Bear Raid: First Take Game Review

I love stock games. I think this is part of why I love 18xx games so much—there’s money involved, but there’s also a big chance to both win and lose a lot of money based on the decision space.

The concept behind buying low and selling high is also why I love games as varied as Stockpile and supply-and-demand games like Brick & Mortar. Even in games I don’t necessarily love, such as Horseless Carriage—a game that featured a large amount of polyomino-style puzzling before getting to the part that I enjoyed, selling of cars in the market—I can find something that my brain really enjoys.

Bear Raid (2022, Allplay) is a game that, on paper, does the things I want in an economic simulation. There are stocks to buy, tied to markets that can be manipulated thanks to an interesting dice mechanic. Just having dice at all is a good thing, because, well, dice. The box says that Bear Raid has a 60-minute playtime, also a winner. There are stock splits and shenanigans and wacky artwork and funny company names. You can even spread rumors, which initially sounded like that would be a blast.

There are also event cards, for which I have mixed feelings, not just Bear Raid. The wacky art did…

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