Introduction
Daybreak is a cooperative game designed by Matt Leacock and published by CMYK Games. The game plays 1-4 players where you work together to decarbonize the planet . How do you achieve this? Well, you have to create resilient societies , remove dirty energy, research new technologies , and adapt to the serious effects of climate change
Components
Daybreak is beautiful! The artwork is truly stunning. I didn’t believe my friend when he first told me it was a Matt Leacock game as I was expecting the art to be more like Era or Pandemic.
Eco friendly boxes that serve as inserts and a random piece of cardboard to ensure the game stays in place as you shift it around
Beautifully designed rule book, easy to read and follow along to
Game board
Individual player boards are asymmetric. I was given Majority World in my first game; don't do it! Give it to someone else
Action cards each come with a unique QR code that educates you about climate change and provides notes about the game and the action corresponding to the specific card
Tokens including trees, waves for oceans and trees for
Dice , if you are having a bad day or have general bad luck, don’t be the dice roller
The components are all well-made and of high quality. There are A LOT of icons, which can be confusing at first, but each card explains what is expected. Additionally, each player is given a reference card that includes information about what each tag represents and the percentage of cards of that kind in the deck. The game's theme is well-represented in the components, and the overall look and feel of the game makes me want to make better choices. My favorite component is the temperature band; it is so dramatic, and the consequences of it can be scary.
Gameplay
Daybreak is a cooperative game, meaning that players work together to achieve a common goal . The goal of the game is to decarbonize the planet and create resilient societies . Players simultaneously take actions, and each action has a number of effects . Players can use their actions to build renewable energy sources , research new technologies , and adapt to the effects of climate change
The game is played over up to six rounds , and each round is divided into a number of stages, including a global stage where you work as a team to decide which crisis cards to add and which global projects you’d like to conquer.
Then, you move to the local stage. I LOVE this stage. Since the game plays simultaneously, each player can dedicate their time to their own boards, preventing any potential quarterbacking (as a huge Pandemic fan, this was a sigh of relief). Subsequently, comes the emission stage where you count carbon cubes generated by everyone’s boards. Then you check these carbon cubes against the ocean, trees, and possible direct air captures. Did I mention that if you can’t meet your energy demand, you have to add communities in crisis? If at any point, your team reaches zero carbon cubes in the emission area, you reach drawdown. This helps you win the game and remove any potential carbon cubes from the thermometer so you don’t have to add more temperature bands!
Now, you are ready for the crisis stage. Here is where luck meets panic. For each temperature band, your team will draw a planetary effect die. Depending on what is rolled, you will advance an effect. If at any point, the tipping point is triggered, an effect must be resolved. Depending on how bad the environment is doing, you may be adding communities in crisis, lose resilience, lose cards, and reduce the amount of cards you’ll start the next turn with. If the drawdown marker is in place, you win the game. If not, increase the energy demand and keep fighting.
Will you achieve the goals of drawdown or will you have our planet destroyed ?
What I Like
Important and timely theme: The theme of climate change is one that is important and relevant to our world today . The game represents the challenges of climate change. It is educational and hopeful.
Challenging and rewarding gameplay: Daybreak is a challenging game. It plays simultaneously, so there’s no quarterbacking.
High-quality components: The components are all of high quality and the game board is beautifully designed .
Learning curve: The game is easy to learn. This makes it a great game for both new and experienced gamers.
Dice: there are dice , and I love anything with dice!
What I Don't Like
The game is somewhat random, which can be frustrating at times and the icons can be overwhelming. I think the icons will get better over time, but I am not sure how many times this game will make it to the table.
The eco-friendly boxes that come with the game idea is great, but I don’t think it will withstand the test of time. I do feel conflicted about adding a 3D printed insert to such an eco-friendly game, but we'll see how it does
Conclusion
Daybreak is an exciting, educational, and timely cooperative game. The game's theme is important, and the QR codes on each card are conflicting. In a way, I don’t want to allow phubbing at my table, but who doesn’t want to learn more about the environment? The design is beautiful. The game is played on a central board that represents the world , and players use their actions to achieve mutual goals. Have you tried this game?
Happy gaming!
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