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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Sagrada in Tabletop Games
Jun 12, 2019
One of the best parts of the board gaming experience is finding a fun group of people with whom to play! Sometimes, though, coordinating a game night is easier said than done. We all must occasionally forego the group experience and face the world as the Lonely Only. But fear not! The world of solo-play is a vast and exciting realm! What follows is a chronicle of my journey into the solo-playing world – notes on gameplay, mechanics, rules, difficulty, and overall experience with solo variations of commonly multiplayer games! I hope this will provide some insight as you continue to grow your collection, or explore your already owned games!
In Sagrada, you are an artist who has been tasked with creating a beautiful stained glass window. Working piece by piece, you build a masterpiece – the likes of which have never before been witnessed. Finding the perfect pieces can be tricky, but through careful use of your tools and with your artistic vision, you can create the best window in the town! The game is played over 10 rounds in which players draft dice and place them in their windows, following certain placement restrictions. A set number of tools are available for use, and can aid you in manipulating the dice to your benefit. Points are scored based on successful completion of private and public objectives, and the player with the highest score at the end of 10 drafting rounds is the winner!
My favorite part about playing Sagrada solo is that the game is essentially played the same way, regardless of player count. The only difference is how you win! In both group and solo play, each player will draft two dice every round. In group play, any leftover dice are discarded, while in solo play, the remaining two dice will be added towards the Target Score – the score you are trying to beat at the end of the game! To find the Target Score, you add all of the die values of your unused dice from each round. If, at the end of the 10 rounds, you have earned more points than the Target Score, you win! But if the Target Score is higher than your final score, you lose.
The game play differences are simple enough, but actually winning the game solo is a different story. I have played Sagrada solo quite a bit, and have won maybe 25% of the time. Depending on which window card and objectives are in play, and because of placement restrictions, I often have to sacrifice high-valued dice to the Target Score. And since there are no placement restrictions for the Target Score, and two dice are added to it each round, it is very easy for that score to sky-rocket. I either barely pull off a win, or I lose by a huge margin. Playing in a group is nicer in this regard because the other players have the same placement restrictions that I have – nobody is just getting points for free. Without the Target Score, there really is no way to play Sagrada solo, but it makes the game feel a little imbalanced to me.
Just because it is difficult to win solo does not mean that I do not like the game. It requires quite a bit of strategy, and that keeps me engaged for the entire game. There are dice placement restrictions based on color AND value, so there are two different ways in which you have to constantly be strategizing. You can’t just focus on either value or color – your strategy must always be changing based on which color dice are drawn and what values are subsequently rolled. Even with the amount of strategy required, Sagrada actually plays pretty quickly as a solo game, and I really like that. I like the challenge of this game, and often try to play until I can win. Since I can finish an entire solo game in probably 10-15 minutes, I am able to get multiple plays in a row!
Sagrada is a challenging game to play solo, but not in a way that feels futile. I don’t win a lot, but the strategic implications and the pretty dice colors are what keep me coming back to this game! If you haven’t tried Sagrada solo yet, I’d encourage you to give it a shot. But be warned – you might not always win.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/02/26/solo-chronicles-sagrada/
In Sagrada, you are an artist who has been tasked with creating a beautiful stained glass window. Working piece by piece, you build a masterpiece – the likes of which have never before been witnessed. Finding the perfect pieces can be tricky, but through careful use of your tools and with your artistic vision, you can create the best window in the town! The game is played over 10 rounds in which players draft dice and place them in their windows, following certain placement restrictions. A set number of tools are available for use, and can aid you in manipulating the dice to your benefit. Points are scored based on successful completion of private and public objectives, and the player with the highest score at the end of 10 drafting rounds is the winner!
My favorite part about playing Sagrada solo is that the game is essentially played the same way, regardless of player count. The only difference is how you win! In both group and solo play, each player will draft two dice every round. In group play, any leftover dice are discarded, while in solo play, the remaining two dice will be added towards the Target Score – the score you are trying to beat at the end of the game! To find the Target Score, you add all of the die values of your unused dice from each round. If, at the end of the 10 rounds, you have earned more points than the Target Score, you win! But if the Target Score is higher than your final score, you lose.
