Game: Globetrotters

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roxon — 2008-04-20T14:38:54+00:00

Backside of the Finnish box

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roxon — 2008-04-19T22:33:10+00:00

Finnish version

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josefm — 2007-07-06T13:45:41+00:00

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ColMustard — 2007-06-20T20:44:19+00:00

The 12 sided die. Roll this and gain one free airline ticket.

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ColMustard — 2007-06-20T20:43:03+00:00

The 12 sided die. Roll this and lose your turn...and pay $100.

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ColMustard — 2007-06-08T20:06:59+00:00

The currency of Globetrotters.

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ColMustard — 2007-06-08T19:44:14+00:00

The back of the airline ticket.

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ColMustard — 2007-06-08T19:39:46+00:00

A sample of three airline tickets. Each has two destinations to choose from.

Thread: User review

bitnik — 2007-01-01T23:21:09+00:00

The Finnish Globetrotters released by Marektoy was used for this review.

My family got Globetrotters as a christmas present when i was about ten years old but i never had time nor interest to read all the rules and game looked way too complicated. Last night, over ten years after that christmas i went to get the game from the game shelf and started to read the rules. It took couple of hours to read and understand how it's done before we could start to play.

Globetrotters suits for 2-6 players and i played it with the minimum, 2. Idea is to travel around the world collecting keys from different continents and biggest cities. Travelling is done by either on ground, by airplanes or ships. You can move by just throwing dices or collect money to buy flight tickets which help you move faster from one continent to another. Continents are full of cities, deserts, casinos etc. where different actions take place. With bad luck you can get thrown all the way to Antarctis or Siberia where there is no keys nearby or with the good luck you get lots of money, flight tickets and even keys from casino cities such as Las Vegas.

When rules are properly read the game is quite easy to understand but there are so many different things to do that you'll end up reading the rules again and again during the game. Rules could have been much more simplier, Globetrotters feels a lot like an adult version of finnish game classic Africa's Star.

The Final Word

Globetrotters is spoiled by too many rules while it's nothing more than a roll and move-game. Theme of travelling around the world is good and a map of world as a game board is an easy way to learn more about geography. I could play this again but not too often.

Rating: 5.

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ColMustard — 2006-12-05T01:42:43+00:00

The contents.

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ColMustard — 2006-12-05T01:25:16+00:00

A typical game card...where will it send you?

Thread: Re: User Review

lanced — 2005-08-23T22:31:23+00:00

I bought a copy of this game about 15 years ago. A group of us used to get together once a week and play it for hours. Unfortunately, I moved about ten years ago and it's been sitting unused in a closet all that time. If you want to buy it, make me an offer and I can send it out to you.

Thread: Want to sell your's?

Ange_Sarah — 2005-01-05T22:43:50+00:00

Hi, I want to know if someone is interested to sell this game? I have one but it was incomplete (dice of 12 faces and money) are missing. So if you are, you can send me a email at : cynthia4716@hotmail.com

Thread: Re:User Review

Ange_Sarah — 2005-01-05T22:40:28+00:00

b{I remember playing this game with friends and loved play this game. I want to know if anybody would want to sell his game.

Thread: Re:User Review

AnthonyPD — 2005-01-05T04:10:07+00:00

ColMustard (#69368),

I agree with your comments. An excellent, light hearted addictive game. Learning to play is no problem as long as someone experienced is there.

I think it is strange that this game is not available.

Thread: User Review

ColMustard — 2004-12-06T20:35:37+00:00

As I understand it, Globetrotters was created and produced in Canada and is no longer in print. It was only $20 brand new, at a time when most games were $30-40. The picture on the back of the box is eye catching. The large map and so many curious bits and pieces...certainly captured my imagination. But it is typical for its era, and North America origin, in that it is basically a 'roll and move' mechanic that puts players at the mercy of dice and cards.

