Game: Angkor

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Gibbo — 2008-11-03T04:07:40+00:00

The Statue of Angkor

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Gibbo — 2008-11-03T04:06:04+00:00

The fountain

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Gibbo — 2008-11-03T04:03:31+00:00

The tiger in the forrest

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Gibbo — 2008-11-03T04:01:04+00:00

In the jungles of Angkor

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Gibbo — 2008-10-20T22:44:48+00:00

The Statue

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Gibbo — 2008-10-20T22:41:25+00:00

The Tiger

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Gibbo — 2008-10-20T22:39:09+00:00

The Fountain

Thread: Re: Should it stay or should it go?

emike — 2008-09-11T08:47:48+00:00

You need to work on your Angkor management.

Thread: Should it stay or should it go?

Gibbo — 2008-09-11T05:34:45+00:00

I got a copy of Angkor in a math trade as a sweetener. It is a relatively expenseive game to get in the states as none of the US companies have picked it up. As I read the reviews it looked like it would be good trade bait, but I figured it was worth at least one shot. The game itself is pretty. Unique tiles with great artwork, somewhat 3D board.

The Wife and I set it up. I start and almost all I have are Inner Court tiles, so I start building on my temple complex. The Wife seems to have nothing but Pagodas, which are worth more than my Inner Court tiles, but that is what she drew. Soon I start to have some Jungle tiles and begin the slow march to her temple complex only to have the Wife draw an insane number of River tiles and starts blocking me. I never make it to her complex. To add insult to injury she drops her Tiger-meeple down to get a pile of points for my attempt.

Then the tables turn and she draws a string of Jungle tile and all I have are Inner Court tiles. This leads us to build a massive pile of tiles that get me nowhere new and leaves her still in the lead. Ultimately I beat back her Jungle, but it was too late to save my game.

The Wife 38
Me 25

This game seems to get a bum-wrap for its randomness. It is not Tigris and Euphrates, but not a bad filler or family game. I still may trade it, but it isn't the dog in the closet I thought it was.

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Nightmare — 2007-09-08T15:36:53+00:00

The Two Towers - I never got any water to keep back the jungle.

Thread: Angkor - Review

gschloesser — 2007-05-22T15:34:19+00:00

ANGKOR

Designed by: Knut Happel
Released by: Schmidt Spiel
2 – 4 Players, 30 minutes
Review by: Greg J. Schloesser

Editor's Note: This review first appeared in Counter magazine.

Every Essen, I am lured into purchasing a few games based solely on the attractiveness or the description of the game. Sometimes, this decision is made based solely on advance pictures published on the internet. Sometimes these decisions to purchase a game on such inadequate information prove wise; other times, they prove to be foolish.

Angkor from designer Knut Happel was once such impulse purchase. Set in the deep jungles of the Far East, players construct temples, erect monuments, and attempt to fend-off the ever-encroaching jungle. The game sounded and looked appealing; I couldn’t resist. When will I ever learn?

There is no denying that the components of Angkor are attractive. Each player receives a 3-D board, wherein tiles depicting temples, courtyards, pagodas, water and jungle will be placed. Each board has two temples already constructed in the center. Each player also receives a tiger, dwelling and statue token. A screen fits into a slot on the board, allowing players to conceal their tiles and tokens.

Game play is very simple. Each player begins with five randomly drawn tiles, and on their turn, may place two items onto the board, any combination of tiles and/or tokens. Tiles are drawn to replace the ones placed. Temple, courtyard, pagoda and water tiles are placed onto a player’s own board, and must be positioned so that they are adjacent – either orthogonally or diagonally – to a previously placed tile or one of the two fixed temple locations. Jungle tiles are placed onto an opponent’s board, and must begin at one of the board’s edges, expanding from there.

Tiles may be placed onto any empty location, or on top of a previously placed, non-water tile. The idea is that jungle tiles can be placed to cover opponent’s temples, pagodas and courtyards, as these will ultimately earn victory points for players at game’s end. Conversely, a player may reclaim land infiltrated by the jungle by constructing these point-earning tiles over previously placed jungle tiles. Since water tiles cannot be covered, they do provide a defensive barrier, and players can position them to protect their point-earning tiles from the encroaching jungle.

The three tokens are placed adjacent to specific terrain or structures in order to earn end-game points. Tigers will ultimately earn one point for each connected jungle tile, dwellings will earn a point for each connected water tile, and statues will earn one point for each connected courtyard. Further, these tokens cannot be removed or have a tile placed over them, so they, too, serve as a protective barrier. Since these tokens cannot be re-positioned once placed, it would seem wise to wait until late in the game before placing them to the board. However, the game can end quickly – sometimes very quickly – so those who delay in placing these tokens may discover that time has run out on them.

Therein lies one of the game’s problems: it simply plays too quickly. The game ends when the fifth princess tile is drawn from the bag of tiles. While odds would suggest that the fifth and final tile wouldn’t be drawn until most of the tiles had been selected, this certainly isn’t a guarantee, and it could occur very quickly. There isn’t enough time to properly plan a long-term strategy. Further, placing jungle tiles to hinder your opponent’s progress means that you have lost the opportunity to place a tile to benefit yourself. With the game being so short, the opportunity cost is simply too high. The real strategy here seems to be to place as many “scoring” tiles on your own board as quickly as you can, and only mess with your opponents when you have no other choice.