The game play differences are simple enough, but actually winning the game solo is a different story. I have played Sagrada solo quite a bit, and have won maybe 25% of the time. Depending on which window card and objectives are in play, and because of placement restrictions, I often have to sacrifice high-valued dice to the Target Score. And since there are no placement restrictions for the Target Score, and two dice are added to it each round, it is very easy for that score to sky-rocket. I either barely pull off a win, or I lose by a huge margin. Playing in a group is nicer in this regard because the other players have the same placement restrictions that I have – nobody is just getting points for free. Without the Target Score, there really is no way to play Sagrada solo, but it makes the game feel a little imbalanced to me.
Just because it is difficult to win solo does not mean that I do not like the game. It requires quite a bit of strategy, and that keeps me engaged for the entire game. There are dice placement restrictions based on color AND value, so there are two different ways in which you have to constantly be strategizing. You can’t just focus on either value or color – your strategy must always be changing based on which color dice are drawn and what values are subsequently rolled. Even with the amount of strategy required, Sagrada actually plays pretty quickly as a solo game, and I really like that. I like the challenge of this game, and often try to play until I can win. Since I can finish an entire solo game in probably 10-15 minutes, I am able to get multiple plays in a row!
Sagrada is a challenging game to play solo, but not in a way that feels futile. I don’t win a lot, but the strategic implications and the pretty dice colors are what keep me coming back to this game! If you haven’t tried Sagrada solo yet, I’d encourage you to give it a shot. But be warned – you might not always win.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/02/26/solo-chronicles-sagrada/
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Reef in Tabletop Games
Aug 1, 2019
Ahh ze coral reef. How beauteous is her expanse, and so nurturing for her oceanic inhabitants. We must endeavor to protect her and rebuild her as best we can to foster wildlife and entreat Mother Nature. We shall do this by selecting only the best coral combinations to satisfy the dying environment.
Reef is an abstract hand management, pattern building game that challenges the players to become coral reef architects and rebuild our fragile underwater ecosystem. This is a lofty goal, as our coral reefs in the real world are hurting for rejuvenation something fierce.
DISCLAIMER: I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rule book, but will describe the overall game flow and major rule set so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more in depth rules, you may purchase a copy from the publisher directly or from your FLGS. -T
Setup is easy: shuffle the player mats and deal one to each player. The player that received the one board containing the starfish will be the starting player. Deal the players one of each colored coral piece, two cards from the deck, and 3 VP tokens. Place your reef chunks in the middle of your board in any order and you are ready to play!
On your turn you can do one of two things: draw a card or play a card. There are three cards face up to form the offer row, or a player can pay a VP token to the card with the lowest printed VP total to take the face up card on top of the draw pile (a la Small World). When you play a card, you immediately take the coral pieces on the card and place them on your play mat. The pieces can be stacked on other pieces of the same or different color, or on a blank spot on the mat. Once done, you check the card you played for any scoring conditions you may have met from your play mat. I will not go into detail about scoring, but there are several types of scoring that are employed in a game of Reef. The game continues in this manner until all of one color of coral pieces are used up. Players finish the round and then count their VP tokens. The winner is the player with the most VPs.
Components. The box is, what, normal sized? And the art on it is wonderful. So colorful and instantly recognizable. In fact, the art on the game in its entirety is truly amazing. I love it! The cards are of fine quality, but since they are handled a bit I sleeved mine. The VP tokens are of good quality, and I like that the pieces aren’t just perfect circles. It’s not a huge deal, but it helps with immersion just that much more. Same for the player mats. They could have been just as effective with square mats, but just that bit of wave makes it more enjoyable to play on for me. The big chunky coral pieces are so fun to play with, and handle, and, honestly, drop. They are very satisfying and great for those with colorblindness since they are all different shapes for the different colors they represent. All in all, Next Move Games knocks it out of the park on components AGAIN!
As you can tell by our score, we really like this game a lot. The first time I played it, my father-in-law used an interesting strategy and won the game. The next time I played it, I tried to use that same strategy and came in 3rd place. So, I chalked that win up to luck of the (card) draw and am now seeking more varied strategies to become the King of Reef. This is perhaps what also keeps the game from being a Golden Feather Award winner – I can play my game strategy and you can play yours, but that’s it. There is no real player interaction. As one Duke of Dice Alex would sing it, Reef is actually just “multiplayer solitaire.” While that is completely appropriate and non-offensive, I believe that with some more player interaction I would be more apt to bump this one to a 6. That said, we at Purple Phoenix Games give Reef a well-deserved bubbly score of 15 / 18. Emerson has himself another hit and I am proud to have it in my collection. You should grab it too, maybe.
