On the Table: F.A.B.!

It’s hard to believe that the cult TV adventure franchise ‘Thunderbirds’ is already turning 50 this year. Game publisher Modiphius Entertainment will celebrate the monumental anniversary with a brand-new co-operative board game due out this fall.

Set in the year 2065, Thunderbirds follows the exploits of International Rescue: a secret organisation committed to saving human life, secretly founded and funded by the millionaire Tracy family. International Rescue has a host of technologically advanced land-, sea-, air-, and space-rescue vehicles and equipment ready to launch at a moment’s notice.

Full disclosure: I’m not a diehard fan of ‘Thunderbirds’. In fact, I loathed the series when I was growing up mainly because the mannequin-like puppets just creeped the hell out of me. With that said, I wasn’t even going to give this game a second glance until one thing caught my attention and really piqued my interest. This game is being created by acclaimed designer Matt Leacock, the man responsible for the amazing games ‘Forbidden Island‘, ‘Forbidden Desert‘, and (my all-time favorite) ‘Pandemic‘.

Anyone who has played any of those games will understand why this is such a big deal. Leacock is one of the pioneers of modern co-operative gaming. His creations are so enjoyable that you can have a lot more fun losing them than you will winning many other games. From what I’ve seen so far, ‘Thunderbirds’ is shaping up to be a welcome addition to the Leacock family.

Thunderbirds board game

Thunderbirds Board Game

In the game, players will take on the roles of the Tracy brothers – Scott, Virgil, Alan, Gordon and John, as well as Lady Penelope – as they race around the globe averting disasters and thwarting the evil schemes of the nefarious Hood. Each character will have his or her own unique special ability to help accomplish goals. Other characters like Parker, Tin-Tin and Brains will also enter the fray in the game’s first expansion, which has already been unlocked in the Kickstarter campaign.

Thunderbirds Base Game Vehicles

The contents of the base game will include 4 References Cards, 6 Character Cards, 47 Mission Cards, 18 F.A.B. Cards, 8 Event Cards, 20 Disaster Cards, 30 Bonus Tokens, 10 Pod Vehicle Tokens, 6 Character Pegs, 6 Thunderbird Models (Thunderbirds 1-5 and FAB 1), a Hood figure, 2 custom six-sided dice, a beautifully illustrated game board, and a rules booklet. The expansion(s) will also introduce models for the Ladybird Jet, FAB 2, Tracy Island and more.

For more information about the game, a rough draft of the rules, or to make a pledge for your very own copy, you can visit Modiphius Entertainment’s Kickstarter page.

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