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Freedom: The Underground Railroad box art
2013 Ranked #539

Freedom: The Underground Railroad

Cooperative historical strategy game where abolitionists raise support and guide enslaved people toward freedom in Canada. Funds, slave catchers, and the movement's momentum create a difficult balance between urgent rescues and sustaining the cause.

Strategy Games American Civil War Economic Pick-up and Deliver Point to Point Movement

Players

1-4

Play time

60-120 min

Age

13+

Complexity

2.9/5

Rating

7.58

Harder to teach Highly interactive Deep strategy

Overview

At a glance

Is this game right for my group?

ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.

Teachability 2.3/5

Harder to teach

Replay value 3.8/5

High replayability

Interaction 3.8/5

Highly interactive

Player scaling 4.0/5

Scales well

Strategic depth 4.5/5

Deep strategy

See all 5 specifications

How it plays

How does it play?

Early in the history of the United States, slavery was an institution that seemed unmovable but with efforts of men and women across the country, it was toppled.

Core mechanisms

Key systems that shape the decisions players make.

Read the full game description

Early in the history of the United States, slavery was an institution that seemed unmovable but with efforts of men and women across the country, it was toppled. In Freedom: The Underground Railroad, players are working to build up the strength of the Abolitionist movement through the use of notable figures and pivotal events. By raising support for the cause and moving slaves to freedom in Canada, the minds of Americans can be changed and the institution of slavery can be brought down. Freedom is a card-driven, cooperative game for one to four players in which the group is working for the abolitionist movement to help bring an end to slavery in the United States. The players use a combination of cards, which feature figures and events spanning from Early Independence until the Civil War, along with action tokens and the benefits of their role to impact the game. Players need to strike the right balance between freeing slaves from plantations in the south and raising funds which are desperately needed to allow the group to continue their abolitionist activities as well as strengthen the cause. The goal is not easy and in addition to people and events that can have a negative impact on the group's progress, there are also slave catchers roaming the board, reacting to the movements of the slaves on the board and hoping to catch the runaway slaves and send them back to the plantations. Through careful planning and working together, the group might see an end to slavery in their time.

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Editions

Language and publisher variants currently recorded in the catalog.

Edition Year Language Publisher / Region
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Player resources

Rulebooks, player aids, FAQs, and solo resources.

No files imported yet.

Game and edition data

All specifications (5)

Play and group

Players
1–4
Best with
1–4
Play time
60–120 min
Age
13+
Complexity
2.9/5
Credits and catalog connections

Credits

Designers

1
Brian Mayer

Artists

2
Jarek Noco? Steve Paschal

Publishers

1
Academy Games, Inc.

Linked items

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