Card Game Review: Villagers & Villains

Villagers & Villains (Studio 9/Aaron Kreader, 2011)

2-5 players / 9 + / 30-60 Minutes

 

Rollin', rollin', rollin'.
Rollin', rollin', rollin'.
Rollin', rollin', rollin'.
Rollin', rollin', rollin'.
Good cards!
Hah! Hah!

Keep rollin', rollin', rollin',
Though your village is gettin’ swollen,
Keep them dice a rollin', good cards!
Through citizens and buildings,
Heroes and villains,
Wishin' my luck wasn’t chillin’.
The good cards I'm missin',
The bad ones seem to be hissin',
“We’re waiting at the end of the line.”

Bring 'em out, lay 'em down,
Lay 'em down, bring 'em out.
Bring 'em out, lay 'em down:
Good cards!

Cut 'em out, throw 'em in,
Throw 'em in, cut 'em out,
Cut 'em out, throw 'em in:
Good cards!
Hah! Hah!

What You Get:

Essentially, cards and tokens.  The tokens are simple cardboard coins (64 total) in denominations of ‘1’ and ‘2.’  There is also a Start Player marker and a King’s Favor marker (used in the advanced game).  The cards are sturdy for an independent press, though not as good of quality as you’d find with, say, Fantasy Flight or Rio Grande.  That is to be expected and not really an issue.  I mean, who doesn’t like to support the little guy?  Anyway, we have played this game a ton and, so far, the cards have stood up and taken very little wear.  Besides, these cards’ appeal lies not in their quality, but in their quantity – Kreader has created a deck of 100 unique cards!  While some powers and abilities are duplicated, each card nonetheless represents a different citizen, champion, building, or challenge with its own distinctive illustration.  He was either very creative or very bored or very both!  He is certainly very talented.  All of the artwork is cartoony and expressive.  The first reference it reminded me of was the old Groo the Wanderer comic books that I read as a kid.  The art is appropriate to the game’s lighter style.  You also get one of those tiny, mini-d6 and a quad-folded, one-page instruction sheet.  Remember: little guy.

The Quick Rundown:

In Villagers & Villains, you are neither a villager nor a villain, but trying to manage both.  You are the mayor of a village trying to hire citizens and champions, erect buildings, and fight off challenges – all represented by cards in your tableau.  The game ends after the round in which one or more players have played eight cards to their tableau, and then everyone counts up their points.  The winning mayor gets a fancy sash.  Game play is divided into five phases which is easier to discuss in dreaded “bullet-point” fashion.  Trust me, I’m just as consternated about this as you are.

• Recruit  Six cards are laid out in a row, numbered 1-6.  Unclaimed Citizens, Champions, and Buildings from the previous turn are discarded while remaining Challenge cards are moved down to the lowest slots.  Replenish to six cards, as needed.  In turn order, you will announce which card you wish to recruit and then must roll that number (or higher) on the d6.  If your roll succeeds, you may add the targeted card to your hand.  Otherwise, you are stuck with whichever card is in the first slot, so aim low when you can.
• Defend  If you get stuck with, or voluntarily take, a Challenge card in the Recruit phase, you now have to roll to defeat it.  You always have a base town defense, but Champions give you better defense rolls and more of them.  Victory means gold now, and possibly points later, while...
• Pillage  Defeat means the opposite.  Here you may lose gold if you cannot get rid of Challenges.  If they hang around until the end of the game, you'll lose points, too.
• Earning  Receive the amount of gold as indicated by Citizens in your city (not your hand).
• Build/Hire  From your hand, you may hire one Citizen or Champion or build one structure per turn, paying the required gold as indicated on its card and playing it in your tableau.  Citizens give you income each turn and maybe a special ability.  Champions help defend against Challenges.  Buildings provide points and may offer a special ability, as well.

Besides the point values you can earn listed on the cards, you can score bonuses by pairing certain cards together, or having the most Champions, or defeating the most Challenges, etc.  There is a handy-dandy score sheet, yahtzee-style, to help in bookkeeping, as the end-of-game tallying is actually the most complicated part of this title, believe it or not.


E for Everyone:

You’re certainly welcome to bring your finely honed strategic mindset into this game.  Just don’t think too hard.  And you can definitely plan to build your tableau in an efficient, machine-like, point-scoring manner.  But don’t bet the house on it.  This title is fun, as long as you don’t pretend its something grander than you want it to be.

By and large, luck and die rolls tend to be great equalizers in the hobby.  Villagers & Villains has those in spades.  This will turn-off serious gamers only interested in titles that give the old gray matter a workout.  But for those looking to engage in some good, frothy fun – especially with the kids – this card game will scratch the itch.  The rules are light, game play is straight-forward, game length should always be under an hour, and the randomness gives all ages a fair shake.

Let me re-summarize that unpredictable nature, as it is probably the make-or-break factor for most gamers.  Random element #1 begins with the cards in the recruit phase.  Other than left-over challenges from the previous round, you have no idea which cards will be available until they pop up that turn, which makes planning problematic.  Random element #2 lies in turn order, which is connected heavily with the order of the cards in the recruitment pool.  Sometimes going first is advantageous if there are good cards in the first half of the pool, thus easier to nab as fist come, first serve.  On the other hand, if the better cards are in the 4-6 slots, then going last can be advantageous in making it easier to roll for those higher cards which slide down in slots as the cards below are taken.  Random element #3 is then, of course, simply rolling for the card you want.  On top of that, any non-challenge cards leftover are discarded, which often results in a wanted card removed for the rest of the game!  Random element #4 constitutes defense against challenges as you must roll certain numbers to defeat them.  And finally, there are even some chance rolls and card draws in the special abilities, which rounds out this discussion with random element #5.

So how are we able to overcome such chaos?  Well first and foremost, we actually enjoy rolling dice.  Many gamers do.  In addition to its equalizing qualities, dice rolling provides a fair amount of tension and laughter in equal parts, which is sort of ironic and fascinating when you stop to think about it.  That aside, there are a few ways to roll with the chaos.  First, you can grab cards that help to minimize the luck.  Some cards provide aid in recruitment and defense rolls.  Others allow you to draw extra cards by paying gold or defeating challenges.  You can also simply purchase more dice during recruitment.  Second, the advanced game includes the King’s Favor token which is, ironically, randomly placed on a card in the recruitment pool and then awarded to the player who earns that card.  The King’s Favor can aid in recruitment, defense, income, or turn order.  Once used, it is returned to the recruitment pool for the next round.  And finally, there are multiple paths to victory, just in case you find yourself forced down a particular road.  You can stock up on gold-producing citizens to buy the high value buildings.  You can go for a village full of champions to get the hero bonus.  Or you can even willingly take on and defeat the most villains for the challenge bonus.  And if you feel particularly lucky, punk, aim to play matchmaker and pair up certain cards in your town for extra points.

