Game: Fiji

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Phrim — 2008-07-27T14:07:57+00:00

Icons on the side of the Fiji box

Thread: Re: Most and Least of multiple colours

sbszine — 2008-06-11T05:56:05+00:00

Thanks, that makes sense now. Also I've finally noticed the example of play that says the same thing.

Thread: Re: Most and Least of multiple colours

carthaginian — 2008-06-11T05:20:14+00:00

sbszine wrote:
If a condition card has more than one colour of bead on it, how is that defined?

For example, for the condition "most red and green", is it:

- The total number of red and green beads (e.g. 0 red + 4 green = 4)?

- The total number of sets (e.g. 2 red + 3 green = 2)?

- Something else?

What about the "least blue and yellow"? Would two blue be the same value as one blue and one yellow?

both (least and most) work the same way, I think :
- The total number of red and green beads (e.g. 0 red + 4 green = 4)
so yes, 0 red + 4 green is the same as 2 red + 2 green

Thread: Most and Least of multiple colours

sbszine — 2008-06-11T04:43:43+00:00

If a condition card has more than one colour of bead on it, how is that defined?

For example, for the condition "most red and green", is it:

- The total number of red and green beads (e.g. 0 red + 4 green = 4)?

- The total number of sets (e.g. 2 red + 3 green = 2)?

- Something else?

What about the "least blue and yellow"? Would two blue be the same value as one blue and one yellow?

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Venga2 — 2008-04-02T13:49:22+00:00

Worth your head?

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Meat — 2008-02-16T14:12:56+00:00

Box Back - Rio Grande Games edition

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Meat — 2008-02-16T14:11:00+00:00

Box Front - Rio Grande Games edition

Thread: Re: Fiji: An Introduction

OpalMantra — 2008-02-04T15:50:07+00:00

I played this for the first time with three players over the weekend. It took us a couple of rounds of bidding to get the mechanics of the cards down, but when we did, it was a blast. By the end of the game were all pretty happy with it and look forward to playing it again soon.
I do have to agree that this would be very confusing to the other mostly non-gamers I've been playing games with recently. I just don't think they would get it enough to fully enjoy it, which is a shame.

Thread: Re: Filthy Fast Fun!

OpalMantra — 2008-01-17T19:51:12+00:00

Thanks for the review. I just ordered this and am looking forward to playing it!

Thread: Re: Hunting My Head (2 player session)

ccarlet1 — 2008-01-11T14:58:53+00:00

I enjoy this game more than my wife. I like deciding on the bid--thinking about what will work well for the four conditions with a view to the two more bidding rounds. My wife is not convinced that thinking about it all is a useful exercise!

Thread: Re: Hunting My Head (2 player session)

bnordeng — 2008-01-11T06:26:17+00:00

I think you used the right words... this game is "mind-boggling" and "it definitely takes some getting used to." I really do like the game but I can't find people who will play it with me. I have a computer science background and this game is definitely an excercise in logical thinking (with some second-guessing). So, perhaps I need to find a few computer programmer nerds like me in order to enjoy this game.

Thread: Hunting My Head (2 player session)

ccarlet1 — 2008-01-11T02:01:32+00:00

This is an odd little game. We have mostly played it as a two-player game, but have also played it as a multi-player game as well.

Its oddness makes it a little hard to explain, but here goes. You win shrunken heads by meeting certain winning conditions, by accumulating or getting rid of certain colours of glass beads.

Round 1:

So, for example, in our first round, we were trying for the least green, most blue, least red and least yellow beads.

To try to accumulate or get rid of your beads, you offer a bid of 1-4 beads and compare your bid to four exchange conditions. So, on our first turn we had the following (these are in the form of the condition = an effect for the winner):

1) most green beads = every other player gets a red bead
2) least blue beads = every other player gets a green bead
3) most beads = receive two yellow
4) least red and blue = receive three red

So after your bid is compared to these conditions and you receive more beads from the central pool, you place your bid back in the pool (there is one effect card that lets you keep your bid). Then you go through the bidding process two more times without changing the exchange conditions!

When we first played, this seemed so strange, and while you do have to rack your brains to figure out what to bid, there is method in the madness (my wife still thinks its all random, so maybe I am the crazy one).

After the three rounds, then you reveal what you have collected and collect shrunken heads. I had the least green and collected four heads, we tied for most blue, so neither of us collected any; Penny got the least red and the least yellow, so collected three heads.

Score:

me: 4
Penny: 3

Round 2:

This time we were going for the most green, most yellow, most blue and least red. In a two player game you also get to set aside four beads before the exchange conditions are revealed, so I took four red out of play.

This round was also interesting because the one of the effect cards allowed you to change the orientation of one of the goals: changing it from least to most, or vice versa. I managed to change the orientation of two of the goals to my advantage, but on our third bid, we tied so I wasn't able to complete my plan.

So we tied for the most (now least) green, and most blue. I got the most (now least) yellow for two heads, and I got the least red for another.

me: 8
Penny: 3

Round 3:

This round, we were shooting for most red, least yellow, most green, most blue.