While the premise of the game is simple, the rules are not easily explained - and cannot be fully done so here without taxing your attention span. In fact, the game makers include a booklet describing a demonstration game. Reading this through helps familiarize new players to the basic mechanics of the game and all the possible random things that can take place. Having said that, the game is not difficult to learn...it just takes time.

The board is a map of the continents of the world with several major countries outlined. Major cities within those countries are 'Key Cities' - which is to say there is a plastic key bearing the name of that city, which is placed on the board beside it. There are also 'Continent Keys' that are placed on the board; one for each of five continents represented.

The premise of the game is that each player is a world traveler in search of adventure and travels the globe by land (rolling a 12 sided die), sea (following sea routes or lines connecting continents) and air (using airline tickets; which have either been purchased of won). Each player attempts to collect the most Keys. Once all the Keys have been collected (there are 16 in all) the player who returns back to their home (which is randomly determined at the start of the game) with the most Keys, is then declared the winner. The game cannot end in a tie. If two players are tied for having the most Keys, a player must 'challenge' another player until someone has the most Keys. (A challenge has players rolling two dice. Rolling a seven, eleven or doubles determines the winner.)

To gain a Key, a player must travel to a Key City and pay $200. Another player than draws a card from the pile of Adventure Cards and reads the adventure for the corresponding city. If the card does not have the player moving on to another city, the adventure is favourable and the Key is won. For example, if a player lands on Toronto, and the card reads: "Splash around Ontario Place by paddleboat", the Key would be won; it is removed from the board and kept in front of that player. But if the card requires the player to physically leave the city his adventure is a failure and he is not rewarded with a Key. For example, if the Toronto adventure reads "Take Amtrak to Chicago and window shop around downtown Loop area." the player would be required to move his playing piece to Chicago. His turn may continue from there (if he wishes) but he did not win the Toronto Key, as he was forced to move to another location. Players are at the mercy of the card to determine the win or loss of the Key.

To add to the random fun, there is also one gambling city on each continent. This enables a player to try his luck at grabbing some quick cash and a few airline tickets. After landing in a gambling city (such as Las Vegas), the player pays $100 and then rolls the two six-sided dice. If he rolls a seven, eleven or doubles (he has up to two tries), he wins the jackpot. The jackpot starts at $200 and two airline tickets. But it is increased whenever an adventure card requires that a player pay for his adventure. If a player is in Bangkok and the card reads, "Purchase gold jewelry on Chinatown's colourful Yaward Road for $200", then that money is added to the Jackpot. (If the player does not have $200, he must pay all he can, he is deported home, and his turn is over. The player then could not receive the Key because he was forced to head home.)

A players turn is open ended. As long as you have money and means, you may continue to travel and attempt to win Keys. You may end your turn voluntarily and collect $200. But if the end of your turn is forced on you, nothing is collected (some adventure cards, for example, force you to stop traveling). Each player receives $300 at the start of their turn.

The game plays in about 2 hours...although we have finished some four player games in less. If you play with six players, the game is significantly longer and to can seem quite slow between your turns. In my opinion the game works best with four or less. When a player is taking his/her turn the others just watch. It is not an interactive game in any way.

But if the game is taken for what it is, it can be fun. There is a little room for strategy but the best laid plans can be changed instantly by a card that sends you to Northwest Territories. If you do not have room in your games closet for 'dice fest' games, then you will not appreciate this one. If you don't mind randomness, Globetrotters can be fun and is fine for family fare or an evening of laughs with friends who don't take games too seriously. It is not deep, but it can be entertaining watching your opponents win a key, only to lose it the next turn. If anything, the 'luck of the draw' quality is an equalizer, keeping all players pretty even. No one runs away with the game and it is hard to guess who is going to win.

It is funny how it goes, but there always seems to be one player who gets all the bad luck and ends up spending the game struggling to win a second key. Then the bad luck passes to another player who is suddenly halted at every turn. It is not rocket science, but it can be fun.