Wonders Never Cease - "7 Wonders: Duel"

Greetings, Exalted Ones!

I always get asked "What's a good game for two people?" Now some game snobs might turn up their nose as such a question and claim that there's no such animal, but I think that's patently ridiculous. Chess, Space Hulk, BattleLore and most of my all-time favorite war games are only for two people.

In fact, there's a ton of great options, including games that either scale down well for two, like Splendor, or games that are specifically designed for a tandem, like Lost Cities. And since I tend to steer away from games that you have to tweak heavily in order to get them to work for two people, my preference is to recommend games specifically engineered for a duo.

One of the best new examples of the latter is 7 Wonders: Duel. 

Before I present a detailed play-through of the game, here's some background info right from the realm-rulers at Repos Production, first in the form of a super-slick promotional vid:

And then via this synopsis on Board Game Geek:

"In many ways 7 Wonders: Duel resembles its parent game 7 Wonders as over three ages players acquire cards that provide resources or advance their military or scientific development in order to develop a civilization and complete wonders.

"What's different about 7 Wonders: Duel is that, as the title suggests, the game is solely for two players, with the players not drafting card simultaneously from hands of cards, but from a display of face-down and face-up cards arranged at the start of a round. A player can take a card only if it's not covered by any others, so timing comes into play as well as bonus moves that allow you to take a second card immediately. As in the original game, each card that you acquire can be built, discarded for coins, or used to construct a wonder.

"Each player starts with four wonder cards, and the construction of a wonder provides its owner with a special ability. Only seven wonders can be built, though, so one player will end up short.

"Players can purchase resources at any time from the bank, or they can gain cards during the game that provide them with resources for future building; as you acquire resources, the cost for those particular resources increases for your opponent, representing your dominance in this area.

"A player can win 7 Wonders: Duel in one of three ways. Each time that you acquire a military card, you advance the military marker toward your opponent's capital, giving you a bonus at certain positions. If you reach the opponent's capital, you win the game immediately. Similarly, if you acquire any six of seven different scientific symbols, you achieve scientific dominance and win immediately. If neither of these situations occurs, then the player with the most points at the end of the game wins."

Looking for the full rule of the law? Then click on the following link to gain the knowledge of the ancients!   

***

So here's how a typical game can shake out:

Age One

From the initial spread of options, player one Mark takes a free Clay Pool while player two Cleo selects a free Quarry. This, in turn, reveals the Baths.

Mark then opts for the free Garrison, which moves the Conflict Pawn one space in Cleo's direction. Cleo responds by taking a free Bath.

Mark then snatches up the Tavern which gives him a tidy l'il windfall of four free Coins. This reveals the Wood Reserve which Cleo is quick to procure for three Coins. In turn, the Workshop is flipped over.

In order to buy the Workshop, Mark is forced to do a Trade action. Since Cleo has no Buildings that produce Papyrus it only costs him a whopping two Coins. Cleo then decides to burn the Pharmacist to gain three Coins, getting the additional one thanks to her Wood Reserve.

Next up Mark snags the Theater fo' free. With the Stable, the Altar and the Guard Tower all now revealed as options, Cleo sinks one Coin into her Wood Reserve to gain the lumber required to buy the Stable. This moves the Conflict Pawn one space back towards the middle of the board.

On Mark's turn he decides to buy the Clay Reserve for three Gold. This, in turn, reveals the Logging Camp which Cleo promptly snaps up for a whole one Coin.

Next up Mark nabs the Guard Tower for free, which nudges the Conflict Token one space in Cleo's direction. On Cleo's turn she's itchin' to build the Piraeus Wonder. One of the required Wood comes from the Logging Camp but then she has to spend one Coin to get the second from her Wood Reserve. The Stone she needs is mined directly from her Quarry. Now she just needs one Brick, so she pays three more Coins to the bank, the additional +1 cost due to Mark's Brick- producing Clay Pool. The final construction step is burying a card in the sequence, so she burns the Altar and promptly takes another turn! Knowing that Mark really needs Papyrus, she callously discards the Press right in front of him for three Gold!

Since Mark's opponent doesn't have any Glass-producing structures yet, he only needs to spend two Coins to get the one Glass required to buy the Apothecary. This reveals the Palisade and the Clay Pit. In response, Cleo pays one Coin to pick up the Pit.

Mark battles back, picking up the sorely-needed Lumber Yard for free. This frees up Cleo to purchase the Palisade for two Coins, which, yet again, swings that Conflict Token pendulum right back to the middle of the Game Board.

In the final play of the Age, Mark nabs the Scriptorium for two Coins! With that requisition, he's half-way to a Scientific victory!

Age Two

 
Normally the player with the weakest Military chooses who begins the next Age but since this a dead heat, the last active player, I.E. whoever played the last card of the previous Age picks who goes first. That's Mark, so he picks himself to start! Problem is: he can't afford anything right now so he burns the Walls for four Coins (with a +2 bonus coming from his Clay Reserve and Tavern). This reveals the Laboratory. Cleo is also poor as a church mouse and must make a big decision: dump the Customs House which makes Glass and Papyrus cheaper or the Laboratory which would give Mark a Progress Token. She decides the turf the latter for three Coins, enjoying a +1 bonus thanks to the Wood Reserve.

It comes back to Mark and he blows the four Coins required to pick up the Customs House. This reveals two news cards: the Archery Range and the Parade Ground. Cleo already has one Brick and one Wood for the latter so she pays a measly two Coins for the Papyrus since Mark has no matching Buildings. This gets her the Archery Range, which shifts the Conflict Token back two spaces in Mark's direction.

