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Trajan
60m - 120m
2 - 4 Players
Ages 12+
Card drafting games are games in which players pick cards from a limited subset, such as a common pool, to gain some advantage (immediate or longterm) or to assemble hands of cards that are used to meet objectives within the game.
Card Drafting
Hand management games are games with cards in them that reward players for playing the cards in certain sequences or groups. The optimal sequence/grouping may vary, depending on board position, cards held and cards played by opponents. Managing your hand means gaining the most value out of available cards under given circumstances. Cards often have multiple uses in the game, further obfuscating an "optimal" sequence.
Hand Management
The primary goal of a set collection mechanic is to encourage a player to collect a set of items.
Set Collection
Ancient
64.00
€
30 day low:
Out of stock
Search for:
Kickstarter – Gamefound
Board Games
Strategy
Family and Children
Party
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
Gamebooks
Others
Accessories
Game Mats
Bags
Dice
Sleeves
Sapphire Sleeves
Paladin Sleeves
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Plunder boxes
Marvel: Crisis Protocol
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alexmaklai
Too long in my opinion and a bit too heavy, a lot going on and too many options (and then missed opportunities) haha
adebisi
More is not always better, I could say. In the heart of Trajan is an action selection rondel mechanic, which is a neat solution for everyone who like to plan ahead and phase their actions. So this should be a game for me since I like phasing. However, in Trajan things have been taken a step or two too far. You're not only setting up for your next couple of actions but almost the whole game. You are not creating combos but piping your actions into certain order. I reckon, this is mainly because the situation on the board via player interaction changes too slowly to keep the planning horizon from stretching 6-7 rounds to the future. Personally, I think this is just too much. Oh, I do adore games that leave room for long term strategies but it is not the same thing as planning all your moves beforehand. This pre-planning creates a problem: You definitely do not want to mess your carefully planned sequence of actions but sometimes the tactical situation might require something else. Often a single miscalculated step puts you off the track and you will spend several turns to get back on it. In a brutal game like Trajan, this usually equals to giving up the fight for the win. So what happens is that everyone will just concentrate on their own rondel and player interaction will become even less. Solitairish games are usually not a problem but Trajan is all about being first in whatever you do. There are a lot of good qualities to this game and I can see why it is highly rated. It just did not hit the sweetspot for me who likes pondering the subtler consequences of my actions instead of leaping from one cliff to another with no margin for error. But at least you have meaningful decisions to make throughout the whole game. One more good thing is how you get points from almost everything you do. Some people criticize Feld games for this, i.e., being VP salads but I quite fancy it. Those single VPs you get from myriad of things do not win you the game. They are just consolidation prizes giving you a feeling that you achieved something. You do not need to perform a ten move sequence to score points but managing nine moves is already rewarding.
ajewo
Abstract: A heavy euro optimization game by Stefan Feld where each player has his own game board with a Mancala (rondel wheel) to activate one of six sub-systems and potential bonus actions (Trajan tiles). Possible actions: a) Forum: select a forum tile (get an update tile to increase the number of actions) b) Senate: gain senate vote (get victory points, choose end game bonus tile on majority) c) Construction: construct buildings (set-collection + cut-off other players "snake"-like) d) Military: conquer a province (area control, collect bonus tiles) e) Shipping: gain good card or ship resources (set-collection, race-game) f) Trajan: gain a Trajan tile (placed on the Mancala to trigger additional actions) Pros: + Innovative use of Mancala which is all about efficiency and planning + Player interaction is indirect and depends on the particular sub-game: area-control, race for collecting tiles first, snatching away good tiles to avoid penalties caused by demands + Wide variety of options that feel different (high replayability) + Rules are good (could be more explicit: Trajan tiles satisfy demands only after being activated, player order never changes, and time tracker is not reset after a round) + Length of a round is determined how players use their Mancala + Good mix between tactical and strategical decision-making, however, strategical players will be higher rewarded + Plays well with all player counts (2-player is less competitive, because their is more space/tiles available) Neutrals: # Nearly no luck: demand tiles are randomly revealed and players can choose different ways how to draw new good cards # Good cards and forum tiles are revealed in different order but there are no different elements or abilities per game # No hidden information # Scoring happens during the round, between rounds, and at the end of the game Cons: - Overwhelming on first play: many options and mechanics is not for everyone - Fiddly: lots of tiles - Long set-up due to lot of tiles (Trajan tiles need to be sorted) - Can be solitaire - if you consider what others do, it will get complex (analysis paralysis) - Theme is okay, but dry and not very strong - Hard to teach: a lot of different systems - No player aid Thoughts: Trajan is about planing and puzzling to be most efficient and sometimes being ahead of someone else. I like the intertwined sub-games most. The Mancala drives the game and makes it unique. So far, the Mancala intimidates me into planing at least five or more turns ahead. Similar games: * Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done (mancala movement race game, less thinky, quicker playing time, variable and upgradable mancala) * Bora Bora (complexity-wise, similar number of mechanics and tiles)