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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Tokyo Highway in Tabletop Games
Oct 30, 2021
Living in Iowa/Illinois, the saying is that we only have 2 seasons: winter and road construction. Our winters can certainly be brutal, and our road workers and civil engineers deserve major props for the work they do for our communities! Let’s put ourselves in their shoes for a minute. Can you design a structurally secure overpass? How about figuring out the logistics to create an underpass? If a part of your roadway is damaged, can you fix it without causing further harm? These are all things that you must consider in the minimalistic game of Tokyo Highway.
Tokyo Highway is a dexterity game of route building in which players are trying to create a roadway on which their cars will travel. The first player to place all of their cars on the highway is the winner. Originally, Tokyo Highway was for only 2 players, but an expansion has come out to accommodate up to 4 players. This review will address all player counts! To begin the game, hand out components and set up as described in the rulebook for your chosen player count. Select a starting player, and you are ready to begin.
On your turn, you will perform 3 actions: build a column, build a road, and place a car. When building a column, there are 2 things to remember – the column must create a continuation of your existing road, and it must be built exactly 1 level above or 1 level below the column from which it is based. For example, to play off of a column with a height of 2, you must either play a height of 1 or a height of 3. To build a road, take one of your road sticks and place it on the columns so it connects the newly built column to its predecessor. The last part of your turn is to place a car on your road stick, if you have met the placement requirements. The requirements for placing a car are that your new section of road must cross an opponent’s road, either by being the first road to cross over it, or being the first road to cross under it. You may place additional cars on your road stick for additional roads that your segment crosses above/below.
There are a couple of twists in the game, though! First, each player begins the game with a certain amount of Junctions. When you choose to play a Junction, you are allowed to create a column of any height, regardless of the height of its predecessor. Another special power of Junctions is that once you place a Junction, you have the option to branch 2 roads from that single point, instead of only 1 like with regular columns. The other twist? If at any point during your turn, you knock over an opponents’ cars, roads, or columns, you are penalized and must give that opponent the number of equivalent pieces that were toppled from your own personal supply. You then fix the damage, and continue your turn as normal. The game end is triggered when either 1 player has placed all of their cars, or when a player runs out of construction components. The player who places all of their cars first is the winner, or a player that runs out of components loses the game and the other players continue until the game end is triggered again.
For such a seemingly simple game, Tokyo Highway challenges players on 2 fronts: dexterity and strategy. Obviously, your dexterity is put to the test as you try to move steadily, build secure roads, and not topple over any other components in play. It really is harder than it looks, and creates a good physical challenge for players. Strategy comes into play because you have to plan turns in advance and try to anticipate your opponent’s movements in order to create opportunities to place your cars. You’ve got to strategize where you want to build under or over, and then set yourself up for those builds. But you’ve also got to keep an eye on your opponent, because they might unknowingly (or purposefully…) disrupt your strategy with a placement of their own. Players are never idle in this game, everyone is engaged throughout as they plan ahead for success.
My biggest qualm with Tokyo Highway are the rules regarding knocking down roadways on your turn. According to the rules, if you knock anything down, you forfeit components from your supply, and then rebuild the destroyed area. However, as the game progresses and gets more intricate, with roads crossing very tightly together, one misstep could destroy nearly the entire structure. And it is difficult to rebuild since the highway placements vary with literally every turn, and unless you take a picture after every turn, chances are you can’t recreate it from memory. At that point, continuing the game is futile, and then who wins? You either have to restart the game, or just call it then and end it.
The components of Tokyo Highway are pretty great. Everything is sturdy and wooden, and will definitely withstand the test of time. They feel great in hand and are simply just fun to fiddle with between turns! It is a simple and minimalistic game overall, and the components reflect that wonderfully.
So overall, how is Tokyo Highway? I think it is a game with a nearly perfect balance of dexterity and strategy. You must employ both of those to succeed, because focusing on only one will get you nowhere. It definitely offers more than meets the eye, and that is a fun surprise. There is no set game board or layout, so literally every game will be different, allowing for seemingly infinite replayability. It is definitely a game that keeps players engaged and on their toes. Although there are a few issues regarding dexterity ‘accidents,’ the gameplay overall flows well and is logical. Purple Phoenix Games gives Tokyo Highway a speedy 8 / 12.