To prevent losing Coins to Cleo's surging Military, Mark spends one Coin to get a Papyrus from his Customs House and one Coin to get a Clay from his Clay Reserve. Coupled with the Brick from his Clay Pool, he buys the Parade Ground, which shifts the Conflict Token back to neutral ground. Cleo then burns the Library to keep it away from Mark and to generate three Coins for herself.

Mark responds by picking up the Drying Room for free. This reveals two new cards: the Barracks and the Forum. Cleo then uses the prerequisite Water symbol on the Baths to acquire the Aqueduct for the low, low price of zero! This flips over the Statue.

Mark can't resist picking it up the Statue since it's free thanks to the Theater . Eventually, though, he's going to have to generate some Coinage. Cleo replies by spending three Coins and a Brick from the Clay Pit to pick up the Forum.

Mark fires back by roasting the Rostrum for five Coins. This reveals the Glass-Blower and the Dispensary. Cleo responds by building the awesome Circus Maximus, getting one free Glass from the Forum, Wood from the Logging Camp, one Stone from the Quarry and buying the last Stone at the discount rate of two Coins, since Mark has nothing that produces Stone. To add insult to injury, she buries the School underneath it to keep it out of Mark's hands. The Circus lets her destroy one of Mark's Brown or Gray cards, so she goes after the Drying Room. It also shifts the Conflict Token one space in Mark's direction.

Mark decides that its time to start fighting back. He overpays for the Temple of Artemis by spending two Coins to wring one Glass and one Papyrus out of the Customs House. The Wood comes from the Lumber Yard but then he has to pay three Coin for the required Stone, the cost of which is inflated by one "thanks" to Cleo's Stone-producing Quarry. Of course, a card has to be sacrificed to complete the building process so Mark turfs the Glass-Blower. For constructing the Temple, he gets a whopping twelve Coins back and can now take a free turn. He snatches up the Barracks for free which, once again, pushes the Conflict Token back towards the middle of the Board. Cleo responds by picking up the incredibly-versatile Caravansary with two Coins, the required Glass coming from her Forum and the Papyrus coming from a two-Coin trade back to the bank.

Given all the Coinage that Mark just picked up, it makes sense for him to build The Great Lighthouse. The Wood comes from the Lumber Yard but he still has to pay three Coins for the Brick and two Coins to his Customs House to get two Papyrus. Mark then burns the Sawmill to bring this tremendous Wonder into being. Cleo then realizes that, thanks to the Logging Camp, the Caravansary and the Forum, the Courthouse is stone-cold free for her and worth a respectable five Victory Points.

With valuable resources coming from both the Great Lighthouse and his Clay Pool, Mark gets the Dispensary for free. Once again, Cleo is destitute so she plays keep-away with the Shelf Quarry and picks up five Coins.

Mark then spends one Coin to generate Papyrus from his Customs House to snag the Temple.

Age Three

Once again the Military is in prefect equilibrium so Mark decides to play play first and erect a Statue of Zeus. With nearly everything provided by The Great Lighthouse, all he has to do is pay two Coins to produce the required Papyrus via the Customs House. He buries the Magistrates Guild to complete this Wonder, destroys Cleo's Clay Pit and then shift the Conflict Token one space in her direction. This, in turn, reveals an Obelisk. Cleo immediately picks this new monument up for free, with the Stone coming from the Caravansary and the Quarry and the Glass coming from the Forum. 

Next up Mark snags the Pantheon for free since he has the prerequisite Sun symbol on the Temple. This reveals the Observatory and the Siege Workshop. Cleo goes after the Appian Way, which requires one Papyrus (from the Forum), two Brick (one from the Caravansary and three back to the bank), and two Stone, one of which comes from the Quarry and the other in Trade for two more Coins. To polish it off she torches the Observatory. This produces several immediate effects: Cleo collects three Coins from the Bank, Mark loses three and she takes another turn! Using the prerequisite Target icon on the Archery Range she picks up the Siege Workshop for free, which, in turn, moves the Conflict Token two spaces right back at Mark.

On Mark's next turn he picks up a complimentary Lighthouse, thanks to the Jug symbol on the Tavern. That puts four more Coins right back into his coffers! Meanwhile, Cleo picks up the Palace, with the two Glass coming from the Piraeus and the Forum, the Wood from the Logging camp, the Stone from the Quarry and Brick coming from the Caravansary.

This flips over the Arena, which Mark gets for free thanks to the Great Lighthouse. This also generates a whopping six more Coins for him, two for each Wonder! Cleo then goes after the Tacticians Guild, getting the two Stone from the Caravansary and the Quarry, one Brick for three Coins from the Bank, and the Papyrus from the Forum. This nets her a nice four-coin windfall as well!

Thanks to his Scrooge McDuck pile of Coins, Mark builds his last Wonder, the Pyramids. One Stone gets quarried from the Great Lighthouse, but he has to pay six Coin in total for the other two. He then parleys one Coin into a Papyrus via the Customs House. The last construction step is to discard an available Building so he chooses the Town Hall. With the titular 7'th Wonder constructed, Cleo has lost her chance to build the Colossus. As a consolation prize, she jumps all over the Builder's Guild, spending two Coin to get a Stone and mining the second from the Quarry. The Brick she needs for this purchase comes from the Caravansary with the Wood from the Logging Camp and the Glass from the Forum. This reveals the Chamber of Commerce.

