Thurn and Taxis

Thurn and Taxis
Designed by Andreas and Karen Seyfarth

I absolutely love this game and it is definitely joining my top 10 (bumping out Slide 5) and making 5 out of my top 10 games now Rio Grande Games. A big SHOUT OUT to Rio Grande Games for making this review possible. This is actually going to be part 1 of a 3 part series. I will also be reviewing the 2 expansions to Thurn and Taxis as well: 1) Power and Glory. 2) All Roads Lead to Rome. Look for these reviews in the coming weeks.

Thurn and Taxis actually came out in 2006, 2 years after the successful game Ticket to Ride. While there are some similarities between the two games (one being that they both received the great Spiel des Jahres award for their release year), Thurn and Taxis is by far the more enjoyable game in my opinion and some have even nicknamed Thurn and Taxis the "Ticket to Ride Killer." The game is for 2 to 4 players and it takes about an hour or a bit less to play. The only reason I don't think that this has become as popular as Ticket to Ride in the U.S. is because the map is not of America and people just haven't heard about it.

In Thurn and Taxis, players are building postal systems by building different postal routes, post offices, and by collecting carriages. The game play is learned quickly and is very easy grasp. A player draws one card and then has to play one card.  There are six face up city cards available to choose from along with the draw stack (you can choose to take the top card if you wish). The player then has the option to close and score their current route (if at least three cities long) or keep it for the next turn.

The player also has the ability to use some help from postal officials. The player has the option of using one of the four special abilities each turn. The player can: 1) draw two cards instead of just one, 2) play two cards instead of just one, 3) discard the current six face up cards and replace them with new ones, or 4) obtain some help with getting carriages (I'll explain this a little bit later).

Each turn you are playing city cards down in front of you in a continuous fashion. If you are unable to play a city that is adjacent to what your route is currently, you have to discard your route and start all over. So, there is a lot of strategy in choosing the right cities and being able to play a card each turn. As you build longer routes, you can obtain higher valued carriages. The game ends when someone runs out of their cities (everyone has 20) or someone obtains a 7 carriage. I like this element of the game, because the pace of the game is dictated by the players. One player can advance the game more quickly by upgrading his carriage faster or by playing more of his cities. Players get certain bonuses throughout the game for building in certain areas first (there are runner up bonuses for those who get there second etc.).

The scoring for each player comes from their highest valued carriage card and any of the bonus tiles received throughout the game. Players also subtract from their score for each unused city remaining in their supply. I don't want to get into the rules in greater detail, but you can for yourself here.

The game components are really great quality and the illustrations and everything is great. The game has little cards (similar to the size in Ticket to Ride) which isn't my favorite, but they shuffle great and seem to me that they will hold up very well. The game as I said is very easy to learn and play, but has a nice depth of strategy to it as well. The game is not overly interactive (you can't block routes or anything like that, but you can take a face up card that you know your opponent would like etc.), but you are trying to work the board so that you can obtain the best bonus tiles before everyone else. I like the fact everyone really has the same objective and same bonuses available, nothing is really secret. A lot less luck factor than Ticket to Ride with the ticket cards etc. One thing that I think could have been better is the color differences. I think playing the game might be a bit tricky for a color blind player with the subtle change in colors.

I played the game with The Wife, just the two of us, and it played very well with just two players. The game is a good length allowing for a quick rematch, or if you just need a shorter and not so complex game. I highly recommend this game to everyone and I can't wait to try out the expansions as well (stay tuned for Power and Glory and All Roads Lead to Rome)!

AGAD is Finally Settled

Day 70 - Settlers of Catan
Designed by Klaus Teuber

After 70 days of a game every night, we finally wrap up this project with one of the greats, Settlers of Catan. Tomorrow night I will be writing a summary or review of the A Game A Day (AGAD) project, but for tonight I write a short review on one of the major players in bringing the popularity of board games back to the U.S. and the game that introduced many to the wonderful German strategy type board games. Catan won the German Board Game of the Year (Spiel des Jahres) award in 1995. I still remember the first time I played Catan. It was like nothing I had ever seen before and I was addicted (more on this tomorrow). Some of the key elements that set the game apart include its great replay value with different board set up each game. The game still has the luck element with the die roll, but strategy is key to winning. The game has great player interaction as players trade resources and use knights to steal goods. Players strive to gain the most victory points by building settlements, cities, longest road, and buying development cards. The game is very easy to understand and it is really fun. I do have a few issues with the game. My main issue with the game is that only 3 to 4 players can play the game as-is (you can purchase an expansion for 5 to 6 players). I actually own The Rivals for Catan (a 2 player card version - which is also really fun) so I can play with The Wife all the time. There are other expansions for Settlers of Catan (including an expansion with a 2 player variant), and I have played a couple of them that really change up the game and make things more entertaining. I highly recommend the game to everyone and that is How Lou Sees It.

Dominion

Day 58 - Dominion
Designed by Donald X. Vaccarino

What can I say about Dominion other than the fact that it is one of my favorite games. Dominion won the Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) award in 2009 and has won numerous other awards including a Mensa Select. The box might be a little misleading to some who are unfamiliar with the game. The game is actually a card game and the box is such to provide an organizational tray. The game is a deck building card game for 2 to 4 players and it takes about 30 minutes to play.

This game has a lot going for it. The actual game play is quite ingenious and yet really simple to learn. Players start with some victory point cards and money cards. Players then use these cards to purchase action cards or better money/victory cards. The player with the most victory points at the end of the game wins. So, the concept of the game is simple and so is the strategy, but the multiple different action cards make the game very interesting. You can't just buy up victory cards either, because you shuffle your cards and only draw 5 cards at a time for your turn. If you buy too many victory cards in the beginning of the game you won't really be able to purchase other cards because your hands will be full of victory cards. Anyway, there are 25 different kinds of action cards provided in the base game, and there are a plethora of expansions that add more action cards and/or add different types of cards to the game. There are so many different possibilities to play with because you only play with 10 different action cards each game. Dominion and its expansions are fabulous and I recommend the game to anyone and everyone and that is How Lou Sees It.

Enchanted Forest

Day 46 - Enchanted Forest
Designed by Michel Matschoss and Alex Randolph

This enchanted game won the Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) award in 1982. Made for 2 to 6 players, this game only takes about 20 to 30 minutes to play and is great for kids. I grew up with this game and it was definitely one of the favorites. The players embark on a journey into the Enchanted Forest seeking out hidden treasures to impress the king. Durring the game players roll the dice and have to move the exact number on each die. The movement is split among the two die and it really helps kids with counting and planning. When a player lands on a blue tree space, the player can look at the picture hidden underneath. Players will need to memorize where the different treasures are to declare to the king where they are hidden. When a player rolls doubles he/she has the option to use magic. The player can trasnport to any blue tree space, can travel up to the castle, or if already across the bridgs can be transported to the castle to make a declaration. The game is very well done with nice components and a great theme. A fun memorization game that is educational and deserves the Spiel des Jahres honor and that is How Lou Sees It.