Academy Games | Freedom The Underground Railroad | Board Game | 1-4 Players

Playing this game made my kids and I very uncomfortable. It is a cooperative game in which the players work together to help free "slaves," by raising money and negotiating for strategies that help the players to elude "slave catchers." The concept is good - you are one of the 'good guys,' trying to end slavery and help individuals.That said, the game uses the outdated term "slave," instead of the more humanizing "enslaved person." 'Slaves' are represented by blocks of wood and have no hand in their own escape; they passively wait on the 'plantations' or at the 'slave market' to be rescued. Some of the other negative reviewers have commented on how dehumanizing this well-intentioned game is, how it treats the individuals whose lives were so devastated as objects to be manipulated. I found that to be so true that we couldn't play it for long.The game left me thinking about the rebellions against slavery that occurred and how horrendously evil this institution was. But the game doesn't include any of that context. I hoped for an educational experience, but closed it up, uncomfortable and seeking something more comprehensive and contextual.

We really enjoy co-operative games like this so we knew what we were getting ourselves into. Most of the Co-Op games we play tend to be in the fantasy genre so it was fun to try a game with a solid historical foundation and a powerful theme. The theme of the game is really what makes it so powerful and unique. As we played we felt ourselves really wrestling with how to save ALL the slaves. Each person playing the game felt strongly that we didn't want to sacrifice any slaves but the game forces you to be very strategic and there may be cases where you cannot save them all. In most games, you don't care as much about what you have to sacrifice (ie: potions, gold, etc.). The beauty of this theme is that you feel like an abolitionist and you want to save every person. It has a sense of realism that made the game a lot of fun and very compelling. The gameplay is balanced and fun, and quick to pick up. We have really enjoyed this game and would highly recommend it.

It is hard to come up with a game with such a delicate theme to deal with, that is, one related to the history of slavery. However, this game manages to provide a memorable gaming experience while addressing the subject in a respectful and meaningful way.The game has variable difficulty settings, and I would place it at a mid-level weight, better suited to those that have already played other cooperative games (like Pandemic, for example).Recommended for anyone enjoying fully cooperative games. A jewel in the genre.

This is a long game (I've played for up to 4 hours once) but you are engaged from start to finish. The facts about American history during the era of slavery on the cards are a big plus and people/events that we should all hear about at least once.Support games that are educational, genuinely unique, and fun.

I enjoy this game, the theme is inspiring, very few games make you feel like you are trying to help a real causes. The game mechanic works well and the scale up of difficulty is well done. A tough co-op that requires a lot of tough decisions. I had this and Robinson Crusoe and fell this is a better game overall

Academy Games makes a lot of great historical games, and this game is no exception, it's heavy on the history and has a pretty noble theme. The game is well-paced and a good cooperative game. The only downside of Freedom is how difficult it has been to win. My friends and I find ourselves struggling the whole time. So, I encourage adding this to your collection, but don't expect an easy win!

If you've watched the videos of how to play, you'll see it's complex. We've been playing it as a two-person game, and have yet to win, but we're getting closer. There are elements of luck, with the chance cards really having an impact, as well as a strategy aspect in moving the slaves through the board.

It's a fantastic thematic game. To be fair, we play it with a heavy heart, because of the accurate historical facts. We had a lot of mixed emotions about it, but it's truly a great game.

This game was really interesting to play, but very difficult to win. I played a 2 player game with my sister. We cooperated well and managed to smuggle the required number of slaves to Canada. But too many of them died before they could make it to the plantations, and we were not able to gather enough support for the abolitionist movement in order to end slavery. So in the end we lost because we had to pass all 3 parameters in order to win. I liked that the game resembles real life. In real life, it took a long time for the abolitionists to gather enough support to end slavery. And many many slaves died before they could make their way to freedom.

Man könnte meinen, das die Thematik dieses Spiels nur für die Amerikaner von Interesse ist. Leider ist es aber so, dass viele "zivilisierte" Nationen sich am Sklavenhandel bereichert haben. Das Thema ist somit brisant und nicht für jeden Geschmack gemacht. Wen das nicht stört bekommt hier ein knackiges Puzzle geliefert, das wegen seiner guten Skalierbarkeit sowohl für den Solospieler als auch für bis zu 3 weitere Mitstreiter geeignet ist. Ziel des Spiels ist es soviel Sklaven wie möglich nach Kanada zu transportieren. Dagegen arbeiten die Sklavenjäger um genau das zu verhindern. Dabei spielt man kooperativ gegen die Spielmechanik und merkt sehr schnell, dass nicht alle gesteckten Ziele zu erreichen sind; man muss Sklaven opfern um andere Sklaven zu retten. Wie eingangs gesagt, ein brisantes Thema, das relativ gut umgesetzt wurde. Der vom Hersteller propagierte "Lerneffekt" der amerikanischen Geschichte dürfte allerdings in Europa sehr moderat sein, da zusätzliches Material nur in den USA für den Schulgebrauch benutzt wird.

Ein großartiges Spiel, das sehr taktvoll mit dem sensiblen Thema umgeht - die Sklaven sind z.B. durch Holzklötze symbolisiert, nicht durch kleine Männchen. Außerdem spielt man antürlcih kooperativ auf der 'richtigen' Seite gegen die Sklaverei. Auch rein spielmechanisch kein schlechtes Spiel: es bleibt immer spannend, man hat nie genug Resources, um allen zu helfen. Allerdings wurde mein Exemplar durch Amazon Prime OHNE VERPACKUNG verschickt...nur der Spielkarton, normal eingeschweißt wie im Laden. Das Ergebnis kann man sich denken - und das bei einem 80€-Spiel...

Dieses Spiel ist überragend! Hervorragende Produktion, herausfordernd und zum Nachdenken anregend. Ich habe das Spiel hauptsächlich wegen des Solo-Modus gekauft und bin restlos überzeugt, gerade weil es nicht zu einfach ist. Es spielt sich jedoch auch mit mehreren Spielern sehr gut.

A very difficult team game but fun.