Kanban: EV Deluxe Edition (Kickstarter Special)

Board Game Geek Rating: 5.62
Board Game Geek Avg Player Rating: 8.55
Players: 1 to 4
Published: 2020
Content Notes: Kickstarter Deluxe Edition of Kanban EV by Eagle Gryphon Games. Includes core game, solo mode, Speed Charger Expansion, and all other unlocked stretch goals. Please note: unless otherwise stated paid add ons from the Kickstarter Campaign are not included.

Electric vehicles (EVs) have become more common since 2014 and are the future of the automobile industry. They are superior vehicles due to them being more efficient, easier to maintain, cleaner, and cheaper to run. They are computerized machines that use AI to improve safety and in the near future will provide autonomous driving. They receive software upgrades during their lifetime and are constantly improving, unlike their traditional combustion-engine counterparts, which start to become obsolete as soon as you start using them.

Kanban (看板) is the name for a scheduling system that supports an efficient assembly line, just-in-time production, and a smooth workflow process.

Kanban EV is a game that focuses on resource and time management; and puts you in the driver’s seat of an entire production facility, racing for factory goals and the highest level of promotion. You will earn Production Points (PP) for performing various actions in the game, and the player with the most PP at the end of the game is declared the winner.

Electric Vehicles (EVs) have become more common since 2014. EV’s are the future of the automobile industry. They are superior vehicles due to being more efficient, easier to maintain, cleaner, and are cheaper to run. They are computerized machines that use AI to improve safety and in the near future will provide autonomous driving. They receive software upgrades during their lifetime and are constantly improving, unlike their traditional combustion engine counter parts, which start to become obsolete as soon as you start using them.

Over the course of the game, players take on the role of novice supervisors, trying to secure their careers. You will need to manage suppliers and supplies, improve and innovate automobile parts, and get your hands greasy on the assembly line in order to boost production and impress the factory manager.

You must make shrewd use of the recycling facilities and the limited factory supplies in order to appropriate parts when the suppliers come up short. Because the factory must run at optimum efficiency, production doesn’t wait for you, or for mistakes.

The Eagle-Gryphon Kanban EV Deluxe version of this critically-acclaimed game improves on past editions by providing:

• All-new artwork and graphics by Ian O,Toole to improve both the visual aesthetics and the functional play of the game (e.g. the beautiful and all-new board layout and display!)
• 5 different models and “paint jobs” of the 5 wooden vehicles AND the possibility to add-on a complete set of 40 metal vehicles 
• A solo game version designed by the master of solo game versions — David Turczi 
• A brand new SpeedCharger expansion created by Vital Lacerda
• A new approach to the Boardroom (and its chairs) which streamlines play in that area of the board by using wooden Speech Tokens — creating a cleaner implementation of this mechanic
• Lots of other great 3D wooden bits instead of 2D cardboard tokens (e.g. see below the Certification, Production Cycle, Meeting, Banked Shift, and Car Part Value Markers; Worker and Sandra Meeples; Player Locks and Car Parts; and Book and Parts Voucher tokens)
• Dual-layered, spacious and well-organized Player Boards 
• A silver-painted Metal pace car (Stretch Goal)
• A Special Garage Tile Expansion (Stretch Goal)
• New (and extra) Final Goal tiles (Stretch Goal)
• A new and better laid-out Rulebook, Reference Book, and Player Aid sheets 

Rules Changes from Previous Editions:

• You may no longer replace Cars in your garages with new ones.
• When Sandra penalizes you, you now lose 1 PP in addition to PP for any Banked Shifts that you have below 5.
• In the Nice Sandra variant, you are only rewarded PP for Banked Shifts you have over 5, instead of for all of your Banked Shifts.
• There are 3 new Final Goal tiles to choose from during Setup. 

 SOLO Mode by David Turczi

In the Kanban EV Solo Rules, you’re the new hire at the company and your productivity will tightly watched. Any sign of slacking behind and you’ll be terminated. Worse, the senior engineer Mr. Lacerda and junior architect Mr. Turczi would rather you don’t make the cut, and will be trying to outperform you every step of the way.

SPEEDCHARGER Expansion Now Included! 

The SpeedCharger expansion provides players with persistent special abilities they may pay shifts to unlock.

• During setup, place 4 SpeedCharger tokens per player in a supply next to the Game board. Each player receives a Charging board which is placed next to their Player board.
• When working Shifts in R&D (or indirectly through Administration), you may spend 1 Shift to take a SpeedCharger token from the supply and place it on a space of your choice on your Charging board. From now on, the covered bonus is active for the rest of the game. Also, at the end of the game, each Charger token is worth 1 PP for each Car in your garages.
• For example: If you have 3 cars and 4 SpeedCharger tokens, you score 12 PP. 
• You can only take one SpeedCharger per turn.

The Bonuses when played in…

• R&D – Once per turn, you can upgrade 1 Design with a Car Part from the supply.
• Assembly – You may ignore the restriction of having to provide upgraded parts first.
• Logistics – You bank 2 Shifts instead of 1 when placing a Kanban card.
• Design – When you take a Design from the Central Design Stack, gain 1 Book.
• Administration – When working in Administration, you receive 1 extra Shift.

KANBAN EV Rulebook

Now that Kanban EV has 10 images on BoardGameGeek.com with 500+ thumbs, we are ADDING a Metal Pace Car, produced the same way as our 40 Metal Vehicle Add-On Pack cars, to the game in addition to the wooden pace car.

Now that Kanban EV has at least 1,000 ,Fans, on BoardGameGeek.com, we are adding additional Final Scoring tiles to the game. We do not yet have an exact number of how many tiles this will be, but we will fill the remaining space available on the punchboard with additional Final Scoring tiles to increase the variability of the game.

Now that we have added 1000 New Subscribers to our Newsletter, the Special Garage Tile Mini-Expansion will be included in the Kanban EV KS Edition.

Now that we have 500 retweets of our Tweet about Kanban EV, we will expand the SpeedCharger Expansion (see below) to include 6 new Meeting cards and 4 new Final Goal Tiles. 

Now that we have 500 shares on Facebook, we have INCLUDE the SpeedCharger Expansion (see above) in the Kanban EV KS Edition!

You will be overseeing the production of these vehicles in Kanban EV, with kanban  being the name for a scheduling system that supports an efficient assembly line, just-in-time production, and a smooth workflow process. Over the course of the game, players take on the role of rookie employees who are trying to secure their career. You need to manage suppliers and supplies, improve and innovate automobile parts, and get your hands greasy on the assembly line in order to boost production and impress the factory manager.

You must make shrewd use of the recycling facilities and the limited factory supplies in order to appropriate parts when the suppliers come up short. Because the factory must run at optimum efficiency, production doesn’t wait for you or for mistakes. Sandra, the factory manager, will review your performance and keep the factory on tempo.

Kanban EV is a game that focuses on resource and time management that puts you in the driver’s seat of an entire production facility, racing for factory goals and the highest level of promotion. You earn production points (PP) for performing various actions in the game, and the player with the most PP at the end of the game wins.

—description from publisher

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