Game Review: Abducktion
Today’s review is for Abducktion, a “weirdly strategic duck kidnapping” game for 1-6 players.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary game for review from Timberdoodle. All views expressed are my own.
Abducktion
Abducktion is a hilarious strategy game with a strong emphasis on spatial insight and planning. Just the premise is ridiculously fun. The idea is that players are interns of Abducktion Labs Intergalactic who are required to arrange ducks in a specific formation to allow them to be “abduckted” by a UFO.
“Hi! I’m Dave, your new supervisor. As you know, ducks make excellent research subjects, and during your internship here on the Abducktion Labs Intergalactic UFO, you’ll be abducting ducks from their natural deep space habitats for our lab to study. You’ll need to collect ducks in the specific Formations I assign to you. Good luck, interns!”
What’s Included
The instruction booklet… excuse me, Standard Employee Manual… informs me that “Tools and Components” are “Property of Abducktion Labs Intergalactic.” Be that as it may, the Tools and Components of the standard game include:
- 4 Quantum Pond Boards
- 1 silicone UFO
- 24 Formation Cards
- 60 Action Cards
- 80 ducks in 4 colors: white, blue, yellow, pink
The game box I received also includes an expansion set with:
- 2 more Quantum Pond Boards
- 20 Advanced Formation Cards
- 6 Research Pods (to extend the Quatum Pond Boards)
- 10 green glitter ducks
- 40 more ducks in the original 4 colors
How to Play
The first step is to place all the ducks in the UFO. The Employee Manual assures us that they like how cozy it is in there.
Each intern fills his pond with randomly drawn ducks.
Three formation cards are displayed so that interns can work towards arranging their ducks to match. Each formation card is worth a certain number of points, so it’s a good strategy to work towards the higher point formations if you can. As formations are completed, the ducks in each formation are abducted and deposited into the UFO.
My Thoughts
Abducktion rules are easy to understand, which allows for quick, out-of-the-box play, even for those who have never played before. Don’t let the adorable little ducks fool you, though. The strategy is harder than you might think. It’s recommended for ages 12 and up for a reason.
I love that there are rules for a single-player game, as well as an expansion pack for more advanced play with up to six players. This makes it a very versatile addition to our game collection and will be a popular choice for family game nights.
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