Game: Odin's Ravens

Thread: Re: Odin's Ravens - Overrated or Underrated?

ChernobylCow — 2008-08-19T02:43:44+00:00

faqtotum wrote:

Kahuna is a game that is played in utter silence because of the heavy computing involved.

Thanks for the heads up. That is exactly the type of game I am not looking for.

Thread: Re: "Rearrange Auxiliary Stack" card: Is it as sucky as I think it is?

nomad001 — 2008-08-01T20:28:22+00:00

I agree with the previous poster, but would also add:

- adding cards to the path is also good if you're winning ... you get to choose how they're orientated so you put them on to your benefit. If you can win by a larger margin, then more points for you.

- the aux stack is powerful as it essentially allows you two full moves (one group of cards from your hand and one from aux); an opponent with a short (or no) aux deck isn't going that far. If a particular race is lasting longer than usual, I might have quite a few cards in there hoping for the right sequence (or perhaps, they WERE in the right sequence but my opponent managed to alter the path), then that card has use ...

But I agree ... it the most useless of the Odin cards (a good one to throw into the "magic way" if needed).

Thread: Re: "Rearrange Auxiliary Stack" card: Is it as sucky as I think it is?

rgmnetid — 2008-08-01T20:23:25+00:00

Is it as sucky as I think it is?Yes.

Thread: Re: "Rearrange Auxiliary Stack" card: Is it as sucky as I think it is?

bnordeng — 2008-08-01T19:48:13+00:00

In my experience, this is a more sucky card than the other Odin cards.

However, don't be too quick to dismiss it. Depending on how the race goes, and how much the other person is messing with you, rearranging your auxiliary card stack can be a very, very helpful option. Usually, I find that I don't use it... but, when I need it, it can be fantastic.

I do find that I add two cards to the end of the track more often than rearranging the auxiliary stack. Once again, it depends on how the race is going, but sometimes it can really help to buy time (if you are behind) or extend the end so you can win by more (if you are way ahead).

Finally, if Odin appears on the Magic Way card then this card (being more sucky than the other Odin cards) will often find itself on the Magic Way.

So, there can be many ways to use this card even though it may not be as obviously powerful as some of the others.

Thread: "Rearrange Auxiliary Stack" card: Is it as sucky as I think it is?

wmshub — 2008-08-01T19:39:34+00:00

I played my first "serious" game of this last night (ie, my first game not with my daughter). One thing I found is that most of the Odin cards are usually useful, but one is hardly ever useful.

The bad one is the one with two choices: "Rearrange your auxiliary stack", or "Add two cards to the path."

When my wife and I played, we were only putting down aux cards if we knew we needed them soon. It's hard to see why somebody would waste card plays tossing random garbage into the aux stack, and unless you do that, I don't see how the "rearrange" option would be useful very often.

As for adding two cards to the path - well, sure, if your opponent is about to win, that might buy you some time, but it seems pretty rare that playing a card to extend the game is better than playing a card to move your raven forwards.

Is there some strategy I'm missing here?

Thread: Re: Odin's Way Errata

jearles — 2008-07-26T14:14:24+00:00

THE MAGIC WAY

"The six magic way cards show either two land types or one land type and a picture of Odin. At the beginning of each race, one of the cards is face up on the magic card stack.

At the end of a race, the player who has played the most cards to the face up magic way card earns bonus points. To play a card to the magic way card, a player must play a flight card without moving his raven or an Odin card without taking its action. The card played must match one of the two pictures on the magic way card (an Odin card matches the picture of Odin). The card may come from the player's hand or from his auxiliary card stack (top-most card). When a player plays a card to the face up magic way card, he places it face up next to the magic way card.

Example: at the beginning of the game, the magic way card shows Odin and a mountain. Either player may play to the card by playing any Odin card or a mountain flight card.

The player places the card played face up in the space he reserved for magic way cards. The players should overlap the cards they play to the magic way card so that they can see how many each has.

I apologize for this mistake in the rules".

--

The game is played over a series of races, and the Magic Way is reset (shuffle the six cards and turn over top card) for each race.

Edit...

