Let's get one thing out of the way right now. Bodgers are these little crazy inventors/crazy scientist goblins. Yes, I don't know what bodging entails, and I'm not sure that I want to know. I don't know why bodgers are goblins and not furry black and white faced burrowing mammals, but that's what they are. I originally came into contact with bodgers in the summer of 2007. It was at Origins Game Fair, and the folks at Privateer Press were showing off this new card/board game that they had developed. I played a game of it at their booth, and was instantly hooked. It was quirky, fun, and did some really cool stuff.

Now Privateer Press has released a new game into its Bodger line of games, and it follows in the quirky footsteps of its Infernal predecessor.

The first thing you notice about Scrappers is the phenomenal art. The board looks exactly like what I would think a goblin's research lab would look like. There are scraps and random parts scattered over the floor, a wicked boiler in one corner, and little details make the board come alive. The cardboard tokens that represent each bodger are also well illustrated. The components of the game are also very well designed. The cardboard is thick and sturdy, the rules manual is well printed, and everything looks like it can take quite a bit of a gaming. The cards which you use for the majority of your actions are a little small for my tastes, but they serve the purpose of the game admirably, and don't take up too much space.

Gameplay is relatively simple. Players draw action cards at the beginning of each turn, and these cards allow them to move around the board, with the ultimate goal of collecting pieces of machinery off of a conveyor belt that moves back and forth in order to build a complete contraption (five pieces, a core and four plugs). Each of these pieces has color requirements (an orange plug can only be plugged into an orange outlet, for example) that is reminiscent of Infernal Contraption. Players try to use the action cards, which have a set amount of actions on them, to get into a position that gives them something that they need, be it a plug or a core. Actions also exist on the parts on the conveyor belt. Other bodgers are trying to use actions from their cards and conveyor pieces to get to a position they like, and often, bodgers end up fighting over the same plugs and cores (a part of the game which is also resolved with your action cards). The rules take a little getting used to, but once my group and I finished a few games, gameplay was natural and quick. As for a game rating – can a game be a 5/10 on the first run through and a 9/10 on subsequent plays? It took me at least a game (if not more than that) to see the pure tactical brilliance of Scrappers. At first, I thought that the game was arbitrary, that it was strange and not well controllable. As I began to play through separate encounters, though, I realized that careful play and smart decision-making, along with a bit of bluffing and reactive thinking, can make Scrappers one hell of a game. Constantly trying to outwit your opponents and turn a bad situation into a good one is a hallmark of Scrappers, and it makes the game a lot of fun.

Scrappers includes optional rules for adding new characters to the game, which is pretty stellar for a small game release like this. It feels like the board game publishing community is getting into the “DLC” mode of publishing, where tiny expansions are printed and added to a game later for a cost. Privateer Press has added one of these expansions of the game to the original box, and boy is it a doozy. Two extra characters can be added to a game that can be controlled using cards with their pictures on them – tactical decisions abound in these game modes, and it's a great addition to the tactical fun you'll get out of Scrappers.

The game retails at $24.95, and it's a steal. The amount of gameplay you can get out of this small-box game is unreal, and games are pretty quick (clocking in at around 20-30 minutes with experienced players), so you can throw a game of Scrappers into your lineup on game night without disrupting the flow.

---

Why Play [Pros]: Scrappers provides a great tactical gaming experience for a very cheap price-tag. It has an almost-infinite re-playability, and the extra game modes keep things fresh. The art and construction of the game are fantastic, and the rules are readable and mostly helpful.

Why Play [Cons]: Players looking for the brilliance right out of the box might not “get” Scrappers. It takes a few play-throughs to grock Scrappers and its brilliant gameplay. Players looking for a long-term strategy-fest are not going to find that kind of action in a game of Scrappers, because other than things like, "I want to get green plugs," or "If I get a core, I win," strategy is not a huge part of Scrappers.

Overall, Scrappers is an exciting addition to the Bodgers line of games from Privateer Press, and is a welcome addition to any tactical gamer's collection.

---