guide hunters (farm/city/region checks).
- Lab and cocaine token system — Labs can be placed, cocaine tokens placed; proximity to airports enables shipments.
- Resource and marker placement — Sakario tokens, money for movement, and the ability to place new pieces on the map.
- Seasonal scoring and objective cards — End-of-season scoring based on objectives and remaining sarios; multiple seasons.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Narcos the board game is a kind of hidden movement game
- it's got a novel Twist on the hidden movement genre
- it's really really simple and easy to learn
- The IP in this is an absolute Banger
- two and five players, super duper; three and four players [__] Chuck it in the bin
- a valiant attempt to remold the hidden movement genre but it gets crushed under the weight of its own Simplicity
- Narcos a ball game maybe just watch the TV show instead
- The IP is just awesome
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–2 of 2