Storm Raiders - Standard Edition - Danneggiato
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FroGames — Moments You'll Remember
Atlantis has fallen, the Rift Storm ravages the sea. You pilot towards the wrecks as others watch you, calculating if you’ll make it. In the end, nobody talks about who won: they talk about your trike that braved the storm for a three-point contract.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
Rescuing wrecks in the eye of the storm that destroyed an empire
Atlantis fell thousands of years ago. The Rift Storm broke the empire, isolated the capital, and severed all contact with the Old World. Over time, the eye of the storm widened, and a discovery changed everything: the rift is still connected to the Atlantic. Ships crossing the ocean are caught by the storm and shipwreck on Atlantis' fragmented coasts. Shem Phillips (Raiders of the North Sea, Architects of the West Kingdom) delivers a tense and calculated pick-up and deliver game, illustrated by Dane Madgwick and Paul M Tobin, where you pilot vehicles between shattered islands to rescue wrecks before the storm swallows them.
Each turn, you choose a die from the common pool and use it to move one of your three vehicles (trike, aircraft, submarine) or to rest and repair. You salvage wrecks, complete contracts, recruit crew members, and upgrade vehicles. The storm surrounds the islands and moves: staying close to the edge gives you bonuses, but if it passes you, you're out. Six rounds of tough decisions between risk and reward. Whoever accumulates the most prestige becomes the best Storm Raider of the season.
What they're saying abroad
A race against the storm and against others. Every die counts.
— FroGames
Phillips knows how to build tension through scarcity. Here, the scarcest resource is time before the storm catches you.
— FroGames
Storm Raiders
The game includes official solo rules with an automa system that simulates competitive opponents. The experience is complete and maintains the tension of the draft and the race against the storm. It loses the direct interaction of multiplayer (stealing key dice, competing for specific wrecks), but gains in pure strategic challenge against the target score and automa movement.
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews, and play sessionsYour Atlantean arsenal
Three vehicles, one die at a time
Trike
Traverses the shattered islands of Atlantis. Fast on land, useless at sea. You upgrade it with modules that give you bonus actions or extra movement points. It's your primary vehicle for land contracts.
Aircraft
Flies over storm and ocean. Ignores obstacles but consumes more resources. You use it to reach distant wrecks or to escape the storm when you're too exposed. Expensive to repair.
Submarine
Explores the deep seas where the most valuable wrecks sink. Slow but safe. You upgrade it with components salvaged from shipwrecks. The only way to access certain underwater contracts.
Crew
Each recruited member gives you an asymmetrical power: extra actions, movement bonuses, cost discounts. The right crew can turn a strategy around. But recruiting costs time and resources.
Recommended Sleeves 44 cards in 1 size ▼
If you play often, we recommend protecting your cards with clear sleeves to make them last longer.
| Size | Quantity |
|---|---|
| 63 × 88 mm | 44 |
| Total cards | 44 |
In an hour and a half, you'll have either weathered an impossible storm or been swallowed by it. Either way, you'll have a story to tell.
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
The calm before the season
Choose your Storm Raider, place vehicles on the map. Others study the islands, calculate the best routes to the first wrecks. Someone immediately spots a lucrative contract and plans three turns in advance. The storm is far away. For now.
The first contested die
The draft begins. You wanted the 5 to send the plane north, but someone snatches it from you. You take the 3, change your plan, send the trike. You discover that every die chosen closes one door and opens another. The table is already silent.
The storm is brewing
Round 3, the storm advances. Those who are too far behind to complete a long contract start to sweat. Someone burns a high die to repair instead of moving. The first eliminated player is a real possibility. The tension at the table is palpable.
The moment of risk
Round 4, a player goes all-in on a valuable wreck at the edge of the map. They use the plane, burn resources, and complete the contract one turn before the storm arrives. The table explodes. That contract is worth medals and 8 prestige points. Others recalculate their strategies.
The final round
Round 6, the storm covers half the map. Those who optimized gain the last points, those who risked too much count their losses. Sum prestige: wrecks, contracts, crew, upgrades, medals. The difference between first and second is often a poorly chosen die three rounds ago.
How to play
The flow of each round
Six rounds, identical in structure, progressively more tense. Each round is a sequence of drafting, movement, and storm resolution.
Common dice are rolled (number varies with player count). In turn order, each player chooses a die and immediately uses it to move a vehicle or to rest and repair. The die's value determines how many spaces you move or how much damage you repair.
When you move a vehicle, you cross specific spaces and actions: salvage wrecks, complete contracts, recruit crew, purchase upgrades. Each vehicle has a damage track: if you accumulate too much damage, the vehicle stalls until repaired.
Contracts require combinations of salvaged wrecks or reached locations. Completing them gives you prestige points and immediate bonuses (crew, upgrades, medals). Some contracts are common, others private. Common contracts are competitive: first come, first served.
End of round: the storm moves and covers new areas of the map. Those who fall too far behind the storm are eliminated. Staying close to the edge of the storm gives you bonuses, but the risk is very high. The storm is the game's timer.
