go to MAIN go to Gold Games go to All Games

Your first step into the world of "German games"

Taj Mahal by Reiner Knizia

Taj Mahal by Reiner Knizia art Franz Vohlwinkel publish Alea/Rio Grande Players: 3-5 Duration: 75-90 mins. PACE: Medium. Surprisingly, it does not bog down too much. COMPLEXITY: High. Though the rules aren't too complicated, the strategy is. Planning ahead -- waaaay ahead -- can be the key to winning. You have to know what you want then do everything to make sure you can get it. LUCK: Low. When the cards get flipped for a new round, the first player to go can drop out and take first choice of cards, and if they are exactly what he wanted, he may drop out. TENSION: High. When I play this game I always feel like I am stumbling around, only to find out I've won! Tough decisions, many sacrifices. This game has a poker-chicken feel in the cardplay that is quite exhilirating. VICIOUS: Medium. It is very vicious, but incidentally so. Player are clashing every round and sometimes a player can invest a lot...and come away with nothing. You have to know when to exit a round. SOCIAL: Medium. With all the conflict, players may start talking to bluff and intimidate a player from continuing in a round. "I've got plenty more orange cards, man. I'd drop out if I were you." (Said while holding 4 yellows and a green.) VISUALS: Very Good. Light pastels, map of northern India, plastic palaces -- it all lookes very nice. THEME: Medium. A unique setting -- the maharajah period of India -- that fits quite well, but really this game could have had anything as its theme. Still, a good fit is worth something. GAMER APPEAL: Yes. This is oen of the 3 best gamer games in my opinion. Tense, short and long term strategy, bluffing. NON-GAMER APPEAL: Low. There is so much strategy in this game, it could scare non-gamers. Nevertheless, the ones I have played it with like it very much! Still, I think I've been lucky. 2 PLAYERS: No. REPLAY: Excellent. One of the best games ever made. Played 30+ times. Good with 3-5 players Best with: 4 players

Quick summary | Players are fighting for control of India during the decline of power of the maharajahs of India. Who will control commodities? Who will conquer cities and wield political influence? The board is divided into 12 provinces, one of which is battled over per round. The provinces have different commodities to be acquired and have varying degrees of usefulness for developing "hiways" (an unbroken connection of cities owned by one player.) The prvinces are seeded randomly so that every game the order of the locations is different which forces all kinds of flexible stratgic play from players. In a round, there are 6 prizes being fought over which can be divided and number of ways. Players play one color card (and one white card too, if they want) to stay in the round, or they drop out. The cards are marked with several different symbols, and if a player drops out of a round and has a lead in any of the symbols, he claims all the prizes for that round (so staying in a round for long time doesn't necessarily help you much.) If a player does stay in, when it comes around to them again, they may play another card that must match the color of his previous card. Again, a player may pull out any time and claim what prizes are theirs. The interesting tension (besides fighting against other players for prizes which is part-chicken, part-poker) is that the earlier you pull out of the round, the more better your options from drawing cards back into your hand. This game is a tense battle as players fight to develop road networks, dominate in commodities, gain special abilities to bend the rules their way for a round or two, and generally outsmart each other. This game is for wily gamers who want agonizing decisions. From start to finish.

This page by Yirmeyahu Avery