by ryudoowaru
Very true, Scott. Other scenarios include if the space wouldn't get you anything (for example, a panorama space where you had already completed the panorama in question, or a souvenir space when you have no cash) or wasn't worth making the stop (for example, stopping at a temple near the end of the game when you already have a large lead on temple donations).↧
Reply: Tokaido:: Rules:: Re: Spaces
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Reply: Tokaido:: Rules:: Re: Spaces
by TVis
beautifulstranger wrote:
Do you move to the next available space, or can you move two or more spaces?
The final phrase in this simple quote from the top of page 3 has the answer.
In Tokaido, the player whose Traveler is farthest behind on the road (with respect to the destination) is the player who takes the next turn.
This player must move his Traveler forward – that is, toward Edo – to the open space of his choice, freely passing over one or more open spaces, if he wishes.
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Reply: Tokaido:: General:: Re: Traveler tiles don't fit in insert?
by vfxtrev
Super gorgeous game with a super crappy insert. Yup, character tiles barely fit in. Overall quality of the other components was disappointing too. No wonder they made a deluxe version. Oh well.Like that foam core setup noted above. Will have to do something like that.
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Game Night November 21st - Abraca-nabi-kaido-Salmon-Pandemic Lega...what?
Players start out by setting up the modular board, being certain to have a start and finish, but being able to set out any other boards between them. Bears are placed out on bear paw spaces. Each player chooses a fish color and sets out its token on the start space. Cards of different types are set out face up by the board (making up the community area) and will be picked up throughout the game. Each player receives a starting deck of 11 cards. Everyone shuffles their cards, draws four cards into their hand, and the starting player begins the game.
On their turn, a player can play up to three cards from their hand. Players are attempting to move through the river and will want to be sure to use their cards appropriately to swim through the hexes. Whenever a player moves through a hex with a symbol, they take the appropriate card from the community area and add it to their discard pile. If a player plays three swim cards on their turn, they must take a Fatigue into their discard pile.
Players are allowed to "jump" when moving their fish. These jumps are sometimes necessary in order to get over a waterfall. When jumping, players play two swim cards and leap to the spot marked by their second played card. Any spaces with symbols jumped over also allow players to take appropriate cards.
Players are not limited to playing only swim cards. They may also play other cards which change how the game works. For instance, players may play a "Bear" card. This allows them to move a bear up to two spaces on the board. If a bear reaches a hex with a salmon, the player must take a fatigue into their deck. There are other cards like this can also force players to discard cards from their hand or even move backwards to follow the current.
Players will continue playing and building their deck throughout the game. The first player to reach the "Spawning Pool" triggers the end game and play will continue until play order reaches the start player. If no other players reach the spawning pool, the player who did wins the game. If multiple players reach the pool, the player with the least fatigue wins.
I tend to enjoy deck-building games and I like the ones that add a little more to it than just the cards. Salmon Run adds just enough theme and board elements to make the experience a pretty good time. I like that each game can be different based on how the board is set up and how cards come out and are used. At the end of the day, it's nothing great, but it's still enjoyable.
Players start out by setting out the eight clock tokens. The "bomb" is set up by stacking the four tokens with the longest fuse being on top and slowly getting shorter as the stack reaches the bottom. The cards are shuffled and each player is dealt four cards (five in 2 or 3 player games). When players lift these cards into their hands, they must be sure to not look at them and need to face them towards the other player. Throughout the game, whenever drawing a card into their own hand, players must never look at their own cards. Play begins with the starting player.
On their turn, players may take one of three different actions. The first action players may take is to give information. When doing this, they spend one of the clock tokens (placing it into the box top for tracking purposes) and give advice. Advice must be specific either to the number of one or many cards in one player's hand, or the color of one or many cards in the player's hand, pointing each one out. For instance, if a player is holding two yellow ones, a white two, and a blue two, I can say, "This card and this card is yellow." When referring to those cards, I could also say, "This card and this card is a one." Or I could say, "This card and this card is a two" or "This card is blue" or "This card is white". It's up to the player giving the information to figure what would be the best advice to give for the specific moment.