The exchange conditions were simply mind numbing, so I concentrated one of the effects that allowed you to change the order of the goals: in a two-player game, winning the first goal gives you four heads, the second, three; the the third, two; the fourth, one.

So the order of the goals was changed. We tied for the least yellow; I got the most green for three heads, and Penny got the most red and blue, to get three heads.

me: 11
Penny: 6

Round 4:

This time our goals were most green, least blue, least yellow, least red.

The exchange conditions were agonizing, but I find once you focus one effect, and you go through a one or two of the bids, it doesn't seem so bewildering. Well, I must have done something right because I really cleaned up on this round, getting the most green, least blue, and least yellow, while Penny picked up the least red.

Final Score:

me: 20
Penny: 7

The couple of multi-player games we had were more interesting because ties cancel out, but with the addition of more players, someone else wins. In fact, takng into account what likely ties would be added quite a bit to the game.

The two-player game is good too, but it definitely takes some getting used to. Despite it seeming a little mind-boggling, this game is definitely fun, and I am looking forward to playing it more to get a beeter feel for it.

Thread: Re: Can't get enough of those shrunken heads?

eratos — 2007-12-27T17:41:26+00:00

To put it another way, did you ever hear of those competitions where thousands of people bid for a car, and the lowest unique price wins? Bidding 1p might work if everyone else talks themselves out of it, but if anyone else also bids 1p, you both lose, and someone would get it for 2p. So the chain goes, until the car ends up actually being sold for £1.18 or something.

Fiji is like those auctions. 4 of them. Being played at once. With some items you want to win, and some you don't. And bidding with the very means that allows you to win the game.

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cuzzle — 2007-10-07T17:47:30+00:00

Starting gems behind screen

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cuzzle — 2007-10-07T17:43:51+00:00

Included gems

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cuzzle — 2007-08-24T00:32:45+00:00

A pile of shrunken heads

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nnoc — 2007-07-19T14:37:32+00:00

Rules cover

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nnoc — 2007-07-19T14:36:51+00:00

The player screen (one for each player)

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nnoc — 2007-07-19T14:35:43+00:00

The different shrunken heads

Thread: Re: Filthy Fast Fun!

satp — 2007-07-09T14:08:06+00:00

I just had brought this game and others last month ... and for several weeks didn´t get the feeling to play this one in particulary. I had played Tikal and i loved. So i went to your review and it became a very helpful to compreend the game ... later this sunday i will played with my wife and friends. Thanks for the review ...
Tadeu

Thread: Shire Gamers visit Fiji

CharlieWonka — 2007-07-04T07:08:25+00:00

Shire Gamers – 02/07/07

First Players in were Mark, Sue, Nick and Rich

We decided that this was short enough to finish quickly while we waiting for more folk to arrive. I recently acquired this from a Math Trade and have been trying to get it to the table ever since as I had only played it once before. A quick read through the rules to refresh everyone and we were ready to bid.

Round 1 – This game is crazy sometimes and round 1 created one of those moments in this game. The interesting rule that if two players tie in the bead bidding then the effect goes to the next player down. However, in this round both Nick and I bid 4 red beads and Rich and Sue bid 2 Yellow and 2 Blue each. Every single one of the four effect cards was tied so nothing happened except for us throwing our bids in the middle. It nearly happened again in the second set of bidding in this round. I managed to win the effect of taking one of each gem which helped me to the current goal of most Blue beads. In the final stage, I won a further Blue bead helped by the extra beads I had to bid with from the last turn. I won this round and scooped up three shrunken heads.

Round 2 – There was a couple of crucial times in this round where there weren’t enough beads in the supply for the effect to happen which I think would have swung this round in Rich’s favour but instead I managed to come out on top again having the most yellow beads and getting three more shrunken heads.

Round 3 – This round saw a lot of manipulation with the goal cards being moved and rotated which I thought was really going to screw me up after collecting some beads in the first turn of bidding. Strangely I won this round but I wasn’t entirely sure how which happens very often with this game. I think Sue said “Each time I think I’m getting it something else happens and then I’ve lost it again”. I thought I was nowhere near to getting any shrunken heads this go but I got three.

Round 4 – I was hoping to get a clean sweep of winning all four rounds now but it was not to be. Second place was up for grabs though as both Nick, Sue and Rich had 3 heads each. It was Sue who came out on top denying me the clean sweep of winning all the rounds. I came third and picked up 1 shrunken head taking me to double figures.

Final Scores – Mark 10, Sue 6, Rich 5, Nick 3

Thread: Re: Fiji: An Introduction

greatsage — 2007-06-15T23:34:18+00:00

Yeah it is a tricky one alright. At the Australian Games Expo I demonstrated this game by playing it through with a couple. In the first auction I one every effect card and they seemed unimpressed, however the problem was that I was trying to lose every effect card because they were all bed compared the goal cards. Fortunately they weren't turned off by that as they realised at the end of the first round that I could not win any shrunken heads! Very funny game.

Thread: Re: Fiji: An Introduction

Greendan — 2007-06-15T14:11:22+00:00

Nice Review. I wish I'd been able to read that before playing about the first 3 games. Thats really how long it took me to get the rules. That whole 'compare the goal cards' is certainly tricky.
It is a fun game when you get your head round it though.

