Disclosure: Meeple Mountain received a free copy of this product in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. This review is not intended to be an endorsement.
For those unaware, Sniper Elite: The Board Game is a 1-vs-many game where one player is a sniper taking on missions against the squads of German guards, controlled by all the other players. When I played the game a few years back, I really enjoyed the mix of stealth and battle that it brought to the hidden movement genre. After several plays, however, the lopsided nature of most of my games, combined with the relative lack of variety in the two included maps, meant that it only hit the table on a limited basis. Enter Operation Kraken, the newest expansion…
More than just a Pretty Face
The first thing that struck me were the new maps, which not only visually looked different from one another, but had several symbols and components not present in the base game. As I dove in, it became clear that the designers were aware of the issues that I ran into when it came to replayability. The Operation Kraken maps are not just “more of the same” but fundamentally change how the game is played, for the better.
In the base game, there is basically an indoor and outdoor version of the same map, with a few tweaks on places to hide or line of sight. In Operation Kraken, one side of the map is a fairly wide-open space that provides the sniper with some breathing room to perform their actions but also more opportunities to get caught. It’s all about being as stealthy and quiet as possible.
On the other side is a 3-level Super Carrier with tight corridors, vents to sneak through, and doors that can lock. It leans into the close-quarters combat side of the game. The sniper will still need to incorporate both fighting and stealth elements, but each map here feels distinct in regards to which style you’re inclined to play. In this facet, Operation Kraken delivers on the diversity of gameplay lacking from the base game, and makes Sniper Elite feel like an overhauled sequel rather than a simple expansion.
It’s Assassination Day, I Stalk my Enemy like Prey
Despite the game being a battle of 1 sniper against 9 guards, it still favors the sniper. As mentioned in Andrew’s review of Sniper Elite: The Board Game, there are times where it feels like this assassin is just toying with his enemies, but in Operation Kraken they have gone out of their way to mitigate some of those unbalanced playthroughs.
In the Norman Village map, guards now have a little backup in the form of military vehicles, which they can drive around to patrol the area. They are difficult to destroy and are immune to Loadout Cards that would instantly kill a normal guard unit. Playing as the Germans, this can be a huge advantage, especially when you get both rolling at once and, honestly, it was just fun to spend my turn commandeering these little beasts as a change of pace.
While aboard the Super Carrier, the guards can feel like sitting ducks, but they have new options like reinforced walls and the ability to lock doors, to help confine the sniper and protect themselves. In addition, the snipers’ objectives can be more easily deciphered on this map, limiting the spaces that the guards must search once one of them has been achieved. As usual, the sniper will almost always have the upper-hand but in Operation Kraken, they have leveled the battlefield a bit more.
The Sound of the Silence When No One Was There
While the majority of the changes in this expansion build on the strengths of the base game and minimize some of its deficiencies, it doesn’t solve every problem. This remains a game that I will only play at the full player count.
It is always great to play as the sniper, but most of the fun playing as the Germans lies in the interplay between teammates, discussing and planning the actions each player’s squad will take on every defender turn, based on new information that pops up. With less players on one side, there’s lower engagement and more analysis, which is far less interesting, especially for the sniper, who patiently waits to take another turn while the opposition thinks.
Everything in its Right Place
Whether you are looking to bust out your old copy of Sniper Elite that has been collecting dust or you haven’t yet played the base game, Operation Kraken is an excuse enough to do either. Though it is still very dependent on player count and some balance issues persist, this expansion breathes new life into a game I had mostly forgotten about. Going forward, I wouldn’t play without it, given how much versatility in play style that it adds to an already solid game without too many additional rules.
Add Comment