Game play itself is pretty straightforward. In clockwise order, players take turns being team leaders, revealing a new "Mission Log" to determine the head count and character skills required to tackle the next task. After hand picking their squad as well as a room to explore, team members secretly contribute equipment cards to try and overcome the challenge. If they succeed, they get to examine the room's contents, which will either be the equipment they need to progress or an alien, which immediately results in combat.
Of course, as in all other traitor mechanic games, one person around the table is secretly a "thing", looking to sow paranoia and chaos among the group. The alien player has to walk a very fine line, pretending to help at first so as not to cast aspersions on themselves. If they tip their hat too early, they could be subjected to a blood test to determine their true nature, get tied up with rope (skipping their Leader turn) or even incinerated with a flamethrower!
As more human players theoretically get converted, the "things" can dare to get more brazen when it comes to sabotage. Admittedly, the human team is hard-pressed to win, but that's just in step with the movie's theme. A human victory is truly cause for celebration!
Despite the game's amazing components and straight-forward rules, there are some odd game play choices that are actually anathema to the film's plot. For example, the humans can lose the game if too much of the base is destroyed. This actually run's contrary to the films plot, which sees the survivors voluntarily attempting to destroy the base in a last-ditch effort to kill the alien invader.
The game might not be as thematically engrossing as, say, Battlestar Galactica, it does plays very briskly and in a fraction of the time. The experience is also no less tense.
The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31 scores four pips outta six with a huge tilt up towards the skies...that you should be watching!
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