Incan Gold Quest for Riches in the Ruins Review
Playing games with kids can be a drag. You lot take to put upwards with the tantrums. You have to spend lots of time explaining and correcting. And, worst of all, most games for kids are merely not fun for adults to play. Uno? Life? Even Clue? No thanks. This was primarily my reasoning behind trying Incan Gold, a 3-8 player party game based on Diamant (and this video review was what sealed the deal—those kids are bully salespeople). I wanted a game to play with my niece and nephew that the adults could play without wanting to hook their brains out afterward. I just wasn't expecting to play Incan Gold so much when only adults were present.
How It Works
Incan Gilt is a printing-your-luck game in the Gryphon Bookshelf Series. The game comes with a tent for each player, a deck of tunnel cards, 5 cards to go on rails of which round is being played, gems (the treasure!), and a set up of decision cards for each player—ane signifying explore further, the other return to campsite.
In the deck of tunnel cards, in that location are xv treasure cards (numbered from i to 17) and fifteen hazard cards (three each of 5 different hazards), and one artifact card is added in each round. Because of this, the probability is pretty even between a hazard or a treasure turning up when a card is added to the tunnel.
Each plough, players secretly select whether they will explore further or go back to camp, then all players reveal their decision simultaneously. Tunnel cards are turned upwardly one at a time after players take decided to get out or stay. Players who leave split the treasure leftover on each prior tunnel card and are out for the remainder of the round, but their treasure is safe (can be put under their tents). If the card is a treasure, the number of gems on the card is carve up evenly among players still in the tunnel, with the remainder existence placed on the bill of fare. If the card is a take a chance, if it is the kickoff of its type, it means nothing. Just if it is the 2d hazard of a type, the tunnel collapses, and all players still in the tunnel lose all their treasure from the round. And so play moves to the next round.
Whenever a histrion or players go dorsum to army camp, whoever leaves splits the treasure on each card as evenly equally possible, once more, leaving any remainder on the menu. Antiquity cards are worth v or ten treasure each, only they can only exist taken if a person leaves the tunnel lone; they cannot exist split. Whoever has the well-nigh gems at the stop of five rounds wins.
Explore Further, or Return to Military camp?
What I like about Incan Gold is its simplicity. The rulebook is four pocket-size pages, and it takes less than 5 minutes to teach. There is no in-game text bated from the numbers on the treasure cards, and each turn involves a binary decision: press on farther in the temple for the possibility of greater treasure or return to military camp, securing your winnings. Because of this simplicity, it is a game that kids tin easily join (and win), and it makes a dandy experience for the whole family. In that location is some amount of reading other players, especially where artifact cards are concerned, that provides an added layer of interest for the adults. Because players can only take artifacts if they leave the temple alone, they have to estimate when to leave (and if they misguess, another actor may have it).
I also like that over other press-your-luck games, specifically dice-based ones, every role player plays at all times. There is very little downwards time unless you get out very early, which happened to my niece, and while she whined about it and was nigh tears, she was back in the game three minutes later. The game also builds good tension. The theme is strong, and I, at to the lowest degree, feel like Indiana Jones when I'chiliad playing—always a good matter. I like that this lite party game gets and keeps everyone involved.
That being said, Incan Golden'due south greatest strength—its simplicity—is besides its greatest weakness. Because the game is simple, information technology cannot sustain extended play (which tin can be said for virtually low-cal party games, depending on your group). I enjoy it whenever I play this game, but it feels somehow unfulfilling, especially when playing with a group of adults. On the other manus, I have never played just one, or even two or 3, games of Incan Gold in a sitting. It's easy to play four or five games without giving a second idea. Information technology is a fast and fun game, and it leaves the players itching for more (particularly if they lost). Information technology'southward a good appetizer for other, meatier games, and it serves as a good game to loosen people up to have fun. It has besides gone over well with almost every group I've always brought it to (particularly in family settings).
One of the problems @Futurewolfie had with Incan Golden in his few plays was its seeming advantage for cowardly players. To him it seemed that those who returned to camp got the greatest rewards while those who pressed on often returned to camp empty handed. This is a just criticism of the larger game–we played with the full eight players the night he tried it–but this hasn't been my experience since in smaller games. Patently when more players are playing, each player gets a smaller cut of each treasure card, and the hazards practise turn up sooner than you'd like. We remedied this in the 2nd game we played by removing i of each hazard, stacking the deck in the players' favor, and information technology worked well this manner with eight players. In 4-6 player games, though, I think the game is fine as is. The gameplay, in my stance, is optimum with 5-six players.
The components of this game are high quality, though the cards started showing wear subsequently just a few plays. The gems are an awesome thematic touch, as are the tent cards, which fold out to get actual tents. In general, I can't give enough praise to the bookshelf serial from Gryphon: the games are accessible, look good, and generally attract my friends and family to want to play them. Incan Gold is no exception (and For Sale is the best filler game I've played).
I'm not very adept at Incan Gold, merely it is still fun even when I lose, which I consider the mark of a skilful game. Incan Gold can vesture out its welcome when it is the main entree of a game dark, and it isn't great if yous're looking for a strategy-intensive game, or even a game that will proceed people occupied for hours. Simply information technology is excellent when used for what it is, and if you're looking for an ice-breaking, simple diversion, a gateway into deeper games, or a game to be played with kids that adults tin can also relish, you can't do much ameliorate than Incan Gold.
A version of this review originally appeared on Tongue Fried Goat.
Summary
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Rating
Summary
Pros
- First-class filler
- Proficient game to play with kids
- Fun even when you lot lose
- Great theme and components
Cons:
- Wont sustain extended play
Good
Source: https://islaythedragon.com/game-reviews/quest-for-riches-in-the-ruins-a-review-of-incan-gold/
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