The Prodigals Club

I’ve been a fan of Vladimír Suchý's work since I played Last Will, and The Prodigals Club is another great game from the same designer. It's an interesting take on the theme of trying to lose your wealth, social standing, and political career. It’s a medium worker placement Euro with an utterly unique theme! You’re not just trying to lose all your money, but you're also trying to destroy your family and friendships, AND lose an election you can't lose! The game is hysterical, although the humor is definitely understated in a typical European way. The mechanics are similar to Last Will: you collect cards and hand-build to destroy your reputation. However, Prodigals adds worker placement actions that really increase the strategy and make the game feel more dynamic. I like that the game board is divided into three separate boards that fan out from a triangular center board - it makes it look really neat on the table! Each board has cards and worker spots that affect one of the three areas you’re trying to ruin (wealth, family/friends, and political career). Each board plays differently and requires a different strategy. This gives Prodigals a lot of replay value.

The game has some “take that” elements, which can feel a bit mean, but those elements actually help your opponents to improve their reputation, so it’s kind of a win-win. If you’re a player who doesn’t like “take that” elements, The Prodigals Club may not be for you.

I highly recommend playing all three boards for a truly unique and challenging experience. It’s a great game, and it’s definitely worth the price.