With the dystopian science fiction film Escape from New York in 1981, cult director John Carpenter set standards and paved the way for modern cyberpunk genres. Unforgettable: Kurt Russel in the leading role as Snake Plissken. The publisher Pendragon Studios had released a board game for the film, which is now being published in German by Heidelbär Games under the original German title The Klapper Snake.
The film The Rattlesnake was one of the most commercially successful of the early XNUMXs - the setting was as crazy as the story itself. The ex-soldier and now prisoner Snake Plissken is brought out of prison to save the President of the United States. The adventure takes place in Manhattan, which is no longer the noble district it once was, but a gigantic prison island on which various gangs fight each other.
Film history as a board game premise
The story of the film is also the basis for the board game of the same name. Klapperschlage is a semi-cooperative board game for up to four players, and a solo mode is also included. “The plot of the game is closely based on the film, but does not require any knowledge,” writes Heidelbär Games in the announcement. This makes it clear: the board game is not aimed exclusively at fans of the films or even at players in their mid-fifties.
The board game should be “action-packed” and thus tie in with the filmic idea of the original. Things were fast-paced there too, and sometimes dirty. The title is aimed at fans aged twelve and over.
Pendragon Games - the makers had previously adapted another film by John Carpenter, The Thing - had crowdfunded the English-language original under the title Escape from New York. The publisher collected around 260.000 euros from more than 2.200 fans as part of the campaign. In addition to the base game, Heidelbär Games will also offer all expansions in German.
Heidelbär Games writes about The Rattlesnake: “As in the cult film, your task in the game is to save the president and escape from New York. On your trains you gradually explore New York City to find the president, the tape cassette and the sketch of a bridge. With every move you can uncover additional parts of the city and gradually create the game plan. You can also find new equipment and prepare for battle. Vehicles are particularly useful because they allow you to cover longer distances quickly - because you only have a limited amount of time for your mission. Each of the four playable characters comes with their own set of cards and different action options.”
Release in November 2023
The expansions bring additional content to the base game. “The Rattlesnake: United States Police Force” includes the “Cop Trial” game variant, in which heroes must complete tasks assigned to them by Hauk in order to receive the presidential pardon at the end of the game. In “The Rattlesnake Board Game: The Gangs of New York” the material is added for a fifth player who takes on the role of the gang and is supposed to make life difficult for the gaming group. A presidential miniature and hero miniatures as well as prisoner miniatures will also be released, as well as matching sleeves and an official play mat.
The publisher Heidelbär Games is expected to bring the title onto the market in November 2023; There will be demo rounds at SPIEL'23 in Essen. The author Kevin Wilson is responsible for the adaptation - he has previously implemented high-profile games such as Descent, Arkham Horror and Game of Thrones.
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The Rattlesnake (4K Ultra HD) (+ Blu-ray2D) * |
19,97 EUR |
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