Also see: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/6791

Thread: Odin's Way Errata

manymoodys — 2008-07-26T12:02:02+00:00

On the Rio Grande website space for Odin's Ravens there is discussion of a change to the rules in reference to the Magic Way cards. The site describes that the rules were mistranslated from the original German rules, but then the description of the change cuts off mid-sentence. I have written to Rio Grande to ask what the rule change is, but have received no response. I'm thinking maybe it tells you not to reshuffle the Magic Way with each set-up, but not sure why I think that. Does anyone know what the real rule change is based on the Errata on their site? Thanks!

Thread: Re: Playing Jokers counts as 1 or 2 cards?

rgmnetid — 2008-07-25T20:58:55+00:00

wmshub wrote:
...just toss one card of a pair on the aux deck, keep the other, and you're guaranteed at least one pair in the next turn.But don't keep playable cards in your hand if you can help it. Unless you have another play that makes sense (which seems unlikely if you're stuck behind the Odin marker), put both cards onto your stack so that you can draw 2 cards into hand. Just sayin', FWIW.

Thread: Re: Playing Jokers counts as 1 or 2 cards?

wmshub — 2008-07-25T20:38:57+00:00

You are only allowed to rearrange your aux deck when you play the Odin card that says you can. So right, to play double joker, your aux deck needs to have a card on top that you can pair with a card in your hand (or it can have two matching cards on top, that works too). It's not all that hard to do if you know you'll need a joker in your next turn - just toss one card of a pair on the aux deck, keep the other, and you're guaranteed at least one pair in the next turn.

Thread: Re: Playing Jokers counts as 1 or 2 cards?

rtresco — 2008-07-15T00:11:34+00:00

It would seem that, espiecially when trying to beat the Odin marker with 4 joker cards, it would be almost impossible to rely on the auxiliary deck if you can only use them in order and not rearrange them.

For those that council using the auxiliary deck to complete a joker set - do you allow for choosing the needed card from anywhere in the auxiliary set?

I play so that two cards combined to make a joker are played as one joker card. This way, the game plays very fast which is nice. I think if you get trapped behind an unplayable first card on top of the auxiliary deck for too many turns, it could make for a very lopsided race. But like I say - I haven't played the "correct" way yet so maybe I'll go try that and render this post moot.

Thread: Re: Odin's Ravens - Overrated or Underrated?

faqtotum — 2008-07-10T21:30:11+00:00

Odin's Ravens is overrated if you play it nicely. That is, without an active attempt to screw over your opponent. But it really shines as a heavy-confrontation game, and I recommend playing it that way.

Because I am that sort of player.

So true. I'm recovering from a wild game we played last night where we just kept stretching the path half-way around the world, and did everything to impede each other. Excellent screwage.

Kahuna is even better.

Kahuna is a game that is played in utter silence because of the heavy computing involved. Save for a few choice words spoken in angst and dismay, I usually need a break after a game of Kahuna. Not a go for a walk and enjoy the fresh type of break; more like the "go in the corner and calm down" type of break.

Thread: Re: Playing Jokers counts as 1 or 2 cards?

coxer80 — 2008-06-09T14:12:50+00:00

It's not as ridiculous as you think (or maybe it is). I played my first game with my wife yesterday, and we had the exact same question. We were playing them as one until I found this post. Thanks.

Thread: Re: Odin's Ravens - Overrated or Underrated?

chezzilla — 2008-06-08T05:03:50+00:00

Great review ! I play MR. JACK with my wife, but she didn't like LOST CITIES,so I sold it to a fellow gamer. I am going to this GEE-NORMOUS game store in Dallas next week called the GAME CHEST. I will be sure to purchase this gem based on your review, along with WINGS OF WAR-miniatures !

Thread: Re: Odin's Ravens - Overrated or Underrated?

Angry Dragon — 2008-05-27T00:31:03+00:00

everingham wrote:
First of all, this was a really great review.
I find Odin's Ravens to be OverRated but that is only an opinion. This is one game that I just don't get why people like, and I hope to trade my copy off to someone. In my family, the only person who likes this game at all is a 7 year old. I guess there is just something we are missing because I hear constant good things about the game. I'm certainly not trying to tell anyone it's not a great game, it just didn't suit my family. Even though I don't like the game, your descriptions of it are very good and you explain it well.

I'm intrigued by your ideas and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

Thread: Re: Odin's Ravens - Overrated or Underrated?

ColMustard — 2008-05-24T01:53:09+00:00

Nice review...I like you style. You should write others.

