go to Gold Games
go to All Games
by Franz-Benno Delonge
Rating: 7/10 after 1 play
designer Franz-Benno Delonge
art Franz Vohlwinkel
publish Kosmos / Mayfair
players: 2-4
duration: 70 mins.
type: medium board game
PACE: VARIES. CSince this is an action point game, analytical players can drag this game out. And with 3 or 4 players, the downtime in this game can be excessive. In this respect it is probably best with 2 players to keep the pace reasonable.
COMPLEXITY: MEDIUM. The game is quite thematic, and so there are quite a few rules. They all make sense, but it is not a light game. It tends towards the heavy side of medium. Deciding how to place your men, when to dam, how to send your opponents home takes timing and planning.
LUCK: LOW. The only luck is in the tile flip, and players always know the next 4 tiles available, except for outlaws which take effect as soon as they appear. As long as players are always expecting the outlaws, luck is mitigated. Again, I say, beware the wild guns!
TENSION: HIGH. This is a game of planning and timing. As with most good action point games, a well played turn is very satisfying as players try and find ways to max out points and set themselves up for future turns. And who knows when the outlaws will ride...?
VICIOUS: HIGH. Well, you can dam rivers such that your opponents will be denied water for their plantations; you can try and set them up to be taken by the outlaws; you can overpower their campesinos and send them to the bottom of the board. This game can be very confrontational.
SOCIAL: LOW. Lots of thinking here.
VISUALS: EXCELLENT. No surprise as this is a Vohlwinkel designed game. Don't be deceived, the game actually looks even a bit better in real life than on the screen. Nice wooden pieces, beautiful board with modular setup within a frame. It feels very nice, and all information is very clear.
THEME: HIGH. This game oozes theme: overpowering campesinos and sending them down the river; setting up a hacienda to permanently claim a hexagon; bushwacking to the cliffs to exploit the resources, only to be thrown back by outlaws -- very nice!
GAMER APPEAL: YES. A great action point game with tactics, strategy, tight resources and money management. Just don't let anyone bog down!
NON-GAMER APPEAL: PROBABLY. The theme would be the kicker here as it has some rules to really get, but rewards players with intuitive gameplay.
2 PLAYERS: EXCELLENT. My only playing so far and it was great. perhaps best with 2 since there is less downtime.
REPLAY: unknown to me. I suspect replay is excellent here, but it is too early to say.
RATING: 7/10 after 1 play.
Good with 2-3 players (?)
Best with 2 players (?)
The fertile soil of South America is before you. Two rivers run from the moutains to the city. Players will take their "campesinos" into the wilds to try and make money by farming. Income is only collected when a player occupies hexagons matching the land type depicted on the current tile -- oh yes, and the tiles have to be fed by the river to yield their bounty. Oh, and you can divert the rivers by placing dams. Players use their action points to move their campesinos, trying to claim valuable hexagons in the hopes of making money to build homes and a hacienda to win the game. Along the way they will try and evict their opponents from valuable spaces, and be on the lookout for bands of wild outlaws that roll down the river knocking out players campesinos. Tight strategy, chock full of theme, this game promises to be a good one.