Okay, I'll Shut Up Now:

In the end, I give Villagers & Villains an 8 on the Geek scale (Very good game.  I like to play.  Probably I'll suggest it and will never turn down a game.).  The randomness will sometimes ruffle your feathers, but just remember that you're not the only bird in the nest.  Once you learn to take the chaos in stride, you'll find a light-hearted, adequately themed game that is enjoyable and accessible for a great range of ages.

Board Game Review: Dust

Dust (Fantasy Flight/Spartaco Albertarelli and Angelo Zucca, 2007)

2-6 players / 12 + / 60-180 Minutes

Some guys have all the luck.  You know the type.  They had the good mommas that didn't hit the hooch and the daddies that didn't run off with the tramp next door.  Yeah, now those guys ride down the street in their long, black DeSoto to their grandpappy's bank where they sit on their saddle pads all day as a vice president throwing around million dollar bills and go out at night with some classy broad hooked to one hand and a tonic in the other.  I'm not one of them guys.  I hate them guys.  So you can imagine my surprise when she walked in - like I was cold-cocked by a Joe Louis left hook.  Tall, lean, swank, sober, she was quite the dish.  She was 100% glamor, with legs that went all the way up, and knew it.  Bold and confident she walked in.

"What's a dame like you doing in gin joint like this?"

She smiled innocently and sang sweetly, "Well, Sam, I'm your new commander."

I looked her up and down incredulously and smirked.  "Well, it sure is the modern man's new army, eh?"

"Hmpf," she shrugged her shoulders, "a girl's gotta make a living.  Now go ready my mech.  I'm feeling a little gypsy and it's time to give the other side the big kiss off."

Yeah, some guys have all the luck...

What You Get:

Enough plastic to make an Arab emirate even more wealthy.  Specifically about 780 miniature army pieces!  That's 130 for each player!  The majority are little tank figures, with a number of mechs, fighters, bombers, and subs thrown in for variety.  All are well molded and compact to avoid arms or attachments breaking off, yet still retain fine detail.  And while the game is fiddly, don't stress that you'll have to deal with all 130 of your pieces - you shouldn't come close to using them all, unless you're turtling, in which case you'll lose.  The board/map-of-the-world is unique in both its minimalism and construction.  The stoic map with muted colors is devoid of any geographical references and it's six pieces fit together like a puzzle.  It looks sharp in a subdued kind of way and uses connected circles to denote areas, as opposed to the more familiar political boundaries.  The puzzle-style fitting is unnecessary - it does not lay flat and creates a noticeable warp.  A collection of little factories round out the plastic bits while a handful of cardboard tokens are included to ease in score-keeping.  There are 10 solid, custom, six-sided dice used for combat resolution.  And finally, the game provides a deck of sturdy, linen-textured cards.  These are all imaginatively illustrated and highly expressive.  If playing with children, especially young boys, note that the artwork tends to exaggerate female features, although the only overly-ridiculous image (still not explicit) is on the last page of the rule book and thus easy to nonchalantly set aside.


Your legion of Mechs and Victoria's Secret models await!

The Quick Rundown:

A bit wonky.
Could have done without the puzzle.



Dust is a world conquest war game with dudes (and dudettes) on a map.  But it is a unique world conquest game.  First of all, you accomplish this domination with massive mech warriors, stolen alien technology, and fashion supermodels.  And so while you'd logically expect the major capitals would be Paris, Milan, and New York, actually all political identifications and references are nonexistent.  Instead, your fearsomely, fur-coated Frauleins will simply fight over anonymous circles.  Particular locations of alien technology, evenly dispersed about the globe, become more important than major urban centers in this alternative, pre-WWII setting.  You see, apparently a careless E.T., or two, left some advance weaponry laying about for some Axis and Allied explorers to find and exploit.  You will lead a faction in its bid to control and consolidate these new powers to make dang sure one of your models gets the cover of the SI Swimsuit Issue to debut in about 30 years.

The most entertainingly unique mechanic of Dust is the card deck.  You begin with a hand of five cards and are able to purchase more throughout the game.  At the start of each round, all players will secretly choose one of their cards and then reveal them simultaneously.  The card you pick will determine what order you play that round, how many production points (money) you can spend to purchase new units, how many times you can move, and how many times you can attack.  On top of all that, it will also have an illustration that gives you a specific role that round and a certain rule-breaking ability.  For example, the nurse gives you a chance to save battlefield casualties, the mech dropper allows you to airlift as many mechs from around the world into one battle (very powerful), and the ballistic missile gives you a free bombardment against one enemy zone.



Fighter, bomber, mech, tank, and sub.


Battles are also quite different from many standard titles of this genre.  The custom dice create quick and simple fights where a unit gives you a set number of dice to roll.  The card you choose limits both your movement capabilities to maneuver for an attack, plus the actual number of battles you are allowed to declare that round.  Movement is quite abstracted, especially amphibious or naval transport.  And going into enemy production centers and capitals can be a murderous proposition; so in a sense, kind of like Paris, Milan, and New York, after all.

E for Everyone:

While most other dudes-on-a-map war games are just above the 'E' rating, in my opinion, Dust is just simplistic enough to slip in under the 'T for Teen' barrier.  The primary reason for this is that Dust is a very close Risk clone, whose added moving parts are not overly cumbersome.  It has varying unit types, card play, and a different means of production, but they are all still nicely  streamlined.  In fact, the combat resolution mechanic is even simpler than in Risk.  On top of that, it will not take you as long to play a game of Dust, though not to fool you into thinking it's a short affair.  'Long' is a relative term in the war gaming genre.


Groovy dice.



It regards to game length, the victory point track is a nice addition for gaming with kids.  Now, there is an "epic" version or rules set, if you want to spend an entire afternoon.  However, the "premium" rules set is just right for an enjoyable experience of conquest gaming with children or maybe even other hobby gamers not used to the genre.  You earn one point for each capital and resource area that you own, plus one point for each majority you may have in number of production centers, land areas, and sea areas.  As soon as one player has reached a designated threshold at the end of any given round, they are declared the victor, much like the way we finally defeated the Kaiser in 1918.

As much as a victory point track may seem as inappropriate to a war game as a Rockefeller in Wal-Mart, the mechanic is ideal for younger kids in that it focuses their energies on those targets necessary to achieve victory points.  The strategic scope is more refined, and thus not as intimidating or overwhelming.  Sure, this will turn off seasoned grognards who like to strut around like Napoleon with economy of force, flank attacks, and envelopment, but it sure is a blast for quick and brutal smash-mouth slug-fests.  This is not a game for the prim and proper, gold-tasseled, dandies of the General Staff.  But for the mud-slinging, rifle-toting, over-the-top trench grunts - yeah, this is their cup of tea.