Thread: Fiji: An Introduction

greatsage — 2007-06-15T12:57:20+00:00

As you cut your way through the dense undergrowth on the fifth island you have landed at, you can hear a distinct rhythmic echo. You have been searching for rare and wonderful pieces for the museum, so far your search has been unsuccessful and you are becoming increasingly worried that you will have to head back to blighty with nothing to show. The drumming becomes louder as you head deeper into the jungle, you can see a peak of a mountain up ahead through the foliage. Apprehension starts to seize you as you can now make out a chanting accompanying the drum beat, you pull out your flintlock pistol. You can make out a clearing at the base of the mountain. The chants are coming from the clearing, you take a swig from your flask and head into the clearing…

“Bon liki liki??... som eensy weensy, say eunuchy!?”

Fiji is an auction game for two to five players by Friedemann Friese. It can take anywhere from twenty minutes with two players to an hour with five players and a rules explanation.

The aim of Fiji is to collect the most shrunken heads, the penalty for losing is to become a shrunken head yourself! In order to gain the most shrunken heads you must use a series of auctions to best match what the natives like and don’t like in glass beads. The game is played in four rounds; at the end of each round players can earn heads.

To earn heads players must match the combination shown on a series of goal cards. The goal cards each correspond to a colour of glass beads and have a large bead and a small bead depicted on the card, the orientation of the card determines whether you need to be trying to obtain lots of this color, or if you must get rid of many beads of this colour.

Each round consists of three auctions in the auctions players bid (in a closed fist) between one and four glass beads from there supply. The auctions are made to gain effect cards which depict an amount of glass beads that you will earn. Alternatively there are effect cards that can alter the orientation of the goal cards and the order of the goal cards. To win an effect card you must meet the criteria set on the corresponding condition card. Condition cards will depict colours of glass beads. If the condition card has the glass bead on a single hand that means you need the least of that colour to win the corresponding effect card. If the condition card has the glass bead ensconced in a pair of hands that means you need to have the most of that colour to win the corresponding effect card.

The fun in this game comes from the fact that there are four condition cards corresponding to four effect cards in each auction. This means that you can need to have the least yellow beads to win one effect card, but the most yellow beads to win another effect card in the same auction. As if that isn’t confusing enough if there is a tie for an effect card they cancel each other out and the card passes to the next best offer. This rule means that if there is an condition card with that depicts the winner of the effect card is the player who bids the least red beads then it can be won by the player who bids the most red beads if all other players cancel each other out!

After three auctions each player reveals their hoard of glass beads and compares them to what the goal cards depict. The topmost of the goal cards is compared first, whoever best matches the criteria gains heads equal to the amount of players minus one. The player who is the next best at matching the topmost card gets one less shrunken head than the winner, the third best player will receive one les than the second best, and fourth will gain one less again, fifth will gain no heads. With less than five players the formula is the so that in a three player game first will get two heads, second will get one head and third will get no heads. If players are tied for topmost card we compare how many beads they have of the next colour down the line. At the end of each round players return there stashes of glass beads and start afresh with their original stash. At the end of three rounds the player with the most shrunken heads is the winner.

Fiji has a relatively simple rule set, however the way that the cards interact can cause a lot of confusion. I would not recommend introducing new players to boardgames with Fiji as the interactions are very chaotic and confusing. Having said that this is a fantastic game to play with gamers as a light filler, especially if you are a fan of chaos, or Bruno Faidutti’s games. Another note is that this game does not play very well as a two player as all of the chaos and second and third guessing your opponents is virtually eliminated.

In conclusion I really enjoy this game and I really get into the theme of the game many times I have been gloating over my victory and really relishing getting the Bert and Ernie shrunken heads!

Thread: Teaching Tips? Player Aids? Explanations? Help Sought

ynnen — 2007-06-12T15:29:49+00:00

I'm going to be demoing several RGG games this weekend at Geekway to the West, so as I gear up and read over the rules, I've also been skimming BGG for player aids. Alas, there aren't any for Fiji, despite the complexity of the Exchange mechanics and interaction.

So, after reading the rules a few times, I'm trying to figure out the best approach to teaching the game to others. I'm befuddled by the exchanges - any light you could shed would be appreciated.

Any tips? Tricks? Things easily overlooked?

Is there a number of players this works best for?

Thread: Re: card use

Henning — 2007-04-16T12:50:52+00:00

You do not reshuffle the condition cards and effect cards after finishing a game round. For each of the four game rounds you use 4 each of both decks, so that you play with all 16 cards of both decks untill the end of the game.

Have fun!

Henning Kröpke
(for 2F-Spiele)

Thread: Re: 2 Player Rules in English

Grimwold — 2007-03-07T22:43:52+00:00

Preparation

each player takes 2 screens

5 phases

1 distribute glass beads -- each player takes a complete set of beads (6 green; 5 red; 4 yellow; 3 blue) and places them behind one of the screens.

