Image Courtesy of kherubimThis 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.
If you liked the review please thumb the top of the article so others have a better chance of seeing it and I know you stopped by. If you appreciate the time taken to write and the depth of analysis, please consider thumbing the bottom as it tells me I've helped you in some way. Thanks for reading.
Summary
Game Type - Card Game
Play Time: 10-15 Minutes
Number of Players: 2-4
Mechanics - Set Collection, Card Drafting, Auctions/Bidding, Hand Management
Difficulty - Pick-up & Play (Can be learned in under 10 minutes)
Components - Excellent
Release - 2011 (Originally released as Scripts and Scribes in 2007)
Designer - <PERSON> -( Biblios Dice, Capo Dei Capo, Cosmic Run, Gunrunners, Let Them Eat Shrimp!, Slush Fund)
Overview
Welcome brother to the conclave of the monks. As you can see we are all friends here but we take the ancient competition very seriously. As one of the esteemed order of Abbots, you are now engaged in the task of collating the greatest collection of holy books known to man. Acquire them any way you can with the limited funds at your disposal and if successful, your influence will spread throughout the land as the one to have created the greatest library of all.
This is Biblios, a card game with a religious background but in truth the game is really about set collection. I have my faith but do not practice my religion in any great way...and I love this game. So the theme doesn't have to be a barrier if you don't let it. Of course for others it may appeal greatly.
I first played this game back in 2010 as Scripts and Scribes at a gaming convention. I remember thinking the game was pretty good but it was hard to come by and so I moved on. In the years that followed picked it up and created Biblios. I acquired a copy as a purchase in a Math Trade for cash but when it was delivered to me at the same Con years later, I had no choice but to sell it at the end of the weekend for double what I paid ($60!). 470
And so it eluded me again.
Fast forward a year or two and finally the game was more readily available and I now I have a copy of my very own. My mission? To revisit this light card game and declare once and for all if it is worthy of my worship! Oh man...that's worshipping a false god...I'm going straight down when I die.
The Components
Biblios comes in a great package. Not only is the box as small as it needs to be but it is designed to look like a book with pages on one end and a spine on the other. It really supports the theme of the game and to top it off the box closes with a magnetic flap, so everything stays exactly where it is supposed to, even when standing up on a shelf. Bravo . How I wish all card games of this box size did this.
The stuff inside the box is pretty good too...
Board – Despite being a card game, Biblios does feature a small board, to accommodate the dice. This component is largely the reason for the box size as it is. The board isn't super fancy in any way but the graphics are engaging and it is clear as to its purpose. The thickness is really good and the dice allocation positions are even separating slightly into two groups to help remind the players that the 5 sets of cards in the game have slightly differing values.
I find this extremely helpful and it is a great example of thoughtful design.
Image Courtesy of EndersGame
Dice - When you first look at the dice you can't help but think, "Man they are chunky. Not sure if they will roll well."
Then you read the rules and realise they are not to be rolled at all. The purpose of the dice is to serve as a visual representation as to the values for each category of cards, throughout the play.
The dice come in 5 colours that match the colours of the card sets in the game. They do the job well enough.
Image Courtesy of zombiegod
Cards - But of course it is the cards that are the central component of the game. There are 87 cards in total and in all there are 3 different types - Money Cards, Church Cards and Category Cards. 872