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Description
Sabotage is a game of team stealth tactics. Two teams compete, with spies trying to save the world and the villains trying to stop them. Spies must be clever and quiet, while the villains must deduce and hunt.
The game is played on a 4x4 grid. Both teams have their own copy of the map, separated by a divider. Four dice are rolled each round, and all players program their moves simultaneously by spending those dice. The villains execute their programmed moves first, followed by the spies. When spies take a move action, they must announce some information about their location to the villains, who use this to deduce and track the spies. Both sides have the ability to unlock new tools and get access to more dice each round.
To win, the spies must hack eight times before the villains hit them five times with their weapons.
-description from designer
Year Published
2019
Featured Videos
Transcript Analysis
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 ppbX5fdk2M0
Unknown Channel game_review at 1:01 sentiment: positive
video_pk 42028 · mention_pk 127577
Click to watch at 1:01 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Innovative fusion of hidden movement with action programming and real-time deduction
- Strong thematic flavor and memorable components/miniatures
- Engaging teamwork dynamics that can reward clever misdirection and planning
- High replayability through upgrades and a variety of villain/spy abilities
Cons
- Steep learning curve and a rulebook that can be convoluted
- Base game is four-player only, which limits player-count flexibility
- Can be expensive and setup/teach time is nontrivial
- Outcome can feel unpredictable due to varied upgrades and random elements
Thematic elements
- Espionage, stealth, sabotage, and tactical teamwork set against a playful, over-the-top villain aesthetic
- Two teams (spies vs supervillains) operate within a villain lair to disable doomsday devices, using a central screen to obscure location information
- Competitive planning with intermittent information reveals and dramatic misdirections
Comparison games
- Captain Sonar
- Gloomhaven
- Imperial Assault
- Fury of Dracula
- Specter Ops
- Whitechapel
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- deduction — Spies perform scans to locate villains and uncover powers, with information revealed incrementally
- dice placement — At the start of each round, players roll dice to determine available actions, which are then assigned to tiles
- Hidden movement — Players move while a central screen conceals exact positions, fostering deduction and suspense
- programming actions — Players plan all actions for the round in advance, then execute in sequence, creating tension between plan and outcome
- Scan/deduction — Spies perform scans to locate villains and uncover powers, with information revealed incrementally
- Team coordination — Spies and villains collaborate within their own teams to achieve opposing objectives
- Teams — Spies and villains collaborate within their own teams to achieve opposing objectives
- Upgrades and unlocks — Earned unlocks grant new tiles and dice, adding strategic depth and variable options per game
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The map is only 16 spaces big
- Best hidden movement game is because the map is so small
- It's clever kooky and continuously engaging
- Sabotage utterly shines with its upgrades and dynamic toys
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video MxmD0YBc8fQ
Unknown game_review at 0:00 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 10363 · mention_pk 30543
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Intense tension from hidden movement
- Strong team dynamics and unpredictability
- Varied character powers and upgrade paths
- Striking visual presentation
Cons
- Difficult to teach due to screen setup and powers
- Two-player experience weaker, with reduced social dynamics
- Tonal inconsistency between light, frivolous play and serious competition
Thematic elements
- Espionage, sabotage, and tension between teams
- Two-team spy vs villain sabotage arena with a doomsday device
- Asymmetric, tense, cinematic hide-and-seek
Comparison games
- Captain Sonar
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action programming — Pre-program actions each turn and execute in order
- area scanning and deduction — Motion detectors and scanning declare quadrant info revealing hidden spies
- Combat: Damage Based — Stun gun attack can remove spy temporarily from board
- combat/stun — Stun gun attack can remove spy temporarily from board
- deduction — Motion detectors and scanning declare quadrant info revealing hidden spies
- Dice pool management — Dice are rolled and allocated to actions to upgrade capabilities
- Hidden movement — Teams conceal actions and spy/villain positions using a screen
- programming — Pre-program actions each turn and execute in order
- Unique player powers — Each character has unique powers and upgrade paths
- upgrades and power cubes — Upgrading dice and earning powers/power-dice via upgrade cubes
- Variable player powers — Each character has unique powers and upgrade paths
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the best thing about this game is a sense of tension you get when you are hiding from the villains
- found you
- it's also incredibly annoying to teach people how to play due to the hidden movement screen and variable powers
- hidden movement is excellent, with only 16 spaces it seems like there's nowhere to hide for the spies
- Sabotage: now my second favorite thing with this name
- one of my all-time favorite computer games is no one lives forever two
- the team play is also fascinatingly well done and sabotage loses a lot when you play it with two players
- everything about the game's presentation is brilliant and it's eye-catching
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video VQBA5LlihA0
Kyoto Kanto general_discussion at 34:38 sentiment: positive
video_pk 2552 · mention_pk 7506
Click to watch at 34:38 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
very_positive
Pros
- Team gameplay
- Communication focus
- Creates interesting tension
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- social_deduction
- team_game
- sabotage
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the fastest-growing boardgame community in the world
- I'm a big fan of Kitchen rush
- why isn't this an everybody toy store this should be sold alongside uno
- I think one of the best low-complexity games over the plate
- my favorite board game reviewer is a channel called alas board games
- so bloody good game
- wow this is I should have played at ages ago
- reckoners is really cool game
- this is a fabulous looking game real-time submarine warfare game
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–3 of 3