Thread: Re: Odin's Ravens - Overrated or Underrated?

Rivaben — 2008-05-23T12:52:37+00:00

Excelent review. I was waiting for this kind of review for this game for a while. I think the game is underrated. IMHO, it´s the best game of the Kosmos 2-player collection.

In time: I like Lost Cities, I think Ballon Cup is only a matematical game and Kahuna is only good when you are starting to learning it (after that, it becomes impossible to change the score in the third round and it's, of course, frustrating).

Thread: Re: Odin's Ravens - Overrated or Underrated?

Rastak — 2008-05-22T18:55:52+00:00

pHr0sT wrote:
rgmnetid wrote:
pHr0sT wrote:
Sprydle wrote:
The only issue I have with odin's Ravens is that it can last too long ...I have not had this happen yet,...Somebody's not playing to win.
This game does get very long if you refuse to give up points.
Oh, I play every game to win. It's just sometimes i'm content to lose the race by 1 card, but win the magic way card, guaranteeing I score more points than my opponent. If you are in the middle of the game and the score is something like 7 - 5, I would be happy losing the race by 3 or 4 and winning the magic way. Do this twice and the game is yours.

Exactly. I was in a game last week where I was behind on the magic way and ahead by 1 in the race...kind of the opposite of your situation above. I delayed the end of the race a bit until I could at least tie the magic way then finish. It's risky because had my wife gotten around the Odin marker she would have swept both. The last couple hands were quite tense.

Thread: Re: Odin's Ravens - Overrated or Underrated?

pHr0sT — 2008-05-22T18:11:14+00:00

rgmnetid wrote:
pHr0sT wrote:
Sprydle wrote:
The only issue I have with odin's Ravens is that it can last too long ...I have not had this happen yet,...Somebody's not playing to win.
This game does get very long if you refuse to give up points.
Oh, I play every game to win. It's just sometimes i'm content to lose the race by 1 card, but win the magic way card, guaranteeing I score more points than my opponent. If you are in the middle of the game and the score is something like 7 - 5, I would be happy losing the race by 3 or 4 and winning the magic way. Do this twice and the game is yours.

Thread: Re: Odin's Ravens - Overrated or Underrated?

rgmnetid — 2008-05-22T17:27:46+00:00

pHr0sT wrote:
Sprydle wrote:
The only issue I have with odin's Ravens is that it can last too long ...I have not had this happen yet,...Somebody's not playing to win.
This game does get very long if you refuse to give up points.

Thread: Re: Odin's Ravens - Overrated or Underrated?

Drew1365 — 2008-05-22T16:24:06+00:00

everingham wrote:
First of all, this was a really great review.
I find Odin's Ravens to be OverRated but that is only an opinion. This is one game that I just don't get why people like, and I hope to trade my copy off to someone. In my family, the only person who likes this game at all is a 7 year old. I guess there is just something we are missing because I hear constant good things about the game. I'm certainly not trying to tell anyone it's not a great game, it just didn't suit my family. Even though I don't like the game, your descriptions of it are very good and you explain it well.

Odin's Ravens is overrated if you play it nicely. That is, without an active attempt to screw over your opponent. But it really shines as a heavy-confrontation game, and I recommend playing it that way.

Because I am that sort of player.

Kahuna is even better.

Thread: Re: Odin's Ravens - Overrated or Underrated?

pHr0sT — 2008-05-22T14:11:46+00:00

Thanks for your input Kevin. I know it is impossible to find any game that everyone will enjoy as every person is different. I appreciate the fact that even though you don't like the game, you still read my review. Good luck if you do decide on trading it, hope it won't be one of those that you regret later and decide to get back!

Thread: Re: Odin's Ravens - Overrated or Underrated?

everingham — 2008-05-22T13:21:51+00:00

First of all, this was a really great review.
I find Odin's Ravens to be OverRated but that is only an opinion. This is one game that I just don't get why people like, and I hope to trade my copy off to someone. In my family, the only person who likes this game at all is a 7 year old. I guess there is just something we are missing because I hear constant good things about the game. I'm certainly not trying to tell anyone it's not a great game, it just didn't suit my family. Even though I don't like the game, your descriptions of it are very good and you explain it well.

