It’s Prohibition, and you’re working to create a crime syndicate from the ground up by earning a reputation in the town. That’s pretty much the basis of HOOCH from Talon Strikes Studios. I was lucky enough to be given a hand-crafted, personalized prototype of the game to preview for the current Kickstarter Campaign.

HOOCH comes with a LOT of stuff. It’s a card game, but it feels much meatier than your average card game, and leans more towards what you expect from some modern board games.  The game plays 3-6 players in about an hour, and it keeps you working for your victory the entire time you’re immersed.  The game takes a bit of time to learn, but it’s rewarding, and not overly difficult. The basics of the game are building a family, taking over storefronts, selling booze, and protecting everything from the other players.

Surprisingly you can snag the game for a very low pledge point, considering what you’re going to be getting. $39 will get you the base game and all stretch goals if the game is funded. Looking at the way the campaign is going, it looks like that’s going to happen.

HOOCH is deep, a little bit complex, and a very rewarding game to play. Give it a chance, and I’m sure it’ll win you over.

A copy of HOOCH was provided free for preview by Talon Strikes Games.