2 determine exchange conditions -- same as for 3-5 players

3 determine goal conditions -- After the goal cards are placed, each player secretly moves 4 beads from behind their main screen to behind the other. (these beads play no further part in the round!)

4 exchange -- same as for 3-5 players

5 distribute shrunken heads -- each goal card is analysed separately. Whoever wins the 1st goal gets 4 heads. whoever wins the 2nd goal gets 3 heads. 3rd goal - 2 heads and 4th goal 1 head (so a maximum of 10 heads is distributed. If players tie on a particular goal, neither of them takes heads)

Game End

The game ends after 4 rounds and whoever has the most heads at the end wins. (There is no tie-breaker)

Thread: 2 Player Rules in English

Phoenixgeek — 2007-03-07T20:02:01+00:00

Are the rules for two players available in English? I understand the game for 3 to 5 players so a overview of the main variations would suffice.

Thanks

Thread: Filthy Fast Fun!

zachboyofdestiny — 2007-01-02T09:21:11+00:00

This Christmas my girlfriend Lindsey and I decided to get a board game as a “family present” to each other. We took this dorkily seriously, discussing what type of game we wanted to get, and writing pro/cons lists for each of them.

We first decided that we wanted a light, fast game. We just got seriously into board game about half a year ago, so our collection is somewhat small and consists mostly of longer, somewhat heavy games like El Grande or Power Grid. We wanted a game that we could carry around easily and set up fast, one we could teach to family and friends easily, and one that played two player well.

We also wanted a Friedemann Friese game because the man, simply, is freaking awesome.

So Fiji seemed it. A new Friedemann game, with Maura Kalusky art, that seemed light enough and fast enough to fit our wishes.

Having played the game several times over the last couple weeks, I can say that Fiji is not a disappointment. It has everything we hoped for, plus it has a lot more depth and subtle strategy than we expected.

In Fiji, you play against 1-4 other players, trying to win shrunken heads by offering beads to the general supply and making your supply of beads best fit the goals selected by four goal cards. This may sound confusing right now, but I will go into more detail further in this review. But first off, the components…

First off, the components of the game are beautiful. The shrunken heads are wonderfully drawn and colored. It’s fun just to stare at them and try to figure out who each one is. They are printed on a heavy cardboard, which makes grabbing a handful of them a pleasure to the hand.

The beads are somewhat cheap; they are the same kind eight year old girls use to make necklaces. They are small and each one has a hole through the center. At the same time, the size makes sense, seeing that you have to hide your bid in your hand, and you wouldn’t want to be gripping stone sized beads, with the colors showing in the cracks between your fingers. And the beads are pleasant to hold. I may just be bitter because the first few games Lindsey and I played, I always managed to accidentally knock a bead off the table and then have to crawl around the kitchen floor trying to find it. We will probably end up buying slightly bigger, heavier beads, then using the beads from the game to make a dorky Friedemann Friese Friendship Necklace.

The cards for the game are flat out pretty. The pastel rose, green, and yellows on the back of the cards, splashed inside a tiny tiki head border, are so nice to look at. They make the game look older, washed out, like a forgotten gem from the seventies, a card game of your cool grandma. And there’s a detail to the hands on the front of the cards that isn’t captured in the screenshots: the grain of the wooden hands, the cracks on the edges of the fingers.

So much time was spent on each part of the game-the unique heads, the color choice for the back of the cards- that it makes you the player feel special and cared for.

The gameplay is deeper and more strategic than I expected. To offer a better review, I’ll try to give a brief explanation of the rules and flow of the game.

The point of the game is to, after four bidding rounds, have the most shrunken heads. You get shrunken heads by offering the best combinations of beads to the collective supply so that your supply, after three trading rounds, fulfills the goals stated at the beginning of the round.

At the beginning of each round, every player starts with the same amount of beads in their supply: five green, four red, three yellow, and two blue. Then the goal cards are shuffled and placed at the top of the playing area. On each card is a large and small bead of a specific color, so the orientation of the card determines what goal the players are shooting for. If the large bead is on top then you are trying to get the most of that color, if the small bead is on top you are trying to get the least of the color. The sequence of the cards, left to right, determines which goal is the most important. So if the first card flipped over shows a tiny red bead, and the second card is a large yellow one, then the first goal is to get the least red beads, and if there’s a tie, then you would look at the second condition: who has the most yellow beads.

After the goals are set the conditions and effect cards are placed. There are four conditions set at the beginning of the trading rounds, and their corresponding effects. The conditions show what offering you would need to make to win the paired effect. The condition cards either have two hands meaning most of a color, or one hand meaning least of a color. So the condition might show two hands with blue beads, and the effect might be four red beads. So the person who bids the most blue beads gets to take four red beads from the supply.

The goal, condition, and effect cards are randomly placed, but upon placement become linked. There is always a strategy to figure out how to best use the condition and effect cards to win the goals, and each time that strategy is different. This aspect of the game has been criticized as too chaotic or chance based, but I think this is the heart and joy of the game.

