by Adam78
After Antoine Bauza introduced us to soft, pastel-coloured Japan, in 2011, with his light, set-collecting, tile-laying Takenoko, hopes were high for a similarly beautiful and accessible gem from his 2012 Essen release, Tokaido. In the first week after release, it is evident on BGG that Tokaido is already splitting opinion, as Takenoko did with it’s notorious lack of balance in scoring opportunities, due to the alleged lack of real choices in the game. What is not in dispute is that Tokaido is a beautiful production. It may not quite surpass the aesthetics of Takenoko, but Tokaido is certainly an equal to that title; the artistry is quite mesmerising.
SINGLE PLAY DISCLAIMER: This review comes with a disclaimer. It is based on a single play of the game (it was only released last week). I purchased the game so should be in a position to update the review after further plays. I know how useful it is to early purchasers to have a review to base their purchase decisions on, and how useful these reviews are to publishers in giving more exposure for their games, so I have decided to offer this opinion on the basis of only one play in the full knowledge that further reviews by other users will be more authoritative due to a greater level of experience with the game.
Very Brief Summary of the Rules
In Tokaido, players are taking a journey through Japan, stopping along route to enjoy amazing vistas, purchase souvenirs, eat traditional dishes, and meet the locals. The board features one long line with points marked on it, like those on a train-route map. Stops on this journey are opportunities to gather victory points in a series of different ways. The bulk of the game focusses on set-collecting (as Takenoko did) but this game takes a much more traditional approach to this genre. For example, the first souvenir card you buy is worth a point; each subsequently-collected souvenir of a different type is worth more points, and so your score increases exponentially as you gather sets. Another example is the vistas you look upon throughout the journey: the first vista card drawn is worth a point, the second is worth two points and so on. At game end, there are bonuses for the player with the most cards from each of the different decks. For example, the player who has met the most locals will score additional points; similarly, the player who has visited the hot spring the most times will gain additional points. Victory point scoring is not all based on set-collecting. One significant scoring opportunity is afforded by donating to the temple. At game-end, the person who has given the most money is awarded a nice bonus. A reduced victory point bonus is offered to the second most generous player, the third, and so on.
Movement in the game is based on player position. The player-token furthest from the final destination is always the next player. They can move as far ahead as they like, but, if they jump too far ahead, they may have to wait for the others to catch up before they get another turn. There are inns along the route where all players must stop, again limiting opportunities for running too far ahead.
Components
The game comes in a very large, square, white box with a beautiful image on the front and the evocative font leaping out at you declaring the title, Tokaido. The box is, however, mostly filled with air. The cards and wooden player-tokens sit in a plastic insert. The board is folded three ways. It’s all good quality stuff, but the box-size is clearly more about price-point and promotion than it is about containing stuff. The artwork on the tiles and cards is as lovely as it is on the box and the board. The pastel coloured tokens look great on the board, and the care and attention lavished on the production is admirable. I have some concerns about the scoring markers which are wooden discs in players’ colours, of similar size to a sweetener tablet (i.e. tiny) They look great on the board but, within seconds of opening the box, I was panicking over how easy it was to lose these components; they’re so damn small.
How well does the theme hold up?
The artwork is so stunning, the game defies you to look at is with anything but love and admiration. When you draw a card, you gain another beautiful image to add to your player-area. In this sense, the experience is rich, and evocative of its subject-matter. However, Tokaido presents itself as a relaxing, zen-like journey, but one of the main strategies involved in the game is to deliberately block other players from reaching their chosen destination - hardly a zen-like activity. What the game provides is certainly not a thematic experience, but, like other lavishly decorated games (Drum Roll springs to mind) it does invoke an atmosphere on the basis of the artwork alone.
Complexity
There is very little complexity here and this is the basis of much of the criticism aimed at the game already; it is very light. Often you will only have one sensible option for your next move, and the move itself is likely to result in a card-draw, rather than some meaningful decision.
