Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
Lawmakers are cracking down on soda, and tight regulation has made way for lucrative smuggling. One bottle per person is the new law — thus bribes, suitcase inspections, and arrests are on the agenda.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Betting and Bluffing
Risk resources on uncertain outcomes while disguising intentions or information.
Deduction
Combine clues and exclusions to identify hidden information.
Hand Management
Time and sequence a limited hand of cards to preserve future options.
Bribery
Offer resources or incentives to influence another player’s decision.
Asymmetric Roles
Different roles know different information and contribute in different ways.
Events
Triggered events alter the shared state, rules, or available choices.
Read the full game description
Lawmakers are cracking down on soda, and tight regulation has made way for lucrative smuggling. One bottle per person is the new law — thus bribes, suitcase inspections, and arrests are on the agenda. Only one will emerge the Soda Kingpin. Each round in Soda Smugglers, one player takes a turn in the role of a border guard while the other players act as travelers. In a quest to acquire coveted carbonation and its accompanying bottle caps, the border guard tries to confiscate as many sodas as possible while only the cleverest travelers will sneak across with their fizzy contraband. After each player has been the border guard (twice in a 3-4 player game, once in a 5-8 player game), the game ends and whoever has the most bottle caps wins! —description from the publisher