A quick re-cap, Redline is a two-player expandable card game in which players build battlemechs (called efreets) to capture missions. First player to capture all five missions on the redline, or raze their opponents HQ (deck) to zero, wins. Chewy fun with a couple layers of depth, it mixes Battletech CCG, Warhammer: Conquest, and X-Wing Miniatures to become its own, satisfying game (no minis required). The core set released in 2021 included two playable 60-card starter decks, along with all the tokens, dials, dice, etc. needed to play. The expansion reviewed here, Redline: Siege, is the first expansion. (Core set required to play.)
“Redline: Siege” is sold in two parts: “Siegecraft” and “Sapper”. Each is a 60-card pre-con deck that adds numerous new efreets and upgrades, as well as a handful of interesting new mechanisms. The core set had a lot of interesting concepts for players to game with, “Siege” almost doubles it.
The first major mechanism introduced is a new card type: Strategies. Similar to generals but played from hand, Strategies are cards deployed to the HQ which give players some boost or bonus. Each strategy likewise has an armor value. They can be razed like generals, arsenals, etc., meaning the decisions how to apply capture damage become more complex and interesting. The second major mechanism introduced is the keyword 'Rear Guard'. Found on efreets, it uses the dial setting 'B'. It allows players to hold an efreet at the baseline and deploy them after dials have been revealed. A risky move, however, players are only allowed to deploy a Rear Guard efreet to a location that has enemy efreets but no friendlies. Using Rear Guard means that efreet is potentially out the action that round. The other new mechanisms depend on faction.
“Siegecraft” is centered on the United Nations of Earth faction. It gives players two new options for generals, both of which offer unique, game-changing abilities. The deck is based around a couple themes, the first of which is the title: siegecraft. Tactics and Strategy cards offer players the ability to make missions temporary firebases, firebases that raze the opponent for three each round until the mission changes hands. Artillery flies hard and fast when firebases are combined with a couple of the new efreets which deal damage from the baseline. The other new mechanism is Intel. This allows the player to look at the top card of their arsenal, then choose to keep it there or put it at the bottom.
“Sapper” is the new Crimson Pact of Mars deck, and as the name implies, works with mines. This deck likewise contains two new generals, as well as several new cards which allow the player to deploy mines to the missions they've captured. Mines do damage on odd die rolls, forcing the opponent to think twice before deploying weak or damaged efreets to mined missions. The deck contains more than the average number of low-cost, light efreets, but likewise the new keyword Swarm. Swarm increases the speed and damage of three or more such efreets grouped together on a mission, making for a formidable foe. “Sapper” is not an easy deck to pilot, but when it clicks, it explodes.
It's worth mentioning the significant improvement in card stock. Where the original print run of Redline's core set featured dubious card stock (improved in the second printing), this expansion took note from the beginning. It's noticeably better. True collectors will still quibble over details, but for casual gamers the cards in “Siege” are up to snuff. They lie flat, have a smooth finish, do not bend easily, do not mark easy—things people take for granted, and which are finally realized in Redline. I still dislike the graphic design (dark tones and small font), but that is easier to forgive with card stock that is on par with industry standard.
If I had any criticisms, one would be a continuation of one of the challenges present in the core set: balance. It's sometimes easy to question how much testing occurred. A few things seem off. For example, a 4-cost card allows the CPM player to put a mine on one of the missions they've captured. If the opponent happens to roll an odd number on any die while at that mission, their efreet takes one damage. At the end of the phase, the mine is removed. For four resources, it's a risky investment. There is no guarantee on return, and it lasts only one round. Contrarily, on the UNE side, there is a 3-cost strategy that allows the player to build a firebase on a mission, a firebase that razes three per round until the UNE player loses control of the mission. Sometimes it takes one round to lose control, sometimes multiple rounds, sometimes never. Either way, it's a minimum 1:1 payoff with good potential for more. Pay 3/raze 3 seems incongruent alongside the CPM player who must pay 4 to have the 50-50 potential of a single point of damage. And there are other such cost-to-benefit ratios I can't help but think would have been smoothed out with more testing. All this being said, there are two things to remember: firstly, Redline is an indie game, i.e. there is no large group of experienced testers available, and secondly, Redline was designed as a dynamic kitchen table game. Shit happens. Deal with it. Shuffle up.
In the end, “Siegecraft” and “Sapper” are excellent additions to the Redline fold. They do what players hope they will do: add exciting new mechanisms, fun new efreets, new generals, and thematic upgrades (about 90% new cards, in fact). In essence it doubles Redlines' unique content. If you haven't played Redline but the idea of mechs having tactical battles (no investment in minis required) in TCG/CCG/LCG style, take a look. It's not as shiny as big name corporate games out there (Lorcana, Star Wars Unlimited, Magic, etc.), but it's got more depth, more soul, and ultimately more fun.
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