Sentient

Draft robots, program them into your factory and win investors over in a near-future tech race.

Designer: J. Alex Kevern
Published by: Renegade Game Studios
Editions by: Portal Games, Lavka Games, Gen-X Games, 2 Pionki

Robots are everywhere, but programming them is the hard part. In Sentient (2017) you run one of a handful of companies trying to lead the robot revolution. On your turn you pick a robot from the available ones and program it into your factory. Each bot you add changes your board and draws the attention of investors, and your job is to anticipate those effects, fit your bots together efficiently, and win over the right patrons. It is a drafting and set collection game with a bit of math and dice in the mix, built around contracts and the question of how your factory fits together. One to four players, about an hour, and a solo mode.

Draft robots to program in your factoryEach bot reshapes your board and appeals to investorsContracts and set collection drive scoring

Who it's for

You like optimizing a personal board in a mid-weight game and enjoy sci-fi settings that go beyond space marines.

Not for you if…

You want a lot of player conflict or a story-heavy theme. This is mostly a clean solo-ish optimization race.

Vibe's take

Puzzly and tidy. Each new bot changes your setup, so you are constantly adjusting and looking a few steps ahead.