The second action players may take is to play one card from their hand. Players will not want to blindly play a card from their hand. It's important to have at least some knowledge when playing. If making a successful play, the card is added to the array making up the firework display. A new card is drawn from the deck. However, if a player plays wrong, the card is discarded and one token is removed from the bombs. If players make this mistake three times, the game ends in a loss.
The final action players may take is to discard one card from their hand. When discarding a card, it is placed aside and replaced with a new card from the deck. Also, one time token is added back into the pile to be used in further turns.
Play will continue in this manner until one of three situations occur. As explained above, if the bomb explodes, the game is lost. If the players are able to play all five of each of the five suits in order from 1 - 5 out to the array, they win with a perfect show. Finally, if the draw deck is exhausted, everyone will get one final turn and the game will end. In this last case, players will score their display based on the top card in each pile. Depending on their score, they may have a very forgettable and awful display, or a wonderful, memorable one.
Hanabi is a frustrating, but satisfying cooperative game. Having limited knowledge all the way throughout makes for an interesting experience. It's almost as players learn a language as they play, and multiple things can be discovered on one single clue if given at the right time. I like it and look forward to exploring it further.
The board is set out and cards are placed out on the board in their allotted spaces. Each player chooses a color and random turn order is decided with their player tokens at the start of the movement track. Their score tokens are placed on the zero on the score track. Each player receives two travelers and chooses one of them to keep for the game. Each traveler has a different special power that can be used depending on where they land throughout play. After picking their traveler, they place their colored cardboard circle into the card and receive starting money as determined by the chosen character. Play then begins with the player at the end of the track.
The game is simple. The player last on the movement track will take their turn and move to any vacant spot, always moving forward down the track. Each spot has a unique action the player will take, usually resulting in gaining points or money. I'll explain a couple of them:
The temple: Landing here allows the player to donate one, two or three coins to the temple. Each coin donated is worth one point. At the end of the game, whoever has donated the most coins receives 10 bonus points. Players with lower amounts donated also receive bonuses, though not as much as the most generous player.
The farm: Landing here nets three coins from the bank.
The souvenir shop: Landing here allows a player to reveal three souvenir cards. Players may purchase any number of the souvenirs for the price listed (one, two or three coins). Players are wanting to collect the four different symbols on the cards, each one netting them more points.
There are more spots in the game, such as ones which allow players to build out a beautiful panorama. The first to complete any of these panoramas receives an achievement card worth 3 additional points. There is one for each of the three panoramas. Keep in mind that, depending on the chosen character, some of these spots will provide additional awards or change cost of purchasing items.
Throughout the track are several inns. Stopping here is mandatory. Whoever is first to stop at the inn places their token at the front spot of the inn and draws food cards (one for each player plus one). They keep these cards secret from their opponents and, if they wish, they may choose the food they wish to buy. When purchasing food, players may not purchase the same meal they had previously. Purchasing food nets the player 6 points. As other players reach the inn, they can then look through the remaining food and choose one dish they wish to buy. Again, they receive 6 points.
The game will end once all players have reached the final inn and choose their meal (if they wish to do so). Players then receive three bonus points based on whoever had the most of each type of card (Souvenirs, Hot Springs, Encounters) and whoever spent the most on their food at the inns. In case of ties, multiple players receive the bonus. Finally, players check the donations, receiving bonus points depending on how much they donated throughout the game. After scores have been tallied, the player with the most points wins.
Tokaido is a very "zen" experience. Traveling down that long, winding road, stopping at temples, farms and inns along the way...it all feels very nice. There's no real confrontation and everyone is free to do their own thing, long as a space is open to do so. Everything flows so well and builds up so beautiful, especially in the way of gaining those panorama cards. I really dig this chill game.