Reef is an abstract hand management, pattern building game that challenges the players to become coral reef architects and rebuild our fragile underwater ecosystem. This is a lofty goal, as our coral reefs in the real world are hurting for rejuvenation something fierce.
DISCLAIMER: I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rule book, but will describe the overall game flow and major rule set so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more in depth rules, you may purchase a copy from the publisher directly or from your FLGS. -T
Setup is easy: shuffle the player mats and deal one to each player. The player that received the one board containing the starfish will be the starting player. Deal the players one of each colored coral piece, two cards from the deck, and 3 VP tokens. Place your reef chunks in the middle of your board in any order and you are ready to play!
On your turn you can do one of two things: draw a card or play a card. There are three cards face up to form the offer row, or a player can pay a VP token to the card with the lowest printed VP total to take the face up card on top of the draw pile (a la Small World). When you play a card, you immediately take the coral pieces on the card and place them on your play mat. The pieces can be stacked on other pieces of the same or different color, or on a blank spot on the mat. Once done, you check the card you played for any scoring conditions you may have met from your play mat. I will not go into detail about scoring, but there are several types of scoring that are employed in a game of Reef. The game continues in this manner until all of one color of coral pieces are used up. Players finish the round and then count their VP tokens. The winner is the player with the most VPs.
Components. The box is, what, normal sized? And the art on it is wonderful. So colorful and instantly recognizable. In fact, the art on the game in its entirety is truly amazing. I love it! The cards are of fine quality, but since they are handled a bit I sleeved mine. The VP tokens are of good quality, and I like that the pieces aren’t just perfect circles. It’s not a huge deal, but it helps with immersion just that much more. Same for the player mats. They could have been just as effective with square mats, but just that bit of wave makes it more enjoyable to play on for me. The big chunky coral pieces are so fun to play with, and handle, and, honestly, drop. They are very satisfying and great for those with colorblindness since they are all different shapes for the different colors they represent. All in all, Next Move Games knocks it out of the park on components AGAIN!
As you can tell by our score, we really like this game a lot. The first time I played it, my father-in-law used an interesting strategy and won the game. The next time I played it, I tried to use that same strategy and came in 3rd place. So, I chalked that win up to luck of the (card) draw and am now seeking more varied strategies to become the King of Reef. This is perhaps what also keeps the game from being a Golden Feather Award winner – I can play my game strategy and you can play yours, but that’s it. There is no real player interaction. As one Duke of Dice Alex would sing it, Reef is actually just “multiplayer solitaire.” While that is completely appropriate and non-offensive, I believe that with some more player interaction I would be more apt to bump this one to a 6. That said, we at Purple Phoenix Games give Reef a well-deserved bubbly score of 15 / 18. Emerson has himself another hit and I am proud to have it in my collection. You should grab it too, maybe.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated NMBR 9 in Tabletop Games
Jun 12, 2020
When I first heard of NMBR 9, I thought it looked like a cool table-top version of Tetris. I was immediately drawn to the bright colors and the abstract concept, and it earned a spot high atop my wishlist. Luckily, I have a birthday every year, and even more luckily, I have great friends who know how to help me celebrate. So shoutout to Travis and his wife Kristin for getting me this gem for my birthday last year!
NMBR 9 is a tile-laying game of abstract strategy in which players are trying to accumulate the most end-game points. Setup is easy – just shuffle the deck of number cards, and you are ready to go! Here’s how you play. Every round, a card is drawn from the deck. Each player then takes the corresponding number tile and adds it to their arrangement following the specified placement restrictions. Those restrictions are as follows: tiles must be placed number-side up, tiles on the same level must be touching orthogonally, a tile placed on a level above other tiles must touch at least 2 tiles beneath it, and a tile placed on a level above other tiles must not have any gaps below it. Once everyone has placed their tile, a new card is drawn and play continues. The deck consists of 2 cards of each number (0-9), and once the deck runs out, the game ends and points are tallied. To count up your points, you multiply the number on each tile by the level on which the tile sits. The bottom-most level (on the table) is level 0, so any tiles there earn you no points. Let’s say you get an 8 tile on your 2nd level, so at the end of the game, that tile earns you 16 points. The highest score wins, so brush up on your multiplication tables!
