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Gamesnight….. Kaigan by Kenichi Tanabe
Derek and Roz arrive at Kendall’s just after Dicken. Derek announces that he has brought his dinner with him – by which he means enough supplies to feed the gathering for the evening. Kendall is inwardly relieved as (being a Wednesday and not Thursday) he’d forgotten to buy humus. A bottle of white wine goes to chill while beer of various types are opened from cans and bottles. Conversation ensues to embarrass Roz and Kendall – it’s the teacher’s strike tomorrow.
After putting the world economy to rights, attention turns to tonight’s game Kaigan – The Race to Map Japan’s Coast. Kendall starts to explain the rules. Not an easy one, as some mechanics are novel and the theme of the game hardly helps understanding; this is a card playing and resource management fest. Consequently, firstly Kendall mumbles his way through the various actions available and the numerous ways of scoring. Secondly he concentrates on getting the first phase of the game ‘working’ with the idea that the rest will then fall into place. Hmmm! Not everyone is convinced, least of all Roz.
However…. It must be said that the first phase is the most interesting part of the game and if too much is known about what comes after, there’s every chance of the game transfixing. In turn players play one of their six action cards onto the main playing board (in fact the only board as there is a ‘playing paper’ besides). The cards can be played into any available space on any row (of five spaces), with some spaces already filled by pre-ordained actions. After playing a card a player could then ‘claim’ a row, thus preventing other cards being added to that row and with the player dropping out thereafter. These then will be the cards (of various players) which that player will use as actions in phase 2. Simple!
The blind, lead the blind – very slowly.
Dicken plays just one card and claims that row. Roz plays a second card and claims another ‘short’ row. Derek and Kendall mop up the remaining two rows, getting a few extra actions for their patience.
The Ragnars are meanwhile doing their best to put a bit of theme back into the game. Dicken is manfully inventing serious descriptors to go with the rather bland use of dates for each ‘round’. Currently we are working through ‘1800-1804’, which Dicken hails as ‘The First Great Expedition’. Japanese accents are used at every non-racist opportunity. Derek quips in with ‘Are there any nuclear reactors?’ Ouch! One wonders if game sales are affected by such acts of God.
Phase 2 and cards are ripped off in column order. Players can now place Surveyors (Carcassonne refugees) onto the coastline tiles occupying the playing paper. Mapping markers (cubes) can then be placed onto tiles where a player has Surveyors. This is the ‘basic’ and essential drive of the game – the only bit that remotely resembles mapping a coastline. Three of the cards (plus the ‘alternative’ reverse of any card) can be used to effect this – but they do require plenty of Ryo (money). Two of the other three cards are used to increase ‘Artistic ability’ or ‘Government’. The final card is a composite where players can choose to either take 3 Ryo coins, pay to increase ‘Artistic ability’ or ‘Government’ or pay to increase ‘Honour’ (victory points).
Back to the mapping … these tiles have numbers 2, 3 or 4. Once mapping markers are placed to equal that number, then the coastline has been mapped - ‘Hurrah!’ (which can be declared in a Japanese accent). If not filled by players in phase 2, there’s always a chance that the random dice rolls (representing the outstanding contribution of Tadataka Ino) of phase 3 will get the job done. And before you know it the game reaches phase 4 – scoring.
Kendall has been quite successful, having manoeuvred his surveyors and placed mapping markers to enable three tiles to be completed. Generally, this relies on a degree of co-operation – something that the Ragnars are not too good at. Consequently, Dicken, Roz and Derek are already playing catch up.
Besides the number of the tile, the only other feature is a symbol for either ‘Artistic ability’ or ‘Government’ or ‘Travel’. Completed tiles reap benefits of the appropriate type to players having mapping markers on that tile. Simple! Numbers crunch along three tracks PLUS the Honor (victory points) track. A little bit different for each type – but not too difficult. New tiles are placed to fill the discarded / completed tiles.
Kendall is 5 points clear on the Honour track and has a healthy Artistic Ability. Derek is mocked for his total lack of AA.
Phase 5 – Income. ‘Artistic ability’ and ‘Government’ are totalled to give the same number of Ryo as the position reached on the track by the player.
Phase 6 – Players receive Honour. Which the rules advise with: ‘NOTE: This phase is skipped in rounds 1, 3 and 5’. When it does happen (i.e. rounds 2 and 4) it amounts to ‘Artistic ability’ and ‘Government’ points being converted into Honour – and with a few other bits of scoring to add on as well…..
Phew! The team reach the end of round 1. Fortunately, the rest of the game simply repeats the same format of 5 or 6 phases (give or take the odd scoring alteration). Game on!
Highlights:
1805 – 1808 …. Derek shows outstanding use of his Quadrant (you’ll have to find this one out for yourself.
1809 – 1812 ….. Dicken claims more than three cards.
1813 – 1816 ….. Kendall has his trousers taken down by Derek (metaphorically speaking)
1817 – 1821 ….. Roz plays the wrong card / claims the wrong row. Oh dear!
Game end and Scoring reaches fever pitch. There’s more points ‘Artistic ability’ or ‘Government’, bonuses for ‘Travel’ , plus and minus points for money, even a point for the Quadrant. In the excitement the gathering over-looks points for Surveyors and mapping markers left on tiles. It doesn’t matter. Kendall wins by about three points, with the other three bunched closely together.
Kaigan will be played again no doubt. This is a tightly knit game, with the card play mechanism being ‘very worthy’. Not sure, but it seemed that the lack of Ragnar co-operation meant the game was a bit under-powered. Certainly the various score tracks were barely half-used!
A cheery evening comes to an end. Roz reclaims the un-opened wine from the fridge. With a strike day tomorrow, there’s a chance that a review could be written. Ah, I see it has been!
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