Tokyo Highway is a dexterity game of route building in which players are trying to create a roadway on which their cars will travel. The first player to place all of their cars on the highway is the winner. Originally, Tokyo Highway was for only 2 players, but an expansion has come out to accommodate up to 4 players. This review will address all player counts! To begin the game, hand out components and set up as described in the rulebook for your chosen player count. Select a starting player, and you are ready to begin.
On your turn, you will perform 3 actions: build a column, build a road, and place a car. When building a column, there are 2 things to remember – the column must create a continuation of your existing road, and it must be built exactly 1 level above or 1 level below the column from which it is based. For example, to play off of a column with a height of 2, you must either play a height of 1 or a height of 3. To build a road, take one of your road sticks and place it on the columns so it connects the newly built column to its predecessor. The last part of your turn is to place a car on your road stick, if you have met the placement requirements. The requirements for placing a car are that your new section of road must cross an opponent’s road, either by being the first road to cross over it, or being the first road to cross under it. You may place additional cars on your road stick for additional roads that your segment crosses above/below.
There are a couple of twists in the game, though! First, each player begins the game with a certain amount of Junctions. When you choose to play a Junction, you are allowed to create a column of any height, regardless of the height of its predecessor. Another special power of Junctions is that once you place a Junction, you have the option to branch 2 roads from that single point, instead of only 1 like with regular columns. The other twist? If at any point during your turn, you knock over an opponents’ cars, roads, or columns, you are penalized and must give that opponent the number of equivalent pieces that were toppled from your own personal supply. You then fix the damage, and continue your turn as normal. The game end is triggered when either 1 player has placed all of their cars, or when a player runs out of construction components. The player who places all of their cars first is the winner, or a player that runs out of components loses the game and the other players continue until the game end is triggered again.
For such a seemingly simple game, Tokyo Highway challenges players on 2 fronts: dexterity and strategy. Obviously, your dexterity is put to the test as you try to move steadily, build secure roads, and not topple over any other components in play. It really is harder than it looks, and creates a good physical challenge for players. Strategy comes into play because you have to plan turns in advance and try to anticipate your opponent’s movements in order to create opportunities to place your cars. You’ve got to strategize where you want to build under or over, and then set yourself up for those builds. But you’ve also got to keep an eye on your opponent, because they might unknowingly (or purposefully…) disrupt your strategy with a placement of their own. Players are never idle in this game, everyone is engaged throughout as they plan ahead for success.
My biggest qualm with Tokyo Highway are the rules regarding knocking down roadways on your turn. According to the rules, if you knock anything down, you forfeit components from your supply, and then rebuild the destroyed area. However, as the game progresses and gets more intricate, with roads crossing very tightly together, one misstep could destroy nearly the entire structure. And it is difficult to rebuild since the highway placements vary with literally every turn, and unless you take a picture after every turn, chances are you can’t recreate it from memory. At that point, continuing the game is futile, and then who wins? You either have to restart the game, or just call it then and end it.
The components of Tokyo Highway are pretty great. Everything is sturdy and wooden, and will definitely withstand the test of time. They feel great in hand and are simply just fun to fiddle with between turns! It is a simple and minimalistic game overall, and the components reflect that wonderfully.
So overall, how is Tokyo Highway? I think it is a game with a nearly perfect balance of dexterity and strategy. You must employ both of those to succeed, because focusing on only one will get you nowhere. It definitely offers more than meets the eye, and that is a fun surprise. There is no set game board or layout, so literally every game will be different, allowing for seemingly infinite replayability. It is definitely a game that keeps players engaged and on their toes. Although there are a few issues regarding dexterity ‘accidents,’ the gameplay overall flows well and is logical. Purple Phoenix Games gives Tokyo Highway a speedy 8 / 12.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated You're Pulling My Leg! in Tabletop Games
Aug 3, 2020
At the time I am writing this preview, the world is in the midst of a pandemic. That being said, the need for social distancing and quarantining has really affected the board gaming world. Without being able to have normal game nights, gamers must be creative in figuring out how to continue to play together, while still maintaining safe and healthy distances from one another. And one game that offers a solution is You’re Pulling My Leg!
Disclaimer: We were provided a copy of this book for the purposes of this preview. The pictures below show the final production copy you can expect to receive when ordering this game. Check out the publisher’s website to get your hands on this unique party game! -L
You’re Pulling My Leg! is a party game of bluffing and storytelling in which players are trying to be the first to earn 21 points. The rules are simple, the gameplay is straightforward, and it can even be played remotely!