Mark spends two Coins to get two Glass from the Customs House. The Wood and the Brick comes from The Great Lighthouse, which is all he needs to pick up the Academy. This, in turn, unlocks the Port. Cleo uses the Glass from Piraeus, Papyrus from the Forum and Wood from the Logging camp to snatch it up. This nets her two Coin for every Brown Card she owns, I.E. four Coins.

Now its Mark's turn and he's a bit stuck. He really doesn't want the Chamber of Commerce so he burns it for a whopping seven Coin. Unfortunately, this gives Cleo the ability to buy the mega-powerful Circus. To do so she pays one Stone from the Quarry and the other one she gets in Trade for two Coins. One Brick comes from the Caravansary and for the other she's forced to pay three Coin (+1 due to Mark's Clay Pit). This pushes the Conflict token two spaces in Mark's direction, which, in turn, forces him to discard two Coins! This also reveals Fortifications.

To bring balance to the Force, Mark feels compelled to buy that Fort. One Brick and one Stone comes from The Great Lighthouse, but he also has to spend one Coin to get Papyrus from his Customs House and three Coin to get the other Stone (+1 due to Clea's Quarry). This edges the Conflict Token back two spaces towards the center of the board. Knowing that if Mark nabs that University he'll win the game, Cleo gets a Brick from the Caravansary, one Glass from the Forum and one Papyrus from the Piraeus to play keep-away. This, in turn, brings up the Praetorium.

Mark doesn't have the eight Coins needed to build the Praetorium so he burns it for a whopping seven Coins! Cleo, just to be evil, decides to snatch up the Gardens, knowing that Mark can get it for free. She gets one Brick from the Caravansary, pays three Coins for the second Brick (+1 due to Mark's Clay Pit) gets one Wood from her Logging Camp and then pays one Coin to get the last Wood from the Wood Reserve.

In the last move of the game, Mark makes like Koch brothers and buys the Senate. One Brick comes from his Clay Pit, the other comes from his Great Lighthouse, which also provides the Stone. He then pays one Coin to the Custom House to get the final ingredient: Papyrus.

FINAL SCORING

Military

Mark...0 Cleo...2

Blue Buildings

Mark...22  Cleo...31

Green Buildings

Mark...7 Cleo...2

Yellow Buildings

Mark...6  Cleo...3

Purple Buildings

Mark...0 Cleo...13 (8 Points for the Builders Guild and 5 points for the Tacticians Guild)

Wonders

Mark...16 Cleo...8

Progress

Mark...0  Cleo...0

Treasury

Mark...12 /3 = 4  Cleo...10/3=3

Final Totals

  Mark: 0 (Military) + 22 (Blue Buildings) + 7 (Green Buildings) + 6 (Yellow Buildings) + 0 (Purple) + 16

(Wonders) + 0 (Progress) + 4 (Treasury) =  55

Cleo: 2 (Military) + 31 (Blue Buildings) + 2 (Green Buildings) + 3 (Yellow Buildings) + 13 (Purple Buildings) + 8 (Wonders) + 0 (Progress) + 3 (Treasury)  = 62

Cleo wins!

***

Review

Pros 

• I like how the difficulty scales up during the three Ages. In other words, after skimming the rules you can pretty just right into the first Age. Then, when more complicated options pop up, you can just pause the game, look up the appropriate iconography and then jump right back into the action. It's like a form of in-game programmed learning. 
• Since Military or Scientific Victories are a constant threat, you have to be vigilant at all times. Handing your opponent one of these wins is like dropping a game of Tic-Tac-Toe. 
• The ability to burn cards to generate Coins and turf things to construct Wonders is a major part of the strategy. I.E. you have to pay a lot of attention to avoid handing your opponent a big play on a silver platter.
• Since half the cards are face up, your encouraged to ponder future strategies. Conversely when unexpected cards pop up, you're forced to think on your feet.
• I like how the cost of resources is based on your opponent's holdings. Not only does this simulate inflation rather nicely, it could, in theory, make certain resources almost cost prohibitive in some games. In the above example both players didn't have a lot of gray and brown Resource Cards and this kept the Trade rates relatively low, but I can see the next game being completely different. This sort of variance certainly bodes well for game re-playability. 
• Timing is critical! Its great to get first dibs on newly-flipped cards and the timely construction of a Wonder can also be a tremendous boon. Not only do these things give you some handy windfalls and / or permanent resources, some even give you the chance to take another turn. Time this perfectly and you can go on a mini-run that advances your strategy or shuts your opponent down cold. 
• I like how the winner is always in doubt until the final score tally. I love how the Guilds and the Progress tokens make the scores just "swingy" enough to let someone come from behind.
• The cards, the Coins, the Game Board and the Conflict Token are all top-notice. The art is also quite nice. 
• Thematically, it does kinda feel as if you're developing an increasingly-sophisticated civilization. 

 Cons

• Not much, actually. Some of the iconography is a challenge to memorize and you may find yourself reaching for the Help Sheet quite often at first. Plus the whole "player who chooses who goes first in the next Age is the last active player" rule seems a bit odd at face value, but clearly it didn't have a massive impact on the sample game above.

7 Wonders: Duel shocked the heck outta me, especially when you consider that I'm lukewarm at best on its parent game, which I especially dread with a full compliment of players. In a refreshing twist, this two-player version is short, sweet, and surprisingly nuanced.

As such 7 Wonders: Duel scores five pips outta six with a tilt up into the lingering and slightly awkward gaze of the Colossus of Rhodes!

  ***   

Wanna fiddle while your opponent's city burns? Then click on the following link to learn more about 7 Wonders: Duels and help this blog become the stuff of legend!