Does NMBR 9 add up to everything you’d hoped for? Ok, bad pun. But really – how does this game hold up? For a game that is so easy to learn, it takes a lot of thought to play. The idea of tile-laying isn’t new, but because these tiles are all different shapes and have very specific placement restrictions, it takes this game to the next level – literally. The cards dictate the order in which tiles are played, so you are constantly adapting your strategy to fit the given tile into your array. One thing that helps make it a little easier to strategize is knowing that there are exactly 2 cards for every number in the deck. So as the game goes on, you can usually figure out which cards are left and try to set your grid up for maximum points. That being said, it still takes quite a bit more strategy than originally meets the eye. My first play was pretty brutal because I was not expecting to be that challenged!
The biggest drawback for me is that because of the abstract tile shapes and placement restrictions, it can be difficult to build a solid base upon which to earn yourself lots of points. Since you aren’t allowed to leave gaps under tiles, you really need to create as much unbroken space as possible to ensure that you can play any number of tiles on higher levels. That ultimately means that you have to sacrifice some tiles to your Level 0 (which scores no points) to eventually play tiles to any upper levels. If the bottom-most layer was Level 1, it would not feel like a waste to put, for example, a 9 on the table to create a platform for the next level. And another thing that can be rough at first is the scoring. Yeah yeah, simple multiplication isn’t that bad, but it still takes me a hot second to multiply everything and get it added up for my final score. Not a knock on the game necessarily, just a wake-up call for my lack of math skills I guess.
Overall, I think that NMBR 9 is a great game! It’s an easy game to learn, but definitely a tricky one to master. It is fast enough to play many times in a row, and I often find myself asking for one more play just to see if I can do better next time. All in all, it’s a great game, and I am so happy with this birthday gift! Purple Phoenix Games gives NMBR 9 a calculating 15 / 18.
NMBR 9 is a tile-laying game of abstract strategy in which players are trying to accumulate the most end-game points. Setup is easy – just shuffle the deck of number cards, and you are ready to go! Here’s how you play. Every round, a card is drawn from the deck. Each player then takes the corresponding number tile and adds it to their arrangement following the specified placement restrictions. Those restrictions are as follows: tiles must be placed number-side up, tiles on the same level must be touching orthogonally, a tile placed on a level above other tiles must touch at least 2 tiles beneath it, and a tile placed on a level above other tiles must not have any gaps below it. Once everyone has placed their tile, a new card is drawn and play continues. The deck consists of 2 cards of each number (0-9), and once the deck runs out, the game ends and points are tallied. To count up your points, you multiply the number on each tile by the level on which the tile sits. The bottom-most level (on the table) is level 0, so any tiles there earn you no points. Let’s say you get an 8 tile on your 2nd level, so at the end of the game, that tile earns you 16 points. The highest score wins, so brush up on your multiplication tables!
Does NMBR 9 add up to everything you’d hoped for? Ok, bad pun. But really – how does this game hold up? For a game that is so easy to learn, it takes a lot of thought to play. The idea of tile-laying isn’t new, but because these tiles are all different shapes and have very specific placement restrictions, it takes this game to the next level – literally. The cards dictate the order in which tiles are played, so you are constantly adapting your strategy to fit the given tile into your array. One thing that helps make it a little easier to strategize is knowing that there are exactly 2 cards for every number in the deck. So as the game goes on, you can usually figure out which cards are left and try to set your grid up for maximum points. That being said, it still takes quite a bit more strategy than originally meets the eye. My first play was pretty brutal because I was not expecting to be that challenged!
The biggest drawback for me is that because of the abstract tile shapes and placement restrictions, it can be difficult to build a solid base upon which to earn yourself lots of points. Since you aren’t allowed to leave gaps under tiles, you really need to create as much unbroken space as possible to ensure that you can play any number of tiles on higher levels. That ultimately means that you have to sacrifice some tiles to your Level 0 (which scores no points) to eventually play tiles to any upper levels. If the bottom-most layer was Level 1, it would not feel like a waste to put, for example, a 9 on the table to create a platform for the next level. And another thing that can be rough at first is the scoring. Yeah yeah, simple multiplication isn’t that bad, but it still takes me a hot second to multiply everything and get it added up for my final score. Not a knock on the game necessarily, just a wake-up call for my lack of math skills I guess.