The card mechanic also works to hone a strategic focus and reduce individual turn length, as well as throw in an unpredictable element which adds to the fun.  First off, the card you choose each round gives you some extra production points to add with those earned from your factories and resource areas.  It also gives you a set amount of moves and attacks.  However, it is never strong in all three areas.  So from your hand, you have to decide that round whether you want to focus on building up your forces, maneuvering around to protect your interests and set-up for an assault next round, or just go all out on the offensive.  Because you won't be able to do all three.  Then again, you may want to use the card instead for the ability it provides, rather than worrying about production, moves, or attacks.  That's because playing the right role at the right time can prove invaluable to your situation and/or significantly derail another's plans.  Of course, don't forget that the reverse is true, as well.


The invading horde!


Combat is as simple as it is brutal as it is unique.  First, you compare all the units on each side to determine who has "tactical supremacy" and, therefore, who rolls first - which is a huge advantage.  Then, you simply count up how many dice you get to roll based on what kinds of units are in the fight.  For every "target" symbol rolled, you knock out one of the enemy (in a certain order).  The unforgiving element rearing its ugly head is that knocked out units don't get to return fire...hence the advantage to rolling first!  Production centers and capitals give extra dice for defenders, plus the defender has automatic tactical supremacy in capitals.  So while those sweet victory point targets may be as tempting as honey, remember it's still on the comb and in the hive!

The game is not completely void of drawbacks.  In 4-6 player games, downtime between turns is still an issue, and indeed downtime always seems like an exacerbated problem when playing with kids.  Confrontation, while victory point oriented, can still be contentious since this is essentially an "every man for himself" title.  Temporary alliances can always generate some personal chagrin from the opposing side.  The role cards can provide opportunities to really hammer the point leader and play catch-up, but there is still a runaway leader issue; especially if most of the trailing players are not on the same mental page.  In its worst scenario, that can create an anti-climactic endgame in which the winner is essentially a foregone conclusion, and the last round our two are played on autopilot.

Okay, I'll Shut-Up Now:

In the end, I give Dust the board game an 8 on the Geek scale (Very good game.  I like to play.  Probably I'll suggest it and will never turn down a game.).  It's tight strategic focus, simple combat mechanics, unique and instructive card play, fluid style, and victory point emphasis create an ideal war game for younger kids.  Yet it also retains some nuance that adults can enjoy.  The theme is fun and different, the miniatures of good quality, and the artwork addictive.  After introducing your kids to war gaming with the iconic Risk for its basics in strategy and dice-based combat, I would then recommend Dust as the next step.  Plus, it's a nice change of pace for adult conquest gamers, as well.


The role cards.



Card Game Review: Briscola

Briscola (unknown / 18th Century)

2-6 players / 8 + / 15-60 minutes

Kid #1: "Dad, what are those bolt-looking things again?"

"Um...that would be the 'cups' suit."

Kid #2: "Wait, how do you tell the ace of swords from the ace of batons, again?"

"Like I said, the ace of swords has the two chickens and the ace of batons only one."

Kid #3: "Where's the queen?"

"No, the queen is in the standard cards. These have knights, instead, remember?"

Kid #1: "The queen's a 'he?'"

"No! Well, yeah, from your point of view, sort of..."

Kid #4: "...are the swords curved or straight?"

Sigh.  "Most are curved, but some are straight."

Kid #2: "But the batons are straight!"

"Yeah, but they have little knobby ends."

Kid #3: "What's the king and the jack?"

"The kings are wearing the crowns.  And numbered 13 in the top corner.  Jacks are numbered 11."

Kid #4: "Well, if there aren't any 8, 9, or 10s, then why is the jack 11?  Shouldn't it be 8?"

"I don't know know!"

Kid #2: "Do you have any other cards?"

"Hmmm...well, I do have this German-suited pack..."

The Quick Rundown:

Briscola is a fun and unique point trick taking card game that is extremely popular in Italy and found in many variations throughout Mediterranean Europe.  It is not well-known in North America.  Using a 40-card pack, it is even more fun and unique when played with one of the traditional, regional Italian card decks.  You can also play with a standard, 52-card, French-suited deck by removing all of the Tens, Nines, and Eights. Cards rank A-3-K-Q-J-7-6-5-4-2.  In the Italian-suited decks, there are no Queens, but instead a Cavallo (horse/knights) and the Jacks are Fante (or infantrymen).  Instead of clubs, spades, hearts, and diamonds, the Italian suits are batons, swords, cups, and coins.

Basic game play is straight-forward.  In the 2-, 3-, 4-, and 6-player games, everyone is dealt three cards (in the 3-player version, you must first remove one of the Two's from the deck for a total of 39 cards).  The top card of the draw pile is then turned up to determine trumps for that round and placed face up under the draw pile so that the suit is visible.  Play then proceeds counter-clockwise; so the player to the dealer's right begins by leading a card of his choice.  Subsequent players do not have to follow suit nor are they obligated to play trump, if possible, but instead may play any card.  The highest trump card, or if no trump is played then the highest card of the suit led, wins the trick.  Beginning with the winner of the trick, each player will now draw a card, bringing their hand back to three cards.  The winner of the previous trick leads to the next.  When the draw pile is exhausted (the last player to draw will receive the face up trump card at the bottom of the pile), play continues as normal without drawing new cards until all hands have been played.  Then each player counts the card points in their captured tricks as follows:

• Ace = 11 points
• Three = 10 points
• Re (King) = 4 points
• Cavallo (Queen) = 3 points
• Fante (Jack) = 2 points

The player or partnership that scores at least 61 card points (there are 120 points in the deck) earns one point for game. In a 3-player game, it is simply the player with the most card points that earns the game point.  Play typically continues over the course of several hands so that you may play to a set number, or best of 5, or best of 7, etc.  In the 4- and 6-player versions, you are partners either with the player sitting across from you (4 players) or the individuals sitting two spaces away from you on either side (6 players).

The 5-player version is slightly different.  In Briscola Chiamata (or Call Briscola), all players are dealt eight cards, so that there is no draw pile.  Then there is one round of bidding, beginning with the player to the dealer's right.  In one variation, players first bid the number of points they expect to win.  The highest bidder then gets to call one card of a particular suit which determines two things.  First, the called suit is trumps for that round.  Second, the holder of that card becomes the caller's partner for that round.  Play then proceeds as in normal Briscola (sans drawing new cards), with the called partner keeping his identity a secret until he plays the called card.  After all eight tricks have been played the caller and his partner must have earned at least the number of points originally bid.  The other bidding variation involves players calling for a specific card and suit, with the lowest card winning the bid.  That card determines both trumps and partners for the round, with the caller and his partner needing to win at least 61 card points.  In both variations, when successfully winning a bid hand, the caller earns 2 game points, his partner earns 1, and the other three lose 1 point each.  However, if unsuccessful, the caller loses 2 game points, his partner loses 1, and the other players each earn 1.