The Wheaton Effect Part Eight: "Tokaido"

Another season of Tabletop, another showcase of tempting board games:

Tokaido was actually on my "must try" list l-o-o-o-o-o-n-g before Wheaton and company decided to fete this Antoine Bauza-designed set-collector with an episode of Tabletop. And for once it wasn't because of the game's theme, its elaborate toy factor or its innovative mechanics. It was simply because of its ethos.

I've always been amused when people wrack their brains over the meaning of life. Even though I've just scratched the surface of this wacky world of ours I believe that our raison d'être is downright self-evident. We're here to better ourselves and those around us by absorbing knowledge, fostering good karma and having as many cool experiences as possible during our limited time on earth.

And that's exactly what Tokaido is all about. Don't believe me? Well, here's the official overview from the well-worn travellers at Funforge Games:

"Welcome to the Tokaido, the legendary East Sea Road connecting Kyoto to Edo. Here you will begin an extraordinary journey during which you will discover a thousand marvels for the first time.

"Be sure to take the time to contemplate the sumptuous vistas before you: the majestic mountains, peaceful coastland, and vast rice paddies… Let the brushstrokes of nature be an anchor for your memories.

"Appreciate the beneficial stopovers that punctuate your path, the restorative tranquility of the hot springs, and the countless culinary delicacies that will astonish your palate.

"Bundle together with your belongings delightfully unexpected souvenirs, from the most modest to the most sophisticated, that you gather from surprising encounters that may change the course of your travels.

"Time will be your best means to remain clear-sighted, methodical, and patient so that you don’t miss anything on this unique route but instead can fully savor the experience the Tokaido has to offer!"

Looking to read the full travelogue? Then click on the following link to plan out your trip even before you set foot upon your intended the path!

***

After finishing up early with Mysterium I thought that my fellow gamers wouldn't mind test driving the latest piece of Tabletop bait. My assumption proved to be more then correct; when I went to fetch Tokaido out of the cafe's library I discovered that it had already been snapped up by someone else. In an amusing co-incidence, the person who'd picked it out was Matt, a reserve member of our gaming group who just so happened to be there that night with a completely different group of friends.

Cheatin' on us, eh? Well I gots just one thing to say to you, you Jezebel:

Sorry, I've just been informed that my comments are in direct opposition to my previously-espoused "good karma" directive. As such, I officially retract this statement and apologize sincerely to Matt, I.E. the l'il so-and-so who actually had the temerity to show up with people other then us and then bog down our game night by "yoinking" away the one and only title we really wanted to play!

Er, I mean..."Anata no yoru o tanoshimu, Matt-San!"

A-hem. 

On the glass-is-half-full side of things, he were in a place that had about five-hundred other games sitting on the shelf so it wasn't exactly a major chore to come up with something to do while Matt and his (real) friends finished up. More on that in a future post. Mebbe. 

Pretty soon Tokaido was back on the shelf. Before any other rogue members of our group appeared I snapped it up, broke 'er open and hauled out the elegant-looking components. We then spent a little while picking out our Travelers and selecting our colors, all the while indulging in some pretty dodgy Japanese accents.

And now I know why Kris squirreled us all away in the "unopened" section of the cafe. It wasn't to "christen" the place it was to make sure that the property values didn't plummet while we were there. 

COLORS AND CHARACTERS

Chad...Mitsukuni - The Old Man (Blue)

Mitsukuni earns 1 additional point for each Hot
Spring card and each achievement card.

Me...Kinko - The Ronin (Gray)

Each Meal card purchased by Kinko costs one
coin less. (Meals that cost 1 are therefore free.)

Jeremy...Hirotada - The Priest (Green)

Each time he stops at the Temple, Hirotada can
take one coin from the bank and donate it to
the Temple, scoring 1 point for this coin. This is in
addition to the 1, 2, or 3 coins he can personally
donate to the Temple.

 

Kris...Hiroshige - The Artist (Pink)

When Hiroshige arrives at each of the 3 intermediate
Inns, before the Meal he takes 1 Panorama
card of his choice, scoring the points for this card
immediately.

Mike...Yoshiyasu - The Functionary (Yellow)

During each Encounter, Yoshiyasu draws 2
Encounter cards, keeps the one he wishes, then
places the other card at the bottom of the pile
(without showing it to the other players).

THE FIRST LEG 

(KYOTO to NAGOYA)

Mike and Chad bombed into the nearest Village, snapping up all of the choice salt-and-pepper shakers and batting practice helmets. Jeremy popped into the closest Temple and made a huge tax-deductible donation. In spite of my vast wealth there was nothing I could do to oust the infestation of commoners out of that Village. What's the point of being filthy stinkin' rich if you can't gentrify someplace? With an abundance of koku burning a hole in my pocket I had an Encounter with a fellow o̶n̶e̶-̶p̶e̶r̶c̶e̶n̶t̶e̶r̶ , er...Kuge, who gave me three more Coins. Meanwhile, Kris got all artsy-fartsy, getting a jump on his hillside Panorama painting.

Chad made a l'il friend while Mike started working on his mountainside masterpiece. Captivated by the scenic coastline, fellow flaky artist types Kris and Jeremy began to work on their own Seascape Panorama. I took advantage of their distraction, shoving everyone out of the way to get to the second Village. Once there I tried to compensate for the gaping chasm in my soul by filling it up with a bunch of useless tchotchkes. Er, "Souvenirs", I meant "Souvenirs". I capped off this orgy of wanton consumerism with a gluttonous, half-digested meal at the nearby Inn, barely managing to choke down the wafer-thin mint at the end. Fetch me a bucket! 