Overall, I think that NMBR 9 is a great game! It’s an easy game to learn, but definitely a tricky one to master. It is fast enough to play many times in a row, and I often find myself asking for one more play just to see if I can do better next time. All in all, it’s a great game, and I am so happy with this birthday gift! Purple Phoenix Games gives NMBR 9 a calculating 15 / 18.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Lair in Tabletop Games
Feb 13, 2020
Raise your hand if you’ve ever dreamed of being a superhero – fighting crime and saving lives. Great! This game is not about that. Instead, embrace your inner villain as you work to create the greatest evil lair in the world! Dig deep and put your villainy to the test as you command Henchmen to build nefarious rooms and outmaneuver the other villains vying for power in this evil organization.
Lair is a worker placement game in which players are racing to complete the construction of a secret lair for their evil boss, Mr. White. Played over a series of rounds, players select turn order and command henchmen to construct new rooms, collect supplies, interfere with your competitors’ plans, or dig deeper into the volcano in which this lair is housed. The first player to reach the core of the volcano, thus completing the lair, is the winner!
Disclaimer: We were provided a copy of Lair for the purposes of this review. I do not intend to rehash the entire rulebook, but rather provide an overview of the rules and comment on the gameplay. For a more in-depth look at the rules, find the game at your FLGS or directly from the publisher! -L
To setup, place the foundation cards at the top of the table and then place 4 elevator cards in a single line underneath the center-most foundation card, and put the Core card at the bottom of the line. Flip the top elevator card, give each player their components (Player Card, Boss token, and 2 Henchmen tokens), create a room card pool, and you are ready to go! Choose the first player as described in the rule book. To start each round, players will choose turn order. All spaces in the turn order track offer different resources/rewards (collect Work Tokens, claim room cards, etc), so going first each turn might not necessarily be best for your strategy. Once turn order is established, players take turns moving 1 worker (either a Henchmen or Boss), and possibly performing the action of the room card to which they moved. Each move costs 1 Work Token, and is paid to the “bank.” In order to perform a room’s action, you must play your Boss token to that card, and there must be a Henchmen token already in the room. Here’s the catch – if the Henchmen token belongs to an opponent, you pay THEM 1 Work Token (instead of the bank) for having moved into a room that they have claimed. Do you want to use a room action enough to justify giving an opponent another Work Token to be used against you? Or can you rework your strategy to avoid using that action? Play continues in the round as long as players have Work Tokens to spend. Once you run out of actions, or choose to stop, you ‘retire’ and pass until the next round begins. There is an incentive to retiring early, though – the first player to retire in a round is the first player to choose their turn order in the next round. Play continues until one player has reached the final spot on the elevator track, the Core. The game immediately ends, and that player is the victor!
So how does Lair play? In my opinion, it’s a great little game. There is so much strategy involved for such a small game, and that is really what takes it to the next level for me. Let’s start with selecting turn order. In most games, this means vying for first dibs in the next round. In this game, however, each different turn order slot provides different resources/rewards. Depending on your strategy, you may really need that 3rd slot, or even the last one! So going first is not necessarily always the best thing in this game. You have to balance the risk of going later in the round with the reward of your chosen resources. The next strategic part of this game has to do with Henchmen placement. As I stated earlier, in order to use a room’s action, you must move your Boss to that card, and there must already be a Henchmen present. If the Henchmen belongs to an opponent, you pay them instead of the bank. This is vital because Work Tokens are what allow you to take turns, so paying an opponent means giving them a chance for another turn next round. Is it worth rewarding an opponent for use of a room action? On the flip side – can you strategically place your Henchmen to ensure that opponents have to pay you to complete their goals? The Boss may be in charge, but the Henchmen are the underdogs in this game for sure.
Components. The components are pretty good quality in this game. The cards are nice and thick, the art is thematic, and the wooden and cardboard tokens are sturdy. No complaints there. The only qualm that we had with Lair has to do with iconography. Every possible action has a corresponding symbol, and that is what is shown on the card. The downside is that there are so many symbols and icons, so there is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to playing Lair for the first time. To alleviate some of the confusion, the game comes with some nice reference cards, and the symbols do get easier to recognize with more plays. But just be warned: at first you may be a little confused with all of the symbology.
