Review: Marvel: Damage Control

By Flawless Cowboy

*Stardate 2347. Playback of historical document "Damage Control"*

Flawless: I’ll tell you what Clem, after a hard burn to get out of Uropa’s gravitational pull, I’m in the mood for a deck building game.  Got anything in the hold we can open up?

Clem: You say that about every planet we leave.  Scanning cargo manifest now.

*Fancy computer scanning sounds*

Clem:  How about Damage Control?

Flawless: I think you gettin’ your wires crossed Clem.. .this don’t look like a deck builder to me!

Clem: *sigh* it IS a deck builder you board game space jockey.

Flawless: What in the… Well I’ll be a martian prairie dog's uncle!  You’re right!  I take back all the things I say about you when you’re turned off for maintenance.

Clem: What?

Flawless: Nuthin!  Let's crack this bad boy open! 

Overview

In Damage Control, a deck building game for two to four players, players take on the role of clean up crews trying to pick through the rubble of the latest superhero battle.  You’ll be picking through the rubble pile for cards that offer specific actions and provide victory points.  As you work through the mess, heroes of the Marvel universe will jump in to lend you a hand (it’s the least they could do).  Games take approximately 15-30 minutes depending on player count.

A spread of everything that comes in the box! Sleaves not included, i just have a space parasite in my head that make me sleave every card game I play.

Component Quality

The cards are of a decent quality, about what you would expect from a game of this price, and feature a vibrant mix of character art and symbols. While they seem durable enough, I have opted to sleeve mine because in addition to the normal amount of shuffling in deck-building games, they will also be tossed, dropped, and grabbed. If you are a gamer, like me, who screams internally at seeing players use their nails to pick up cards, you are going to want sleeves.  

The box lacks a great way to organize the cards in storage, which can make set-up slightly more of a pain than it needs to be. That said, it does keep the box from being oversized, something that's often an issue in the industry. It’s a small nitpick, but worth mentioning.

Fits ok, but gets mixed up when traveling.

Inclusion and special needs

There is a wide variety of people represented on the cards and that’s great.  They dip into some of the lesser known heroes and I feel like there is something for everyone in here.  As for special needs, if you don’t have a problem handling a handful of cards you should be good to go.  The game does a good job of using symbols for actions, this can be helpful for younger players.  I can see this being watered down a bit  by not adding the “wild card” sets into the game to lessen the rules load for younger players.  I think it still plays well without them, at least well enough for those who get a little overwhelmed to have some fun.  

Gameplay

This is a deck building game in which two to four other players will try to score as many victory points as possible.  Players build their decks by using abilities to add, reveal, collect, and destroy cards from The Rubble, a scattered pile of cards in the middle of the table.  Each starting deck mostly contains the same cards, but each player also gets one unique manager card, giving each player a slightly different play style throughout the early turns. During set up two unique sets of cards (of a possible four in the base game) are added to the draw pile which change how the game plays.  Some offer increased player interaction, while others add to the solitary nature of the game.  

At the start of the game, each player helps create The Rubble by throwing (literally) nine cards into the play area.  You will do this by lightly tossing the cards into the middle of the field.  When 8 of the nine cards have been tossed face down onto the table, each player will drop the last card face up onto the rubble pile from at least 8 inches above it.  

On their turn, players play their entire hand of cards, resolving the actions of the cards as they are played. Card actions include things like flipping cards face up, removing them from the board, adding them to your deck, or moving them from your hand to your vault (where they will be worth victory points at the end).  

Whenever you flip a card in The Rubble face up, it will trigger an effect.  These include cycling heroes in the hero row and adding more cards to the wreckage by dropping them face up into the field.  Additionally, the wildcard effects can include passing cards to other players, drawing a card, discarding a card, and gaining money.  

As you collect cards, you will have options to recruit super heroes that will give you end game points, an immediate bonus, or an activated ability.  You can collect heroes at the end of your turn if you played cards with the correct combinations of actions during your turn. For example, if you uncovered two cards this round, you can acquire spider man if he is in the row. 

Cards in the player's deck only score victory points if they are in The Vault. On their turn, players can use actions or spend money to put cards from their hand into The Vault.  The game ends when either The Rubble (the pile of cards in the center of the board) or the Hero deck is empty.  After that, points are counted from heroes, cards in vaults, and money.  The player with the most victory points is the winner.

Set up for two players. Love a good clutch shot.

Fun Factor

I really like this game. The rubble creation mechanism is fantastically unique, and everyone I have played with so far has had a good time interacting with it.  Throwing cards into the pile and watching the wreckage build is very satisfying, and cards flipping can lead to chains of actions that adjust the layout of the rubble. Getting a string of concurrent collapse or flip actions is exciting, and the cards added/flipped to the pile can change the trajectory of your turn rapidly.  Turns in which players start out feeling like you have nothing to do can end up offering a choice of multiple avenues.  Really good stuff.

The hero cards help keep things interesting by giving players something to aim for on their turn, and add a small tableau building element to the game. If a new player doesn't know what they should be doing, it's good advice to try and aim for a hero card, as they open up some additional actions, one time bonuses, or endgame scoring opportunities. 

Lastly, the wildcards are an excellent addition, keeping the game just slightly different each time you play.  Talking with your group before you play the game to see what kind of experience they want is a smart idea.  Want a bit of a more solitaire experience?  Add the Magic and Wakanda sets.  Interested in more of a “take that” experience?  Add Pym and Asgard.  I can see a lot of room for expansion content here.

Does the Cowboy recommend this game:

Well Yee Haw partner!  I sure do!  It’s a solid little deck builder with a lot of character.  I will say I have not played anything QUITE like this..  For the MSRP of $34.99 I think you get a lot of bang for your buck.  If you are a fan of the Marvel franchise and are looking for a deck builder with a unique twist, this one’s for you.

Clem: I too enjoy the controlled chaos Flawless.

Flawless: Me too Clem, I think this one is a keeper.  How about we swing back to the station and get a few more games in.

Clem: Plotting a course home.

Flawless: Wait, Almost forgot!

Yee Haw!

Overall score: 7/10

✅ Easy to learn

✅ Fun license for the game

✅ Reasonable Cost

✅ Neat theme

❌ Some may find it not incredibly deep

❌ box does not come with great organization

No review copy was given. Game was purchased at a LFGS for $34.99.