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DAS GOLD DER INKA

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Author: Harald Lieske

Publisher:
QUEEN GAMES 2005

Awards: none

EVALUATION

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G@mebox author Ralf Togler writes about the game :

Das Gold der Inka is somehow unusual in the Queen Games range of games. It is a truly tactical game, very easy to learn and without the typical features of modern games like bidding and several tasks. I guess it will fill people with enthusiasm who like classic games like Backgammon. The game totally depends on the actions of your opponents without any major elements of luckin the game. The background could be set anywhere but the chosen story fits to the game quite well.

On the hunt for the gold of the Inkas, the players find themselves in the middle of a temple. Each player tries be the first to find his treasure (there are different treasures for all players) and then to escape through an exit of the temple. But that is not as easy as it seems to be. The floor of the temple has a lot of abysses and walls and snakes prevent the players to move freely through the temple.

Lucky enough, there are 13 rhombic floor tiles that can be moved by the players to overcome the abysses. But beware these tiles can also be used to make it more difficult for other players to reach their treasures, because there are often walls and snakes on these tiles, too. So in their turns the player always have to decide whether to block their opponents or to make their own way a little bit more comfortable by moving or twisting up to three floor tiles. Each moving or twisting of an element costs one action point.

After this phase, the player in turn may move his piece over the board freely as long as he does not move through walls or over abysses. The crossing of a snake costs one additional action point, which must be take into account in the earlier phase of moving floor tiles, as each player only has three action points in a round. At the end of his round the player may additionally place a blockade stone to prevent opponents from moving and twisting floor tiles.

When a player has found the last of his three treasures, he tries to reach one of the exits on the edge of the board. This can become a difficult task because now all other players try to prevent this by blocking the player.

In my opinion Das Gold der Inka is a successful new game from Queen Games. It does not really fit in the line of Alhambra and the other games from the publisher, but could be some kind of new entry in a line of easier, very tactical games that are especially interesting for the growing number of middle-aged players. The game can be played by 2-4 players. With two players the gameplay is often concentrated on finding the best way to the treasures, with three and especially with four players there usually is much more blocking in the game. Especially if one player rules the game, the rest of the players often pledge an alliance and it becomes very difficult to end the game.


Looking for this game? Visit Funagain Games!


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Copyright © 2006 Frank Schulte-Kulkmann, Essen, Germany