To setup the game, every player needs a coin and a way to keep track of their score (paper/pencil, notes on a phone, etc.). Every player begins the game with 7 points. To start the game, choose a player to be the first Storyteller. The Storyteller selects a card from the book, reads the three questions on their chosen card, and chooses 1 to answer. The Storyteller then flips their coin – if HEADS, the answer must be a true story, but if TAILS, the answer must be false and untrue in essence. Only the Storyteller knows the result of the coin flip. The Storyteller proceeds to answer the question, telling a story dictated by their coin flip result.
After the Storyteller has told their response to the chosen question, the remaining players will vote (with points) on whether they believe the story was true or false. Players can vote with up to 3 points, and votes are revealed simultaneously. If you believe the story is TRUE, you vote with 1, 2, or 3 fingers pointing UP, and if you believe the story is FALSE, you vote with 1, 2, or 3 fingers pointing DOWN. After everyone has voted, the Storyteller reveals whether the story was true or false, and points are added/deducted accordingly. If a player voted correctly, they add the number of points with which they voted to their score. If they voted incorrectly, subtract the voted points from their score. The Storyteller can earn 1 point for each other player they have fooled, up to a maximum of 3 points per story. After tallying points, choose a new Storyteller and begin again – each player should have a chance to be the Storyteller once before repeating Storytellers. Play continues in this fashion until one player has scored 21 points, and is declared the winner!
At this point in my life, the thing I love about You’re Pulling My Leg! the most is that it can be played remotely. Everybody does not need to have an individual copy of the book to play via video chat or conference call. As long as one person has the book, your group can play! Instead of having each player read their own cards then, the owner of the book reads the cards aloud and the Storyteller chooses their question that way. The only supplies needed, apart from 1 copy of the book, are a coin and a way to track your score. Easy as pie. Another aspect of this game that I really enjoy is that it is pretty light-hearted in nature. Yes, there is an element of deception and bluffing, but it is all done in a light and quirky way. I especially enjoy this because I am a notoriously bad liar, and most bluffing games stress me out. But the ability to choose my question, and then weave a (hopefully) convincing story for my opponents takes some of that pressure off and allows me to really be creative and have fun.
That being said, one tricky thing about this game is that when coming up with a false story, if must be false in essence. You cannot tell a mostly true story with a few trivial details changed. People who have trouble with storytelling or improv-type scenarios might have some difficulty in coming up with an appropriate story for the different questions. Just something to be aware of – you have to be able to come up with a story on the fly, with no hints or help whatsoever. Another tricky, yet usually fun, aspect of this game is that some cards have a Wild feature which can immediately affect someone’s score. For example, one Wild feature might say “Player with the longest hair gains 3 points.” That goes into effect immediately once the card is selected, and can put a fun twist and some good-natured take-that into this storytelling game. The process of voting with points adds an element of strategy as well. How confident are you that someone’s story is TRUE? Are you willing to bet 3 points on it? It’s a balance of risk and reward, and that adds excitement to the game table.
Let me touch on components for a minute. This game is a book, where each page contains 3 cards. You can start at card #1 or select a random page and pick a card there, but there are 225 cards from which to choose! On every other page there is also a blank page titled “Game Highlights,” and this space is for you to write down any particularly hilarious or creative responses someone may have come up with in response to a card. It’s not a game requirement, but just an element of fun for future reminiscence. The quality of the book is pretty good, and I know it is sturdy enough to withstand lots of travel and play.
So all-in-all, I think that You’re Pulling My Leg is a great and light little game to get your creative juices flowing. If you need an ice-breaker for a game night, this would definitely be a great one to get to know your gaming comrades. Is it a game I will pull out at every game night? No. But it is a fun and light-hearted game that I can see myself pulling out with different gaming groups on several occasions. Whether a family reunion, office party, or friend Zoom call, this game is one that will entertain all involved. If you’re looking for something unique, fun, and relatively simple overall, give You’re Pulling My Leg! a shot. It might just open the door to storytelling based games for you!
Disclaimer: We were provided a copy of this book for the purposes of this preview. The pictures below show the final production copy you can expect to receive when ordering this game. Check out the publisher’s website to get your hands on this unique party game! -L
You’re Pulling My Leg! is a party game of bluffing and storytelling in which players are trying to be the first to earn 21 points. The rules are simple, the gameplay is straightforward, and it can even be played remotely!