Players set up the game by placing out the tracking board. Each player chooses a color and places their scoring token on the board and receives six cardboard tokens representing their lives for each round. The 36 spellstones are placed upside down in the center of the table. Each player chooses four of these spellstones and places them out in front of them, facing away so they don't see what they are, but their opponents can. Four spellstones are placed aside as "secret". In a game of two or three players, 12 or 6 spellstones will be revealed and placed out on the board. The game begins with the starting player.
Players are trying to determine the spellstones they have in front of them by looking at what other players have along with what information has already been revealed. On their turn, the player states a number of a spell, hoping to have the one stated in front of them. If they don't, they lose one life and play moves on to the next player.
However, if they're successful, the tile is pointed out to them and placed on the tracking board. They will then take the action of the spell they were correct on (usually giving them life or taking life away from their opponents). Players can then end their turn or they can state another spell number, long as that spell number is higher than the one they previously asked about. So, if a player starts out asking if they have a 7, and they do, they can only ask about an 8 if they choose to continue their turn.
A round will end either when one player is able to remove all four of the spellstones in front of himself or if one player dies. Scoring will then occur for the round. If a player is successful in removing all four spellstones, he will score three points. If a player wound up killing himself, the survivors score one point. If a player is knocked out by another one, the player who knocked him out gets three points and all survivors get one point. Rounds will continue until one player reaches eight points and wins the game.
When looking at Abracada...What?, it sounded kind of like competitive Hanabi which I thought might be neat to try out. However, it's really just an overproduced guessing game. There's so much knowledge that isn't available to the players from the beginning, and by the time information does come out in the round, you're probably already dead or wishing you were. We wound up not even finishing our game as the rounds were taking so long to finish, and after four rounds, the highest scoring player only had 4 points. We really didn't care for this one at all.
So, that's it for this week! We had a great time racing to the spawning pool, creating a beautiful fireworks display, traveling Tokaido, guessing spells (though that wasn't really very fun :P) and saving humanity. As always, thanks for reading and thumbing and commenting! See ya next week!
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New Image for Tokaido
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Reply: Tokaido:: Strategy:: Re: Character Ability Breakdown
Holy cow. I can't believe how many vague wordings there are in the rule books for Tokaido. I have only gotten clarifications from reading more sources and discussions online.
I had no idea that Sasayakko didn't always have to have money for all three items to use her ability. In the rule book it says if you buy at least 2 items the cheapest one is free. I thought this meant if you PAY FOR two items then the THIRD item (that you don't pay for) is free, as long as it is the cheapest. I thought it was basically a "buy 2 get one free" deal and that was the only usage of it. IDK if this is a regional difference but in the US if you see a "buy 2 get one free" sale then you actually have to pay for 2 and you get a third item free, so that's what I thought was being implied.
It completely changes the worth of that character to know that you can either buy ONE and get a cheaper one free, or buy TWO and get a cheaper one free, so long as you have the money for the item(s) you are purchasing and the value of the free one.
I have never run into so many rules that we didn't do right in a game before due to the wording and interchanging of similar terms that are intended to have distinct meanings in the rule book. Yikes translation team. I really had trouble with the Miko and with the priest character's ability for a while because the rules use "bank" and "reserve" interchangeably. Took a long time to realize for those situations the money pulls from the reserve pile, not your personal funds, for the extra 1 coin donation.
As far as lending to this discussion, I think that having played this game several times now and having played as every character, you really can win the game with any of them if you know the right strategies to employ. There are of course characters with more prestige that will be chosen more often due to a good starting bank and great ability that makes the game more of a walk in the park and less of an uphill struggle. However, I have seen these characters lose to characters whose abilities seem poor in comparison many times. Some of the abilities that seem poor on their face are really not bad and can help more in the late stages of the journey while characters who had a high starting bank may have spent it all and are struggling to do much without the power of their wealth toward the end. I have seen players miss meals with Zen-emon often because they got overzealous with item purchases.
Great game and great starting lineup. I feel now that all the characters are viable. I don't feel the same way about the Crossroads expansion as there is one traveler who I think is essentially broken (at a huge disadvantage) but I'll discuss that in the Crossroads characters post.