Thread: Re: Odin's Ravens - Overrated or Underrated?

pHr0sT — 2008-05-22T05:02:50+00:00

Luminous wrote:
There aren't any "throwaway" turns in Odin's Ravens, as you mentioned. Each turn is an opportunity to help yourself and/or hinder your opponent, even if you can't move your raven.

Exactly. They even have a discard pile which I think I have used once so far. It was my first game and later I realized I should have put it in the auxiliary stack instead!

Kiboko Hippo wrote:
I've played a decent number of all the games you've listed (Odin's Ravens, Lost Cities, Balloon Cup, Jambo, Kahuna) and I think that you might want to consider Jambo. I think it's the most interesting and replayable among those five games. (It has a marginally higher learning curve but really isn't too difficult.)
I also looked at Jambo, and have it has been rising for my contemplations in my next purchase. I have liked the Kosmos series so far, and think Jambo may be my next step, thanks!

Sprydle wrote:
The only issue I have with odin's Ravens is that it can last too long with defensive race-length building (adding cards to the race-track each turn).
I have not had this happen yet, but can see how it would prolong the game and maybe take a bit of fun out of it. I'm sure with clever placement of your auxiliary cards and Odin Cards, this could be overcome, might take a few turns, but can be done.

Sprydle wrote:

I recommend giving Aton a try next--quite possibly the most intense, quick-playing, two-player game out there. No more complex than Odin's Ravens, but has simultaneous interaction of about 6 different avenues to victory which must be both pursued and thwarted in turn.
Thanks for the recommendation! I have added it to my wishlist as "thinking about it" and will definitely keep an eye out for it!

Thread: Re: Odin's Ravens - Overrated or Underrated?

Mandrake — 2008-05-22T01:01:30+00:00

Effective review. I think it's finally time to add Odin's Ravens to my collection.

Thread: Re: Odin's Ravens - Overrated or Underrated?

Sprydle — 2008-05-22T00:39:18+00:00

Great first review! The only issue I have with odin's Ravens is that it can last too long with defensive race-length building (adding cards to the race-track each turn). Yes it can create a huge point lead if the tactic doesn't work out for the player on the defensive, but it also really slows down what is usually a pretty quick game.

I recommend giving Aton a try next--quite possibly the most intense, quick-playing, two-player game out there. No more complex than Odin's Ravens, but has simultaneous interaction of about 6 different avenues to victory which must be both pursued and thwarted in turn.

Thread: Re: Odin's Ravens - Overrated or Underrated?

Kiboko Hippo — 2008-05-22T00:11:05+00:00

I'm glad you enjoy Odin's Ravens. I've played a decent number of all the games you've listed (Odin's Ravens, Lost Cities, Balloon Cup, Jambo, Kahuna) and I think that you might want to consider Jambo. I think it's the most interesting and replayable among those five games. (It has a marginally higher learning curve but really isn't too difficult.)

Thread: Re: Odin's Ravens - Overrated or Underrated?

matthiske — 2008-05-22T00:09:01+00:00

My favorite two player card game. I only wish I could play it more often, it is so underrated.

Thread: Re: Odin's Ravens - Overrated or Underrated?

Rastak — 2008-05-21T23:50:33+00:00

pHr0sT wrote:
I like games that make you think but at the same time I enjoy games where anyone can win. I don't like playing a game so many times that I have certain tiles memorized or know all the intricate strategies. I want to play games, have fun, interact, and just have an overall good time.

First off, nice review. I really like the game too. There's quite a battle going on trying to get the 3 points for the magic way card. So much so, that I've extended races I could have won because I'd end with a deficit.

I also really subscribe to your thoughts quoted above. I really don't want to play a game over and over until I know every move by heart and the optimal path all the time. Better to play a new game if that happens.

Thread: Re: Odin's Ravens - Overrated or Underrated?

Luminous — 2008-05-21T23:28:44+00:00

pHr0sT wrote:
I feel much more involved with Odin's Ravens when compared to Lost Cities.
Excellent observation. I like both games, but in Lost Cities one's often faced with "throwaway" turns—turns where you decide your best strategy is just to discard something your opponent won't use and hope to draw something better. There aren't any "throwaway" turns in Odin's Ravens, as you mentioned. Each turn is an opportunity to help yourself and/or hinder your opponent, even if you can't move your raven.

Thorough review; I like that you discussed the reasoning behind acquiring the game for just one example. Of course, I agree completely too.