Triestine pattern - Coins

E for Everyone:

There are a lot of point trick taking card games.  Indeed, it is probably the most popular and commonly played genre throughout Europe and the Americas.  Briscola is a very nice primer to the family.  The freedom to play any card you wish without the requirement to follow suit is off-set by the fact that you only have three cards in your hand at any one time.  This creates a manageable situation in which kids can learn how to assess what they're able to win and lose, as well as analyze what they're willing to give away.  In all point trick taking games, there is generally a give-and-take whereby sacrificing a higher point card is worth it to save another of even lower value, especially if that lower card is trump.  Briscola's three-card hand limit and basic rules set really facilitate learning these strategies.

Triestine pattern - Batons

 As with all card games, keeping track of what has already been played influences a large part of your decisions.  The unique, three-card hand limit generally forces a cautious game early on as players maneuver to relinquish the lead and hesitate to risk losing high non-trump cards.  In other point trick taking games that require players to follow suit when able, the lead player is often able to coax opponents into playing cards they don't want to.  That degree of sophistication is not present in Briscola until later in the game (though there is a variant that you can play where following suit is required after the draw pile is exhausted).  This mechanic makes things more accessible for kids, however it may not appeal as much to seasoned card players.  Instead, you're either waiting for opportunities to win tricks with your non-trump point cards or decide when to sacrifice one with hopes of taking bigger prey in later tricks.  There is also essentially what amounts to a "mini-game" on the fourth to last trick as it is generally more advantageous to lose so that you get the last trump card for play in the final three tricks.

Probably the biggest appeal to Briscola is its scalability.  Sure, many card games can be altered to accommodate a number of player variations, but really are only fun when played by a specific number.  For example, you can play Cribbage with 3 or 4, but it was created with 2 players in mind.  Pitch shines a lot better with 4 or 5, despite rules allowing for 3.  Then there are numerous games like Hearts and Spades and Euchre designed for only 4.  Briscola really is just as smooth and fun with any number of players (though I have not played the 6-player version).  I enjoy the 5-player variant the best, but there is enough difference between them all as to keep things interesting and fresh.  And while you may prefer other card games when you have 4 players at hand, this is a superior option for those times when there is the odd number of people; or it is just you and another (and you don't have a cribbage board!).

Initially, the odd card ranking kept tripping up my kids because they forgot that Three's are ranked just below Ace's.  Now, it's just automatic for them, though I honestly can't pin down exactly how many plays it took to reach that point.  It is also helpful, I think, to introduce and teach the game to kids using the Italian cards as they already have presumptions based on earlier experiences with the A-K-Q-J structure of standard American cards.  Of course, there are other games with a similar ranking switch in the Ace-Ten family (e.g., Pinochle), where the Ten replaces the Three.  Briscola's ease of play makes it a nice choice to acclimate kids to that mechanic.  The other possible wrinkle to this Italian gem, ironically, is the open-ended card play.  Most other trick-taking games require players to follow suit and/or play a trump card.  With no such restriction here, an over-familiarity has led to some hesitation amongst my kids to try other trick taking games that have such limitations.  They are too comfortable with the freedom that Briscola gives.

Triestine pattern - Swords

For more authentic flavor, I did purchase some Italian playing cards, having to choose from sixteen different patterns!  The Triestine pattern seemed like it would be a little easier for the kids and I to get used to.  First of all, it has numbered indices, in case there is confusion over counting the number of swords or batons.  Second, the court cards are double-sided like those in a standard deck, whereas most of the other Italian cards have single standing portraits that force you to constantly flip them over so that they're standing upright!  And finally, the words "Re," "Caval," and "Fante," are printed in the center of the court cards to help distinguish each from the other.  I would not say that the Triestine pattern is the most aesthetically appealing, but it certainly seems the most practical for Americans learning to play with Italian decks.

Triestine pattern - Cups

There are several electronic implementations of Briscola.  For the iPhone or iPad, I recommend the La Briscola app.  Although it is two-player only, it is free and has all of the regional card decks available.  Likewise for the BTM Pro+ computer download.  Thanos has an excellent four-player version for free download.  The Pagat.com entry has a handful of other options for download or online versions of the game.

Okay, I'll Shut-Up Now:

Briscola strikes a wonderful balance between light, breezy social game and tense, strategic battle of wits.  This is a good one for children and beginners as it is easy to learn, simple to play, and having just the right card at just the right time serves as an equalizing measure of sorts.  However, a player with a keen memory, experience, and savvy partnership chemistry will have the overall advantage.  It is a good introduction for kids in the point trick taking genre, while Briscola Chiamata adds a bidding element which is common to many card games, as well.  And from an American perspective, the peculiar, Italian-suited cards add a little touch of the exotic to enhance the experience.

Board Game Review: Small World

Small World (Days of Wonder/Philippe Keyaerts, 2009)

2-5 players / 8 + / 60-90 Minutes

It was an empire to be feared!  A civilization to be envied!  A people to stay away from!  The great tribe of fortified trolls grew to legendary status.  Carving out a glorious realm, they stamped their footprint upon the land with ominous lairs and massive fortresses.  Only the foolish and desperate dared attack such formidable defenses.  The prestige and honor garnered by such accomplishments would resound throughout the rather smallish world.  Alas, it was not meant to be for eternity.  Stretched thin, even this mighty nation could no longer exert their authority.  Yet even though in somber decline, this once proud people's influence would be felt in their former haunts for many years to come.  Lo, instead, it was time for the rise of the...

...um...

...seafaring dwarves?

What You Get:

Appearance-wise, Small World should appeal very much to both the gaming and the casual crowd.  While there are no plastic miniatures to be found, there is a lot of extremely sturdy cardboard, all simple, colorful, and attractive.  These pieces are bright, the artwork is vibrant, and the rulebook is breezy.  There are two boards, both double-sided, each face used for a different number of players.  The coins (slash victory points) come in five denominations.  Various other tokens will denote "armies" and defensive impediments such as mountains, fortresses, and dragons, etc.  The last cardboard pieces to note, the heart of the game, are a set of banners identifying the many races available to choose from and another stack of badges to identify rule-breaking powers.  The race banners and power badges are cut so as to pair neatly together as each come up randomly for selection.  The artwork is light and humorous.  While decidedly on the whimsical side, it nonetheless thematically portrays many a familiar fantasy fare without being overly "geeky."  Everything is standard Euro business, but with a delightful panache.  A couple of final notes.  One, there is a very lightweight, wooden die with 1, 2, 3, or no pips on its faces.  And two, the box insert is extremely helpful and well-designed with even a plastic tray (and lid!) to keep all the race tokens organized and in place.  The tray's compartments are a bit small, however, for adult fingers.  But as I game mostly with my kids, it's not a problem - I just make them fish out the pieces!



