The co-operative game Thunderbirds, released in 2015 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the cult hit TV show, features the iconic Thunderbirds machines and a high-octane world full of disasters and victims for players to rescue.
Set in the year 2065, Thunderbirds follows the exploits of International Rescue, a secret organization committed to saving human life, secretly founded and funded by the millionaire Tracy family, with the motto: ‘Never give in, at any cost!’ International Rescue has a host of technologically advanced land-, sea-, air-, and space-rescue vehicles and equipment ready to launch at a moment’s notice.
Racing to the rescue from a secret island base beneath the luxurious home of the Tracy family somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean, International Rescue defies government spies and criminals who want the secrets of their incredible machines for their own. To combat this threat, Lady Penelope, the Thunderbirds’ aristocratic English secret agent, and her chauffeur Parker lead a network of agents to uncover those behind the disasters caused by deliberate sabotage.
A criminal mastermind known as “The Hood”, operating from a temple deep in the Malaysian jungle and in possession of strange powers, often engineers events to allow him to spy on the Thunderbird machines with the goal of selling their secrets to the highest bidder.
The iconic Thunderbirds are designed by the Tracy family’s close friend “Brains” and are assigned to each of the five Tracy brothers:
- Thunderbird 1, piloted by Scott Tracy – a hypersonic rocket plane used for fast response and rescue-zone reconnaissance, and as a mobile control base.
- Thunderbird 2, piloted by Virgil Tracy – a supersonic VTOL carrier which transports their major rescue equipment in detachable pods.
- Thunderbird 3, piloted by Alan Tracy – a single-stage, vertically launched spacecraft
- Thunderbird 4, piloted by Gordon Tracy – a utility submersible for underwater rescue, launched from Thunderbird 2
- Thunderbird 5, manned by John Tracy – a space station in geo-stationary orbit that monitors calls for help from across Earth.
Finally, Lady Penelope has the iconic FAB 1, driven by Parker – a pink, amphibious car.
Thunderbirds is a cult 1960s British science-fiction television series, created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. It was produced using a combination of marionette puppetry and scale-model special effects, which was dubbed “Supermarionation”. Two series, totaling thirty-two 50-minute episodes, were produced, along with two films using the same techniques.
Players will work together using Thunderbirds characters and vehicles to complete rescue missions and save the day.
- Comprehensive package with all expansions included
- Nostalgic IP appeal
- Thematic cohesion tied to Tracy Island
- Difficult to obtain in current market (often out of print or secondhand)
- Can be complex due to multiple expansions overlapping
- Rescue and international coordination using Thunderbird machines
- Tracy Island era, Thunderbird era mission briefings
- Expansion-inclusive, IP-driven adventure
- Architects of the West Kingdom
- Paladins of the West Kingdom
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- expansion integration — Combines base game with multiple expansions to form a single, larger experience.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- 3M ball games is a channel that isn't around shifting product we're not around making Publishers look good for the purposes of selling more toys to you
- none of what we do here is specifically brought and paid for by by any publisher
- we want to be a voice of the customer
- if you want to keep independent voices out there in the board game Space who aren't doing just marketing then you know consider supporting a channel
References (from this video)
- innovative logistics emphasis beyond pandemic mechanics
- highly thematic and engaging co-op
- out of print and hard to find
- ownership/licensing challenges complicate reprint
- logistics and coordinated teams under crisis
- Thunderbirds rescue operations and disaster response
- cooperative disaster-response storytelling
- Pandemic
- Nemo's War
- Dawn of the Zeds
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative play — team-based objectives with shared success conditions
- multi-task logistics — players place machinery and personnel to clear disasters
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- these bones are there all the foundation is there to make something truly epic
- i would love to be the designer to do that
- the core mechanic is this bag management system
- it's a fantastic solo game
- the queen's gambit is a rare thing for the time a good star wars game
References (from this video)
- Different enough from Pandemic to justify separate entry
- Vehicle mechanics add unique wrinkle to gameplay
