- One frustrating aspect of the game was the lack of a specified win-state. More clarity on how the game ends would allow more strategies to form. However, we were playing on a time-limit, so that could have affected how the game was played. Another frustrating aspect of the game were the start points. Your spawn depends on the dog you choose, so some players may end up clumped together while others will be separated. One problem I saw though were the lack of specific directions. For example, a card stating “Go back 2 spaces” is confusing because there is no sense of “forward” and “back”.
- I enjoyed the art of the game. I liked the “open-world” aspect of the game, where you can choose to go anywhere. I also liked the chance aspect of the cards you drew, which added a lot of world building to the game.
- I would have liked a better way to track point. Some of the cards force players to give up, or swap, houses (and their point values). The problem began when players forgot which house came from an alley or a road. This is important because points are doubled if houses come from the alley. I would either remove the “double points” rule, color the alleyway houses differently, or create a new way for players to track their houses.
- I would clarify some of the rules in the game. We always discarded cards after we drew them. However, cards often had lasting affects that we were unaware of, or worked retroactively. A rule that clarified that we should collect the cards we draw would clear some of the confusion. I would also add a way to force a direction for players.
- I enjoyed this relaxed style of board game. There were many moments of fun conflict between players because of the competition the cards forced.
- I would play Strays again. I really liked the theme of the game, and the idea of scouring the neighborhood to collect loyal followers (households). Our group got very territorial, which was the hidden intent of the game.
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