Thread: Odin's Ravens - Overrated or Underrated?

pHr0sT — 2008-05-21T20:44:16+00:00

This is my first review, and if all goes well, I will continue to review some more of my games. I play board games to have fun. I like games that make you think but at the same time I enjoy games where anyone can win. I don't like playing a game so many times that I have certain tiles memorized or know all the intricate strategies. I want to play games, have fun, interact, and just have an overall good time.

I bought Odin's Ravens after playing and enjoying Lost Cities with my girlfriend. She really liked it, probably because of the fact that she can win, and win lots. I decided to try another Kosmos 2-player game, and had a look at Balloon Cup, Jambo, and Kahuna. None were quite what I was looking for, so I kept looking and eventually stumbled across Odin's Ravens. I have only played the game a couple of times but thought I would like to share my opinion and give a nice, short, simple review for others wondering about this game. I'm not going to write out the rules and what not for the game, as other reviews contain these, as well as files here on BGG.

Components = 8/10

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Upon opening the box, you see a really nice insert that keeps the cards separated into three piles that are easy to place in and remove from the box. There are 112 cards in total that are a bit irregular for normal cards. They are rather long and skinny, but having played a couple of games, this feels completely normal and is nothing to worry about. The cardstock is rather thin, but sturdy enough that they should hold up to repetitive play. All of the cards contain rounded corners which is always nice. The artwork contained on both the front and back of the cards are all colorful and aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
The 2 wooden ravens and Odin Marker are made of a nice thick wood and fit nicely into their storage space underneath one set of cards. The paint is already wearing thin on the ravens and the wood is starting to show through a bit already. This does not affect the gameplay in anyway but detracts from the overall aesthetics just a bit.
Also included is a rulebook that flips open measuring 3 pages long for a total of 6 pages (front and back). There are quite a bit of rules and I kind of felt overwhelmed having to read them all to my girlfriend. I had not played the game previously so this took about 10 - 15 minutes. There seem to be a lot more rules compared to Lost Cities, and for the first few plays you will no doubt need them out to refer to. I also really liked the fact that at the end of most sections of the rules, they provided a clear example with a picture. This definitely helps you visualize things before you get started.
Overall, I was pleased with the components contained in the Odin's Ravens box, and was happy to see that the box could stack neatly with Lost Cities. (As with most in the Kosmos 2 player series I am thinking?)
For what you get for the cheap price you pay, I think it is a rather good deal.

Fun Factor = 7.5/10

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I like the theme of Odin's Ravens, reading the Overview gives you kind of a background story and provides you with a reason as to why you are playing, so you are not left wondering why the heck you are moving Ravens across Snowy Mountaintops and Rivers. To me, when a game such as Odin's Ravens does this, it makes the game more fun, and easier to introduce non-gamers too.
Once the gameplay begins though, the fun really starts. There are multiple things you can do to hamper your opponent as well as make life easier for yourself. I found it quite fun to rotate a land card 180 degrees and here the scowl from my opponent. Or when their raven is within 3 cards of ending the race, you put the Odin Marker down blocking their path. To me I think the game can contain quite a bit of confrontation if you really want it. On every Odin Card you can do something to alter the flight path or the ravens themselves. This keeps you constantly on your toes with your full attention on the game. The fun can be ended rather quick as a raven as far back as 6 cards from the finish can win in one swift play, with 3 cards from your auxiliary stack and 3 from your hand. This is rare but can very well happen and may leave you feeling like what the heck just happened? The gameplay can also be really short, 3 turns or less to decide a single race. This may take the fun factor down quite a bit, but the fact that it is a race to 12 total points helps the game by having multiple races in a single session. Our games usually last 3 - 5 games, which is perfect in my opinion.
Overall, I think this game may sound dry after reading the rules, but once engaged in gameplay with two highly competitive players, the game can get fun in a hurry.

Replayability = 8.5/10

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Replayability. One of the most important traits of a good game. I want games in my collection that will be played and played lots. Ones that may sit on the shelf but at any time can be pulled down and want to be played. Replayability is an area where I think Odin's Ravens may be underrated. Every race is different, every race may force you into a different tactic. Sometimes you can go on the offense trying to race your raven down the flightpath, and at other times when you aren't getting the right cards, you can play defensively and focus on slowing up your opponents raven. Even when luck of the draw seems not on your side, you can still help yourself out by playing to the magic way stack and guaranteeing yourself 3 points for the round. I found that in our first couple of games, the ravens would only win by a margin of 3 - 5 cards, so the magic way is an important part of gameplay. Add to this the fact that at the end of your turn you have the ability to extend the flightpath, makes the game that much more different each time.
Overall, I think Odin's Ravens really excels in the replayability factor. Because of all of the decisions made available to you on your turn, it really does seem like much more than just a card game.