SECOND LEG 

(NAGOYA to SHIZUOKA)

Jeremy and Kris continued to waste their time making macaroni pictures and finger-painting seascapes. Once again I ignored all of that "scenery" crap, made a bee-line for the nearest town and  upon arrival I BOUGHT ALL OF THE THINGZ. Flat-ass broke thanks to some bitchin' Black Friday deals, Chad had to shlep to the Farm and slum with the peasants for some loose change. Devoid of any viable remaining options, Mike sprinted to the Inn and arrived before anyone else, scoring a crème de la crème nosh in the process.

He was then followed by Kris, Jeremy, me and then Chad, the latter of which went hungry when he realize that he still couldn't afford any food. Get (another) job, you hippie! 

This, in turn, dictated the next turn order: Chad, Me, Jeremy, Kris and finally Mike. Which, when you think about it kinda odd. Wouldn't Mike be finishing up his pudding and calculating a 15% tip before everyone else? Oh well, whatevs. 

THIRD LEG 

(SHIZUOKA TO OFUNA)

A sure sign that I was completely engrossed in this game: I forget to take pictures!

I made sure to take a detour into the last town, acquiring a U-Haul to cart around all of the future landfill I was compiling. Kris joined me there but he was, like, WAY POORER then I was so he only ended up with two trinkets while I got, like, six of them. I believe the appropriate phrase here is "neener, neener, neener". Determined to get something, anything into his sad little shrunken belly this time out, Chad leapfrogged over all of us to claim the first spot at the Inn and the tastiest of victuals. He was then followed by Mike and then Jeremy. I arrived late to the party and had to keep up appearances by eating some mildly-expired Yakitori. No-one seemed to notice, that is until next morning when I nearly soiled my kimono running for the nearest ditch. 

FORTH & FINAL LEG

(OFUNA TO EDO) 

With many of the four-star destinations overcrowded with annoying plebes, I decided to dabble with painting. *Ugh*, seriously, what's the point? That's what smartphone cameras are for! Realizing that his time was almost up, Chad popped into a gift shop at the very last second, buying an "I Survived The Tokaido Death March" t-shirt before rolling into the Big City.

Here's what we'd experienced, eaten and / or collected over the course of our epic journey:

MIKE / YOSHIYASU

• Mike did really well with food, chowing down on Shashimi and a bunch of other tasty treats for 24 points. 
• During his travels he collected some Geta wooden sandals, a Ukiyoe woodblock print, and a Uchiwa fan for a total of 9 points. 
• He indulged in two monkey-infested Hot-Spring dips for 6 points. 
• He was the first person to finish his Mountain Panorama, giving him 10 points for the work and +3 points for the Panorama Achievement Card. He also started but didn't complete a Seascape and a Paddy for a total of 2 more points. 
• For Encounters he made nice with a Annaibito Guide and a Shokunin Merchant. 
• In a token gesture, Mike plopped one Coin into the Temple collection box. Wow, don't hurt yourself there, big spender!

 CHAD / MITSUKUMI

• Chad scored some decent grub, noshing upon Udon, Donburi and Tofu for an in-game score of 18.
• He also managed to collect one complete set of Souvenirs including a Haori shirt, a Gofu fan, a Netsuke sculpture and a mini Daifuku cake for a full 16 points. On top of that he picked up a Koma spin-top, some Kamaboko fish jerky and a Furoshiki wrapping cloth for 9 more points. *Humph*, tryin' to show me up as the most superficial Tokaido player, eh? Whatta jerk! 
• Chad even had the unmitigated gall to be more artistically bankrupt then me: painting only one measly Panorama Mountain segment for 1 sad point. 
• Unlike me, Chad went skinny dippin' in no less then four Hot Springs, some of which may or may not have involved some hot monkey action. Hey, it got him 11 in-game points so who am I to judge? 
• Even in the midst of this he still found time to get cozy with a Shokunin Merchant.

ME / KINKO

• I collected four pieces of choice food on my journey: Dango, Yakitori, Nigirimeshi and Sushi for a grand total of 24 points. 
• I picked up one full set of junk...er, trinkets, including a beautiful Yunomi bowl, some Sake (*hic*), a Jubako pic-a-nic box and a sassy Yukata robe to show off my girlish figure. I also collected a few loose bits of flotsam and jetsam including a pair of Hashi chopsticks and some Manju cakes for 4 more points for a grand total of 20. 
• By the end of the game my entourage was bigger then P-Diddy's. With a Samurai (for +3 Points), a Kuge Noble, a Miko Shinto Priest and a Annaibito Guide in tow, I was a walking Akira Kurosawa cliche. Which begs the question: did these guys really like me for me or were they just after my table scraps? *sniff* 
• As for my artistic expressions they were perfunctory at best. I'd whipped off two (very) loose interpretations of the Mountain and Sea Panoramas for a whopping total of six points for both.
• I didn't even bother dippin' my bitz in any Hot Springs. I mean, Jeezus, have you seen what those monkeys do?!? They fling their poo like a bunch of little G.G. Allin's! 
• To try and atone for my overt gluttony and greed I invested in some Spiritual Indulgences by donating 3 Coins to various Temples. Hey, if you can't behave your way into heaven, then why not buy your way in? Amirite? Holla?

JEREMY / HIROTADA

• Jeremy also ate rather well, picking up some Sushi, Tofu, Nigirimeshi and Misoshiru in his travels for a total of 24 points. 
• He picked up two strays along the way: a Samurai (for +3 points) and an omnipresent Annaibito Guide. 
• Jeremy also went all-in with the arts, completing a beautiful Sea Panorama for 15 points and got half-way through a Mountain for 3. 
• He was also the most pious among us, donating a vastly-superior count of coins to the Temples en route.  Since the Bank matched every single one of his contributions he had about 10 points worth of coins on the Temples by the time the game was over. 

