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viktor_haagThis weekend, we had another fest of game playing on Sunday afternoon at the Old Huron Redoubt (i.e. my house). We had seven people turn out, and so we made the choice to split into two groups rather than attack Diplomacy, Civilization, or some other similar long and complicated affair.
In total, people played Cuba and Caylus (in which I joined in), as well as Tigris & Euphrates, Container, and Yspahan (which I didn't play).
Cuba
This is my fourth or fifth play of this game, and I still think there's meat on these bones. Once again, I purchased the dam early in the game, and leaned on it heavily in the first three turns of the game (along with my stream) to collect water resources. However, this time, I did not make any concerted effort to solidify political control, and this forced me to focus on a more balanced approach as well. Another player built the cathedral letting him veto the Water Subsidy bill when it appeared on turn 3; however, this didn't worry me too much as I was allowed to build the Golf Course. In retrospect, I think the Golf Course was actually a preferred build, because it meant I didn't have to waste time trying to compete for political influence (to keep the Water Subsidy on the board). Rather, I stayed behind the pack, collected goods, and built the buildings required to cash in on Rum (importantly, I built the Bar first and only then built a Distillery; this allowed me to get VPs from Rum through the Bar and through ships, whereas the other Rum player was forced to cash in on ships alone).
In the end, I managed to win in the end by (a) cashing in Water through the Golf Course in the last three turns, (b) cashing in Citrus goods on the ships in the last two turns, (c) cashing in Rum through my Bar in the last two turns, and (d) having five buildings.
This is a good game, I think; perhaps not as great, nor as complex as Puerto Rico, but still easily worth a B+. If you like Puerto Rico, Pillars of the Earth, or Leonardo da Vinci, then I can strongly recommend Cuba to you. If you have none of these games, and only want one, buy Puerto Rico; if you can afford two, get Puerto Rico and Cuba.
Caylus
Another "ratchet yourself up" building game. I've played Caylus about the same number of times as Cuba, despite owning it for several years now. Caylus is a wonderful game, but it has a slightly raw feeling, as if it could have used a little more time in the development oven. As a result, it feels like there's maybe just a bit too much going on, and maybe not quite as smooth. Some have commented that the Favours track seems like the game would better off without it; I disagree. I think the favour track (a) adds great flavour, (b) greatly increases the worth of Cloth to the level of the other resources, and (c) provides a great levelling mechanism for patient, careful, and clever players (for example, it's important for players to realize that the very first opportunity a player will have to build a building in each round is at the Jousting Field, where a Cloth and a Coin can be exchanged for a Building Favour).
In this three-player game, while my opponents focussed on acquiring money each turn, I focussed instead on acquiring resources. There were several turns when, although they probably should not have done so, I gobbled up eight or nine resource cubes, freely giving single points to the players owning the appropriate buildings, when my opponents leapt again onto the tiles that would get them money. On the turns when they battled for resources, I gathered what I could, but on two of those turns, I switched back and gathered funds. Meanwhile, I ruthlessly parlayed resources into castle contributions (and favours), ruthlessly parlayed cloth into favours, and built those buildings that got me some income and (you guessed it) favours.
On a critical turn three quarters of the way through, when I saw my chance to sneak a chance to build the cathedral, I gathered the required resources for the following turn, stabbed my opponents in the back by backing up the provost, secured turn order, and then leapt on the Jousting Field tile for my first follow-on action. I then parlayed this favour into building the Cathedral and, along with its 25 points, pretty much put the game out of reach. One of my opponents made it a brave end-game by actually building more prestige buildings than I did, but I managed to get one more of these on the board, and then, while he was spending his gold on prestige buildings, I collected gold through (a) favours, and (b) sneaking in to the mine and bank when I could. At the end of the game, I was left with no resources, no cash, but 5 gold cubes worth fifteen points.
It was a pretty decisive win, secured by sitting in the bush, and then a single, nasty act just before the end-game. Caylus lends itself to this sort of play, and as a warning, you should not play this game if your tolerance for "take that" player interaction is low. Caylus is a game that's all about tempo, mitigation of risk, and maximizing opportunity. You must pay very close attention to what the other players are doing, and if possible, time your actions opposite to their efforts. In that regard, often a few feints early in the game can be useful: you can lead players into strategies that you really don't care much about. In this particular game, because my opponents seemed dedicated to acquiring cash under the impression that it would secure them flexibility in the long turn, I played my cash balance very tight, and focussed rather on acquiring cubes and contributing batches to the castle.
Caylus is a bit longer and more baroque than it might otherwise be, but underneath it all is an engine that's almost as good as Puerto Rico. Caylus is currently ranked fifth on the 'Geek's charts, and I think it deserves its position there. All the games above it (with the possible exception of Twilight Struggle, which position is perhaps a bit inflated given the number of votes it has received) trump it, I think, because in the end they're simply smoother and more refined.