I had no idea that Sasayakko didn't always have to have money for all three items to use her ability. In the rule book it says if you buy at least 2 items the cheapest one is free. I thought this meant if you PAY FOR two items then the THIRD item (that you don't pay for) is free, as long as it is the cheapest. I thought it was basically a "buy 2 get one free" deal and that was the only usage of it. IDK if this is a regional difference but in the US if you see a "buy 2 get one free" sale then you actually have to pay for 2 and you get a third item free, so that's what I thought was being implied.
It completely changes the worth of that character to know that you can either buy ONE and get a cheaper one free, or buy TWO and get a cheaper one free, so long as you have the money for the item(s) you are purchasing and the value of the free one.
I have never run into so many rules that we didn't do right in a game before due to the wording and interchanging of similar terms that are intended to have distinct meanings in the rule book. Yikes translation team. I really had trouble with the Miko and with the priest character's ability for a while because the rules use "bank" and "reserve" interchangeably. Took a long time to realize for those situations the money pulls from the reserve pile, not your personal funds, for the extra 1 coin donation.
As far as lending to this discussion, I think that having played this game several times now and having played as every character, you really can win the game with any of them if you know the right strategies to employ. There are of course characters with more prestige that will be chosen more often due to a good starting bank and great ability that makes the game more of a walk in the park and less of an uphill struggle. However, I have seen these characters lose to characters whose abilities seem poor in comparison many times. Some of the abilities that seem poor on their face are really not bad and can help more in the late stages of the journey while characters who had a high starting bank may have spent it all and are struggling to do much without the power of their wealth toward the end. I have seen players miss meals with Zen-emon often because they got overzealous with item purchases.
Great game and great starting lineup. I feel now that all the characters are viable. I don't feel the same way about the Crossroads expansion as there is one traveler who I think is essentially broken (at a huge disadvantage) but I'll discuss that in the Crossroads characters post.
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Reply: Tokaido:: Strategy:: Re: Character Ability Breakdown
by mawilson4
Thanks for your thoughts, Lion.I'll say that what I've found is that the higher you go in experience level (I play a lot on Board Game Arena, which tracks records and rankings), the more character selection matters. There are definitely characters that tend to rise to the top more often than not. I won't say it's imbalanced; variance is a fun part of gaming, and this game balances strategy and luck. But "you can win with anyone" is true in a technical sense, but not always in a practical sense depending on the competition.
I thought the US rules clarified Sasayakko's ability (which, I agree, is initially confusing), but I could be wrong. Since I learned to play online, the computer took care of that stuff and I learned before ever seeing the rulebook. If it's an issue with the book, hopefully subsequent printings clarify it better. I'm glad you understand it now, though.
:)
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Reply: Tokaido:: Strategy:: Re: Character Ability Breakdown
I have been playing on BGA as well and that is the only way I figured out a lot of these discrepancies. And yes, there are characters that get chosen more frequently because some are obviously advantageous compared to others, but I've seen a lot of come from behind victories with other characters.
I think the upcoming Matsuri expansion will once and for all diversify the characters chosen to play the game, since there will be 32 options now with both expansions and you only get to choose between 2!
I think the upcoming Matsuri expansion will once and for all diversify the characters chosen to play the game, since there will be 32 options now with both expansions and you only get to choose between 2!
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Reply: Tokaido:: Strategy:: Re: Character Ability Breakdown
by mawilson4
I'm not sure what my thoughts are on the upcoming expansion. I thought Crossroads took the game to a nice place. But there's such a thing as too many options, and a lot of the new mechanics seem to make things go back to being incredibly random. I may be wrong, but that was my initial impression. I'll have to give it a try once it comes out, though.Like you, I've seen most of the characters win at some point. I've also played and won with most of them. But, for example, if a competent player has Daigoro, he's going to win a LOT of the time. Same with a few others. Eventually, you'll start to see things like "Ok, Kinko didn't win, but this person with Sasayakko got three incredibly specific and lucky draws for souvenir cards, and an advantageous encounter card on her last stop."
