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Wasteland Express Delivery Service is the depraved brainchild of a superstar team of acclaimed game designers: Jon Gilmour (Dead of Winter), Matt Riddle (Fleet, Morocco), and Ben Pinchback (Fleet, Morocco), brought to technicolor life by award-winning comic artist Riccardo Burchielli (DMZ, Batman Black and White) to create the perfect marriage of emergent thematic gameplay and balanced strategy.
Take on the role of the half-insane drivers for the last delivery company left of earth: the Wasteland Express Delivery Service. In order to scratch out a living in this deranged universe, drivers will deliver goods and guns between the handful of settlements pockmarked throughout the hellscape that you call home and take on missions from the handful of factions still trying to hold onto the last dregs of civilization.
Course, none of this is easy. Inhabiting the post-apocalyptic wasteland are unhinged characters set on unleashing mayhem at every turn. If you want to survive, you'll have to battle through the psycho raiders who occupy the void between cities. Maybe the world can be saved, maybe you can bring humanity back from the brink. Band the world back together to fight back against the void. Then again, what the f*&% do you care? You're here to get paid and live another day free. Outfit your truck, get loaded for bear, hire some allies, get paid, and just keep on truckin'.
Wasteland Express Delivery Service - How To Play
- Components store neatly into included game trays for faster setup.
- Momentum mechanic in movement allows for increased travel distance over turns.
- The game offers a narrative campaign option alongside single game plays.
- Damage tokens can cover upgrade tokens, making them inactive until repaired.
- Cargo space is limited and requires storage upgrade tokens.
- Certain contracts require bonus actions which might limit other actions.
- The stande for deliveries blocks trading at a location until the player trades elsewhere.
- hauling wares to complete contracts despite dangers for a lucrative payout and the chance to live another day
- post-apocalyptic Wasteland
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action selection — Players use action markers to choose from six possible actions on their turn.
- Area movement — Movement is based on crossing edges of tiles or marked yellow lines, with zones and specific movement allowances.
- Combat — Players can engage Raiders in combat to steal their goods or defend against ambushes, resolved with dice rolls and truck upgrades.
- contract fulfillment — Players aim to complete Priority First Class contracts, which require specific tasks like delivering goods or paying scrap.
- event cards — An event deck introduces round-based effects that players must resolve.
- Hidden Information — Players hold private job cards and chosen contracts hidden from others.
- market — The value of cargo fluctuates based on demand tokens and player deliveries, influencing selling prices.
- Pick-up and deliver — The core gameplay involves picking up cargo from various locations and delivering it to fulfill contracts.
- Push Your Luck — Entering irradiated zones or attempting to evade Raiders requires rolling a die, with potential for damage if the roll fails.
- Route Building — Players move their trucks across a grid of terrain tiles, planning efficient routes.
- set collection — Players collect and deliver specific types of cargo (food, water, weapons) to fulfill demand tokens and contracts.
- Truck Upgrades — Players can purchase and install various permanent and temporary mods to improve their truck's capabilities (storage, combat, movement).
- Variable player powers — Each player has a unique character with specific bonuses and starting items.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Hi welcome to Watch it Played
- if you have any questions at all about anything that you saw here don't hesitate to put them in the comments below and I'll gladly answer them as soon as I get a chance but until the next episode thanks for watching
References (from this video)
- compact box design that supports quick setup and teardown
- clear personal trays and organization for components
- supports expansion and future content within a unified system
- box content can be dense; requires planning to maintain order after play
- logistics, supply chains, and frontier commerce
- post-apocalyptic cargo routes across a map
- functional, utilitarian
- Parks
- Five Tribes
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- hand management / engine-building elements — players curate a personal set of actions and upgrades to improve performance over the campaign
- route planning and vehicle/cargo management — players plan delivery routes, manage cargo, and optimize turns to maximize efficiency and profit
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- everything to me has sort of built around and built off of wasteland express
- this tub which is color coded to the player pieces
- the insert has transformed what is the absolute worst aspect of this game and made it this beautiful premium
- sleeving is a hobbyist mentality
- open like a feast as soon as you open the box
- the central basin allows you to get everything successfully into the box and the lid closes
- box mapping removes all inserts