I Wanted to Love Kraftwagen… But It Let Me Down

Description provided by Gaming Caravan on YouTube:

I finally played Kraftwagen from Arcane Wonders, and I really wanted to love this one. I like business board games, economic games, and games that let you build toward something clever, so Kraftwagen sounded like it should have been exactly my kind of game. But after playing it, I walked away with a weird feeling: Kraftwagen is a solid board game, and maybe even a really clever Rondel game, but it did not feel like the business game I wanted it to be. The turn system is interesting, the table presence is big, and there are some great decisions around timing, tempo, and not giving your opponents too much space to work with. In this Before You Buy review, I’m talking through the setup, components, player count, difficulty, downtime, Rondel system, replayability, and who I think Kraftwagen is actually for. If you like medium-heavy strategy games, economic board games, or Arcane Wonders releases, this should help you decide whether Kraftwagen belongs on your shelf.