  KRIS / HIROSHIGE

• Kris tea-bagged no less then three different Hot Springs for a total of 7 aqua-related points. 
• As the resident starving artist, Kris missed one meal along the way, ending up with some Dango, Misoshiru and the ever-popular Nigirimeshi for a total of 18 points. 
• He didn't have a lot of funds for pointless bric-à-brac, ending the game with a Shamisen gee-tar (which he learned how to play "Runaway Train" by Soul Asylum on) as well as a rakishly-handsome Sandogasa lid. Even though these two items only provided 4 points, their effect on all those hawt n' willing geishas was immeasurable. As expected, his forte was in painting, completing the Sea Panaroma for 15 Victory points and the Paddy landscape for 6 more. Being the first person to lock these down he also scored the two corresponding Panorama Achievement Cards for 6 more points!

FINAL SCORES

KRIS

Food: 18

Souvenirs: 4

Encounters: 0

Art: 27 (15 for a completed Seascape and 6 for a completed Paddy plus 6 more points for the two corresponding Panorama Achievements)

Hot Springs: 7

Temples: 0

In-Game Victory Points: 56

Bonus Points: Zero. Zilch. Nil. Nada. El zippo.   

Total Points: 56

MIKE

Food: 24

Souvenirs: 9

Encounters: 0

Art: 15 (10 for a Completed Mountain, +2 for one Sea and one Paddy, and +3 for the matching Panorama Achievement)  

Hot Springs: 6

Temples: 1

 In-Game Victory Points: 55

Bonus Points: +3 for goin' all Anthony Bourdain with the Gourmet card. I was actually shooting for this one but I didn't realize that this Achievement Card is rewarded to the player who eats the most expensive meals in total. D'oh!

He also got 4 points for being the third most generous contributor to the Temple. Pretty sneaky, sis!

Total Points: 62

ME

Food:  24

Souvenirs: 20 (16 Points for a full set, +4 for half of a set)

Encounters: 3 for a Samurai

Art: 6 (2 Panorama Cards completed for both the Seascape and the Mountains)

Hot Springs: 0

Temples: 3

In-Game Victory Points: 56

Bonus Points: +3 Points for accumulating the most fairweather friends via the Chatterbox Achievement Card. I also got +7 Points for being the second-most generous Temple donator.

Total Points: 66

JEREMY

Food: 24 

Souvenirs: 0

Encounters: 3 for a Samurai

Art: 19 (15 for a completed Sea Panorama, 3 for a 2-segment Mountain, 1 for a 1-segment Paddy)

Hot Springs: 0

Temple: 10

In-Game Victory Points: 56

Bonus Points: +10 Points for donating the most money to the Temple. 

Total Points:  66

CHAD

Food: 18
Souvenirs: 25 (16 for a set and another 9 for 3/4 of a set) 

Encounters: 0
Art: 1
Hot Springs: 15 (11 and a +1 bonus for each card thanks to the Old Man's Special Ability)
Temples: 0

In-Game Victory Points: 56

Bonus Points: +3 Points for being the OCD-style Bather and +3 points for out-shopping me as the Collector!  He also received a +1 bonus point for each of these Achievement Cards due to Mitsukuni's accursed Special Ability!

Total Points: 67

CHAD WINS!!!

***

REVIEW

PROS 

• Again, the ethos of the game is a major draw for me. It's all about personal enrichment, creativity and having unique experiences. Or if you're a rich asshole like me, you can just try and buy all of that slap-happy shit wholesale.
• The components of the game are well in step with the theme. The kaiga-style artwork is perfectly zen and the Meal, Souvenir, Encounter and Hot Springs cards really make you feel as if you're trekking across the Japanese countryside during the Tokugawa shogunate. 
• The board itself is a perfect example of design elegance. It's clean, bright, and cheerful. The iconography is both clear and charming.
• I love the movement mechanic. Do you rush ahead to get the first pick of something that dove-tails with your strategy? Or do you linger, chaining several actions together in one turn and then customizing your approach to the game accordingly?
• At the beginning I was afraid that the richest characters would automatically destroy everyone else. And, I suppose, after seeing how poor artsy Kris fared, some readers may still maintain that this is the case. Just remember: Jeremy also took a mostly-creative route and he acquitted himself rather nicely by saving up for Meals and donating to the Temples. In other words if you add some add some ying to your yang you just might do alright.
• Although it makes sense to be somewhat flexible, the exponentially alluring points provided by completed Panorama and Souvenir sets shouldn't be ignored. It's something that you'll likely struggle with constantly throughout the game.  
• Just like a real trip, "you can't do it all". Every turn represents a bunch of interesting possibilities and tough decisions. 
• To quote Andrew: "I didn't really have that much interest in playing Tokaido until Tabletop showed me just how cut-throat it is." Cut-throat indeed. As much as I blather on about the pleasant ethos of the game, it's also about dropping a deuce in your opponent's Hot Springs, so to speak. When some jack-hole comes along and steals that last Sea Panorama spot, denying you a completed work of art just two spaces shy of the last Inn it might very well result in a real-life honor duel to the death. Everyone's cards are face-up during the game, so it's not hard to tell what people are shooting for. This is especially true in a five-player game.      
• The guys at Shut Up And Sit Down have expressed concerns about the game's re-playability but I don't know if I agree with them. Yes, you pretty much get the gist of the entire game after one play but next time out you'll likely find yourself inhabiting the body of a new random Traveler, which will likely alter your strategy somewhat. Add to this the three different types of Panoramas, the Temples, all of the different Souvenirs, the Farms, the wealth of Food options, the random Encounters, and the Hot Springs and you have a pretty decent amount of variety. Trust me, when you play this thing with five people, you might as well throw all of your time-honored plans right out the shōji.

