The Game of the Month series highlights one of the many games in our libraries at Ravenwood Castle and the Malted Meeple. We will briefly describe the game, how to play it, and why we like it. The Game of the Month is written by the Meeple’s Head Game Master – and former Ravenwood Innkeeper – Karington Hess.

When lives are on the line, it is up to the brave paramedics: men and women who dedicate themselves to saving lives in triage situations. In Paramedics: Clear! you are one such paramedic. So get your rig, check your supplies, and prepare for your shift. Be quick to sustain and stabilize patients and rush them to the hospital. You will need to manage your resources, upgrade your ambulance, and most importantly, save as many lives as possible. You only have seconds to act, and time is against you. Try not to lose anyone today, rookie. Rescue Squad – Confirm and Depart!

Paramedics: Clear! is a pulse-pounding race against the clock to save as many patients as possible. The object of the game is simple, treat and transport as many patients as you can within the time allowed. You heard that right, Paramedics: Clear! is a real-time race against the clock! The game features a companion app that helps you keep track of the time remaining in your turn. And if you don’t have a smartphone, almost any timekeeping device that tracks seconds will work. You will need to manage your time and resources carefully in order to avoid sending your patients to the morgue, which will negatively impact your final score. At the end of three rounds, or shifts as the game calls them, the paramedic with the most points wins.

During a player’s turn, they will need to treat their patients with the resources they have at their disposal. Each player has a hand of supply cards that they will use to help treat their patients. They can swap their cards with the cards in the common supply row used by other players, or call for assistance from other players if they lack the supplies they need. They can trade in supply cards for medical supply tokens and then use those tokens to treat their patients. They can also save supply cards in order to upgrade their ambulance. Finally, they can use their supply cards to call for a Medevac and send their patient directly to the hospital. Each player will need to maximize their turn, keeping in mind that they only have a limited time to do so. At the end of the shift, the player shouts “Clear!” and the next player’s turn immediately begins. After three shifts at one minute, forty-five seconds, and thirty seconds respectively, players total their points, and the paramedic with the most points wins.

Paramedics: Clear! was released this year at Gen Con, and Curt Covert at Smirk & Dagger Games was kind enough to send us advance copies for you to enjoy! Stop in at Ravenwood Castle and The Malted Meeple to check out this latest game from one of our favorite publishers, but be sure to relax between shifts with a beer or milkshake because saving lives is stressful work!

Jim Reed

Jim Reed is a lifelong gamer who started with the original red box Dungeons & Dragons. After spending 20 years in the corporate world, he decided it was high time that work be fun and struck out on his own. Jim now owns and operates Ravenwood Castle, and spends his days ensuring his guests have as much fun as he does.