To setup the game, every player needs a coin and a way to keep track of their score (paper/pencil, notes on a phone, etc.). Every player begins the game with 7 points. To start the game, choose a player to be the first Storyteller. The Storyteller selects a card from the book, reads the three questions on their chosen card, and chooses 1 to answer. The Storyteller then flips their coin – if HEADS, the answer must be a true story, but if TAILS, the answer must be false and untrue in essence. Only the Storyteller knows the result of the coin flip. The Storyteller proceeds to answer the question, telling a story dictated by their coin flip result.
After the Storyteller has told their response to the chosen question, the remaining players will vote (with points) on whether they believe the story was true or false. Players can vote with up to 3 points, and votes are revealed simultaneously. If you believe the story is TRUE, you vote with 1, 2, or 3 fingers pointing UP, and if you believe the story is FALSE, you vote with 1, 2, or 3 fingers pointing DOWN. After everyone has voted, the Storyteller reveals whether the story was true or false, and points are added/deducted accordingly. If a player voted correctly, they add the number of points with which they voted to their score. If they voted incorrectly, subtract the voted points from their score. The Storyteller can earn 1 point for each other player they have fooled, up to a maximum of 3 points per story. After tallying points, choose a new Storyteller and begin again – each player should have a chance to be the Storyteller once before repeating Storytellers. Play continues in this fashion until one player has scored 21 points, and is declared the winner!
At this point in my life, the thing I love about You’re Pulling My Leg! the most is that it can be played remotely. Everybody does not need to have an individual copy of the book to play via video chat or conference call. As long as one person has the book, your group can play! Instead of having each player read their own cards then, the owner of the book reads the cards aloud and the Storyteller chooses their question that way. The only supplies needed, apart from 1 copy of the book, are a coin and a way to track your score. Easy as pie. Another aspect of this game that I really enjoy is that it is pretty light-hearted in nature. Yes, there is an element of deception and bluffing, but it is all done in a light and quirky way. I especially enjoy this because I am a notoriously bad liar, and most bluffing games stress me out. But the ability to choose my question, and then weave a (hopefully) convincing story for my opponents takes some of that pressure off and allows me to really be creative and have fun.
That being said, one tricky thing about this game is that when coming up with a false story, if must be false in essence. You cannot tell a mostly true story with a few trivial details changed. People who have trouble with storytelling or improv-type scenarios might have some difficulty in coming up with an appropriate story for the different questions. Just something to be aware of – you have to be able to come up with a story on the fly, with no hints or help whatsoever. Another tricky, yet usually fun, aspect of this game is that some cards have a Wild feature which can immediately affect someone’s score. For example, one Wild feature might say “Player with the longest hair gains 3 points.” That goes into effect immediately once the card is selected, and can put a fun twist and some good-natured take-that into this storytelling game. The process of voting with points adds an element of strategy as well. How confident are you that someone’s story is TRUE? Are you willing to bet 3 points on it? It’s a balance of risk and reward, and that adds excitement to the game table.
Let me touch on components for a minute. This game is a book, where each page contains 3 cards. You can start at card #1 or select a random page and pick a card there, but there are 225 cards from which to choose! On every other page there is also a blank page titled “Game Highlights,” and this space is for you to write down any particularly hilarious or creative responses someone may have come up with in response to a card. It’s not a game requirement, but just an element of fun for future reminiscence. The quality of the book is pretty good, and I know it is sturdy enough to withstand lots of travel and play.
So all-in-all, I think that You’re Pulling My Leg is a great and light little game to get your creative juices flowing. If you need an ice-breaker for a game night, this would definitely be a great one to get to know your gaming comrades. Is it a game I will pull out at every game night? No. But it is a fun and light-hearted game that I can see myself pulling out with different gaming groups on several occasions. Whether a family reunion, office party, or friend Zoom call, this game is one that will entertain all involved. If you’re looking for something unique, fun, and relatively simple overall, give You’re Pulling My Leg! a shot. It might just open the door to storytelling based games for you!
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Cosmic Run: Express in Tabletop Games
Oct 27, 2021
Components are obviously an integral part of games. Some games are beasts when it comes to components – boasting large numbers of included components to bolster the gameplay. And then you have games that have mastered the art of gameplay utilizing a minimal number of components. Cosmic Run: Express is one of these games, consisting of only 25 cards. But does the gameplay hold up for such a physically small game? Read on to find out!
