Thursday, July 02, 2009

Race for the Galaxy

Sometimes you come across a game you really like. Recently I came across Race for the Galaxy by designer Tom Lehmann. This card game has many interesting aspects. There is a big element of luck which makes the game fun for everyone, even without much knowledge about the game you can score well. But, at the same time skill play a significant role, actually to such an extent that an experienced player would win with high frequency. The game mechanics also makes the game distinguish itself from the competition. Simultaneous action is used. This make the game flow very fast as players feel they are involved all the time.

The nice space theme is also very tastefully carried over to the art on the cards. Don't be daunted by all the symbols, they are cleverly designed , once you get their meaning you never have to check the rules again.

Another good thing is that the game can be played in multiplayer mode without getting the frustrating feeling that your nicely crafted strategy is muted by an inexperienced player. The interaction between the players is very intricate. This is an effect of the hidden action choosing mechanism. You have to choose your actions for each round in such a way as it benefits you but not the other players. The most obvious action for you could be just too beneficial for the others depending on their cards so you just have to choose something else and hoping to be able to leach of the others choices.

Finding players to play with could be tough but recently this online site that offers good games has come to life. Here you can familiarize yourself with the game in solo mode and then try your skills with people from all over the world just from within your browser. Happy gaming.