Why it's different from others
Six mechanics that make a difference
Hybrid Dice Draft
You don't roll your own dice. You choose them from a common pool after seeing them. This eliminates the blind luck of rolling but introduces direct competition: the die you take, others won't have. Every choice blocks others' possibilities. The draft is the heart of the game, not an add-on.
Three Vehicles, One Die
You manage a trike, plane, and submarine simultaneously, but you can only move one per turn. This creates constant dilemmas: which vehicle do you move? Which do you leave behind? Multi-vehicle planning is mandatory, not an advanced option. Those who don't coordinate lose.
Asymmetrical Crew
Crew members recruited during the game give you unique powers: extra actions, bonus movement, discounts. They aren't cards to buy at the end of the game for points. They are strategic choices that define your playstyle for subsequent rounds. Recruiting at the right time can turn strategies around.
Storm as a Spatial Timer
The storm isn't an abstract counter. It's a physical area on the map that advances each round and eliminates those who fall behind. Staying close to the edge gives you prestige bonuses, but risks elimination. This creates constant push-your-luck: how much do you push before retreating?
Pick-up with Set Collection
It's not enough to salvage wrecks. You must combine them into sets required by contracts. A single wreck is worth little, the complete set is worth medals. This adds a layer of optimization: which wreck do you salvage first? Which do you leave for others? Routing becomes a combinatorial puzzle.
Permanent Vehicle Upgrades
During the game, you purchase modules that improve vehicles: more movement, more carrying capacity, special actions. Each upgrade is permanent and changes your strategic possibilities for the rest of the game. These are not minor bonuses: they are tactical pivots. Those who invest in upgrades at the right time dominate the last rounds.
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
After six rounds, the player with the most prestige points wins. But the game can end for you earlier if the storm eliminates you.
Victory
- Accumulate prestige by salvaging wrecks, completing contracts, recruiting crew, and purchasing vehicle upgrades
- Earn medals by completing difficult contracts or staying near the storm: medals are worth prestige points at the end of the game
- Optimize the six rounds by balancing risk (staying close to the storm for bonuses) and safety (repairing damaged vehicles)
Elimination
- If at the end of a round you are too far behind the edge of the storm, you are eliminated from the game
- If you accumulate too much damage on a vehicle without repairing it, that vehicle stalls and you cannot use it until repaired (which costs precious turns)
- If you waste too many turns on uncompletable contracts or low-value wrecks, you'll end the game with insufficient prestige
Storm Raiders is a tense pick-up and deliver game where every die counts and the storm shows no mercy. If you want a eurogame with teeth, this is your game.
Frequently Asked Questions
Storm Raiders FAQ
How long does a game really last?
The box says 60-90 minutes, and it's accurate. The first few games might run over due to explanations and setup, but from the second game onwards, 90 minutes is the maximum. The pace is fast: six rounds, dice drafting, immediate resolution. There's no long downtime. If you play with 2 players, expect 60-70 minutes.
Is it suitable for those unfamiliar with Shem Phillips' games?
Yes. Storm Raiders is more accessible than Paladins of the West Kingdom or Viscounts. The dice draft is immediate, and the mechanics can be explained in 15 minutes. The complexity lies in planning, not in the rules. If you've played at least one medium eurogame (Ticket to Ride, Splendor, Carcassonne with expansions), you'll get into it right away.
Does the solo mode work well?
Yes, the game includes an official automa that simulates competitive opponents. The automa draws cards and moves according to precise rules, competing for wrecks and contracts. The experience is complete, and the tension remains high. You lose the interaction of drafting (stealing key dice), but you gain in pure strategic challenge against the target score. Rating: 4/5.
Does the storm really eliminate players, or is it just theoretical?
It really does eliminate players. It's not common, but if you fall behind two rounds in a row, you risk elimination. This happens more often to players who bet everything on distant contracts without calculating the return. The storm is the game's spatial timer: ignoring it is a fatal mistake. This increases tension and punishes overly passive strategies.
Is it available in Italian?
No, this edition is in English (Arkus Games). The text on the cards (contracts, crew, upgrades) is present but limited and functional. If you have a basic understanding of English or use a translated reference, you can play without problems. The mechanics are iconographic: once you learn the game, you read very little during play.
Storm Raiders is a strategic board game for 1-4 players, lasting 60-90 minutes, recommended for ages 14+. Designed by Shem Phillips (Raiders of the North Sea, Architects of the West Kingdom) and published by Arkus Games, Storm Raiders combines competitive dice drafting, pick-up and deliver, and set collection in a post-cataclysm Atlantean setting. Pilot trikes, planes, and submarines to salvage wrecks from the Void Storm before it engulfs the shattered islands of Atlantis. Each round you choose a die from the common pool and use it to move a vehicle or repair damage. The storm advances each turn and eliminates those who fall behind. Complete contracts, recruit crew with asymmetrical powers, upgrade vehicles. Six rounds of increasing tension, where every chosen die is a compromise between risk and reward. Includes official solo mode with automa. Illustrations by Dane Madgwick and Paul M Tobin. Available on FroGames.it.
Storm Raiders - Standard Edition - Danneggiato
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