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Menara
10m - 60m
1 - 4 Players
Ages 8+
Action / Dexterity
Fantasy
29.00
€
30 day low:
Out of stock
Search for:
Kickstarter – Gamefound
Board Games
Strategy
Family and Children
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Adult
Thematic
Ελληνικα Παιχνιδια
LCG
Arkham Horror: The Card Game
Marvel Champions: The Card Game
The Lord of The Rings: The Card Game
RPGs
D & D
Pathfinder
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ajewo
Menara is a cooperative dexterity stacking up game. Each turn, a player draws a plan card that tells the condition how the next pillars must be placed. If one of the floors (boards) has been filled up with pillars, a new floor must be placed on top of the pillars. Players constantly build up the tower (temple) until it collapses or it reaches a certain level. [b]What makes it special?[/b] * Cooperative stacking game (most are competitive) * Stacking game that offers a lot of strategic decision-making [b]Pros:[/b] + Artwork is nice and colorful + Components (wooden pillars, double-sided unusual shaped floors, table presence, draw bag, 3D cardboard camp) + Pillar management: players randomly draw up to a certain number of colored pillars. They can exchange them in the camp (flexibility, luck mitigation, odds management). Players should also watch what pillars other players own + Strategic plan selection: a player picks a plan from one of three decks: easy, medium, or difficult (push your luck). The plan describes what the player has to do (e.g., how many pillars to place, how they must be placed, or move placed pillars) + Game ends if pillars, floors, or any plan deck is depleted (timer and pressure: players cannot just play safe). Players may have to maintain a certain level until one of these conditions is met (they do not win just by reaching the level which creates more tension) + If a plan cannot be fulfilled, it becomes another (tower) level required to end the game (which makes the game harder and longer) + Strategic pillar placement: depending on the available spots, the pillars of the other players, and the next available floor + Floors are double-sided and have different colored spots for pillars. Sometimes players can choose the side (additional decision-making depending on the available colored spots and colored pillars) + Floors have unique and unusual shapes (some also contain holes). The different shapes makes it very interesting to place them on top of any pillars (tense, decision-making). Floors can touch but not stack each other + Several different plans and floors. Different order each game (replayability) + Tense game ending even if the tower collapses + Different difficulty levels (replayability) + Scales well with all player counts + Easy to teach and play (draw a plan and resolve it, family-friendly) + Well written rules (however, some ambiguities) [b]Neutrals:[/b] # Theme (jungle, temple, glyphs, pasted on) # Language independent # No hidden information # A little luck of the draw for plans (players decide the difficulty, push your luck) # Only indirect in-game player interaction through the pillar camp # Varying playing time # The game can be quite long compared to other stacking games (still okay) # Potential for alpha players # Family and solo game [b]Cons:[/b] - More floor tiles would have been great (there are enough, but could be more for long-term variability) - ... especially since the game box is way too big for its content (Catan / Ticket to Ride size) - Draw bag for pillars could have been bigger (just big enough) [b]Thoughts:[/b] Menara is a tense tactile dexterity game that has an unusual amount of strategic decision-making for a stacking game due to pillar management, plan selection, unique floor shapes, and pillar/floor placement. It is very tense because players eventually have to pick one of the more difficult plans that create challenging moments. Even if the game ends in a collapse, it is still fun. [b]Similar games:[/b] * For Science: cooperative dexterity game with building blocks and real-time. * Villa Paletti (competitive stacking game) * Rhino Hero (simple, good for kids) * Men at Work * Junk Art (a lot of different game modes) * Meeple Circus (also a bit thinky) * Animal Upon Animal * Jenga (pulling tiles out of a tower)
benjaminehlers1
Wow, we love playing Menara! So far the few times we've played, the build-up to the end is exciting and the act of winning is a great stand up moment! Tons of fun and lots of different structures we've built.
Blott
I have enjoyed other stacking dexterity games like Jenga and Villa Paletti, but they all tend to suffer from one big problem: they really only work to find a single loser who makes it all fall. No matter what rules they try to throw in there for a winner, it never feels right. So the idea to make a stacking dexterity game cooperative is brilliant. This brings all the fun of building up a tall precarious structure, but now everyone at the table is rooting for the other players to succeed rather than for them to fail. The rules are clever and offer just enough twists and turns that the game is a real challenge. I genuinely love this game, and if I could get the family to play it more, I think this could be an all-time favorite.