In total, people played Cuba and Caylus (in which I joined in), as well as Tigris & Euphrates, Container, and Yspahan (which I didn't play).
Cuba
This is my fourth or fifth play of this game, and I still think there's meat on these bones. Once again, I purchased the dam early in the game, and leaned on it heavily in the first three turns of the game (along with my stream) to collect water resources. However, this time, I did not make any concerted effort to solidify political control, and this forced me to focus on a more balanced approach as well. Another player built the cathedral letting him veto the Water Subsidy bill when it appeared on turn 3; however, this didn't worry me too much as I was allowed to build the Golf Course. In retrospect, I think the Golf Course was actually a preferred build, because it meant I didn't have to waste time trying to compete for political influence (to keep the Water Subsidy on the board). Rather, I stayed behind the pack, collected goods, and built the buildings required to cash in on Rum (importantly, I built the Bar first and only then built a Distillery; this allowed me to get VPs from Rum through the Bar and through ships, whereas the other Rum player was forced to cash in on ships alone).
In the end, I managed to win in the end by (a) cashing in Water through the Golf Course in the last three turns, (b) cashing in Citrus goods on the ships in the last two turns, (c) cashing in Rum through my Bar in the last two turns, and (d) having five buildings.
This is a good game, I think; perhaps not as great, nor as complex as Puerto Rico, but still easily worth a B+. If you like Puerto Rico, Pillars of the Earth, or Leonardo da Vinci, then I can strongly recommend Cuba to you. If you have none of these games, and only want one, buy Puerto Rico; if you can afford two, get Puerto Rico and Cuba.
Caylus
Another "ratchet yourself up" building game. I've played Caylus about the same number of times as Cuba, despite owning it for several years now. Caylus is a wonderful game, but it has a slightly raw feeling, as if it could have used a little more time in the development oven. As a result, it feels like there's maybe just a bit too much going on, and maybe not quite as smooth. Some have commented that the Favours track seems like the game would better off without it; I disagree. I think the favour track (a) adds great flavour, (b) greatly increases the worth of Cloth to the level of the other resources, and (c) provides a great levelling mechanism for patient, careful, and clever players (for example, it's important for players to realize that the very first opportunity a player will have to build a building in each round is at the Jousting Field, where a Cloth and a Coin can be exchanged for a Building Favour).
In this three-player game, while my opponents focussed on acquiring money each turn, I focussed instead on acquiring resources. There were several turns when, although they probably should not have done so, I gobbled up eight or nine resource cubes, freely giving single points to the players owning the appropriate buildings, when my opponents leapt again onto the tiles that would get them money. On the turns when they battled for resources, I gathered what I could, but on two of those turns, I switched back and gathered funds. Meanwhile, I ruthlessly parlayed resources into castle contributions (and favours), ruthlessly parlayed cloth into favours, and built those buildings that got me some income and (you guessed it) favours.
On a critical turn three quarters of the way through, when I saw my chance to sneak a chance to build the cathedral, I gathered the required resources for the following turn, stabbed my opponents in the back by backing up the provost, secured turn order, and then leapt on the Jousting Field tile for my first follow-on action. I then parlayed this favour into building the Cathedral and, along with its 25 points, pretty much put the game out of reach. One of my opponents made it a brave end-game by actually building more prestige buildings than I did, but I managed to get one more of these on the board, and then, while he was spending his gold on prestige buildings, I collected gold through (a) favours, and (b) sneaking in to the mine and bank when I could. At the end of the game, I was left with no resources, no cash, but 5 gold cubes worth fifteen points.
It was a pretty decisive win, secured by sitting in the bush, and then a single, nasty act just before the end-game. Caylus lends itself to this sort of play, and as a warning, you should not play this game if your tolerance for "take that" player interaction is low. Caylus is a game that's all about tempo, mitigation of risk, and maximizing opportunity. You must pay very close attention to what the other players are doing, and if possible, time your actions opposite to their efforts. In that regard, often a few feints early in the game can be useful: you can lead players into strategies that you really don't care much about. In this particular game, because my opponents seemed dedicated to acquiring cash under the impression that it would secure them flexibility in the long turn, I played my cash balance very tight, and focussed rather on acquiring cubes and contributing batches to the castle.
Caylus is a bit longer and more baroque than it might otherwise be, but underneath it all is an engine that's almost as good as Puerto Rico. Caylus is currently ranked fifth on the 'Geek's charts, and I think it deserves its position there. All the games above it (with the possible exception of Twilight Struggle, which position is perhaps a bit inflated given the number of votes it has received) trump it, I think, because in the end they're simply smoother and more refined.