 CONS

• I'm still a tad concerned about the influence of money in the game. I also think that some of the Traveler's Special Abilities are vastly superior to others. Hopefully future plays of the game will sway my mind on this one way or the other.
• The fixed paths between the Inns never vary, which does lend some credence to the aforementioned SU&SD review. 
• Often times your choice of what to do on any given turn is pretty blatantly obvious.

***

To be perfectly honest, Tokaido probably isn't as good as I think it it.  I just love it because of it's both pretty to look at and perfectly in step with my own romantic and likely antiquated world-view.

At the very least, Tokaido is a reasonably original game when it comes to both theme and gameplay. As such, I give it four pips outta six with a tilt up towards the mountain peak in my half-completed watercolor!

***

Wanna find out what happens when you combine a hot tub, some incontinent macaques and a gallon of sake? Click on the picture below to learn more about Takaido and help this blog attain financial enlightenment!

 

The Wheaton Effect Part Seven: "Takenoko"

It's been awhile since anyone in our gaming group answered the siren call of one Richard Wilhelm "Wil" Wheaton. That is, until this particular episode of Tabletop aired back November 14'th 2013:

Tasked by his wife to pick up a new board game, Jeremy wisely went with Takenoko after watching this episode of Tabletop. I say "wisely" because I was quite smitten with the game myself and secretly delighted that someone in our inner circle had pulled the trigger on it. 

I don't know what it is, but I'm a real sucker for anything related to feudal Japan. So much so that it makes me think that reincarnation is an actual thing. Why else would a dweeby white kid from Newfoundland harbor an affinity and interest in such things? Was I a panda-loathing Japanese gardener in a past life?

Notwithstanding the game's exotic setting, I was also highly impressed by its considerable aesthetic appeal and potential strategic depth. The game's official sales pitch on Asmodee's website seemed to re-enforce my initial impressions:

"The players take the role of courtesans of the Nippon emperor and take on the role of caring for his Giant Panda by growing a bamboo plantation.

"Their mission: to farm parcels of land, irrigate them, and grow green, yellow or pink bamboo. In turn, they see what the weather brings and perform two actions from among those offered to them: get a new plot of land or irrigation channel, grow bamboo, feed the panda or draw an objective card.

"The game ends when a player has completed 7 to 9 objectives (depending on the number of players). The player who gets the best score by adding the total value of their completed objective wins the game."

Wanna read the full edition of How To Feed And Care For Your Tapeworm-Infested Pet Panda (I.E. the game's rules)? Click on the link right here!  

***

After our session of Euphoria was over, Jeremy was kind enough to lead Chad, Dean, Jonathan and I though a game of Takenoko.  Here's how the match played out...

Setup was simple enough; we just threw down the central Pond Tile as well as the poor, exasperated Gardener and that deceptively-cute but clearly evil Panda. Just look into those cold, dead eyes! *Shiver*

"I'll swallow your soul."

Note to self: take up a collection for Dean to get him a new tablecloth. Jesus, that's thing's hideous.

Anyway, we began the game by taking several Plot Actions. Within a few turns we had a pretty decent little garden springing up with a surplus of Pink Bamboo, three segments of Green and a little sprig o' Yellow. Subsequently I placed and then irrigated a third Pink tile, which allowed me to play the first Objective Card of the game for four points.

By the time five more Plots were added to the board (three Yellow plus another one each in Pink and Green), we'd already begun to explore some of the game's other Actions. After wrestling with the idiosyncrasies of Gardener and Panda movement, Jonathan fulfilled a pair of three-point Panda-Objective Cards by cramming four Green Bamboo shoots down the fat fuck's voracious maw. To add some Yin to this Yang, he then decided to branch out into landscaping, earning a lucrative four-point payment for orchestrating two Green and two Pink Plots side-by-side.

Dean claimed a highly-prized six-point Objective Card by strategically placing a Watershed Improvement on a Pink tile and then growing some matching Bamboo. I managed to respond in kind, dropping another six-pointer for spotting two, three segment Pink Bamboo shoots. Just moments later, Chad sent that ravenous, monochromatic troglodyte over to our side of the table where he immediately began what I can only characterize as a vicious campaign of criminal Bamboo deforestation.

When it became blatantly obvious that Chad was trying to complete his first Objective Card by spoon-feeding Yellow Bamboo to the Panda, the rest of us decided to initiate a scorched earth policy against him. Time and time again, the Panda was cattle-prodded back over to his side of the board, where it helped itself to the "All-You-Can-Keep-Down" Yellow Bamboo buffet. The Panda gobbled it as fast as Chad could grow it, leading him to fear that he might end up getting skunked.

Not only did this provide endless amusement value for everyone else at the table, the four segments of Yellow Bamboo that the Panda scarfed on my watch ended up fulfilling two of my four-point Objective cards. WOOT!!!

Eventually the novelty of kicking Chad in the knutz while he was down began to wear off and we all moved on to different pursuits. As a result, Chad finally got on the board, using the Panda to score four points for his two-piece Yellow Bamboo snak pak. On a subsequent turn he placed a third abutting Green Plot, rewarding him with a similar amount of points in the process.  