Each time the cards are placed, a new specific strategy has to be made, considering all aspects of t he trading and supply. For, instance you can get a round where the first two goals are to get the most green beads and the least red beads. But the conditions could be that the person who bids the least green beads has to take half the red supply. So if you don’t bid any green, you could win that condition and have to take all those red beads. So you could be doing well on the first goal, and failing the second. It’s this balancing of the cards, and trying to figure out the best combination, that makes the game mentally taxing and fun.

Everyone makes their bid of 1-4 beads, then, starting at the top most condition card, sees who fulfills that condition and what they take from the supply. Once all four conditions have been analyzed, then everyone puts their offering into the collective supply and begin the second trading round.

There are other aspects of the trading that add to the strategy. One is that the condition cards do not change for the three trading rounds, but the collective supply does. So you need to space out your bids for the rounds, and be aware of the fluctuating supply. You could make a grand bid the first round of all your beads of one color to win the effect that best helps you fulfill a goal, but then not be able to make that bid for the rest of the rounds and end up losing in the long run. Also, if one of the effect cards is half the supply of one color, then half the supply could be different in the third round then it was in the first round, as people take from and give beads to the supply.

Another interesting aspect is the rule that, if the effect cannot be fully met, the winner of it receives nothing. Meaning, if someone wins a bid that allows him to take four yellow beads, but there are only three in the supply, then he takes no beads. This can be used to your advantage, by knowing when to make a bid that allows you to take from the supply while, later on, making it so someone else can’t.

A final aspect is the rule about ties. If two people tie on a bid, then it goes to the person with the second best bid. So if the card is who bids the most green beads, and Joe and Chris bid two greens, and Sally bids one, then Joe and Chris cancel each other out and Sally wins the bid. This also has been criticized, saying it makes the game too chaotic and impossible to strategize, but I’ve been part of games where I’ve seen a friend predict two people would tie, and consciously go for the second best and win.

I’ve played several games with Lindsey where we studied each card and carefully placed bids, and watched as some strategies worked and some ended up screwed by the other player, and it was really fun.

I also played a game with my family over Christmas, with my grandma and mom who don’t usually play games. They picked up on the rules quickly, but were confused by the cards and how they affected each other. The first few rounds they were just picking up beads to offer without thinking, they told me, but they said they were still enjoying it because it was fun on a purely tactile level. But as the game went on, they started to pick up on the links between each aspect of the game, and form their own strategies, and win the rounds by choice, not chance. When this happened, both of them started to really enjoy the game, and wanted to play again when finished.

Fiji is a great game to play when you don’t have a lot of time to invest. Lindsey and I play it as the oven is preheating, or while waiting on the dryer to finish, or want to play a game but have somewhere to be in an hour. It’s also a great before or after game, a game to play when you just finished Power Grid and want to play something quicker, but still fun. Or a game to introduce a family folk to board games—when you think saying, “This game is about the German postal system in the 17th Century!” won’t make them start gaming, but, “this game is about getting shrunken heads so you don’t become one!” will. The rules are easy to pick up, and the strategy is fun and taxing to figure out.

But all in all, it’s just a great game to admire, to hold each shrunken head one by one and think, “Is this Joey Ramone? Or a muppet?”

Thread: Re: Can't get enough of those shrunken heads?

HiveGod — 2007-01-01T17:51:09+00:00

Thanks for the review!

Bizarrely, if there is a tie for the condition, ALL tied players are ignored and a winner is sought from the remaining players.

This is what makes the game, IMO. It prevents (as you said) players from simply bidding optimally, and forces you to double- and triple-think to try and make your bid unique. So in order to win with the *least* of something you actually have to bid the *most* of it--and hope all of the other lesser bids cancel out...

It's not about having the least or most, but having the ONLY bid that fulfills the win criteria.

It feels really weird to play it; it's definitely a rarified, acquired taste--but I like it.

Thanks again!

Chris

Thread: Re: Can't get enough of those shrunken heads?

Grimwold — 2006-12-15T01:04:46+00:00

The rule about ties means that if players DO play the same way, they don't win... so it's about being different, and second-guessing your opponents. Besides sometimes you don't actually want to win some of the auctions.. if the goals are to lose certain gems.

Granted that occasionally we do find a couple of people bid the same for some rounds, but rarely does that happen and it's never more than a couple of people.

Thread: Re: Can't get enough of those shrunken heads?

Axelfudge — 2006-12-14T18:05:16+00:00

I've read the rules and read your review but I don't get this game. If everyone starts with the same gems and everyone has the same conditions during the auctions, wouldn't everyone just play the same way? I know I'm missing out on something here.

Thread: Can't get enough of those shrunken heads?

Grimwold — 2006-12-14T00:28:38+00:00

Introduction

Fiji is a blind auction game in which 2 to 5 players bid with fake gems in order to make their collection most closely match the conditions required by the natives to earn shrunken heads. Once again the theme is a bit off the wall, but nothing less than we'd expect from Herr Friese.

Components

The main components of the game are the plastic beads that represent the fake gems... these are cheap looking plastic beads, complete with holes, that makes me think they came straight out of a craft shop.

