Freedom: The Underground Railroad facts for kids
The box cover of Freedom: The Underground Railroad, 1st edition
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| Designer(s) | Brian Mayer |
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| Illustrator(s) | Jarek Nocoń (graphics and illustration), Steve Paschal (cover painting) |
| Publisher(s) | Academy Games (U.S.) |
| Players | 1-4 |
| Setup time | 10 min |
| Playing time | 90 min |
| Skill(s) required | strategy, cooperation, logic, logistics |
Freedom: The Underground Railroad is a co-operative board game released in 2013. It was designed by Brian Mayer and published by Academy Games. This game is the first in their "Freedom Series." People have praised the game for how it handles a very important historical topic.
This game is about the Abolitionist Movement in early American history. Players work together to help end slavery in the United States. You use special cards that show real historical people and events. These events happened from the time of the American Revolution until the American Civil War. The cards give players actions or special benefits during the game. You can play the game by yourself or with up to four players. Each player chooses one of six roles, like an agent, conductor, or preacher. These roles were all part of the real abolitionist movement.
Small card packs were also released with the Kickstarter version of the game. These packs add new cards to the Abolitionist Deck.
Contents
How to Play the Game
In Freedom: The Underground Railroad, players have two main goals to win. First, you need to help a certain number of enslaved people escape to freedom in Canada. The number depends on how many players there are and how hard you want the game to be. Second, your group must work together to make the Abolitionist Movement stronger. You do this by collecting all the "support tokens" in the game. This helps bring about lasting changes to end slavery.
Game Pieces
The game includes a board that shows cities and paths across the United States. There are three types of card decks: Role cards, Abolitionist cards, and Slave Market cards. You will also find five slave catcher tokens and 110 wooden cubes. These cubes represent the enslaved men, women, and children. There are also dice for moving slave catchers, action tokens (for support, fundraising, and conducting), money, and a lead player token.
The Abolitionist cards are divided into three time periods:
- 1800-1839
- 1840–1859
- 1860–1865
These cards feature real historical events and people from those times. They show things that helped or hurt the fight for freedom. Some Abolitionist cards are used right away. Others, called Reserve Abolitionist cards, can be saved for later. Opposition cards work against the players. At the start of the game, Opposition cards are mixed into the three era decks. Each player gets a random role card at the beginning of the game.
Game Rounds
The game has 8 rounds. Each round has five steps:
- 1. Slave Catcher Phase: The lead player rolls dice to move the slave catchers.
- 2. Planning Phase: Each player can take up to two action tokens.
- 3. Action Phase: Starting with the lead player, players can take actions. They can play action tokens, buy Abolitionist Cards, or use their Role Card's special benefits.
- 4. Slave Market Phase: New enslaved people are added to the plantations from the Slave Market card.
- 5. Lantern Phase: Cards are removed from the Abolitionist Queue. This might trigger Opposition cards. Players then check if they have won. If not, the lead player token is passed, and the game continues.
How to Win or Lose
The game ends if:
- The 8th round finishes, and players have not met both victory conditions. This means the players lose.
- Too many enslaved people are lost (the "Slaves Lost" track fills up). This also means the players lose.
- The players achieve both victory conditions and finish the current round without losing too many enslaved people. This means the players win!
Game Expansions
There are several small expansion packs for Freedom: The Underground Railroad. These packs add more cards to the game.
- Abolitionist Cards: This pack adds new Abolitionist cards for each of the three time periods. Some of the historical figures included are Samuel Joseph May, Josiah Henson, Thomas Garrett, and Anna Elizabeth Dickinson.
- Opposition Cards: This pack adds new challenges for players. These include cards like U.S. Marshals and a second Fugitive Slave Act card.
- Reserve Cards: This pack adds new Reserve cards for each time period. These include cards like The Quakers, Personal Liberty Laws, and Slave Grapevine.
Using the Game for Learning
Freedom: The Underground Railroad is featured in a book series by Rosen Publishing. This series explores how games can be used as helpful tools for learning in schools.
Awards and Recognition
This game has won many awards and received praise from different groups:
- 2013 Winner Best Co-op Game - Dice Tower Awards
- 2013 Winner Best New Designer - Dice Tower Awards
- 2013 Winner Best Game Theming - Dice Tower Awards
- 2013 Game of the Year - Drive-Thru Review
- 2013 Theme of the Year - De Tafel Plakt! (The Table Sticks)
- 2013 Board Game of the Year - The Wargamer
- 2013 Winner Best Historical Game - Club Fantasci Board Game Awards
- 2013 Winner Most Innovative Game - Club Fantasci Board Game Awards
- 2013 Winner Best New Designer - Club Fantasci Board Game Awards
- 2013 Winner Best Thematic Game - Board Game Quest Awards
- 2013 Winner Cooperative Game - Board Game Quest Awards
- 2014 General Strategy Multiplayer Game - International Gamers Awards
The game was also nominated for several other awards, including:
- 2013 Golden Geek Best Thematic Board Game Nominee - Board Game Geek
- 2014 Best Historical Game Nominee - Origins Awards
- 2013 Best Strategy Game Nominee - Dice Tower Awards
- 2013 Most Innovative Game Nominee - Dice Tower Awards
- 2013 Best Game of the Year Nominee - Dice Tower Awards
- 2013 Game of the Year Nominee - Club Fantasci Board Game Awards
- 2013 Best Co-Operative Game Nominee - Club Fantasci Board Game Awards
- 2013 Best Thematic Game Nominee - Club Fantasci Board Game Awards