The latest game in Dr. Finn’s Cosmic Run universe, Cosmic Run: Express pits two players against each other, racing to be the first to reach 3 new planets. It is a game of area influence and simultaneous action selection played over a series of rounds in which players are playing cards to the 3 planets to advance their movement trackers the necessary 12 points to reach the planets. To setup the game, place the 3 planet cards in numerical order between the two players. Each player takes a set of 3 movement trackers in their chosen color and places one on their side of each planet card. All of the movement trackers are set to 0 for the start of the game. Players are dealt 6 ship cards, and the game is ready to play!
To begin a round, players look at their hand of 6 cards and choose 2 to pass to their opponent. Taking the new cards into your hand, you can decide to discard 1 card and draw a new card. This is not required, but can be performed by each player in each round. Next, players will simultaneously choose a card from their hand to be played face-up next to any planet, beneath their corresponding movement tracker. You can only play a maximum of 2 cards per planet.. If the color of the card you play at a planet matches the color at the top of your movement tracker, you may immediately move your tracker up by 1. Play continues, simultaneously playing cards, until all 6 cards in hand have been played and each movement tracker has 2 cards next to it.
Now we move to the scoring/movement phase. Starting with Planet 1, compare the 2-card hands and determine which player played the best hand. The hierarchy for determining best hand is described in the rules, and that player earns 2 movement points for that planet, and adjusts their tracker accordingly. After scoring best hand, players score arrows. Underneath the number on each card is an arrow pointing either left or right, with a corresponding color. Beginning with the player who did not win best hand, look at the arrows on their 2-card hand, and score movement points if the arrows match any cards in their adjacent planets. Repeat these scoring steps for Planets 2 and 3. If, by the end of scoring, a player has earned 12 movement points and reached all 3 planets, that player is the winner! If not all 3 planets have been reached, collect all the cards, shuffle them, deal 6 to each player, and begin a new round. Rounds continue until one player has reached all 3 planets.
As a fan of the Cosmic Run universe, I was excited when I saw Cosmic Run: Express on Kickstarter. It seemed light, simple, and in the same universe as other games I loved, so I decided to back it. How does it fare? I think it’s great! For starters, I really appreciate that it is a small, portable game that can be played virtually anywhere. Lots of games these days are real table-hogs, and I enjoy the minimalistic approach of this game. Getting into the gameplay – it requires way more strategy than you initially think. There are 3 different ways in which you can score movement points (color matching, best hand, and arrow scoring) and you need to utilize all 3 for success. You are constantly evaluating your hand of cards and trying to determine which placements will yield the most points for you. Maybe you don’t have a color match, but the arrow on that card could make up for that and earn you up to 2 movement points. Another neat strategic point is that you have to pay attention to your opponent as well. The best hand points are a direct head-to-head between players, so not only do you have to maximize your own strategic points with card placement, you have to watch your opponent’s card placements and see if you can get a better hand than they do for a given planet. You are constantly engaged in this game, and that’s what I love about it.
Another great thing about Cosmic Run: Express is that it plays so quickly and effortlessly. Yes, at first there’s a tiny bit of a learning curve to remember the hierarchy for best hand, but after a couple of rounds the game flow is streamlined. It only takes 10-15 minutes to play, so it is easy to play “just one more” when you’re done. It’s light and fast enough to be a great filler between games, but it is also strategic enough to hold its own in a full game night.
So overall, how do we feel about this game? For being a nice and small 2-player game, it packs quite a punch! I was very pleasantly surprised by the amount of engagement and strategy in this game, and it is definitely one that I want to play multiple times in a row. So mission accomplished, Dr. Finn – in this case, less IS more. It’s a great little card game, and I highly recommend giving it a shot if you’re looking for something small but mighty. Purple Phoenix games gives Cosmic Run: Express a stellar 9 / 12.
The latest game in Dr. Finn’s Cosmic Run universe, Cosmic Run: Express pits two players against each other, racing to be the first to reach 3 new planets. It is a game of area influence and simultaneous action selection played over a series of rounds in which players are playing cards to the 3 planets to advance their movement trackers the necessary 12 points to reach the planets. To setup the game, place the 3 planet cards in numerical order between the two players. Each player takes a set of 3 movement trackers in their chosen color and places one on their side of each planet card. All of the movement trackers are set to 0 for the start of the game. Players are dealt 6 ship cards, and the game is ready to play!