The game also includes a sheet of shrunken heads on decent weight cardboard. These feature the quirky artwork of Maura Kalusky, which we all know (and love) from many of Friedemann's other games (Fearsome Floors, Fische Fluppen Frikadellen, Funny Friends etc.) It's worth noting that some of the heads resemble famous characters, such as Bert and Ernie and The Count (from Seasame Street) as well as Bart Simpson, and others such as Elvis. There are also heads for Friedemann and Maura themselves.

There are also three decks of cards in the game... a small 'deck' of 4 goal cards, plus 1 idol, and two larger decks of 16 condition cards and 16 event cards. These are all language independant, using colourful graphics to depict the conditions and events. The cards are on stock that is about average compared to the usual decks of playing cards. Most of them are only shuffled once in the game, however the goal cards are shuffled before every round.

Finally there are 5 player screens, on fairly flimsy cardstock. These are used by players to conceal their stash of gems, and I found them rather unstable and prone to being knocked over easily.

Gameplay

The game consists of 4 rounds, and each round is a set of 3 auctions.

To begin the game, give every player a set of gems, as indicated on the inside of the player screen (5 green, 4 red, 3 yellow, 2 blue). Make one extra set and place this in the middle as a pool.

place the idol card on the table, at the top-left of the area you are going to use to play. Shuffle the four goal cards (being sure to rotate some of the cards as you do so) then place them side by side to the right of the idol. The card closest to the idol is the most important goal... the others are used to break ties in order.

Next shuffle the auction condition cards and place the first 4 face up in a column underneath the idol card... Then shuffle the action cards and place the first 4 in a column to the right of the condition cards (under the first goal card).

You now have your playing conditions for the first round of 3 auctions.

Players now take 1 to 4 gems (in any combination) from behind their screen and place them in a closed fist in front of the screen. when everyone has selected gems, simultaneously reveal what you have bid.

Starting with the condition card closest to the idol, and working down, compare what each player has bid with the condition on the card... this might be MOST of something or LEAST of something. The player who most closely matches the condition wins and must perform the associated action - the action on the card to the right of the condition. Bizarrely, if there is a tie for the condition, ALL tied palyers are ignored and a winner is sought from the remaining players. If no players are left after all ties are discounted, then no-one wins, and the action is not performed.

Work through each of the 4 condition cards in order, determining who is the winner, and having them perform whatever action is required... actions usually require certain players (either the winner, or everyone else) to take gems.. sometimes a fixed number, sometimes half that in the supply.

When the 4 conditions have been checked for the first auction, players place their stake into the pool, and prepare to bid again.

There are three auctions with the same set of conditions, after which there is a scoring round.

When the scoring round has been completed, re-shuffle the goal cards. Remove all the condition and action cards and replace with 4 fresh cards from each deck. You are then ready to begin another set of 3 auctions.

When all 4 rounds, and all 4 scorings have taken place, the player with the most Shrunken heads is the winner. There is no tie-breaker, so shared victories are possible.

Scoring

At the end of a round, players compare the gems they have in their supply with the goal conditions for the round. The card closest to the idol is the most important goal, with ties broken by looking at the other goal cards in order of decreasing importance as you get further from the idol card.

There is a goal card for each of the 4 types of gem, and they will be placed such that players muct obtain either the most of that gem, or the least (done by rotating the cards while shuffling).

Note that some of the action cards allow players to affect the goal cards, so these may switch or rotate during an auction!

The player who most closely matches the goal conditions gets a number of heads equal to the number of players minus 1 and takes these from the supply. Subsequent players each get one less head than the player before them, so the worst player gets no heads at all!

Summary of Game Cards

Condition cards will always either be most of or least of, and depict a combination of 1 to 4 of the different gems

Action cards fall into the following types:

Winner takes X gems as shown
All other players take X gems as shown
Winner takes half gems of type y as shown
Winner rotates a goal
Winner swaps any 2 goal cards (changing their priority)
Winner keeps his stake

Most cards are of the first 3 types, there is only 1 of each of the others, these are the 3 special types.

Conclusion

Fiji is a chaotic auction game that to a certain extent defies strategic analysis... Each bid is against 4, often conflicting, conditions and you are always trying to second guess your opponents. In this sense it's often simpler just to grab some gems at random and hope. Having said that, I have played the game a number of times now (5 at the last count), and I can usually guarantee to do better through experience than others who are just playing the game at random. If you want a deep strategic auction game with good information and plenty of scope for analysis, then I wouldn't recommend Fiji. However, this is the game for you if you want a fairly quick and chaotic game, which leaves you with the feeling that you've had to make brain-burning decisions.

Thread: Re: card use

tool — 2006-12-09T23:02:33+00:00

The rules don't say to shuffle the action and effect decks after the start, so you don't. I think that's pretty clear.

Thread: card use

skeletodoc — 2006-12-09T21:18:41+00:00

Do you reshuffle each of the 2 decks for each of the 4 rounds or do you use all 16 over the 4 rounds? We played both ways and preferred the reused whole deck as cards can get replaced in later rounds and not be used only once. Why can't the rules be made clearer. All ir says is that you draw 4 cards from each "stack".