Cardboard bits galore!

The Quick Rundown:

Like so many other civilizations in history, your goal in Small World is to earn the most victory points; all couched in terms of "conquer thy neighbor."  At the start of the game, 5 race banners and 5 power badges are randomly drawn from their separate decks and then matched together in order.  The player with the pointiest ears obviously goes first and can choose one of the 5 race/power combos on the table to begin.  However, there is one catch.  The first available race is free, but if you see a better race/power combo up the line, you have to pay one coin for each race you skip to avoid a guilt trip.  Those are placed on the people you just stiffed and will go to their eventual owner upon selection.  The banners/badges also specify the number of tokens of that race you receive; these are your "troops" which you'll send forth to subdue this world that is too small.  Warfare is simple math.  An empty region takes two of your race tokens to conquer, plus one more for each additional piece of cardboard occupying it.  Those impediments could be in the form of another player's tokens, or some other defensive obstruction such as mountains or encampments.  After all, everyone knows how stubborn cardboard can be.

Now, as is true of all war games not dealing with Napoleon, you're not just conquering territory for the sake of conquering territory.  No, instead, you want to capture regions that will score you points.  While occupying any old space will indeed earn you one victory point, your race's special ability and unique power will give you even more by going after certain areas or attacking in particular ways.  Each new turn, you'll pick up all of your tokens, less one per territory already owned, and spread the love again as best you can.  With so many race and defensive tokens lying about, the board will very soon be more crowded then my laundry room and you'll be out of men.  "Now what," you ask.  In that case, as has so inconveniently befallen many a great civilization, you will put your empire into decline and choose a new race/power combo to begin anew.  This mechanic was no doubt borrowed from Gibbon's "Cyclical History" thesis, which can apply to many other things such as politics, global warming, and dental hygiene.

E for Everyone:

The box's recommended age rating is spot on this time.  No question.  The rules are straight-forward.  Game play is simple.  The entire premise is so well formulated and accessible that young kids can grasp the fundamentals and play with little problem.  Yet, the unique abilities of each race and power combination afford the experienced gamer the opportunity to develop a bit of strategy.  Sure, it's not overly complex or extremely deep, but it is chess-like, your decisions do matter, and luck plays very little of a role.  Small World hits a sweet spot between making you think, yet not requiring in-depth analysis or fiddliness.  It's actually a very accommodating situation for parents to teach beginner's strategy to their children.  My own kids can compete on relatively equal footing with me.

 

The wizards need 5 tokens to defeat the
2 dwarves defending the mountain - just enough!

The variability of the racial and power combinations is Small World's greatest strength.  I mean really, a game about taking over cardboard tokens with 1 extra cardboard token, ad nauseum, would quickly get old.  Instead, you'll need to leverage the particular traits of race/powers as they become available.  When some one selects a combination, it is replaced by another random pair from the stacks.  This mechanic leads to a great deal of replayability, not to mention some ironic pairings such as stout elves, flying humans, heroic ratmen, and commando halflings.  All of these traits provide different bonuses.  You might earn more points by owning specific terrain, or be able to attack with less tokens under certain conditions, or build better defenses, to name but a few.

Some gamers may balk at the direct confrontation; but again, your race's characteristics and special powers will encourage you to go after specific land targets or situations, not necessarily individual players.  This means that the belligerency is not as personalized.  Sure, there are times you'll want to target another to check his growing empire; but by the time you do, he's already earned his points for those lands, therefore it's not a central strategy.  So unless you just want to be a jerk or you like ocean views, you're not going to conquer any old territory willy-nilly.  Instead, you're going to take advantage of your race's particular capabilities and invade areas that will maximize your points in doing so.  The most efficient engine will win; there's very little room for any meta-game.  Also, despite the contentious nature, there is no player elimination.  First off, you will generally loose only one race token each time another player takes over one of your territories.  Anyone else so ingloriously evicted you simply redeploy to other territories after the current player's turn.  Second of all, if you do become too weak (and you will eventually, by design) you simply put that floundering race in decline and grab another.



The race tokens.

The spite factor is also softened by the humorous feel of the game's design and illustrations.  A variety of familiar, and not-so-familiar, fantasy creatures are artfully rendered to appeal to non-geeks.  At the same time, they're not so irreverently done so as to be completely offensive to what fans of Lord of the Rings have come to know and love.  It's difficult to get too upset when those prancing elves, ale-swilling dwarves, and cowboy skeletons march through your lands.  Besides, you can just liberate them again with your bikini-clad amazons or your sorcerers that look like Vincent Price.



Some combos make sense (top).
Others? Eh, not so much (bottom)!

Small World does include one wee element of chance.  On the final invasion of each turn, you often lack the required +1 number of tokens needed to conquer a territory.  In that case, you may roll the reinforcement die and add the number of pips to your leftover tokens.  If the two together are enough to successfully invade, then you get that space at a bargain rate.  Individual turns are relatively quick, although there will be some downtime in 4-5 player games.  A full game will go no more than 8-10 rounds, providing a nice end-goal that is in sight.  Overall, our own sessions run a tad over an hour with five players.  It also scales very well between 2-5 people because of the different board configurations and the fact that victory points are kept hidden.  However, we tend to prefer the chaos generated by 3 or more.  There are several small expansions to this base game, plus a very recent Small World Underground release that can be played alone or in conjunction with the original game.  So if you're really into that, you can keep adding variety until your heart's content or your wallet's empty.

Okay, I'll Shut-Up Now:

Personally, I rate Small World a 9 on the BoardGameGeek scale (Excellent game. Always want to play it.).  It is light, easy to learn, fun to play, pretty to look at, changes every time, and provides a variety of useful choices - which all adds up to an extremely accessible title that kids, casual gamers, and hobby enthusiasts can all enjoy together.

Card Game Review: Whist

Whist (unknown / 17th Century)

4 players / 8 + / 30-45 minutes


"Hey, kids, I'm going to teach you all a new card game. It's really simple. You deal out the whole deck and you work with a partner. Each round you play a card and the highest card wins that round, with one suit always beating the other three. The team that wins the most rounds earns points until one team wins a total of seven points for the game."


"Sounds easy, what's it called?"


"Whist!"


"Whist? Why do they call it that?"


"Well, whist means 'quiet,' and a long time ago you couldn't talk during the game and it required a lot of silent strategy."


"Um, you can't talk at all? I don't think I can do that, dad."


*sigh*  "Yeah, tell me about it."