To begin a round, players look at their hand of 6 cards and choose 2 to pass to their opponent. Taking the new cards into your hand, you can decide to discard 1 card and draw a new card. This is not required, but can be performed by each player in each round. Next, players will simultaneously choose a card from their hand to be played face-up next to any planet, beneath their corresponding movement tracker. You can only play a maximum of 2 cards per planet.. If the color of the card you play at a planet matches the color at the top of your movement tracker, you may immediately move your tracker up by 1. Play continues, simultaneously playing cards, until all 6 cards in hand have been played and each movement tracker has 2 cards next to it.
Now we move to the scoring/movement phase. Starting with Planet 1, compare the 2-card hands and determine which player played the best hand. The hierarchy for determining best hand is described in the rules, and that player earns 2 movement points for that planet, and adjusts their tracker accordingly. After scoring best hand, players score arrows. Underneath the number on each card is an arrow pointing either left or right, with a corresponding color. Beginning with the player who did not win best hand, look at the arrows on their 2-card hand, and score movement points if the arrows match any cards in their adjacent planets. Repeat these scoring steps for Planets 2 and 3. If, by the end of scoring, a player has earned 12 movement points and reached all 3 planets, that player is the winner! If not all 3 planets have been reached, collect all the cards, shuffle them, deal 6 to each player, and begin a new round. Rounds continue until one player has reached all 3 planets.
As a fan of the Cosmic Run universe, I was excited when I saw Cosmic Run: Express on Kickstarter. It seemed light, simple, and in the same universe as other games I loved, so I decided to back it. How does it fare? I think it’s great! For starters, I really appreciate that it is a small, portable game that can be played virtually anywhere. Lots of games these days are real table-hogs, and I enjoy the minimalistic approach of this game. Getting into the gameplay – it requires way more strategy than you initially think. There are 3 different ways in which you can score movement points (color matching, best hand, and arrow scoring) and you need to utilize all 3 for success. You are constantly evaluating your hand of cards and trying to determine which placements will yield the most points for you. Maybe you don’t have a color match, but the arrow on that card could make up for that and earn you up to 2 movement points. Another neat strategic point is that you have to pay attention to your opponent as well. The best hand points are a direct head-to-head between players, so not only do you have to maximize your own strategic points with card placement, you have to watch your opponent’s card placements and see if you can get a better hand than they do for a given planet. You are constantly engaged in this game, and that’s what I love about it.
Another great thing about Cosmic Run: Express is that it plays so quickly and effortlessly. Yes, at first there’s a tiny bit of a learning curve to remember the hierarchy for best hand, but after a couple of rounds the game flow is streamlined. It only takes 10-15 minutes to play, so it is easy to play “just one more” when you’re done. It’s light and fast enough to be a great filler between games, but it is also strategic enough to hold its own in a full game night.
So overall, how do we feel about this game? For being a nice and small 2-player game, it packs quite a punch! I was very pleasantly surprised by the amount of engagement and strategy in this game, and it is definitely one that I want to play multiple times in a row. So mission accomplished, Dr. Finn – in this case, less IS more. It’s a great little card game, and I highly recommend giving it a shot if you’re looking for something small but mighty. Purple Phoenix games gives Cosmic Run: Express a stellar 9 / 12.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Horreos in Tabletop Games
Jan 23, 2022
I’m not a huge history buff or anything, but I am definitely interested in my family lineage/ancestry. What does that have to do with this game? Well, with the last name Rodriguez, I’m sure you guessed that there’s some Spanish heritage in my background. My Dad will often talk about how our family originally came from Spain a loooooong time ago. Specifically from Galicia, Spain. So when I saw this ButtonShy game based on the real-life location of Galicia, my roots were calling to me and I had to get it. Hórreos gives us a small glimpse into life in 18th century Galicia – and it sounds pretty great!
Hórreos is a 2-player game in which players are competing to build the most effective and aesthetically pleasing hórreo in town. What is a hórreo? It is a building for storing grain, elevated from the ground to prevent rodents from infiltrating the structure. So in this game, players are building long and ornate hórreos that not only look stunning, but can keep the rats out of the grain! To setup for a game, each player receives 2 Action cards and the Hórreo cards are shuffled. The deck is placed between the players, and the top card is placed beside the deck to form a 2-card Market. The Leader card is placed beside the Market, facing the starting player. Pictured below is the setup for the beginning of a game.