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Reply: Tokaido:: Rules:: Re: Anniabito
Nice post. I was curious about this too. It seems only fair that you can still add him to your encounter cards even if you won't get another panorama from him.
I was thinking about this in regard to The New Encounters expansion too, with Kitoushi the veteran guide. If you encounter him with all your panoramas already complete, I assume you could still pay the one coin to add him to your collection, despite you won't be getting any panoramas from him.
I was thinking about this in regard to The New Encounters expansion too, with Kitoushi the veteran guide. If you encounter him with all your panoramas already complete, I assume you could still pay the one coin to add him to your collection, despite you won't be getting any panoramas from him.
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Reply: Tokaido:: Rules:: Re: Sasayakko Rules Question
I wonder if anyone could address this. Let's use the scenario above to help illustrate:
The cards drawn are souvenirs A B and C
A - 2 coin value
B - 2 coin value
C - 1 coin value
Since the rule says when you want to buy two or more items you get the "cheapest" one free... does that really mean you could buy A and B (having 4 coins) and only pay 2 coins for them? Neither one is the cheapest since they are of equal value. My assumption would be that if you want a free item it has to actually be cheaper than another item you are purchasing. So you could get item C for free with the purchase of A or B (making sure you have 3 coins in your bank) and only spend 2 coins. But the way I interpret this rule is that you should not be able to purchase an item and get one of equal value for free... it has to be "cheapest", and to be cheapest... well wouldn't it have to be cheaper than the one you're paying for?
Oh the ambiguities in this rule book!
The cards drawn are souvenirs A B and C
A - 2 coin value
B - 2 coin value
C - 1 coin value
Since the rule says when you want to buy two or more items you get the "cheapest" one free... does that really mean you could buy A and B (having 4 coins) and only pay 2 coins for them? Neither one is the cheapest since they are of equal value. My assumption would be that if you want a free item it has to actually be cheaper than another item you are purchasing. So you could get item C for free with the purchase of A or B (making sure you have 3 coins in your bank) and only spend 2 coins. But the way I interpret this rule is that you should not be able to purchase an item and get one of equal value for free... it has to be "cheapest", and to be cheapest... well wouldn't it have to be cheaper than the one you're paying for?
Oh the ambiguities in this rule book!
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Reply: Tokaido:: Rules:: Re: Sasayakko Rules Question
by ericamick2
ShineAugustine wrote:
I wonder if anyone could address this. Let's use the scenario above to help illustrate:
The cards drawn are souvenirs A B and C
A - 2 coin value
B - 2 coin value
C - 1 coin value
Since the rule says when you want to buy two or more items you get the "cheapest" one free... does that really mean you could buy A and B (having 4 coins) and only pay 2 coins for them? Neither one is the cheapest since they are of equal value. My assumption would be that if you want a free item it has to actually be cheaper than another item you are purchasing. So you could get item C for free with the purchase of A or B (making sure you have 3 coins in your bank) and only spend 2 coins. But the way I interpret this rule is that you should not be able to purchase an item and get one of equal value for free... it has to be "cheapest", and to be cheapest... well wouldn't it have to be cheaper than the one you're paying for?
Oh the ambiguities in this rule book!
The cards drawn are souvenirs A B and C
A - 2 coin value
B - 2 coin value
C - 1 coin value
Since the rule says when you want to buy two or more items you get the "cheapest" one free... does that really mean you could buy A and B (having 4 coins) and only pay 2 coins for them? Neither one is the cheapest since they are of equal value. My assumption would be that if you want a free item it has to actually be cheaper than another item you are purchasing. So you could get item C for free with the purchase of A or B (making sure you have 3 coins in your bank) and only spend 2 coins. But the way I interpret this rule is that you should not be able to purchase an item and get one of equal value for free... it has to be "cheapest", and to be cheapest... well wouldn't it have to be cheaper than the one you're paying for?
