Compile: Main 1 is a hand management, area majority game.
Title: Compile: Main 1
Year Published: 2024
Designer: Michael Yang
Publisher: Greater Than Games
Players: 2
Game Time: ~30 Minutes
Set-up Time: 1 minute
Ages: 14+
Theme: Competing Artificial Intelligence
Mechanisms: Area Majority, Hand Management
How to win: Compile all 3 of your Protocols
Game Description
You are competing Artificial Intelligences trying to understand the world around you.
How to play Compile: Main 1
Learn the rules for Compile: Main 1.
Main mechanisms
Officially, one of the mechanisms is deck construction but I would say you need to know this game inside out before you can do that.
There is definitely hand management as you need to use what you have to try and control the board.
Of course, area majority is how you compile your protocols to win the game.
USP
I mean, the shiny cards and theme are the USPs. The game play is a mix of things I’ve played before so it’s not that unique there.
Theme
Pitting ‘concepts’ in the form of protocols against each other in a race to complete understanding is fun… In reality you’re playing cards to get to 10 quicker than the other player.
Setup & Rulebook
Setup is fine. Spread out the Protocol cards and you’re good.
The included rules leaflet is lacking a lot of the basic rules. Things that are needed to know while playing the game that are not intuitive from the cards are missing.
They have reprinted it.
Components & Artwork
The shiny cards are really nice and the interesting look on the background is cool.
Ease of Teaching
The core of the game is easy to teach.
There are a lot of little bits you need to cover that can be easily missed.
Similar Games
I would put Netrunner in as a 2 player tech-themed game.
There is a tonne of abstract 2-player games that have a tug-of-war style game play you can pick from.
Compile: Main 1 Review
Positives
The cards look really nice.
The game play is very tactical.
There is a possibility to have a different deck every time you play…
Negatives
…you have to rely on experienced players not picking protocols that counter yours.
The niggly rules are an issue.
Compile: Main 1 Round-Up
A quick, fun game with plenty of variety brought down by a bad first rules draft, early card errata and lots of easily forgettable rules
Rating
I give it 6/10