Hi All!
So, full disclosure, I've been working part time running Tasty Minstrel Game's Instagram account and TMG is publishing this game later this year. My game group has been playing an import copy though, and I'd be super excited to talk about it anyway, so I couldn't resist reviewing it.
This game, if you haven't read much about it is a new title from Japan from the designer <PERSON> brought to you Minerva, Rolling Japan, Trains, Sail to India. Unlike all of those games this one is HUGE. It is a VERY unique game and very exciting to play.
People might compare it to Istanbuland I can understand that to some extent. Let me just say that I don't enjoy Istanbul, but I love this! It compares in that there is a modular board that places tiles randomly at the start of the game, which offers different game play each time. During your turn you are moving your president pawn around the board to collect and do actions, but it is not in the same style as Istanbul.
The game is actually quite simple once you get going. Photos might suggest very complex but now that I have played I know I could explain the game next time I play it.
Each turn a player places either 2 assistants (cubes) on any one location or 3 assistants on 3 different locations. These are locations anywhere on the board and do not have to be directly adjacent to your president. Then you can move your president through any space with your assistants and lands on a location with assistants and performs the action there. He may not land where there is another players president, but can move through by paying $1.
You get "strength" for how many assistants you have in the location plus any trading houses or market stalls you have positioned there and, of course, your president. You can only get max strength of 5. With a 4 or 5 strength you get the opportunity of building one of your available markets/ trading houses for small benefits or points.
Some of the action spaces offer goods types, these are used for fulfilling contracts and help your influence at the church. Other spaces might allow you to get some technology which provides various bonuses throughout game play. For example, I took one that allowed for me to get 3 bonus points when utilizing the church.
Everyone starts with 8 assistants available for general use. There is a storage that holds more markets and trading houses and assistants, the only way to get them out of storage into your ready area is by going to the specific space that allows you to export them. There are some other ways of getting them out of stock but that is the main location. You probably want to visit that space on the game board at least once if not more times during game play.
What is so cool about this game is how the assistants work. You place them, as I stated above, but when you take an action all assistants used come off and go into your general supply. Everything else still remains on the board. 366
Some get eaten up by other means. You almost always need more assistants.
There are common goals to work towards and when you complete those you mark it with one of your available assistants for points. The Church giving marks your strength and points with the cubes. I went there 3 times and ended up leaving 3 cubes behind. Another trading port for imported goods require you to leave cubes behind. As it happened I was working both the Church spaces and Imported spaces and needed tons and Tons of cubes/ assistants to maintain my objectives. Other folks weren't working so hard on that and maybe didn't need as many.
There is a ton of end game scoring for flags you have collected. The techs you acquire and contracts you fulfill all have a flag nation on them. You want a variety of them to get lots of points, also for a pair of the same flag you might receive a mercenary (if available). These are one shot deals for a bonus action that have to be taken where you have an assistant and there CAN BE a president present on the location. They are sneaky and have strength of 0. Very useful!
There is end game scoring for majorities in the Church and Transport areas too. So you don't want to completely forget about an area if you can sneak in and claim a majority it might be worth it!
This game offers a variety of options and goals to work towards. Turns play out very quickly and it moves at a nice pace and time. It was definitely a huge hit with everyone that has gotten to play it so far, that I witnessed. There is far more options and happenings in this than in Istanbul and I think this is by far <PERSON> greatest accomplishment. (As much as I LOVE Rolling Japan).
I am SUPER excited for the TMG Deluxe version to come out. The Kickstarter is scheduled to be up on June 21, 2016. This is very well deserved and amazing game. It deserves to wide spread and well loved by many. 366