As you can see by our ratings, we kind of had mixed feelings about this one. For a game that seems so small and light, it actually has a lot of bulk to it. Between strategic choices and learning symbology, this might not be a game we can just pull out for a quick filler, but I think that it’s good enough to stand on its own. Sometimes physically smaller games can be overlooked, but don’t let the size fool you – Lair packs a punch. Purple Phoenix Games gives Lair a nefarious 12 / 18.
Lair is a worker placement game in which players are racing to complete the construction of a secret lair for their evil boss, Mr. White. Played over a series of rounds, players select turn order and command henchmen to construct new rooms, collect supplies, interfere with your competitors’ plans, or dig deeper into the volcano in which this lair is housed. The first player to reach the core of the volcano, thus completing the lair, is the winner!
Disclaimer: We were provided a copy of Lair for the purposes of this review. I do not intend to rehash the entire rulebook, but rather provide an overview of the rules and comment on the gameplay. For a more in-depth look at the rules, find the game at your FLGS or directly from the publisher! -L
To setup, place the foundation cards at the top of the table and then place 4 elevator cards in a single line underneath the center-most foundation card, and put the Core card at the bottom of the line. Flip the top elevator card, give each player their components (Player Card, Boss token, and 2 Henchmen tokens), create a room card pool, and you are ready to go! Choose the first player as described in the rule book. To start each round, players will choose turn order. All spaces in the turn order track offer different resources/rewards (collect Work Tokens, claim room cards, etc), so going first each turn might not necessarily be best for your strategy. Once turn order is established, players take turns moving 1 worker (either a Henchmen or Boss), and possibly performing the action of the room card to which they moved. Each move costs 1 Work Token, and is paid to the “bank.” In order to perform a room’s action, you must play your Boss token to that card, and there must be a Henchmen token already in the room. Here’s the catch – if the Henchmen token belongs to an opponent, you pay THEM 1 Work Token (instead of the bank) for having moved into a room that they have claimed. Do you want to use a room action enough to justify giving an opponent another Work Token to be used against you? Or can you rework your strategy to avoid using that action? Play continues in the round as long as players have Work Tokens to spend. Once you run out of actions, or choose to stop, you ‘retire’ and pass until the next round begins. There is an incentive to retiring early, though – the first player to retire in a round is the first player to choose their turn order in the next round. Play continues until one player has reached the final spot on the elevator track, the Core. The game immediately ends, and that player is the victor!
So how does Lair play? In my opinion, it’s a great little game. There is so much strategy involved for such a small game, and that is really what takes it to the next level for me. Let’s start with selecting turn order. In most games, this means vying for first dibs in the next round. In this game, however, each different turn order slot provides different resources/rewards. Depending on your strategy, you may really need that 3rd slot, or even the last one! So going first is not necessarily always the best thing in this game. You have to balance the risk of going later in the round with the reward of your chosen resources. The next strategic part of this game has to do with Henchmen placement. As I stated earlier, in order to use a room’s action, you must move your Boss to that card, and there must already be a Henchmen present. If the Henchmen belongs to an opponent, you pay them instead of the bank. This is vital because Work Tokens are what allow you to take turns, so paying an opponent means giving them a chance for another turn next round. Is it worth rewarding an opponent for use of a room action? On the flip side – can you strategically place your Henchmen to ensure that opponents have to pay you to complete their goals? The Boss may be in charge, but the Henchmen are the underdogs in this game for sure.
Components. The components are pretty good quality in this game. The cards are nice and thick, the art is thematic, and the wooden and cardboard tokens are sturdy. No complaints there. The only qualm that we had with Lair has to do with iconography. Every possible action has a corresponding symbol, and that is what is shown on the card. The downside is that there are so many symbols and icons, so there is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to playing Lair for the first time. To alleviate some of the confusion, the game comes with some nice reference cards, and the symbols do get easier to recognize with more plays. But just be warned: at first you may be a little confused with all of the symbology.