Thread: Re: Fiji, misunderstood filler

skeletodoc — 2006-12-09T02:45:52+00:00

The rules about exchanges is confusing but can be decifered. There are 4 rounds with each round starting with the same number of gems per player. And 4 new cards are added for the "condition" and 4 for "effect". I presume that all 16 cards of each pile are used rather than reshuffling the whole stack every round.Each round you fist 1-4 gems and compare yours to the other players and carry out the "effect" cards. However, at the end of each round, the person meeting the criteria of the leftmost goalcard is largest collector of shrunken heads.............a video would solve the rules interpretation.

Thread: Fiji, misunderstood filler

mcbeth — 2006-12-08T17:49:04+00:00

Fiji is a new small box game (Kosmos 2P sized) from Friedemann Friese and his 2F company.

Theme:
FF is known for his off-kilter theme and art, and Fiji's trading of glass beads for shrunken heads certainly fits in that tradition. Like most Euros, this isn't a simulation game, but the art demands that the theme be explained and addressed (unlike, say T&E or El Grande, where it can largely be ignored)

Bits:
The cards are of a decent thickness, although I suspect I'll end up card protectoring them, as they do get shuffled (and even tarot shuffled). The art on the shrunken heads are the usual 2F quirky. FF's visage, as usual is in there. As usual, much care has been given to their bits and box, and it shows here. The box could have been much smaller, but at the 2P Kosmos size, it isn't overbearing.

Mechanics:
The game consists of a sequence of 4 rounds of 3 blind bids. Each bid is actually on four different lots, each with a different win criteria (most/least of a bead color). Ties on the criteria cancel each other, giving the win to the next person down. This often results in nobody winning a lot. At the end of each round, shrunken heads are handed out, according to a sequence of four criteria at the top (most/least of each color).

Explicit Opinions:
Blind bidding is tough, and a bit overused by FF. The differences here are that you are bidding on 4 different lots with different acceptance criteria, and there is an upper limit of 4 gems in a bid. These work to restrict the overbid problems that most blind bidding games exhibit. On the other hand, the tie breaking criteria on bids make the game more chaotic than it could have been. Perhaps breaking ties based on the shrunken head criteria would have worked better? Either way, the four lots at a time make the bidding a lot more interesting than just a single value judgment.

Summary:
It plays fast.
We enjoy the theme.
With smaller groups, you can get a feel for what people are going to do and tailor your bid toward the desired result.

It is not as good as I hoped for, but better than many claim.

Thread: Re: Fiji English Rules

SteveK2 — 2006-11-24T11:21:54+00:00

For some background on how file submissions are dealt with: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/136408

Thread: Re: Fiji English Rules

coljen — 2006-11-24T09:53:10+00:00

If Steve Cox posted the English rules on the 14th Nov, I reckon they've been blocked by someone. Any comment anyone????

Thread: Re: Fiji Rules

coljen — 2006-11-19T13:06:03+00:00

OK, what's hold up then???

Thread: Re: Fiji English Rules

Steve Cox — 2006-11-18T18:21:12+00:00

I posted a translation of the rules for 3-5 last Tuesday, but no sign of it yet.

Thread: Re: Fiji English Rules

jobcat — 2006-11-14T23:12:23+00:00

can anyone post the english rules?

Thread: Re: What Size box is this?

RPardoe — 2006-11-10T18:18:58+00:00

That's why they shrunk the heads. Otherwise, they would have needed a bigger box.

Thread: Re: What Size box is this?

Grimwold — 2006-11-10T18:06:25+00:00

Thanks. That's actually even smaller than I was imagining from the pictures.

Thread: Re: What Size box is this?

olavf — 2006-11-10T16:59:16+00:00

It's the size of the Winning Moves serie with games like Cartagena and Clans.

Thread: What Size box is this?

Grimwold — 2006-11-10T15:25:36+00:00

Just curious what size box this is? It looks the wrong shape to be the usual 2F type box?

Thread: Re: Fiji English Rules

sevorges — 2006-11-09T02:41:28+00:00

astroglide wrote:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/1114364

It was my reaction (perhaps over-reaction) to some Brits openly bragging online that they were buying German versions of my games cheaply and then downloading English rules from my site for free.

My new website will once again offer rules for download as I have more loyal lcustomers who want them than I have disloyal customers using them to get cheap non-English versions of my games. I should have done this long ago, but have now decided to wait for the new web site design.

Jay

jay said that after you wondered aloud in another thread why he wouldn't make rules available online. time to find a new hobby, iceman

This is very good to hear. Cheers, Jay. Almost all my purchasing of games is done via the internet without seeing a game. Reading the rules is my favourite way of getting to know a game and then I use reviews to get a feel for the flow. Although I'm pretty much sold on this one because of designer and shrunken heads.

And yes, I have bought some copies of German games because they are not available in English or just because they were incredibly cheap at the site I was ordering from. Obviously, I still prefer games with rules I understand so posting rules online will not cost Jay any of my money (probably just stoke the consumer fire further).