The Quick Rundown:

Whist is a classic and elegant trick-taking game played with a standard 52-card pack (13 cards ranked A-K-Q-J-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2 in four suits of Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, and Spades).  For the slightly more complex variation, Bid Whist, you can throw in one or both Jokers.  In Classic Whist, you sit across the table from your partner and everyone begins with 13 cards, so that the entire deck is dealt.  The last card, which belongs to the dealer, is turned up to determine trumps - that is, which suit will supersede the other three for that hand.  Then the player to the left of the dealer begins by leading any card.  Each successive player must play a card of the same suit that is led, if they have one, otherwise they may play a trump or any other card. The highest trump card or, if no trump was played, the highest card of the suit led, wins the trick - that is, the four cards played that round.  The winner of a trick leads to the next one.  After all 13 tricks have been played, the team with the most tricks scores 1 point for each trick that they own over 6.  So, for example, a team that won 8 tricks would score 2 points.  Traditionally the first team to earn a total of 5 or 9 points wins the game.  We play to 7 points, which seems to be the popular choice in the U.S.


Replica of 17th century English deck
when Whist was on the rise.


Bid Whist is played mechanically the same, but adds some sophisticated twists.  First, only 12 cards are dealt to each player.  This will leave some left over, called the kitty.  Depending on whether you play with a Joker or two, the kitty will have 4-6 cards.  Then, instead of establishing trump randomly with the last card of the deck, players will bid on trump by first declaring how many tricks they think they can capture in excess of 6.  Hardcore Whist players will insist on a minimum bid of 3, which means you need to take a total of 9 tricks.  But for casual play, any bid from 1-7 is fine; unless another player outbids you, of course!  At the time of your bid, you will also declare whether you will name a trump suit with high cards winning tricks as normal (called uptown), or name a trump suit with low cards winning tricks (called downtown), or even play without trumps.  In uptown or downtown bids, the two Jokers (one designated big, one small) and the Ace are still the top three cards.  Downtown bids out-rank uptown bids.  In the case of a no trump bid, the Jokers essentially become worthless and the Ace is high followed by the King on down, as traditional.  The winning bidder will then name the trump suit, if declaring uptown or downtown, and can exchange cards with the kitty, keeping the unwanted cards aside which actually count as the first trick.  Play proceeds as in Classic Whist, bearing in mind that downtown and no trump bids change how tricks are won.  If the bidder's team is successful in winning the number of tricks declared more more, then they score as normal.  If they do not make their bid, they lose that number of points.  While there are many variations on scoring, generally the winning team is the first to earn 7 points, or set their opponents back a total of negative 7 points.

E for Everyone:

Charles Cotton summed up this classic, trick-taking game's family friendliness in The Compleat Gamester (1674) : "Ruff and Honors (alias Slamm) and Whist, are Games so commonly known in England, in all parts thereof, that every Child of Eight Years old, hath a competent knowledge in that recreation."  While perhaps not as commonly known today in the United States, it would be no difficult task for a child of eight years old to develop a compentent knowledge of this recreation.

Whist began life as a crude game for common folk,
but eventually gained "respectability."

As in all styles of card games, a large number of Whist variations exist.  To explore these, I recommend visiting the Whist entry on the definitive Pagat.com site.  If you have some experience with any of them, I'd love to hear your thoughts.  The two versions explained above comprise the Whist group's core concepts which will give kids and new gamers the basics.  Classic Whist familiarizes kids with the notions of card rankings, suits, trump, and partnerships which are near universal characteristics in card gaming in one combination or another.  Rules are light and play is straight-forward.  While this simplicity may offer lighter strategic fare for the gaming connoisseur, it is ideal in teaching kids and new gamers the rudiments of partnership play: analyzing your long and short suits to proper effect, when to feed your partner, what to lead and when, and remembering what's already been played.  Simple mechanics and an analytical nature combine to offer a solid first plunge into trick-taking, without drowning a child in a pool of complexity.

Bid Whist retains the majority of that classicality while adding two new common attributes of card gaming: bidding and alternate trick-taking.  In bidding games, learning both to take advantage of those "lucky" hands and risking a bold move with a less fortuitous deal is a good part of card gaming's charm.  In a plain trick-taking game like Whist, the bidding process is more elemental.  In point trick-taking games, one has to be concerned with calculating on how to capture X number of cards/points.  The plainer task of winning a set number of rounds is more manageable for new players.  Additionally, Bid Whist is a good example of illustrating that not all tricks are as they seem across the card gaming universe.  With the option of downtown bidding, the card rankings reverse in order from the traditional understanding of Ace/King and on down to Deuce.  This simple flip is a bit easier to grasp when contrasted with some unique ranking switches as in Jack-high games (like Euchre), ones with off-trumps (like Pitch), and the Ace-Ten family (like Pinochle), as well as a variety of odd combinations in many European games.

Okay, I'll Shut-Up Now:

While historians doubt its originality and it is often difficult to trace concrete roots between games, Whist nonetheless is essentially the grandfather of innumerable modern, trick-tacking games.  As so, it is a smooth introduction for children to this particular world of card games.  Without over-complicating things, Bid Whist is an effective companion to then teach them a number of additional mechanics that will apply in a variety of games so that they may explore the genre further.

PnP Game Review: Battle of Marignano

Battle of Marignano (Paperworlds/Alex Kremer, 2005)

2 players / 10+ / 30 minutes

A general danced to and fro on horseback in front of the massed formations of pikemen ready for battle.  He saw the doubt and fear in their eyes as the gazed across the plains at gleaming barrels of the enemy's canon.  "Sons of Switzerland, I am Mattheus Schiner."

 

A young soldier in the front ranks sneered with doubt, "Mattheus Schiner is 7 feet tall.  And a Cardinal."

 

Spinning around in response, "Yes, I've heard.  Kills men by the hundreds, and if he were here he'd consume the French with cheeseballs from his eyes and bolts of army knives from his behind.  And, anyhow, haven't you ever heard of warrior monks?  I AM Mattheus Schiner.  And I see a whole army of my countrymen here in defiance of Frenchery.  You have come to fight as free men to defend our cheese, and free men you are. What would you do without cheese?  Will you fight?"

The timid soldier shook his head, "Fight?  Against that?  No, we will run;  and we will make watches."

The general's resolve stiffened.  "Aye, fight and you may die. Run and you'll make watches - at least a while. And dying in your workshop, dressed in your funny tights, many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days, from this day to that, for one chance, JUST ONE chance to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take our CHEESE!!!"

What You Get:

You won't use all of the Swiss counters in one game.

Is what you put into it.  A bit of a different review for this print-and-play game.  First, you have to download and print the image files found here.  There is only one page of counters, a one page map, and rules.  The counters are quaintly illustrated, but a little graphically crowded so that some are difficult to read.  The map is plain and simple, but then so was the real battlefield.  I pasted the counter sheet and map on 1/16 inch cardboard. Certainly not the sturdiest, but enough to pick up and provide some dimension.  I then cut it all with a straight edge and box knife.  There are also a number of plain, white counters labeled "R" and "D" to mark a unit that is reduced or disorganized.  Hey, it's definitely worth what you pay for!  A special note about the rules: while they could really benefit from some editing, they cover the necessities - even including a few illustrated examples.  And there is a substantial treatment of the historical battle which was fascinating and provided a great, thematic framework for game play.  Unfortunately, the rules are fairly ho-hum on the end game victory conditions: either destroy or force off the map all enemy units, admit defeat, or play for 30-40 turns.  Um, okay...