Over a series of rounds, players will be taking 1 of 4 possible actions as they attempt to build the highest-scoring structure. Each player has 2 Action cards at their disposal. Each Action card has 2 possible Actions on it – one card is Sabotage or Plan, the other is Steal or Build. Both players will secretly choose whichever Action they wish to perform this turn, and place their card face-down in front of them. Players will then simultaneous reveal their chosen Actions, and they will be resolved in the following order – Sabotage, Plan, Steal, and Build. If a player has chosen to Sabotage, they will rotate their opponent’s Action card, forcing them to perform the other listed action this round. To perform the Plan action, the player will select one of the cards from the Market to be placed into their personal supply tableau. If you have chosen to Steal, you will select a card from your opponent’s supply, and take it into your own supply tableau. And finally, to Build is to move a card from your supply to your hórreo. Cards in your hórreo cannot be stolen. As with many other ButtonShy games, cards in your hórreo may be placed adjacent to, or even overlapping, previously played cards – cards may never be tucked under cards in your existing hórreo.
If both players have chosen the same action, the player with the Leader card facing them gets to decide which player will resolve their action first. The Leader card is then rotated to face the opposite player, and so on, for future ‘ties’. An important note – you cannot pick the same Action twice in a row, you must pick one of the other 3 Actions. So take that strategic tidbit into consideration when deciding what to do each round! The game continues in this fashion, with players selecting/simultaneously revealing Actions, resolving their Actions in order, and building their hórreo until there is 1 or fewer cards left in the Market and the players’ supplies at the end of a round. At that point, the game ends, points are tallied, and the winner is declared!
Points are scored in several ways. Most of the hórreo cards are ‘decorated’ with crosses and pikes, and each pair you have in your final hórreo will earn you points. Similarly, the number of doors in your hórreo, as well as adjacent pillars supporting your structure, will earn you points dependent upon the number (the more doors you have, the more points you earn, etc.). As mentioned earlier, you’re trying to keep these pesky rats out of your grain, so any rat pictured on your cards is worth -2 points, but each owl you have pictured eats (cancels out) one rat. And of course, whichever player has build the longest hórreo earns extra points. All points are tallied, and the player with the highest score is the winner!
I have to admit that Hórreos surprised me. The gameplay seems simple enough, so I honestly wasn’t really expecting a lot from this game. For such a small game, Hórreos is all about strategy. Each round, you only have 4 Actions from which to choose, and that really forces you to think long-term with your strategy. But at the same time, since Actions are revealed simultaneously and resolved in a set order, you have to consider what your opponent might do. For example, the Sabotage action forces the opposing player to use the other Action of their chosen card this round. Can you bluff your opponent into playing that Sabotage, forcing you to switch Actions, thus letting you perform the Action you really wanted to perform? That goes hand in hand with the fact that you cannot choose the same Action twice in a row. Can you anticipate your opponents moves to benefit your strategy? Or will you be out of touch, and thus be forced to essentially waste a turn performing an Action that you actually didn’t want to? And don’t forget the Leader card – if players both pick the same Action, the Leader can decide who resolves first. Maybe it’s strategically better to let your opponent resolve first, so then you can just negate what they just did, or vice versa.
To touch on components for a minute, this is a game of 18 cards in a wallet. So nothing out of the ordinary for ButtonShy. That being said, production quality is always top notch with these games, and I have no complaints. the cards are thick and sturdy, and the wallet is nice and supportive. The artwork is thematic and refreshing, while not being too overwhelming. Is it the most beautiful game I’ve ever seen? No. But it is aesthetically and thematically appropriate, and gives a serene and peaceful vibe. ButtonShy has yet to disappoint with their components, so I am definitely a big fan!
Hórreos is a pretty solid game. I’m not personally a huge fan of ‘take that’ type games, and there is an element of that in this gameplay. But there seems to be enough strategy needed to negate some of that direct competitiveness. The game itself is fast to teach, learn, and play, and that adds to the overall appeal. It’s not necessarily my favorite 2-player game, but it’s one that I can see myself pulling out often when I’ve got a quick minute between other games, or when I’ve got a little downtime. Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a structural 4 / 6. Check it out if you’re in the market for something small, yet strategic!
Hórreos is a 2-player game in which players are competing to build the most effective and aesthetically pleasing hórreo in town. What is a hórreo? It is a building for storing grain, elevated from the ground to prevent rodents from infiltrating the structure. So in this game, players are building long and ornate hórreos that not only look stunning, but can keep the rats out of the grain! To setup for a game, each player receives 2 Action cards and the Hórreo cards are shuffled. The deck is placed between the players, and the top card is placed beside the deck to form a 2-card Market. The Leader card is placed beside the Market, facing the starting player. Pictured below is the setup for the beginning of a game.