Meanwhile, Jonathan diligently kept plugging away, gorging the Panda with some haute cuisine Bamboo: two in Yellow and two in Red for another nine-point windfall. He probably would have scored even more if the rest of us weren't playing "Panda Keep Away" with him. Thanks to our inadvertently prickish efforts, Jonathan had a really tough time luring that rotund, beady-eyed little cretin in a straight line back towards his Objective hexes.

Dean continued to storm back, earning a two-point reward for spotting three Green Plots in a row. Sticking with the ebony theme, he began the slow, arduous task of growing some matching stalks, eventually scoring four more points for an equal amount of Fertilized Bamboo which he safely barricaded behind a Panda-proof Enclosure. Even more critically: Yellow Bamboo was starting to flourish now that the heat was finally off of Chad. With perfect timing, Dean played a seven-point Objective Card just as three stalks of three-segment Yellow Bamboo came to fruition prior to reaching its apex. This would prove to be a real game-changer.
     
With Dean nipping at my heels, I decided to move away from the easy-to-complete but low-reward Panda Objectives and start working on Blue Plot cards. Unfortunately many of the random cards I drew offered pitifully low rewards. Even though I was able to complete a two-pointer for three Green Plots and three-points for a similar count of Irrigated Yellow tiles, I feared that this wouldn't be enough to ward off Dean's advances. And trust me, you want to ward of Dean's advances. He gets a little "gropey".    

Fortunately I had some reasonably-good fortune right at the buzzer, drawing a couple of higher-value Plot Cards which came pre-completed thanks to a our prodigious garden growth. This included a four-point Objective which required two Red and two Green Plots together. In playing my seventh Objective Card (requiring four neighboring Yellow and Red tiles for five points), I won the two-point bonus Emperor card and triggered the final round.

And that's when Dean's pact with Satan kicked in.

And, no, that's not the plot for an awesome episode of Supernatural. I'm actually referring to Dean's uncanny ability to draw exactly the right card and then roll precisely what he needed on the Weather Die. Unable to get to his objective in a straight line, Dean willed a Lightning result into existence, scaring the fertilizer out of the Panda and granting Dean permission to put the chubby bastard anywhere he wanted. I certainly had a few choice ideas as to where he could cram it. Like his urethra for instance. 

He moved that glassy-eyed, gluttonous freak to a space where he ate a third Bamboo color, giving him six point for this Panda-friendly bento box. He then used the Gardener to grow some Green Bamboo up to four segments on a Fertilized Plot, completing the three-point goal card he drew last turn in the process.

Un...fucking...believable...

After Dean's eleventh-hour dramatics, Chad had his final turn. In a last-gasp, "Hail Mariko"-style play, he drew and then completed a five-point Objective which required a four-segment Yellow Bamboo tower on a Watershed Improvement Plot.

With the game at an end, the only thing left to do was add up all the points and declare the final victor!

***

FINAL SCORES

Chad...12 Points

Jonathan...19 Points

Me...34 Points

Dean...35 Points

You're reading that right, folks: because Dean was able to draw an easy-to-complete Objective and then roll exactly what he needed on the Weather Die, I lost by a single frakkin' point. Going back to the whole re-incarnation thing, I'm starting to believe that I was a Japanese Gardener who also in the habit of cheating people out of their hard-earned koku in rigged games of Go and Shogi. Lord knows I'm paying for it in this life.

Man, talk about frustrating!

***

REVIEW

PROS

• Along with hips, the only other thing which is indisputable in its truthiness are pictures. Hopefully the photos in this entry convey just how beautiful the game really is. We've got practical and whimsically-illustrated Individual Boards. The Bamboo bitz, Weather Die and Action Chips are all made out of real wood. The Objective Cards are durable and charming. The Improvement tokens and Plot Tiles are colorful and sturdy. And finally you also get two highly-detailed figures. The stressed-out look on the Gardener's face is priceless. It's as if he's constantly thinking: "If that walking esophagus eats another furshlugginer piece of bamboo the Emperor's gonna throw me a seppuku party!"
• Between the Weather Die, five different possible Actions and points which can come from Plot, Gardener and Panda Cards it all adds up to a respectable number of options. Indeed, there's a surprising amount of strategy for a game that includes a little plastic Panda.
• Just as it is in real life, Irrigation is key to successful gardening. So I'm told.       
• If you're lagging behind in the game, Keep Calm and Panda On. As Dean clearly illustrated, it's definitely possible to come back after an early deficit if you plan things right and catch a few lucky breaks. 
• The game isn't particularly complicated and should be relatively easy to teach to folks who are experienced with light Euros. Bonus points as well for the colorful and amusing rulebook.

CONS

• Between the fickle Weather Die and crap-shoot late game Objective Card draws, there's a lot of luck involved in this game. 
• A few fiddly things RE: Gardener/Panda Movement, Plot placement, Objective fulfillment, Bamboo Growth and Irrigation result in more rulebook references then expected.

*** 

There's a very, very good chance that I'll add Takenoko to my collection at some point in time, not because its so awesome or revolutionary but because I just love the theme and the game's curb appeal. If Asmodee has a spare copy of the ginormo-edition sittin' around collectin' dust, I'd be more then happy to play Emperor of Japan to your Emperor of China, ifyouknowwhutImsayin'! *nudge, nudge*  *wink, wink*

Takenoko scores four pips out of six with a tilt up toward the tallest bamboo stalk in the Emperor's garden!

***

Looking to make panda foie gras?  Click on the box cover below to order a copy of Takenoko and help this blog's garden grow!