Overall = 8/10

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Overall I rate Odin's Ravens a solid 8/10. Yes I think it is a very good game. I enjoy playing it, and I would suggest it as a quick, fun 2 player game. When playing with a non-gamer, I would probably play Lost Cities first as a primer, than move onto Odin's Ravens next. I feel much more involved with Odin's Ravens when compared to Lost Cities. As of this review, Odin's Ravens only has a 6.8/10 rating here at BGG. Overrated? I think not. This game is an underrated game not only in the Kosmos 2 player lineup of games, but in the large scope of 2 player games as well. I think lots of people have not even bothered to check it out here at BGG and it is a shame that it is not owned by more people. I'd even go as far as saying, I enjoy Odin's Ravens more than Lost Cities. I appreciate each for what they try and do, but would nominate Odin's Ravens as a deeper, more fun game. A bit of the Lost Cities hype I had has worn off and it hasn't been played for quite awhile. Odin's Ravens I may have just got, but I can see it garnering more table time in the long run.

Bottom Line - If you enjoy 2 player card games like Lost Cities, but are looking for something a bit deeper, with more variance and will keep you coming back for more, why not pick up Odin's Ravens, a value game at a value price, and in my opinion: a highly underrated game.

Image

fractaloon — 2008-05-06T00:11:10+00:00

English edition box back - Higher resolution photo (high enough to read all the text).

Thread: Re: My wife and I love Odin's ravens!

scottsnew1 — 2008-04-22T15:37:10+00:00

Nick Danger wrote:
There's probably no way I can say this without it sounding like I'm trying to be some douchebag self-promoter but here goes anyway...

You might want to look at Castle Merchants as it has some similarities to Odin's Ravens and I quite prefer it as a two player game. I'm really not trying to just push the game, I only bring it up as I think it does fall into your wheelhouse of something you and/or your wife might enjoy.

I'll leave it at that as I'm sure I've already red-lined my stupid jerk meter.

i actually have castle merchants on my want list, so you couldn't be too far off!!!

Thread: Re: My wife and I love Odin's ravens!

scottsnew1 — 2008-04-22T15:04:31+00:00

stormseeker75 wrote:
I'm always looking for new 2-player games. This one has been on my watch list for a long time and your review has convinced me to add this to my next game order.

thanks, this was my first review! GG anyone? hehehe!!

Thread: Re: My wife and I love Odin's ravens!

Nick Danger — 2008-04-22T14:59:04+00:00

There's probably no way I can say this without it sounding like I'm trying to be some douchebag self-promoter but here goes anyway...

You might want to look at Castle Merchants as it has some similarities to Odin's Ravens and I quite prefer it as a two player game. I'm really not trying to just push the game, I only bring it up as I think it does fall into your wheelhouse of something you and/or your wife might enjoy.

I'll leave it at that as I'm sure I've already red-lined my stupid jerk meter.

Thread: Re: My wife and I love Odin's ravens!

stormseeker75 — 2008-04-22T11:31:07+00:00

I'm always looking for new 2-player games. This one has been on my watch list for a long time and your review has convinced me to add this to my next game order.

Thread: Re: My wife and I love Odin's ravens!

JohnRayJr — 2008-04-22T07:03:32+00:00

Glad to see another fan of the game. I should try and get this out more often.

The thing about Odin's Ravens is that it has a deceptively simple set of rules - but those rules can be pushed pretty hard and support surprisingly deep gameplay. I used to play a friend of mine who was a bit of a strategy gamer wunderkind, and I beat him at Odin's Raven's something like 15 out of 16 games. His comment:

"Playing Odin's Raven's with you gives me the same mental burn I get from playing Puerto Rico or Chess."

Which, for us, was high praise.

Odin's Ravens need not be that intense or involving; in fact, it can easily be a fairly light couple's game. But it scales to experience and can produce moves and never-before-seen outcomes after 15 games. For me, that's what makes it so awesome.