Over a series of rounds, players will be taking 1 of 4 possible actions as they attempt to build the highest-scoring structure. Each player has 2 Action cards at their disposal. Each Action card has 2 possible Actions on it – one card is Sabotage or Plan, the other is Steal or Build. Both players will secretly choose whichever Action they wish to perform this turn, and place their card face-down in front of them. Players will then simultaneous reveal their chosen Actions, and they will be resolved in the following order – Sabotage, Plan, Steal, and Build. If a player has chosen to Sabotage, they will rotate their opponent’s Action card, forcing them to perform the other listed action this round. To perform the Plan action, the player will select one of the cards from the Market to be placed into their personal supply tableau. If you have chosen to Steal, you will select a card from your opponent’s supply, and take it into your own supply tableau. And finally, to Build is to move a card from your supply to your hórreo. Cards in your hórreo cannot be stolen. As with many other ButtonShy games, cards in your hórreo may be placed adjacent to, or even overlapping, previously played cards – cards may never be tucked under cards in your existing hórreo.
If both players have chosen the same action, the player with the Leader card facing them gets to decide which player will resolve their action first. The Leader card is then rotated to face the opposite player, and so on, for future ‘ties’. An important note – you cannot pick the same Action twice in a row, you must pick one of the other 3 Actions. So take that strategic tidbit into consideration when deciding what to do each round! The game continues in this fashion, with players selecting/simultaneously revealing Actions, resolving their Actions in order, and building their hórreo until there is 1 or fewer cards left in the Market and the players’ supplies at the end of a round. At that point, the game ends, points are tallied, and the winner is declared!
Points are scored in several ways. Most of the hórreo cards are ‘decorated’ with crosses and pikes, and each pair you have in your final hórreo will earn you points. Similarly, the number of doors in your hórreo, as well as adjacent pillars supporting your structure, will earn you points dependent upon the number (the more doors you have, the more points you earn, etc.). As mentioned earlier, you’re trying to keep these pesky rats out of your grain, so any rat pictured on your cards is worth -2 points, but each owl you have pictured eats (cancels out) one rat. And of course, whichever player has build the longest hórreo earns extra points. All points are tallied, and the player with the highest score is the winner!
I have to admit that Hórreos surprised me. The gameplay seems simple enough, so I honestly wasn’t really expecting a lot from this game. For such a small game, Hórreos is all about strategy. Each round, you only have 4 Actions from which to choose, and that really forces you to think long-term with your strategy. But at the same time, since Actions are revealed simultaneously and resolved in a set order, you have to consider what your opponent might do. For example, the Sabotage action forces the opposing player to use the other Action of their chosen card this round. Can you bluff your opponent into playing that Sabotage, forcing you to switch Actions, thus letting you perform the Action you really wanted to perform? That goes hand in hand with the fact that you cannot choose the same Action twice in a row. Can you anticipate your opponents moves to benefit your strategy? Or will you be out of touch, and thus be forced to essentially waste a turn performing an Action that you actually didn’t want to? And don’t forget the Leader card – if players both pick the same Action, the Leader can decide who resolves first. Maybe it’s strategically better to let your opponent resolve first, so then you can just negate what they just did, or vice versa.
To touch on components for a minute, this is a game of 18 cards in a wallet. So nothing out of the ordinary for ButtonShy. That being said, production quality is always top notch with these games, and I have no complaints. the cards are thick and sturdy, and the wallet is nice and supportive. The artwork is thematic and refreshing, while not being too overwhelming. Is it the most beautiful game I’ve ever seen? No. But it is aesthetically and thematically appropriate, and gives a serene and peaceful vibe. ButtonShy has yet to disappoint with their components, so I am definitely a big fan!
Hórreos is a pretty solid game. I’m not personally a huge fan of ‘take that’ type games, and there is an element of that in this gameplay. But there seems to be enough strategy needed to negate some of that direct competitiveness. The game itself is fast to teach, learn, and play, and that adds to the overall appeal. It’s not necessarily my favorite 2-player game, but it’s one that I can see myself pulling out often when I’ve got a quick minute between other games, or when I’ve got a little downtime. Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a structural 4 / 6. Check it out if you’re in the market for something small, yet strategic!
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