Gateway Table Top Games: A Saboteur In Our Midst! A Card Game of Pure Deception

"I'm on your side!", your fellow gamers will say but among them there is an enemy in your group, but who?

 Premise

Welcome to the card game that pits 3-10 players against each other as they make their way to golden treasures. The problem is you don't know who is on your side. Each player chooses a role card unseen at the start and begins playing a psychological game of identifying the saboteurs before they are able to thwart your efforts to reach the goal. The game consists of cards that allow you to lay and build a path to one of three known locations, one of which contains the gold treasure. Each player lays a path and the others try to determine if this player is helping or hurting. The player with the most gold at the end of three rounds is the winner.

It's an easy game to explain and usually after one game, everyone understands the concept. It can be played in less than 30 minutes for three rounds.

History

Created by Frederic Moyersoen in 2004, Saboteur ranks 544 overall at BoardGameGeek.com, is published internationally and has enjoyed moderate success in sales since its inception. It has spawned one expansion set as well as Facebook and Android app editions.

Why It's A Hilarious Good Time

Like the game of Clue, the moment roles are chosen, everyone is suspicious of one another. You gather intelligence about one another and a lot of deception is in play. The problem lies in the fact that some of these people are your allies, vying for the same goal. Who do you help and who do you stop? A saboteur's goal is to prevent all the miners from reaching their goal but remain undetected for as long as possible.

You can see the path cards are randomized and you have 5 cards in your hand at any given time. There are also 3 destinations, so you must choose your paths wisely and hope there's gold at the end. Actions cards are also part of the game play that help or hurt fellow players. For example, you can lay a card to another member that prevents them from creating anymore paths until they are healed by someone else. If you make the mistake of sabotaging your own team, you reduce your chances of reaching the gold.

I have the best time playing this with friends and family. The fun comes in the word play to pit people against one another. Accusations fly endlessly and you feel embroiled in a conspiracy. Imagine the surprise when you ally with your brother for half the game, only to find out he is a double agent by placing a stop card in front of you! Not to mention, another saboteur is in the fold, depending on number of players in the game. Once saboteurs are discovered, it is a race to the gold, blockades at every turn. 

Its fast learning curve and easy transport make it a great choice for casual play anywhere with anyone. I haven't played with anyone that didn't have a good time once it was over. Part of the fun will be who you play with. This is where the ridiculously outspoken shine in throwing accusations abound to confuse the group. There's always battle stories at the end and always that one person that says, "I knew she was a saboteur from the start!"