Jules Verne's novel Around the World in 80 Days was one of my favorite books as a child - another novel of excitement from one of the greatest writers of all times. A few movies (travesties, really) and other pop culture have all gotten their inspiration from the books, and one of the latest is a game by the same name, Around the World in 80 Days (Rio Grande Games, 2004 - Michael Rieneck). In this game, players are attempting to recreate Mr. Fogg's famous trip faster than 80 days. A very interesting premise, but how's the game?

Frankly, I don't know why this game hasn't gotten more praise. It's simply one of the best introductory games I have ever played; and the theme, while a bit odd in its execution occasionally, works well with the game. Choices are simple yet have impact. Players feel like they are in a race; there are rewards for both the fastest and slowest player, and it's usually a tight game to the finish. I really think it's a brilliant design and feels different than most other games I've played - not only in theme, but in how the mechanics are implemented. The fact that it easily accommodates up to six players is but icing on the cake.

The game takes place in ten locations around the world, starting and ending in London. Next to each location, a random red and blue bonus chip is placed, and each player is given a game figure (placed on London), a time marker (placed on a time track), and a betting slip of their color. A detective pawn is placed in Brindisi (the second stop after London), a deck of event cards is placed on the board, and each player is given one gold coin and three travel cards from a deck. Finally, one player is chosen to go first and takes the starting player marker, beginning the first round.

In each round, a travel card is placed face up next to four to six of the spaces on an action track, depending on the number of players. On a player's turn they take one of the travel cards and then get to execute the action that is directly above that travel card. The actions available are:
- Receive one gold coin.
- Use a balloon when traveling this turn.
- Take the top event card into one's hand.
- Move the detective to any place except London.
- Take the starting player marker.
- Trade up to three travel cards with the face down pile.

The player then may travel to the next destination. Each travel card shows either a train or a boat and a number from two to eight. One or more of either or both types of transportation are required to move from one spot to the next. For example, if I want to move from San Francisco to New York, I have to play two train cards. The value of the card(s) played is the total amount of days traveled, and the player's time marker is moved that many spaces accordingly. If a player plays two cards that are exactly the same (type and number) when traveling, the values are not added but count as one card for traveling purposes. Players may also use the "balloon", which allows them to roll one six-sided die instead of using the number on one of their travel cards. Players may spend a gold coin to re-roll the die. Once a player has played their cards and moved their time marker, they move their pawn to the next destination. If a player is the first player to a destination, they get to take the action on the red bonus chip; the last player to a destination takes the blue chip action. The actions are:
- Take a gold coin
- Take a travel card.
- Take an event card.
- All opponents must move their time markers one space.

The player then checks to see if the detective is in their spot, and if so, must add two days to their time. Players must also discard down to six travel cards if they have more. The next player takes their turn, until all players have taken a turn, and then the next round begins.

There are a few other rules in the game, mostly concerning the event cards and traveling to Calcutta (in which players can use an elephant). Once one player reaches London, each player must add one day to their time for every turn until they reach London, where they place their betting slip. Once all but one player have reached London, then the amount of days used by each player is compared. The player who used the fewest days (and reached London) is the winner, provided they used less than 80 days. If all players used 80 days, then the first player to London wins!

Some comments on the game…

1.) Components: The board, cards, and box all have artwork that helps graphically show the turn of the century period the game is set in, and everything, especially the pocket watch starting piece, helps promote this end. The cards are of good quality and, while small, are easy to shuffle and utilize. The player pieces are wooden figures, which I liked, and the coins and bonus tokens are small cardboard tokens (the bonus tokens are perhaps too small). Everything fits inside a generic plastic insert (I used plastic bags) inside a large square box.

2.) Rules: The rules are on four large pages with color illustrations and detailed explanations of each part of the rules, including a variant for two players. When explaining the game, some people are a little confused at first, but I found that playing the game helped them quickly understand, and it was one that folks found easy - strategy wise. It works well in many groups, including teenagers.

3.) Time Strangeness: As the game progresses, an odd phenomenon will occur. One player will be "ahead" of the other players, but will also have more days on their trip. This creates a paradox in some player's minds, and things can get rather warped if you think about them too long. I'm two countries ahead of you but ten days behind? Yes, in the overall picture of things, it makes sense; but a snapshot of the game feels strange and intrigues me.

4.) Actions: The choosing of a travel card is a rather clever mechanic. Players are naturally going to gravitate towards taking the lowest available card, but they must weigh that against the options available. Event cards can really help a player do well in a game, so perhaps taking one of them will make a difference; or perhaps moving that pesky detective to a different place will be useful. This is the meat of the game, here, and one that works really well - especially for people who only like a few decisions.

5.) Interaction: There's not too much interaction in the game as to scare away conflict-phobia folk, but the detective allows you to directly affect other players. When a player has the detective placed on them, they simply can't sit still; they have to move or otherwise get the time-sucking guy away from them. If someone is in the lead, the detective can get played on them (it's annoying, although not too terribly devastating; this isn't a "gang up on the leader" type game).

6.) Race: The game's mechanics do a good job of simulating a race, even though the first person to London doesn't win. One might think that you simply take your time, waiting for low numbered cards; but that also can backfire, as the last player to London rarely wins (they can only do so if they arrive in the last round). A player who delays too far behind will find themselves out of the race. At the same time, there is a benefit to lagging behind the other players (the event chips), so players might want to move slowly - but not too slowly. The game also has a natural progression to keep the game from stagnating; players who delay will have days added to their total; and some event cards also add more days.

7.) Fun Factor: Much of the fun in the game comes from the race aspect, as players hurry to get around the world. Placing the detective on another player, using a balloon and rolling a "1", and playing an event card at the right time can be awfully satisfying and enjoyable. The game has an easygoing feeling in regards to gameplay, despite the fact that it's a bit of a frantic race, and folks continually ask me to play this one.

For some reason, I find the game most enjoyable with five or six players, as the race seems to be more intense and exciting that way. It allows all six of the actions to be used, and player interaction is higher. Yes, there is some luck in the game, as players may draw good event and travel cards, but players move slowly or quickly usually as a direct result of their decisions. Around the World in 80 Days is not a deep strategic game, and players who think that may be disappointed, but the light gameplay will be very enjoyable for many - especially those who play very few games such as this. It's not as accessible as some of the best games, such as Ticket to Ride, but it's still an excellent "gateway" game, and the theme involved certainly helps.

(This review originally posted at Fairplay Games)

Tom Vasel
"Real men play board games"
www.thedicetower.com