Once the fifth princess tile is drawn, the game ends immediately, whether all players have had an equal number of turns or not. Players then tally their points, earning 1 point for each courtyard, 2 points for each pagoda, and 3 points for each temple. Points are also tallied for the tokens as described above. Of course, the player with the most points wins.

The game SOUNDS good, but it is just too limiting. Due to the brevity of the proceedings, the only real strategy is to place point-bearing tiles onto your own board. Group your temple and water tiles together so you can place the appropriate tokens to earn additional points. Only place jungle tiles onto your opponents’ boards when you have no more beneficial option. The lack of real choices and strategy options is very disappointing.

So, once again we have a game that turns out to be all show, with no real substance. It is one of those games wherein clever folks could likely devise a better game using the pretty components. As is, in spite of its attractive, three-dimensional board, game play is decidedly one-dimensional. My advice is to stay out of this jungle.

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itiswon — 2007-03-14T06:42:50+00:00

part of player's board

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itiswon — 2007-03-14T06:38:22+00:00

attacking someone else

Thread: Re: Angkor reviewed

Jimzik — 2006-07-08T17:25:22+00:00

Arguably more so, because with more players there is the danger of people ganging up on one player and continuously throwing Jungle at him or her.

I had to print out the English rules here on the BGG as the games are only in German, French and Spanish. It states there that once a player takes a turn the other players can only throw a maximum of 4 Jungle tiles on her. In a 4-player this saves her from taking 6 Jungle tiles but in a 3-player she might get the maximum tiles placed on her board (welcome to the Jungle, Baby!).
I played with a guy in february who bought the game overseas and I've been looking for it ever since. Finally was able to order it from Boulder Games online. Tiger Meeples, very cool.

Thread: Re: Angkor - Session Report

jvdv — 2006-01-19T15:06:18+00:00

Sorry to hear you didn't like the game. I myself find it one of the better options for a light half-hour gaming. It's good to play with non-gamers too, and there is tension in choosing what to play where (though of course one should concentrate on scoring one's own points) and in when the game ends.

It's certainly not a heavy game, or a strategic game, and should not be viewed in that light. Everyone I've played it with, gamers and non-gamers alike, enjoyed it. And some of those have gone on to play it with others, who also enjoy it.

To each his own, of course, I just wanted to let another voice be heard, because I think this game is getting way too little attention...

Thread: Re: English translation?

melissa — 2005-11-24T22:43:36+00:00

I've just uploaded an english translation, which isn't available on the Geek yet (although I see someone has done a machine translation which is there already).

If you want a copy of mine before it's posted, just PM me. It's available as PDF or Word doc.

Thread: Angkor - Session Report

gschloesser — 2005-11-21T16:48:18+00:00

Editor’s Note: My full review of Angkor will appear in the upcoming issue of Counter magazine.

OK … so the subtitle of this new Schmidt Spiele game is NOT “Jungle of Doom”. But, hey … it was Fright Night, so we had to tie the game into the theme somehow!

Angkor is actually set in the jungles of the Far East, with players attempting to construct temples and protect them from the ever-encroaching jungle. The components and theme were attractive enough to cause me to purchase the game without first playing it, or even hearing any other commentary. My bad.

While the 3-D player boards are attractive, the game is far less so. Players place temple and water tiles onto their board, while placing jungle tiles onto their opponents’ boards. The idea is to develop a collection of temples, while at the same time attempting to cover your opponents’ temples with jungle tiles. Temples can be protected somewhat with water tiles, as well as the three wooden tokens – tiger, dwelling, and statue – each player possesses.

Players place two tiles and/or figures per turn, then re-fill their hand to five tiles. When the fifth princess tile is earned, the game ends and players tally points for temples (1, 2 or 3 points apiece) and for their tokens, depending upon their connection to certain land types. One of the problems is that the game simply ends too quickly. While odds would suggest that the fifth and final princess tile wouldn’t be drawn until most of the tiles had been selected, this certainly isn’t a guarantee, and it could occur very quickly. There isn’t enough time to properly plan a long-term strategy. Further, placing jungle tiles to hinder your opponent’s progress means that you have lost the opportunity to place a tile to benefit yourself. With the game being so short, the opportunity cost is simply too high. The real strategy here seems to be to place as many “scoring” tiles on your own board as quickly as you can, and only mess with your opponents when you have no other choice.

The game SOUNDS good, but it is just too limiting. Due to the brevity of the proceedings, the only real strategy is to place point-bearing tiles onto your own board. Group your temple and water tiles together so you can place the appropriate tokens to earn additional points. Only place jungle tiles onto your opponents’ boards when you have no more beneficial option. The lack of real choices and strategy options is very disappointing.

So, once again we have a game that turns out to be all show, with no real substance. It is one of those games wherein clever folks could likely devise a better game using the pretty components. As is, in spite of its attractive, three-dimensional board, game play is decidedly one-dimensional. My advice is to stay out of this jungle.

