by chopkins828
"So, Johnson, what new and unique board game themes do you have for me today?""Well, sir, I've got this great idea about farming in medieval Europe--"
"Nope! Too late!"
"Okay...how about the development of the German postal system?"
"Been there, done that!"
"Umm...what if the players followed superheroes around, keeping meticulous track of the amount and type of damage they deal and receive?"
"That sounds terrible. Look, Johnson, you're supposed to be my idea man! What gives?"
"Sorry, sir. It's just that I'm so close to my vacation, I'm having a hard time focusing."
"Vacation? Johnson, you're a genius..."
I Have No Idea Who Johnson Is
Tokaido is a game about taking a journey from Tokyo to Kyoto. You and your fellow travelers will travel along the road, stopping at various places to trigger effects. Turns do not go clockwise around the table; rather, whoever is last in line moves their traveler to an empty space, possibly even taking multiple turns in a row.
Spaces on the road include:
The Village, where travelers can spend money on souvenirs, trying to complete sets of different symbols.
The Farm, where travelers can earn more money.
Panorama spaces, where travelers can create landscapes.
Hot Springs, where travelers can take a bath, hopefully with monkeys!
The Temple, where travelers can donate money. Generous travelers earn a bonus at the end of the game.
Encounters, where travelers meet interesting people who help them do some of the things above.
Inns, where travelers meet up and enjoy a meal together.
So after that quick rundown, let's get to the stuff I like.
The Stuff I Like
Teaching It. Tokaido is one of my favorite games to teach to people. Basically, you're on vacation. So you get points doing all the stuff you do on vacation. Buy souvenirs, take pretty pictures, engage the local culture, meet interesting people, eat good food. You also apparently work on random farms and bathe in hot springs (that hopefully include monkeys!), so it doesn't all make sense, but whatever. The actions associated with the spaces are kept quite simple(something I love in games), so explaining how it all works is a snap.
Playing It. Along with being fun to teach and easy to learn, Tokaido offers a great playing experience. It's light and relaxing, which can be a great alternative to heavy and taxing. In many ways you really do feel like you're taking your time along the road, trying to have the best experience (get the most points) that you can.
Looking at It. The minimalist board design in this game is fantastic. Everything is clean and easy to understand. It's not hard to imagine someone designing a more "realistic" board for this game and just making a total hash of it. In Tokaido's case, less is definitely more.The board design aside, the art on the cards is stellar. The panoramas are worth collecting just so you can see the beautiful landscapes.
Two-Player If you've read many of my reviews, you'll know I mostly play two-player games with my wife. Usually I'm leery when a game uses a "dummy" for two-players, but here it works. Basically, whenever it's the dummy's turn, whoever is in first moves him. This is a nice choice, because it makes it impossible for a player to move the dummy and then take a turn themselves. You can still make some clever moves with the dummy, however, and using him well is key in a two-player game.
Characters I am a big fan of games that give the players different abilities. I think it is a fantastic way to make games replayable, and Tokaido does a great job with its characters. I always enjoy taking the time before a game to debrief everyone's abilities.The Stuff I Wouldn't Walk to Kyoto For
It's pretty light, which I like, but in some ways it comes close to being too light. The big culprit here is the hot springs spot, where you get two or three points. If you're looking for more strategy, I suggest the expansion, which I will review if I ever start reviewing expansions. The box is pretty light, too. I haven't done the calculation, but I think this might be my biggest box by volume. It by no means has the most stuff in it. I understand shelf appeal, but this is a little ridiculous. I found myself wishing that the expansion box would also be too big, so that I could fit everything in it. Nope. Reasonable size. In fact, the expansion box fits in the base game box (with everything from the base game) with more than half a box to spare. Speaking of the size of things, what the hell is even the deal with those tiny little score markers I mean come on!Take a Deep Breath
Well that's about it. Tokaido is a nice, light family game in a giant, shelf-space sucking box.
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