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I like a race game to be a race game. I enjoy Black Fleet for example, but I don't like the way the end game is a race to earn enough gold. I'd rather a it be a straight race, that is a points race with other mechanics laid over. Jamaica is a good example of this. The race is the main thing. The rest is a bonus.
Gravwell: Escape from the 9th Dimension is a race. No bones about it. You aren't going to be blasting your fellow racers with space lasers though, instead you will use unexpected moves, optimal timing and your own gravitational pull to be the first to escape the singularity.
Gravwell
Gravwell (the more recent Renegade Game Studio edition) comes with six model space craft, four of which are players, and two damaged drifters, which have their own gravitational pull. Player ships start in the singularity in the middle and rise to the warp gate at the end of the spiral track. The two damaged ships start at designated spaces.
Players will draw six cards through a draft, each round of the draft drawing a stack of two cards. Cards are stacked on face-down and the top one face-up so you know half the cards you are getting. There are three types of card, the most common move you towards the nearest ship by the number printed on them. If this causes you to land on the ship you simply carry on in that direction. Ships can not share a space on the board. The next type of card causes you to move away from the nearest ship, and finally the tractor beam draws ships on every side towards your ship.
The cards also have a letter of the alphabet on them. When they are played the nearest to 'a' will go first and play continues in alphabet order. Players will play all six cards in a round but should one of their cards ever move them in a way that hadn't anticipated, they can flip over their player colour card to move no space at all. This can be done once per round.
There are various rules for situations you may find yourself in like equal distance between two ships, but these are all straight forward and after one play you will nary look at the rule book again!
Wellwell
Gravwell is a game that is ultimately quite simple in a lot of ways, yet everybody I have played it with has had to get their head round movement. Ships do not simply move 'forwards' or 'backwards' but either towards or away from the nearest ship. If the nearest ship is behind you, you want to move away from it. However if your only away card is near 'z' than 'a', by the time you move the nearest ship may be in front of you!
These two simple mechanics create such an interesting game. You think you have things worked out only for the board to change and you find yourself heading back to the singularity. You could cancel that movement but you still have a 10 movement card in your hand and what if that goes wrong?
My favourite moment from the game so far was when my seven-year-old son landed next to the warp gate. He had two cards left and he was frustrated because they both moved him toward the nearest ship which was only going to be behind him and they were both high cards.
First he played a seven, moving him back behind us both. Then in the next round he slingshot himself to the win, playing a nine because we were now both in front of him! He worked it out for himself, and I was happy to lose to a move like that. It also changed the way I play as I know actively look for opportunities to slingshot!
GravityWell
Gravity also works well with all player counts due to the damaged wrecks floating around the board. These add more chance to do interesting or unplanned movement. It also plays in a very reasonable time frame, ending when someone reaches the warp gate or after six rounds.
The drafting works very well, as you must choose between taking the high number near 'a' cards and stocking up on the different movements available. The luck of the three face down cards also meaning you have to adapt to the draw too.
While the ship models are great, although the same mold is used for player ships, the board is a little bland. I know it's a space game so the background is going to be full of, well, space, but I feel the track could have been made more interesting. The only information that you need from the board is the ship positions so they could have had some fun with it. The cards are similarly functional but on the boring side.
These decisions could have made the theme even stronger, as the sense of gravity really does come across through the movement. It's a nit pick but a shame that it wasn't reflected more fully in the components.
GravitasWell
Although there is a learning curve to Gravwell, one round will get most people over the hump and it is not a game that more experienced players have the advantage in. Unpredictable things happen all the time and the laughter that follows is all part of a great experience.
I wonder long term whether the game will become 'old hat' due to the lack of some more advanced cards or maybe another track on the reverse of the board, but for price of entry you have a solid game that will entertain and delight for a long time.