As you can see by our ratings, we kind of had mixed feelings about this one. For a game that seems so small and light, it actually has a lot of bulk to it. Between strategic choices and learning symbology, this might not be a game we can just pull out for a quick filler, but I think that it’s good enough to stand on its own. Sometimes physically smaller games can be overlooked, but don’t let the size fool you – Lair packs a punch. Purple Phoenix Games gives Lair a nefarious 12 / 18.
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 Hanamikoji in Tabletop Games
Jun 12, 2019
You own a restaurant located on Hanamikoji Street in one of Japan’s most famous Geisha districts. As a way to drum up business, you have begun to hire Geishas as entertainment for your patrons. Skilled in traditional music, dance, and art, Geishas are highly respected entertainers in Japan. However, a rival restaurateur is trying to hire the same Geishas as you! In an attempt to win the favor (and talents) of these elegant women, you begin collecting items related to their chosen art forms with the hope that these gifts will keep them at your establishment!
Hanamikoji is a 2-player game where players are competing to win the favor of the 7 Geishas. In a game of literal give-and-take played over several rounds, you and your opponent will alternate taking 4 actions to play and trade cards. The first player to win the favor of 4 Geishas, or to earn at least 11 Charm points, is the winner!
For as simple as it seems, Hanamikoji requires a lot of strategy. The cards in your hand are hidden from your opponent, but half of the actions taken each round require you to reveal cards from your hand and allow your opponent to take a certain number to their side – a traditional “I split, you choose” mechanic. You have to strategize which cards you can afford to give up, at the risk of letting your opponent win a Geisha, with the goal of winning a higher-valued Geisha instead. At the same time, your opponent will be revealing cards from their hand for you to take to your side. Your strategy is always changing based on not only the cards in your hand, but the cards that your opponent reveals to you.
One thing I really like about this game is that winning the favor of a Geisha in one round is not final. If I win a Geisha in one round, but in the next round my opponent has the majority for that specific Geisha, I lose her favor and she goes back to neutral. So not only am I trying to win over more Geishas each round, I have to actively be protecting those I have already won. The same can be said for the reverse – even if my opponent wins a Geisha in one round, I can negate that in the next round. The favor of the Geishas does not reset at the end of each round, nor is it unchangeable in future rounds. Anything can happen, and that makes for a surprisingly exciting game.
Although this is a competitive game, I find it to be kind of calming to play. It is simple, yet strategic, and the artwork is beautiful. In my experience, once you understand the gameplay and actions, it plays quickly and quietly. If you’re looking for a quality 2-player game, give Hanamikoji a try! Purple Phoenix Games rates it a graceful 10 / 12 (Bryan and Josh have not yet played it).
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/02/13/hanamikoji-review/
Hanamikoji is a 2-player game where players are competing to win the favor of the 7 Geishas. In a game of literal give-and-take played over several rounds, you and your opponent will alternate taking 4 actions to play and trade cards. The first player to win the favor of 4 Geishas, or to earn at least 11 Charm points, is the winner!
For as simple as it seems, Hanamikoji requires a lot of strategy. The cards in your hand are hidden from your opponent, but half of the actions taken each round require you to reveal cards from your hand and allow your opponent to take a certain number to their side – a traditional “I split, you choose” mechanic. You have to strategize which cards you can afford to give up, at the risk of letting your opponent win a Geisha, with the goal of winning a higher-valued Geisha instead. At the same time, your opponent will be revealing cards from their hand for you to take to your side. Your strategy is always changing based on not only the cards in your hand, but the cards that your opponent reveals to you.
One thing I really like about this game is that winning the favor of a Geisha in one round is not final. If I win a Geisha in one round, but in the next round my opponent has the majority for that specific Geisha, I lose her favor and she goes back to neutral. So not only am I trying to win over more Geishas each round, I have to actively be protecting those I have already won. The same can be said for the reverse – even if my opponent wins a Geisha in one round, I can negate that in the next round. The favor of the Geishas does not reset at the end of each round, nor is it unchangeable in future rounds. Anything can happen, and that makes for a surprisingly exciting game.
Although this is a competitive game, I find it to be kind of calming to play. It is simple, yet strategic, and the artwork is beautiful. In my experience, once you understand the gameplay and actions, it plays quickly and quietly. If you’re looking for a quality 2-player game, give Hanamikoji a try! Purple Phoenix Games rates it a graceful 10 / 12 (Bryan and Josh have not yet played it).
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/02/13/hanamikoji-review/
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