Chris, Rhonda, Gail and I developed our temples and tried to protect them from our nasty opponents. Most of us quickly realized the futility of concentrating on placing jungle tiles on our opponents’ boards. Thus, the game became a race to place temples, which was really just a matter of who drew the best tiles. It was me … and I won.

Finals: Temples Statues Dwellings Total

Greg 26 3 3 32
Chris 20 5 3 28
Rhonda 23 5 28
Gail 14 1 2 17

No tigers were placed.

Ratings: Rhonda 6, Greg 5, Gail 5, Chris 3

Thread: English translation?

skeletodoc — 2005-11-17T17:17:20+00:00

where are the interpreters?

Thread: Number of Water tiles with less than 4 players

jvdv — 2005-11-05T14:57:05+00:00

The rules state that with less than 4 players, a certain number of Water tiles are not used:

With 2 players, take out 8.
With 3 players, take out 4.

Try using these figures:

With 2 players, take out 6 or 4.
With 3 players, take out 3 or 2.

This way Water tiles will be a bit more readily available, but not to the point that players can block every Jungle tile played on them. Leaving all 19 Water tiles in, especially with 2 players, will lead to a less dynamic and therefore less fun game.

Thread: Angkor reviewed

jvdv — 2005-11-04T09:46:56+00:00

The first time you glance over at a table where Angkor is being played, you're likely to respond with a disinterested and slightly befuddled "Eh?" and quickly turn away. You would, however, be wise to sit down and get in on the next session, because Angkor offers much boardgaming excitement in a short half hour.

The temple complexes of Angkor (2 to 4 of them, depending on the number of players) are constantly being developed, while the jungle surrounding them encroaches on the newly erected buildings. Each player has his own board representing a temple complex and some of the jungle surrounding it. These green plastic lumps on the corners of the board seem somewhat misplaced at first, but during play you will hardly notice them. A screen is slotted at the end of the board where the player sits, allowing the player to keep their 'hand' of five tiles hidden from the other players. On the player's side of the screen is a graphical representation of how tiles are allowed to be placed, and the bonus scoring options. This aid is mostly useless, as it is presented badly.

The board is overlayed with a grid and two temples worth three points each pre-printed in the middle of it. The shape of the grid 'squares' and tiles is a rectangle with curved sides. The tiles are just the right size, and hold and play well. There are six types of tiles: Princess, Water, Jungle, and three types of Construction, worth 1, 2 and 3 points. All tiles are mixed and placed face down in the middle of the table (with less than 4 players some Water tiles are removed from play). At the start of the game the players draw their hand of five tiles, replacing Princesses when drawn. On a player's turn, he or she has two actions, which must be taken. With each action a player can either place a tile, or place one of the three wooden bonus markers (Well, Statue, Tiger) that each player starts with. Once you are actually sitting at a table ready to play Angkor, you will notice that the impression your first glance left you quickly fades away...

Water and Construction tiles must be placed on your own board, Jungle tiles must be placed on another player's board. Any tile can be placed on an empty space or another tile, with the exception of a Water tile, which cannot be covered by another tile. Water and Construction tiles must touch another such tile at the corner at least (with the two pre-printed temples as starting points). Jungle tiles placed on another board must touch sides with either another jungle tile or one of the four sides of the board. In this way, players expand their own temple complexes from the middle of the board, while letting the jungle encroach other player's temple complexes from the sides.

Every turn a player has to decide whether to expand their own complex, possibly stop encroachment by placing Water tiles, or covering another player's Constructions with jungle. This will leave the other player with less points, as at the end of the game the player with the most points, being the total of the visible Constructions, wins the game. Bonus points are added with the wooden markers a player can place, in lieu of placing a tile. They must be placed on an empty space, and will give 1 bonus point to each tile in a group of tiles beside the marker. Each tile in the group must touch sides with another tile in the group to get the bonus point for it. All tiles must be of the same type: Water for the Well, grey 1-point Constructions for the Statue, and Jungle for the Tiger.

The end of the game comes when the fifth Princess tile is drawn. These are always placed face-up for all to see when drawn. The player drawing it gets to draw another tile to get their hand back up to five. In the ten-odd sessions I have had with this game, not once have I felt the game ended prematurely. The random element of the ending adds another touch of tension, which is welcome in a game that lasts no longer than half an hour. Furthermore, there is an exquisite balance in the game which counterpoints neatly with the luck element of the draw and other players messing up your plans. Even with five jungle tiles in your starting hand, it's possible to eventually win, because other tiles will come up and other players have a tougher time getting their points down.

Angkor plays well with all numbers of players, and is also well-suited for two players. Arguably more so, because with more players there is the danger of people ganging up on one player and continuously throwing Jungle at him or her. Still, the balancing act in Angkor is quite sublime, with the Tiger marker offsetting the loss of Construction points to a certain degree. The deftly handled balancing is also apparant in the total number of tiles in the game and how it's divided over the different types.

Lacking strategy, but filled to the brim with on-the-spot decision making (which to its credit doesn't impede the speed of play), Angkor packs plenty of pure boardgaming punch in a neat half hour. Glance and walk away at your own peril.