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Rescue Polar Bears: Data & Temperature is a cooperative game based on Rescue Polar Bears with a new data and temperature system added to the game design to make the strategy more diversified.
The consumption of fossil fuel and releasing of greenhouse gases yield the global warming. Around the north pole, the last icebergs are melting and the polar bears are facing the risk of being extinct. The players form a scientific organization. They try to collect data about climate change to persuade the governments to change their energy policy. At the same time, they also need to prevent polar bears from sinking into the freezing water.
Each player drives a rescue ship of different ability to complete the mission on the Arctic Ocean. As long as the players collectively gather enough data, they win together. However, if too many polar bears sink into the water, everyone loses.
- Wonderful theme about rescuing polar bears and climate change.
- Nice production with cute polar bear meeples.
- Simple enough rules.
- Found it to be quite boring.
- Decisions are too straightforward.
- Collecting data tokens is uninteresting.
- Too much admin involved at the end of each round.
- Felt random, with no way to prepare or plan ahead.
- Gameplay was not interesting, with no clear plan.
- No use for discussion between players.
- Some thematic elements don't make sense (e.g., breaking up ice to lower temperature).
- Big disappointment.
- rescuing polar bears and collecting data about climate change
- the North Pole
- Flashpoint: Fire Rescue
- Pandemic
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Movement — Players move to spots to rescue polar bears and collect data tokens.
- Breeding Mechanism — Polar bears breed if there is a male and female, potentially leading to too many and causing them to die.
- cooperative play — It is a cooperative game about rescuing polar bears.
- Dice Rolling — A dice is rolled at the end of each round to determine effects on the board.
- Modular Board — The game uses ice hexagons that can melt.
- Resource Management — Players use helicopter tokens, which are effectively like a life.
- Set Collection — Players collect data tokens about climate change.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's wonderfully thematic it really fits the the idea of going mad
- at its best this game is hilarious and I'm amazed that I would get rid of a game that had me in tears of laughter
- it's such a simple idea that makes for so much negotiation
- I'm giving corporate America a seal of actual love
- it's a really lovely production amazing artwork from Quan Chau Moria
- this one was a big disappointment I'm sorry to say
- there are a lot of better dexterity games out there that have just a few extra rules and a bit more entertainment factor for me