Rajas of the Ganges

GaGarfieldstar2,0

It's all about getting the good buildings. The better buildings requiring higher dice. So if you are constantly rolling low you can't afford the good buildings. But you need the good ones to make more profit from selling goods and for the glory points. And there is way overpowered action that was chosen as first everytime in our game -> the one you could do with a 2, getting the bonus tile and 2 dice of your choice. [c] Theme: ★☆☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]Very abstract --> Gameplay: ★★☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]Placing dice all over the place --> Interaction: ★☆☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]Almost none --> Artwork: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Ok --> Luck: ★★★★★ <!-- size 7]Dice rolling --> Strategy: ★★☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]There is only one strategy --> Components: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Nice --> Play duration: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Very good --> Easy to teach: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Ok (25min) --> Rules quality: <!-- size 7]not read --> Setup time: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Ok --> No downtime: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Ok --> Replay value: ★☆☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]Nothing changes --> [/c]

EvEvanstar10,0

I don't generally like race to the finish games, but this one blew me away. The way the game works is each player has three workers, and some number of dice. The dice get rolled, and represent the different resources in the game. Some action spots only require a worker. Others need a worker and then a die of a specific value or value range. Still others require a worker and one or more dice of a specific color, with the pips across all dice needing to total or exceed the requirement. The game doesn't have any inherent die income, so you have to be careful and clever about where and how to get more dice. The main purpose of the dice is to purchase tiles which get laid into your player board. The tiles have roads that must connect to your starting spot, but which may also connect to the edge of your board which grants you a special reward. We played the advanced game where the printed rewards are pretty dull, but you can get much better ones to replace them through a few ways, which allows you to customize your path through the game in a really compelling way. The game ends during a round that someone's dollars marker meets their points marker on the oppositely oriented tracks. This means a big money strategy is just as effective as a big points strategy in theory, although you'll want to do some of everything in this game, as each major track has a spot it grants an extra worker. Turns are pretty quick, there are marvelous combos you can line up with the various rewards, the iconography is consistent and clear. The components look nice, especially the dice. The process of solving the puzzle feels satisfying. When you run aground it's because of your choices as opposed to die luck or being punched by other players. There's some, but minimal player interaction. It's mostly the occupying of action spots you wanted and the taking of the edge of board scoring tiles you needed. ★ Art, Iconography and components functional ★ Clever or interesting mechanisms ★ Reasonably low downtime between turns with mildly AP players ★ Multiple plays stay interesting ★ Low or mitigatable luck elements ★★★★★ Raw enjoyment

El Meeple Azulstar8,0

#Ganges ha sido uno de los grandes descubrimientos del año. El juego estéticamente es una maravilla y la combinación de colocación de trabajadores y el uso de dados para obtener losetas me ha conquistado. Inicialmente puede parecer un juego con demasiadas posibles acciones, sin embargo esta muy equilibrado y la partida se disfruta muchísimo. Me parece muy original el track de puntuación doble e invertido, que ofrece que haya multitud de estrategias válidas y hace que más partidas sean muy diferentes. Otro punto muy positivo del juego es su precio, siendo económico si consideramos la cantidad y la calidad de los componentes que trae. No tengo nada negativo que decir de #Ganges, un juego que ha llegado a la ludoteca para convertirse en un favorito.