Thread: Re: Fiji English Rules

astroglide — 2006-10-31T18:58:44+00:00

IcemanCU wrote:
I didn't say I agreed with RGG's policy, but the rules are Jay's property and he has the right to do as he pleases with them. I was merely informing the OP that he shouldn't hold his breath for a rules post for this game, at least not a scan of the RGG rules. Time to get off your high horse, astroglide.

heh, what? rgg's policy has changed, and rules will be posted on the rgg web site. re-read my post dude, including the quote (from jay) and link.

Thread: Re: Fiji English Rules

IcemanCU — 2006-10-31T04:18:10+00:00

astroglide wrote:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/1114364

It was my reaction (perhaps over-reaction) to some Brits openly bragging online that they were buying German versions of my games cheaply and then downloading English rules from my site for free.

My new website will once again offer rules for download as I have more loyal lcustomers who want them than I have disloyal customers using them to get cheap non-English versions of my games. I should have done this long ago, but have now decided to wait for the new web site design.

Jay

jay said that after you wondered aloud in another thread why he wouldn't make rules available online. time to find a new hobby, iceman

I didn't say I agreed with RGG's policy, but the rules are Jay's property and he has the right to do as he pleases with them. I was merely informing the OP that he shouldn't hold his breath for a rules post for this game, at least not a scan of the RGG rules. Time to get off your high horse, astroglide.

Thread: Re: Fiji English Rules

XTof — 2006-10-30T17:23:47+00:00

riogames wrote:
I can make the rules available to you in English, but I wonder why you would want or need them. The game was just released at Essen in both English and German versions at the same time and price. The games were sold at stands less than 100 meters from each other. If you mistakenly bought a German version, I would gladly trade you an English version for it and give your game back to FF.
Jay

I did the same mistake and bought the german version, thinking both rules will be in the box during Essen.
And i didn't notice this before coming back home
So i'm looking for the english rules too and a way to get a missing yellow stone from my box (seem that a packaging error happens too).

How can i do for both issues ?
Thanks.
Regards.
Christophe.

Thread: Re: Fiji English Rules

Garry — 2006-10-24T00:30:18+00:00

Looks like I'm in the same boat. I bought the game from the 2F stand at Essen (I like to support the designer/publisher), I didn't realise that there wouldn't be English rules in the box, after all the components don't have any text on, so I figured (wrongly) that the english rules would be in the box. I also fell foul of the same problem with the new Powergrid map.

I'm a little confused as to why some games have multi language rules and others don't. I bought Hermagor from the 'Mind the Move' stand and that did have multi language rules, and it's a Rio Grande game as well.

I wasn't out to scam anyone, after all it was all the same price.

Garry

Thread: Re: Fiji English Rules

astroglide — 2006-10-23T17:17:41+00:00

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/1114364

It was my reaction (perhaps over-reaction) to some Brits openly bragging online that they were buying German versions of my games cheaply and then downloading English rules from my site for free.

My new website will once again offer rules for download as I have more loyal lcustomers who want them than I have disloyal customers using them to get cheap non-English versions of my games. I should have done this long ago, but have now decided to wait for the new web site design.

Jay

jay said that after you wondered aloud in another thread why he wouldn't make rules available online. time to find a new hobby, iceman

Thread: Re: Fiji English Rules

IcemanCU — 2006-10-23T16:34:47+00:00

Not sure if Jay is going to reply or not, but RGG doesn't want their rules posted online, so you won't find scans of their rules on BGG, although for some games there are player made/updated rules books available. So if you want the English rulebook, it looks like you'll either have to buy the game or trade Jay your German copy.

Thread: Re: Fiji English Rules

Coastercinder — 2006-10-23T15:32:18+00:00

I bought the German version as well, didn't even notice there was an English version. Rules would be very nice. :-)

Thread: Re: Fiji English Rules

camisdad — 2006-10-23T09:07:00+00:00

Well - I, for one, would love to read the rules before buying the game.

Btw - I did not buy the German version:-)

Thread: Re: Fiji English Rules

coljen — 2006-10-23T08:53:01+00:00

Yes, that's exactly what I did, bought the German version by mistake. And I feel a bit of a div now, knowing they were selling the english version. Doh! So if anyone can post them I would be grateful too.

Thread: Re: Fiji English Rules

Kanedacorp — 2006-10-22T20:45:14+00:00

Actually, I got this game demoed to me on the Rio Grande stall and bought it at 7:30 on friday night as we were being shooed out of the building...

Didn't check the language though and picked up a german version. I think I rememebr how to play from the explanation but I don't know how long my memory will last.
I'd have swapped it at the show but I didn't realise until we got home just now.

If someone could post the rules in english I'd appreciate it.

Thread: Re: Fiji English Rules

ekted — 2006-10-22T19:41:27+00:00

I'm sorry. I wasn't sure if you were being sarcastic 0, 1 or 2 times.

Thread: Re: Fiji English Rules

riogames — 2006-10-22T10:44:09+00:00

How silly of me - of course - I did not even think of that as the game is still a few weeks from making it to the US. Thanks for your clarification.

Jay

Thread: Re: Fiji English Rules

ekted — 2006-10-22T03:03:06+00:00

Obviously, he was looking to read the rules before buying the game.