The Quick Rundown:

The French Cheese Invaders!

Battle of Marignano gamely recreates the climactic engagement between the French and the Swiss (yes, the Swiss) in one of the Italian Wars' many phases.  The year is 1515.  The French, as well as other European powers, have had a history of being bullied by the big, bad Swiss (yes, the Swiss).  It seems that the not-so-neutral-at-this-time Alpine power had managed quite the anachronistic military machine composed entirely of formidable phalanxes of pikemen.  These well-trained, lightly-armed, democratically-inclined volunteers with their 16 foot pikes and tight formations made quick meat of enemy infantry and brushed aside heavy cavalry as so many gnats.  They finally met their match at Marignano, however, partly because of their over-confidence even though outnumbered almost 2-1, but mostly because the Frenchies had nearly 200 bronze canon.  Artillery doesn't mind tight formations; in fact, it much prefers them!  The defeat was so resounding that it convinced the little confederacy of yodelers that maybe banking was safer.  Therefore, they officially adopted neutrality, except for in supplying mercenary units since other kings highly sought after the military prowess of the Swiss (yes, the Swiss).

Kremer's light game models the historical battle very well.  Instead of familiar hexes that many war gamers know and love, the map is composed of squares.  Each unit can move a specified number and engage the enemy when in range: eight spaces for canon, three for crossbowmen, and toe-to-toe for infantry.  The Swiss army is composed almost entirely of menacing pikemen.  The French have better guns and more of them, plus a nice contingent of cavalry.  Fighting is resolved by basic Combat Result Tables as determined by 1d6 and various modifiers.  Battle ebbs and flows as desired until you meet one of the ambiguous victory conditions or have to replace the battery in your watch.

E for Everyone:

Marignano is a light war game covering a very unique period with a lot to offer new and young war gamers.  Want to know if your kids are interested in and ready for a war game but hesitate to spend too much money on even the simplest of titles to find out?  Well, is "free" cheap enough for you?!  This game is perfect in introducing time-honored war gaming concepts, basics, and lingo.  You have counters (albeit not on the more common hexes), limited movement, combined arms, ranged attacks, zones-of-control, disorder, CRTs, facing, flanking, various combat modifiers, and to a lesser extent, terrain.  These are core principles of war gaming writ simple.  Especially for ancient to pre-modern war gaming.  Therefore, even if your child proves lukewarm to the genre, he/she will have little problem learning the standards of it with this title.  At the moment, my kids grasp the game play and enjoy the tactical thinking.  They ask for it as, "Can we play that game you glued together!"

Initial set-up.

More than just the basics, Marignano also introduces the concept of variable strategy based upon historically derived factors relevant to the battle portrayed.  This is another common denominator across the war gaming hobby.  Essentially your play is determined largely by which side you choose.  As the Swiss, you must close with your enemy - and close fast.  First, because your superior infantry are more numerous and simply fight better.  Second, when cannon and crossbowmen fire on any unit already engaged face-to-face with another, there is a 50/50 chance of friendly fire.  This rule is far more favorable to the Swiss, who have only one artillery unit and no crossbowmen, yet are constantly subject to the numerous French guns.  As the French, you need to bring your deadly canon to bear as effectively as possible, and hold on until the cavalry arrives - literally.  These reinforcements tip the numbers in the Gauls' favor - and with fast moving troops to get around the flanks and cause disruption.

Ironically, this little war game also introduces some of the drawbacks in the genre that turn off many gamers.  First, it is very fiddly, even for a game with less than 50 unit counters.  Aside from the normal pushing and lifting of small counters, Marignano adds the stacking of additional chits to mark disorganized and reduced units.  Since it takes four reduced markers to eliminate a unit, you can easily accumulate a good number of cluttered stacks spread about a small circumference of the map where most of the action is taking place.  On a humorous note, this is not as major an issue with children, as they have smaller fingers to manipulate the tiny counters!  Game length is also often a turn-off in war gaming and, while not an all-day affair like many of it's bigger brothers, Marignano is still a bit long for what it is.  If one side were to concede victory after a dozen rounds, then perhaps the 30 minute length is feasible.  However, that is a very optimistic, though misleading, suggestion.  One final, seedy characteristic of the genre to note is the dice.  There is a luck element.  It can be mitigated to a degree by using your particular strengths effectively.  Small consolation when your guns can't hit the broad side of a barn.

The French guns (bottom) must fire with care on the Swiss engaged with their own infantry.

 Okay, I'll Shut Up Now:

Personally, I rate Battle of Marignano a 6 on the Board Game Geek scale (OK game, some fun or challenge at least, will play sporadically if in the right mood.).  If it weren't for it's introductory nature which will limit the desire to revisit this title, I'd go a number higher.  Still, this nice concept serves an underrated purpose: it is a light and simple experience that will introduce young war gamers to fundamental aspects in the wider world of war gaming.  Can you buy a more polished game that serves as a nice gateway into the niche?  Sure.  Manoeuvre does many of the same things in a simple manner, too.  If you already own or have access to the game, then great!  But if you don't, Marignano is a free taste test which could prove worth the effort for your kid(s) to print and assemble.

Board Game Review: Cyclades

Cyclades (Matagot or Asmodee/Bruno Cathala & Ludovic Maublanc, 2009)

2-5 players / 13 + / 60-75 minutes

The gravel crunched beneath my shifting sandals as I stood on the shore gazing out on the horizon.  An ominous fleet stretched as far as I could see.  The invasion was surely coming.

"So, Phaedrus," I said quietly to the austere priest beside me, "what say the oracles from the gods?"

"Well, my king," he replied reverently, "we cannot hope for the favor of Ares or Poseidon, so I'm afraid our forces are at the enemy's mercy.  We cannot prevent his landing.  But perhaps," he paused, looking out toward the vast sea.

"Yes?"

"We can win Athena's love and so be blessed with time."

"Time," I responded inquisitively.  "What do you mean?"

"She will favor us in these days of Ares' sloth, presenting us an opportunity for our priests to summon a titan that still strikes fear even in the gods themselves.  We can destroy the enemy's fleet before he can launch his invasion."

"Very well, then," I ordered defiantly.  "Release the Kraken!"

 What You Get:

Unique men and boats for all.