Oh the ambiguities in this rule book!
The French rules are abundantly clear: the least expensive of the ones you buy is free, and ties don't matter. The fault lies with the translation, not the rules.
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New Image for Tokaido
by Persy
<div>Meeples waiting in line for play</div>
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Comment Corner - November 2015
Cacao - 9.3 - Game of the Month
Cacao is an excellent tile-laying game that uses the mechanic in a unique and excellent way. Having knowledge of what tiles are possible to be used and combating with your opponents' placements are key strategies to pulling out a win. Possibly the only thing I have against the game is if you don't follow a pattern when handing out rewards for tiles, you can get a little lost and may have to backtrack to make sure you scored everything properly. However, long as you take the same steps each time, this can be heavily negated. I'm definitely a big fan of this one.
Carcassonne: Gold Rush - 9.2 - Game of the Month Runner-Up
Man, I'm really having a lot of fun with these Carcassonne games. Gold Rush is so awesome to me. I love having the random luck factor of the mining areas. I also think how the cities work in this over vanilla Carcassonne is a lot neater of an idea with having the trains connecting everything. For such small changes, it still stays true to the idea of the game, but adds a high dose of fun, at least for me. I really love it.
Tokaido - 9.1 - Best Art
Tokaido is a very "zen" experience. Traveling down that long, winding road, stopping at temples, farms and inns along the way...it all feels very nice. There's no real confrontation and everyone is free to do their own thing, long as a space is open to do so. Everything flows so well and builds up so beautiful, especially in the way of gaining those panorama cards. I really dig this chill game.
Würfel Bohnanza - 9.1
Wurfel Bohananza is probably the best dice version of a game I've played so far. While it doesn't surpass Bohananza, it's got a great feel to it that is comparable to the card game. I love how on each turn all players are involved, checking to see if they're able to finish a needed combo. Just a really wonderful game that works so well in the Bohnanza world.
Cherry Picking - 8.7
I'm usually not too fond of blind-bidding type games, or auction-style games in general. However, Cherry Picking has changed my mind quite a bit. I really love how the game works out. After a couple plays, the ladders, fruits and baskets all make sense and work great, specifically the baskets. Being able to go last can honestly be the best move on many goes. I was also quite surprised by how close the scores were even when people were going for different objectives. For instance, I was trying to collect the highest point cards while also trying to get a "fruit salad" bonus. On the other hand, one of my opponents was focused on collecting ladders. We both wound up with extremely close scores for the round (47 and 48 points respectively) and even the end scores proved extremely close with everyone within 8 points of each other. It's safe to say I enjoy this great little card game.
Castle Panic - 8.5
Castle Panic is pretty super. I like the design of having monsters flowing into the center of the board (the castle). It's a really fun idea and plays out great. We've had a lot of luck, and then sometimes we don't. It really depends on how the tokens come out and how well established your team is at certain intervals. I like that there's a good balance of luck and strategy. Add to that the teamwork elements in the gameplay and you've got an excellent cooperative experience.
Heimlich & Co. - 8.4
My rating is for the basic version. I'm not big into the secret roles type of games, and so the simpler the better when it comes down to playing them. This really is about as simple as it can get. I like that players who just come out and show who they are can really get punished for doing so, while players who tend to hide their identity can do quite well. I wish to try it again with the new rules, but I need to get some translations going due to having a German version.
Hanabi - 8.3
Hanabi is a frustrating, but satisfying cooperative game. Having limited knowledge all the way throughout makes for an interesting experience. It's almost as players learn a language as they play, and multiple things can be discovered on one single clue if given at the right time. I like it and look forward to exploring it further.
Spinderella - 8.2 - Best Quality
Spinderella is just simple fun. It's basically a roll and move, but there's some really neat stuff going on that makes it so much better. The "spider" mechanic makes for a really enjoyable alternate move, allowing players to hopefully set up captures. We found capturing not always so simple to pull off, but the stump really came in handy in a lot of situations. It's a kid's game, and so I rated it a little higher than I normally might. Though, even without taking that into consideration, it's at least a 7 in my mind.