But there are decisions to be made, which will have a little impact on the outcome of the game. For example, each player is allocated a character, at the start of the game, with unique abilities usually focussing around the use of a specific space on the board; one decision you need to make is whether to stick with the pack, or jump ahead of your opponents to ensure you land on whichever space is most beneficial to your chosen character. This opens up another strategic possibility: Do I play to increase my own score, or do I block my opponents from reaching their desired locations? The blocking of spaces by opponents prevents players from floating along the track visiting every location they desire; this is by no means cut-throat gameplay, but it is a little competitive at times. The other limitation affecting players is the financial element. Many of the card-draws cost money, and hence players may find themselves wishing to jump ahead on the track to ensure a good position in the next “Inn” space, a particularly powerful way of earning victory points at low financial cost. Players unable to pay for a meal at the Inn will suffer on the final score-chart, so there are decisions to be made about how much to spend on other items throughout the game, especially regarding levels of donation to the temple. I’m not trying to make out that this game is deeply strategic - it isn’t - but it is not entirely without decisions either.
The Luck factor
The game features some luck, but it is not overwhelming. Character allocation is based on a card-draw, albeit you are allowed to choose from two. Abilities of the different characters are varied and may not be entirely balanced. One space always offers you 3 gold; another always offers you 2 or 3 victory-points: these are not spaces where you get a hugely random result. Neither is the temple-donation space: you choose how much money to donate. The Panorama spaces allow you pick up a card illustrating a vista you have seen; these are not randomly drawn, but recieved in a set order, so no randomness there. The order of arrival at the inn determines how easily you can purchase a high-victory-point meal, so you can mitigate luck in this location. The Village space whereby you can purchase souvenirs (sets of cards) offers you a choice of three cards to purchase. There is clearly an element of luck-of-the-draw here. The Encounters deck, whereby you meet locals, is entirely random and offers a wide range of benefits. Ultimately, the game is random if you choose a random strategy based on collecting Encounters or Souvenirs; this might win you the game or it might lose it for you based on your card-draws. A more steady player can choose other routes to victory. More than randomness, your choices will be limited by those of the other players.
Playing Time (in my experience).
45 minutes
Will my non-gamer partner enjoy it?
Yes. I think a more pertinent question is “Will my gamer mates enjoy it?” and I can’t be so sure with this answer. It is not a gamer’s game; there is very limited strategy involved. Non-gamers will love it for the artwork, the easy gameplay, and the simple rules-explanation.
With thanks to BGG user asdoriak for use of image.
What other games is it like?
The aesthetic styling of the game is similar to Takenoko, although Tokaido is not as three-dimensional in its components.
The movement mechanic is similar to that in Glen More (the furthest player from the final destination moves first), although the game is very different to this title in every other way.
The set collection elements are reminiscent of many other games.
In terms of weight of gameplay, I have played few games this light since discovering the world of modern European-style board games. This game is lighter than Ticket to Ride, lighter than Carcassonne. I would hesitate to even call it a gate-way game - it might act as a good intermediate between traditional non-gamer games and classic gateways (as if such a thing was needed!).
My reservations
It will be too light for many, many gamers. There are just too few choices to make for serious strategising.
The blocking element of the game seems contrary to the intended mood/atmosphere.
Positive aspects
Good game to play with non-gamers
Fairly short to play, easy to explain
Beautiful production throughout. Even as a piece of artistry, without playing, the game has some value. People will be drawn to it.
Is it a keeper?
I’m undecided. I have a real love of beautiful games. For me, it can overcome quite a lot of negatives in the gameplay - after all, I can play these games occasionally, enjoy the artwork, and don’t have to look for deep strategy, or great variety, in every game. Drum Roll fits into this category for me; Takenoko does too. I would probably not own these games if not for the artistry involved. I see Tokaido falling into the same category, and coming out with non-gamer couples at dinner parties, or family events, with only an occasional outing at games-days.
See my other reviews at http://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/146115/europhile-reviews-a...