Part of me thinks these guys are just showing off.  I mean, for $60 MSRP, this game should be entry #1 under "How to Make Components" in the Board Gaming Encyclopedia.  The board comes in two halves, both double-sided in order to create four combinations scaled to the number of players.  A third board tracks deities and turn order, and all three are quite solid.  The five sets of army/navy figures have separate molds so that each player owns unique infantry and triremes.  All of the cardboard tokens are sturdy and the coins intentionally cut slightly misshapen - a simple, yet tremendous thematic touch. The slick cards are just a wee bit better quality than a standard poker deck.  The pair of custom dice are indented and marbled, with rounded corners, and of a good, solid weight.  The deity tiles will stand up to repeated shuffling, as required.  And there are five mythological creature miniatures of such detail that they almost seem out-of-place in a board game - not that we are complaining (my kids love them)!  However, on average, miniature gamers are probably more suited than board gamers to exploit their true potential with paint.  Finally, the artwork and design layout is stunning all around - other than the use of Kenny Rogers as a model for the philosopher.  I'm no art historian, but the evocative and mystical beauty here seems to be a creation of Miguel Coimbra's familiar contemporary expressiveness mixed in with a classic Greco-Roman style.  On a family friendly note, it also happily avoids suggestive and unnecessary sensuality - a trait unfortunately not adopted in the new Hades expansion.

My apologies for the picture quality - it doesn't do them justice.

The Quick Rundown:

Swag offered by the gods.

The goal in Cyclades is to own two metropolises.  You can construct these through purchasing four unique buildings, which add up to one big city; or by collecting four philosophers, who somehow inspire the creation of such urban sprawl with all their hot air; or through military conquest, whereby you simply take one the old-fashioned way.  The heart of the game lies in an auction that opens every round.  In these auctions, you bid for the blessings of four different gods who each provide disparate benefits.  If an opponent makes a higher offering to a god whom you already bid for, you must make an offering to a new deity.  If yet another player out-bids you for that one, then you're allowed to return to your original choice as long as you increase the offering, thus sending that player groveling to another deity.  And so on until everyone is happy with their choice or too broke to do anything about it.  The gods also appear in random order every round (if you've seen Clash of the Titans, you know how utterly unpredictable they can be), so turn order is variable, depending on who secured which deity's favor.  If you want to build up your army and attack, you must secure the favor of Ares.  If you want to build up your navy and and sail around, you must bribe Poseidon.  If you want priests and temples to give you discounts on offerings and creatures, you must grease Zeus' palms.  If you want to build your metropolises through grandiose philosophizing, you'll need to flatter Athena.  Then there's Apollo - who is so easy to appease that he's free (and always last) - if you want to kick back and rest, or can't afford to out-bid other players.  Mythological creatures randomly appear to throw interesting and pesky options at anyone with the opportunity, and the gold, to pick one up and use their special powers.

E for Everyone:

I am quite puzzled at the 13+ recommended age rating.  While strategy games are more optimally suited for adults and older teens, Cyclades is fairly straight-forward, rules-wise.  No, I'm not saying a fifth-grader will destroy a retired grognard.  But the options and chrome in this title are much more manageable than other games.  That might be part of the perception.  Despite the super cool dudes on a map, don't think for a minute this is standard Ameritrash fare.

The psychological war waged in the gods auction is the meat of the game and this grows in intensity as the game crescendos to its conclusion.  In essence, you are competing for both turn order and role selection by trying to out-bid the other players.  This creates a couple of layers to what would otherwise be a generic auction mechanic.  First, you have to consider the turn order in addition to your desired god or goddess.  The favors granted to you by appeasing a particular deity may be offset by going third or fourth in turn order.  Second, you need to weigh the need of accomplishing your own goals verses hindering another's.  Perhaps you'd like to go after Poseidon to position your fleet for a future invasion, but who cares when your enemy is sitting there ready to grab Athena and her philosophers to build a second metropolis for the win.  All information is available, except for how much gold each player owns, so you know exactly what each player needs to complete their second metropolis.  Therefore, a guessing game ensues in trying to figure out if your opponent has enough money for their offering, as well as to pay for the required resource(s) necessary for the victory.  Then on top of all that, you'll need to consider who the next beneficiary will be in all that maneuvering!

What's with the Apache and Kenny Rogers?

At first, some gamers might be disgruntled that you are limited to particular actions based on which deity you acquire.  Being prohibited from attacking just because you're out-bid for Ares can be frustrating.  But each god and goddess has benefits.  If other players are out for blood with Ares or Poseidon, you can sit back with Athena and collect philosophers in order to complete a metropolis.  If bidding wars are driving up offerings higher than the price of gas, grab Zeus to nab some priests which give you discounts on your bids.  And if you find that you simply can't grab the deity you need at the right time, keep an eye out for a mythological creature that might give you an opportunity otherwise not available.  Even if you have to settle on Apollo, you at least get to save your money while increasing your future prosperity.  Indeed, it is very likely you'll go running his way by choice at least once per game!

There are some other finer points regarding kid appropriateness.  Elimination is not an issue since you cannot attack a player's sole remaining island unless successfully capturing it will earn you victory.  If you own only one island, Apollo gives you more gold to help combat the "weak get weaker" problem.  Battles are resolved quickly and simply - they reward good strategy and favor the stronger side, yet add dice rolls to give the weaker army a puncher's chance (unless outnumbered greater than 3-1).  After the auction round, downtime is minimal and sometimes nearly non-existent.  There are no victory points to gloat over in this one, but the two-metropolis win condition will usually keep this game to around 60-90 minutes.

One metropolis (top).

On the slightly negative side, there can be some irritable moments over losing bids if members of your group are sensitive to frequent interaction.  Some gamers might have issue with the numerous icons used to indicate the various powers of the gods and mythological creatures.  They're splayed all over each player's aid screen and can be confusing at first.  Most adults will have them memorized after a few games while it should only take kids, on the other-hand, a few turns!  The only potentially major issue with the game is analysis paralysis.  As god selection and open information become critical to the end-game, it can very much devolve into a thinker's chess match.  Although you're not allowed to trade any resources, the rulebook says nothing against alliances.  It is probably best to implement a rule prohibiting the free and open discussion of mutual strategy.  There is already a natural "gang up on the leader" element toward the end, but discouraging mutual planning to a degree not only increases the end-game tension, but will keep the game from dragging.  That's purely optional, of course.

Okay, I'll Shut Up Now:

In the end, I give Cyclades a 9 on the Board Game Geek scale (Excellent game. Always want to play it).  The auctions create a tense, mini meta-game in which you need to balance how to achieve your own goals while thwarting your opponents' strategies.  Kids will learn how to make the best choice available when often presented with limited options.  After all offerings are resolved, game play is smooth and quick.  Conflict plays an important part, yet is not overwhelming.  Luck is mitigated by the deity roles and well-timed planning.  And it does not overstay its welcome.  Cyclades is a unique and highly thematic title seamlessly blending Ameritrash and Euro game elements.