Blueprints - 7.8
Blueprints is a pretty fun little game. I like how the objective isn't necessarily to build your building, it's all about scoring the most points. Occasionally, building your blueprints exactly and grabbing the bonus points will knock you into first however, building the tallest structure can bump you. In the same, it can really hurt you to do either, depending on the "market". It's a cool idea and functions well throughout play.
Salmon Run - 7.0
I tend to enjoy deck-building games and I like the ones that add a little more to it than just the cards. Salmon Run adds just enough theme and board elements to make the experience a pretty good time. I like that each game can be different based on how the board is set up and how cards come out and are used. At the end of the day, it's nothing great, but it's still enjoyable.
The Grizzled - 7.0 - Most Thematic
I had really high expectations for The Grizzled when I first heard of it and saw it played a couple times. When going over the rules and playing around with it trying to get a feel for it, it seemed like it would be a pretty fun game. However, it really isn't fun. Don't get me wrong, it's a good game. It's just really sad. I don't generally get caught up in themes, but this one just really wears on you. Add to that, it just seems impossible to do well with certain distribution of cards. I'd like to try it again and at the same time, I'd rather not. Man, I don't know. Beautiful game though. Love the art.
Abraca...what? - 3.4
Abracada...What? is really just an overproduced guessing game. There's so much knowledge not available to the players from the beginning, and by the time information does come out in the round, you're probably already dead or wishing you were. Really didn't care for this one at all.
Cacao is an excellent tile-laying game that uses the mechanic in a unique and excellent way. Having knowledge of what tiles are possible to be used and combating with your opponents' placements are key strategies to pulling out a win. Possibly the only thing I have against the game is if you don't follow a pattern when handing out rewards for tiles, you can get a little lost and may have to backtrack to make sure you scored everything properly. However, long as you take the same steps each time, this can be heavily negated. I'm definitely a big fan of this one.
Carcassonne: Gold Rush - 9.2 - Game of the Month Runner-Up
Man, I'm really having a lot of fun with these Carcassonne games. Gold Rush is so awesome to me. I love having the random luck factor of the mining areas. I also think how the cities work in this over vanilla Carcassonne is a lot neater of an idea with having the trains connecting everything. For such small changes, it still stays true to the idea of the game, but adds a high dose of fun, at least for me. I really love it.
Tokaido - 9.1 - Best Art
Tokaido is a very "zen" experience. Traveling down that long, winding road, stopping at temples, farms and inns along the way...it all feels very nice. There's no real confrontation and everyone is free to do their own thing, long as a space is open to do so. Everything flows so well and builds up so beautiful, especially in the way of gaining those panorama cards. I really dig this chill game.
Würfel Bohnanza - 9.1
Wurfel Bohananza is probably the best dice version of a game I've played so far. While it doesn't surpass Bohananza, it's got a great feel to it that is comparable to the card game. I love how on each turn all players are involved, checking to see if they're able to finish a needed combo. Just a really wonderful game that works so well in the Bohnanza world.
Cherry Picking - 8.7
I'm usually not too fond of blind-bidding type games, or auction-style games in general. However, Cherry Picking has changed my mind quite a bit. I really love how the game works out. After a couple plays, the ladders, fruits and baskets all make sense and work great, specifically the baskets. Being able to go last can honestly be the best move on many goes. I was also quite surprised by how close the scores were even when people were going for different objectives. For instance, I was trying to collect the highest point cards while also trying to get a "fruit salad" bonus. On the other hand, one of my opponents was focused on collecting ladders. We both wound up with extremely close scores for the round (47 and 48 points respectively) and even the end scores proved extremely close with everyone within 8 points of each other. It's safe to say I enjoy this great little card game.
