The Manhattan Project: Chain Reaction

A fast card-only race to build atomic bombs with workers, scientists and engineers, using two-purpose cards.

Designer: James Mathe
Published by: Czacha Games
Editions by: PaperGames (III), Minion Games

The Manhattan Project: Chain Reaction is a card-only race to build the bomb, a standalone spin-off of Minion Games' board game The Manhattan Project. You are the War Minister of a small nation, and your spies have stolen the technology, so what you need now is material and people. You play cards that represent training and using teams of laborers, scientists and engineers to complete plans, and each card can do two jobs. As soon as someone has built ten megatons of bombs, the final round starts, and the player with the most bombs wins. It is a quick race with a historical frame and a chilling-but-gamey tone. Plays from one to five, including solo.

Dual-purpose cards for people and plansStandalone card version of The Manhattan ProjectSolo mode and up to five players

Who it's for

You liked the board game's engine-building idea but want it in forty minutes with a deck of cards, and you have a few friends or want a solo run.

Not for you if…

You want a big board and lots of components. This is a compact card-only game with a lot less table presence.

Vibe's take

Brisk and tight. Every card could be a worker now or a plan later, so each play is a small trade-off, and the race stays close until the end.