ARTICLE: 51st State – Introducing the Mutants and Merchants

 

51 enThe world of 51st State is in ruins. It’s up to you to rebuild. Take charge of a group of survivors and fight your way to salvation. You must rebuild. You must overcome. Beware everyone else… they are trying to do the same.

Last week, I introduced you to the first two factions: New York and Appalachians. This week, I will show you the remaining factions in the box: Mutants and Merchants. While the former factions struggle to rebuild a semblance of our former society, the Mutants and Merchants aim to take advantage of the ruined world for personal gain.


Mutants Union

EN_playersboard-4Ravaged by radiation and toxic spills the Mutants Union is less of an organized faction and more of an understanding between disfigured humanoids. Their hideousness and alarming ferocity make them unwelcome in the dens of humanity. They scavenge the once fertile valley of the Mississippi for anything to help them survive… and they have absolutely no problem killing for anything they want.

The Mutants are able to Raze from the very first turn. They attack swift and strong and take everything by force. They aren’t accustomed to making Deals any farther than Distance 1… and those within range deal more out of fear than mutual benefit. To build, they need Iron… and they don’t produce it. So, they must take it by force. Protect your Iron producing buildings!


Merchants Guild

EN_playersboard-7The world is burning, literally, and the greedy still seek to take advantage of the underprivileged. The merchants of this apocalyptic land travel between small pockets of humanity, “trading” with those who can’t afford to do so. They aren’t interested in a fair deal. They will shamelessly take from the needy to pad their pockets.

The Merchants Union produces Fuel. This allows them to make a Deal with any location at any Distance. They don’t have much for attacking (only Range 2) so they will never be able to attack the other players unless they invest heavily in buildings which help. To build, they need 2 Iron, so they are going to want to make Deals quick or will quickly fall behind. Play them right, and you can control the market of the game. Play them wrong, and you’ll be trampled by the other players.


In Stores May 25th!

Ask your FLGS today to pre-order your copy!

Welcome to PORTAL GAMES

We are bookworms. Movie maniacs. Story addicts. We grew up reading Tolkien, Howard, Herbert, Dick, Lem… We were watching Willow, Blade Runner, Never Ending Story, Robin Hood…

And yet, we don’t write books… we don’t make movies. We don’t make those things, because we make games. We make games that tell stories.