This review continues my series of detailed reviews that attempt to be part review, part resource for anyone not totally familiar with the game. For this reason I expect readers to skip to the sections that are of most interest.
Image Courtesy of <PERSON>
Summary
Game Type - Euro Game
Play Time: 90-120 Minutes
Number of Players: 3-5
Mechanics - Auctions/Bidding, Set Collection, Trading/Negotiation, Dice Rolling
Difficulty - Moderate (Can be learned in about an hour, takes a game or two to get a handle on how to do well)
Components - Excellent +++
Release - 2007
Designer(s) - <PERSON> (6 nimmt!, Auf Achse, El Grande, Expedition, Goldland, Gulo Gulo, Hacienda,Heimlich & Co., Java, Maharaja: The Game of Palace Building in India, Mexica, The Palaces of Cararra, The Princes of Florence, That's Life!, Tikal, Torres and many, many more)
and <PERSON>
Overview
Forget the grand stadiums of the modern era and travel back to one of the greatest engineering feats of the ancient world...the Colosseum! As an Impresario you are charged with putting on the greatest spectacles the Emperor has ever seen as a celebration is held for 99 days to commemorate the opening of your very own stage...the Colosseum!!!
This ... is ...SPARTA!!... err Rome.
In Colosseum each player is looking to stage the grandest spectacles ever seen...featuring; gladiators, lions, chariot races, galleys to sail on a flooded arena, musicians and narrators. Your aim is to draw the largest crowds and to hopefully have the honour of being graced by the presence of dignitaries such as Senators, Consuls and perhaps even the Emperor himself.
This is your life's work and you are hoping to earn the title of Grand Impresario.
Welcome to Colosseum!
Please join tour group 3 as I take you around this grand structure and show you what it has to offer...
The Components
The spectacles of the colosseum were many and varied and Days of Wonder (DoW) certainly match it with a ton of bits for this game. There is a lot to get through so let's get stuck in.
Board – Ironically the board, whilst important, is not as impressive as some of the other components as it features rather neutral tones to allow other components to stand out once placed on the board. It is still nice to look at though.
Rather than depict the Colosseum, the board illustrates the city of Rome with its many buildings, port and river. But this is actually rather unimportant and instead the eye is drawn to the 4 key features that are of importance.
Centrally there is the Market area, where there are 5 groups of 3 boxes. 470
This is where the Asset Tokens are placed to be auctioned off during the game.
Around this in a rectangle formation is the track upon which the dignitaries are placed and can move as the game unfolds. This track also allows space for each player's Arena.
Around the outside of the board is the score track and there is also a Turn Order Track located inside the path of the dignitaries.
Image Courtesy of <PERSON>
Dignitaries - In all there are 6 wonderfully lavish pieces that represent the Emperor, two Senators and three Consuls. These appear to be made out of wood but they have some ceramic embellishments that make them look neat and provide them with a nice heft that sits lovely in the hand. The quality is not only fabulous but it also serves to highlight their importance in the game itself.
Image Courtesy of Toynan
Asset Tokens - In all there are 12 different asset tokens that can easily be made out by their image. Each asset is easily identifiable thanks to a unique background colour and they have that thickness that makes them feel like a quality component.
The Asset Tokens feature either a green or a yellow back. It is the green-backed tokens that are largely used in the set-up with the yellow-backed tokens starting the game in the drawstring cloth bag.
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Star Performer Awards – There are 7 Star Performer Tiles that match 7 of the Asset Tokens and this connection is reinforced by using the same background colour. A nice large +4 reinforces their benefit and these are highly sought after as the game unfolds.
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Event Programs - A key feature of the game are the Event Programs that the players are trying to produce. These are horizontal templates that get longer as they get more elaborate. 84