Castle Panic - 8.5
Castle Panic is pretty super. I like the design of having monsters flowing into the center of the board (the castle). It's a really fun idea and plays out great. We've had a lot of luck, and then sometimes we don't. It really depends on how the tokens come out and how well established your team is at certain intervals. I like that there's a good balance of luck and strategy. Add to that the teamwork elements in the gameplay and you've got an excellent cooperative experience.
Heimlich & Co. - 8.4
My rating is for the basic version. I'm not big into the secret roles type of games, and so the simpler the better when it comes down to playing them. This really is about as simple as it can get. I like that players who just come out and show who they are can really get punished for doing so, while players who tend to hide their identity can do quite well. I wish to try it again with the new rules, but I need to get some translations going due to having a German version.
Hanabi - 8.3
Hanabi is a frustrating, but satisfying cooperative game. Having limited knowledge all the way throughout makes for an interesting experience. It's almost as players learn a language as they play, and multiple things can be discovered on one single clue if given at the right time. I like it and look forward to exploring it further.
Spinderella - 8.2 - Best Quality
Spinderella is just simple fun. It's basically a roll and move, but there's some really neat stuff going on that makes it so much better. The "spider" mechanic makes for a really enjoyable alternate move, allowing players to hopefully set up captures. We found capturing not always so simple to pull off, but the stump really came in handy in a lot of situations. It's a kid's game, and so I rated it a little higher than I normally might. Though, even without taking that into consideration, it's at least a 7 in my mind.
Blueprints - 7.8
Blueprints is a pretty fun little game. I like how the objective isn't necessarily to build your building, it's all about scoring the most points. Occasionally, building your blueprints exactly and grabbing the bonus points will knock you into first however, building the tallest structure can bump you. In the same, it can really hurt you to do either, depending on the "market". It's a cool idea and functions well throughout play.
Salmon Run - 7.0
I tend to enjoy deck-building games and I like the ones that add a little more to it than just the cards. Salmon Run adds just enough theme and board elements to make the experience a pretty good time. I like that each game can be different based on how the board is set up and how cards come out and are used. At the end of the day, it's nothing great, but it's still enjoyable.
The Grizzled - 7.0 - Most Thematic
I had really high expectations for The Grizzled when I first heard of it and saw it played a couple times. When going over the rules and playing around with it trying to get a feel for it, it seemed like it would be a pretty fun game. However, it really isn't fun. Don't get me wrong, it's a good game. It's just really sad. I don't generally get caught up in themes, but this one just really wears on you. Add to that, it just seems impossible to do well with certain distribution of cards. I'd like to try it again and at the same time, I'd rather not. Man, I don't know. Beautiful game though. Love the art.
Abraca...what? - 3.4
Abracada...What? is really just an overproduced guessing game. There's so much knowledge not available to the players from the beginning, and by the time information does come out in the round, you're probably already dead or wishing you were. Really didn't care for this one at all.
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Reply: Tokaido:: General:: Re: New purchase - board issue
by DavidPD
I haven't heard any response from the company yet. I even sent another email yesterday directly to the company and offered to send pictures. So far....crickets.↧
Thread: Tokaido:: General:: What are the two cities the players are travelling between in this game?
by jgortner
Hi!I am going to be purchasing this as a gift for a white elephant party and would like to print up a little informational sheet for it! I recall reading or hearing somewhere that the start and end points are actual cities. But I cannot seem to locate that information again!
Does anyone know these two cities? If you happen to know this or, any other cool information about the theme or history associated with this game, I would love to hear about it.
Thanks!
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Reply: Tokaido:: General:: Re: What are the two cities the players are travelling between in this game?
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Reply: Tokaido:: General:: Re: What are the two cities the players are travelling between in this game?
by conmanau
The Tokaido runs from the old Japanese capital city of Kyoto to Edo, which is now the capital Tokyo. There's a whole lot of information on the Wikipedia article about the road.↧
Reply: Tokaido:: General:: Re: What are the two cities the players are travelling between in this game?
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Reply: Tokaido:: General:: Re: What are the two cities the players are travelling between in this game?
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