Average Joe reviews are aimed at the average gamer. You know who you are!

Those of us who:
1) Know what ‘Eurogame’ and ‘Ameritrash’ means.
2) Know that enjoying the game is more important than winning.
3) Don’t own more than 50 games.
4) Don’t consider their FLGS a second home (maybe a 3rd or 4th though).
5) Like to read a review without being overloaded with information.


Art:
Elegant. Only slight complaint is some buildings appear very similar, and need to see other graphics near the building to distinguish (ex. Bank, Hotel, Residence and School).

Components:
Very good. Cubes, cubes and more cubes! I love the board design, as it changes in shape and size depending on number of players. I think it would have been cool to see little rats instead of just a black cube to represent rats.

The Rules:
Decent. Well written, and I like how they have a summary column along the right side of the detailed explanations for quick reference. Reading through once was enough to play the game, but would recommend a second reading. The first and second game had a few rulebook reference checks.

The Game:
Terrific. I love playing this game, there are several things to keep an eye on during play... pay attention to one area too much, and another area will quickly be your downfall. You go through a card phase, an influence (cube) phase, a bribing stage and plague stage. Any game with rats involved HAS to be a good one, am I right? There is some luck involved when it comes to getting the right cards at the right time, but mostly a good strategy is involved to win the game... not luck.

Downtime:
Almost non-existant. There is always something going on, very rarely do you have to sit around waiting for other people to act. The card passing and card laying down go quickly.

Analysis Paralysis
Minimal. During the first game or two, you will have some people taking time to figure out what they need to worry about. But people quickly get the hang of things, and will usually know what they want to do by the time their turn comes around.

Game Length:
Very good. 45-60 once you play with folks that know how to play, of course the first game always takes a bit longer. You know exactly when the game is going to end (9 rounds), which is always nice for people that get frustrated not knowing when the game will be completed.

Finish:
Very good. While you will have an idea who the top few people will be, it usually still results in a surprise win (even for the winner!). Your points are hidden until the end (unless you play with people that love to count their points in the middle of the game... why can't Kenny Rogers do a boardgame version of 'The Gambler'?).

Replay-ability:
This pulls table time on a regular basis. I always have folks asking for this one, and I never get tired of playing it.

Pros:
Rats
Very little 'screw the other player' moments
Great family game
You can play purple (well, that's a plus in my SO's opinion!).

Cons:
The score pieces (prestige points) are small, hard to handle...
Tends to be more like a solitaire game, trying to best your score
Rat cubes are black and easily mistaken for the purple cubes

Overall:
Love this game. I can't get enough of it. While it may be true that hard-core gamers find it a bit trivial... everyone I have introduced the game to has really enjoyed playing, and want to play again.

I give Notre Dame a 9/10