- Great nostalgic theme appeal for Thunderbirds fans
- Strong theme tune and visual presentation
- Mechanical similarities to Pandemic
- For fans or those with nostalgic connection primarily
- Thunderbirds TV show adaptation with rescue operations
- Global rescue missions
- Mission-based cooperative gameplay
- Pandemic
- Pandemic: Cthulhu
- Pandemic: Iberia
- Team America: World Police
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card-driven crisis system — Players choose which devastations to address from card system
- Logistics puzzle — Complex logistics of getting vehicles to right locations for missions
- map-based movement — Movement across world map with space travel elements
- Vehicle management — Players control special vehicles with different rules for movement and action
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- This game could basically be called Pandemic: Thunderbirds
- It's depressing as all heck
- You're not doing anything heroic in this game
- Really under the radar cool co-op
- This man is blinded by IPs
- Strong theme in the box, you can teach most of this game by theme alone
- It is all tech at this point
- You're really getting a lot of your money's worth
- It can get quite fiddly for my liking
References (from this video)
- Heavy nostalgia
- Retro vibes
- Razor thin tension and charm balance
- Always in the mood to play
- Hard to find
- Tracy Island expansion even harder to source
- International rescue missions
- Thunderbirds TV show universe
- Retro sci-fi adventure
- Pandemic
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Cooperative — Players work together to handle global crises
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Do not adjust your set
- This list is quite different to last year's and I think that mostly reflects what an absolute 2020 has been
- My subjective opinion is biased skewed irrational and probably wrong
- It is very political all war games are political
- So say we all
- What am I doing with my life
- Squishy squishy squish squish squish
References (from this video)
- Number one solo game on the list
- Beautifully executed theme
- Works even without theme knowledge
- Excellent core gameplay and mechanics
- Good decision space
- Evolution of Pandemic ideas
- Easy to set up
- Not much more complex than Pandemic
- Appears to be only super fan of game
- Not very successful in market
- Availability issues
- Rescue operations with vehicles
- Thunderbirds universe
- Adventure and rescue
- Pandemic
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Firefighting Co-op — Cooperative rescue operations
- Pick up and deliver — Move vehicles around board to conduct rescues
- Planning — Plan multiple turns ahead
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I've played about 300 solo games so this represents the top of all the solo games I've played
- These are entirely my opinions based on my personal play experience
- I think this is one of the cleverest solo modes on the market
- When you win a game of Robinson Crusoe there are very few things in solo board gaming more satisfying
- The closest experience in board gaming to being the captain on a bridge in a sci-fi movie where everything is going to shit
- I'm probably a solo board gaming masochist
- I just love Thunderbirds as a solo game
- It feels like Legendary Encounters was built for the Alien theme and was built as an upgrade to the original Legendary system
- Probably the best AI opponent in all of board gaming
- Few games have that genuine sense of exploration
References (from this video)
- strong cooperative experience
- varied settings (world, space, Moon) and vehicle options
- humor-infused puppet theme via card design helps offset creepiness
- puppet-based theme can be scary for some players
- potentially heavy due to multiple scenarios and vehicle management
- cooperative rescue missions using a range of vehicles
- 1960s Thunderbirds universe; global rescue operations
- scenario-driven co-op with world-spanning missions; puppets as thematic flavor
- Pandemic
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative play — players work together to complete rescue missions
- multi-vehicle management — players deploy different vehicles to reach and solve problems
- scenario-driven objectives with varying locales — missions span world regions and even space with evolving challenges
- vehicle-based bonuses and planning — using the right vehicle grants bonuses and enables efficient responses
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- "it's basically just a big old adventure game"
- "there's story added to the game not just you're playing out what's going on in the movies but there's a story book"
- "it's so thematic it was just beautiful like to the point where I wanted it to go on longer because I wanted to experience more of the game"
- "this game is like you're playing the movie"
- "puppets scare the hell out of me"