Thread: My wife and I love Odin's ravens!

scottsnew1 — 2008-04-22T05:32:49+00:00

Odin's Ravens is a medium-light card game for 2 players. It is part of the Kosmos 2 player games. The premise is you are trying to fly your wooden raven across the landscape while at the same time trying to prevent your opponent's raven from reaching the end of their landscape.

What do you get?
In the box you will find a deck of landscape cards, 2 identical decks of action cards, a small deck of magic way cards, one Odin marker and 2 wooden ravens, one brown and one grey.

The cards are tall and narrow and of good quality. it helps play greatly that they made the cards narrow because they need to be placed next to each other to create the landscape you are tying to fly across. It's also kind of cool to play with non-traditional shaped cards.

Gameplay
This is a brief overview of gameplay, since it is covered so well by others.

The landscape cards each contain 2 sides, say a mountain and a river, or maybe snow and a valley. they are placed down randomly in a row of nine to start the game.
Now using the 5 cards dealt to each player the players in turn are allowed to play 3 cards from their hand to try to fly their raven as far as possible towards the end of the row.
If you have a mountain, a snow, and a river ahead of you on your side of the flight path, you need to play those 3 cards in order out of your hand to fly across them.

They can also play 3 cards out of their auxiliary deck, which at the beginning of the game is empty, but they can build up with cards from their hand which they do not play towards moving their raven.
The trick is that cards placed in the auxiliary deck may not change order, so it is important to try to plan ahead which cards you may need to complete your flight.

Unfortunately, your opponent knows you are trying to plan ahead so he may play an Odin card against you during his turn. he might flip a landscape card, or swap 2 different landscape cards so you now no longer have the card in front of you that you once had, making your auxiliary deck unusable at the moment.

But you can always use an Odin card against him. you might place the Odin marker in front of his raven, which would cause him to spend 2 identical cards to get it moved, costing him precious cards and moves in his attempt to fly to the end of the landscape. or you can also play the Odin card that lets you re-arrange your auxiliary deck.

So the dilemma arises each turn: Should i block my opponent? or should i try to fly as far as possible? also influencing my decision is the fact that each Odin card has 2 options, and i can choose only one. one is usually to my benefit, while the other is usually designed to hinder my opponent, so deciding what to do can be anguishing at times, especially if you are behind a few spaces.

Fortunately, after each turn you are allowed to add one landscape card to the end of the flight path, which is good if you are behind, it might prevent your opponent from reaching the end on his next turn. but if you are near the end, and you are ahead, adding cards might be to your detriment.

Lastly are the magic way cards. near the draw pile are a small stack of cards with a red color back. they have a small picture representing 2 of the types of cards in your hand. if you are holding a card which you feel you cannot use at the time, you can play it onto the magic way deck. if at the end of the round even if your opponent has beat you by say 2 spaces, if you happen to have played 3 cards into the magic way pile, and he has played none, then you will have beat him by 1 point!

So is it Fun??
For me, i don't care so much for heavy complex games. most of the games i play i play with my wife, and i want to have fun. And Odin's Ravens is Fun!!! It has enough tough decisions to make it challenging, but it is light enough to play a few short games, even if we are tired. Each game can last as short as 10 minutes, so we usually play 3 or 4 in a row.

My wife beats be 80% of the time, and even though it is a lighter game, because she is usually winning, my turns are often times filled with anguish and indecision.

I recommend Odin's Ravens for anyone who likes 2 player games. if you like Lost Cities you will definitely like this game and if you think Lost Cities is lacking something you will also like this game. there are so many more decisions to make.

Final score
I give Odin's Ravens 8.5/10!!!

Thread: Re: Fly Raven Fly!

Luminous — 2008-04-14T02:34:12+00:00

Nice blow-by-blow. Removing a landscape card to win the race is always so satisfying to do, and so crushing to have your opponent do, especially when you've looked at their lack of auxiliary deck the previous turn and decided they probably couldn't pull off a win!

The Magic Way is so very, very evil. I hate it with a fiery passion. Use this valley to feed the Magic Way, or save it for next turn? Then I play it to the Magic Way, and my opponent plays 3 to Magic Way next turn, making the sacrifice useless. Argh!

Thread: Fly Raven Fly!

ccarlet1 — 2008-04-14T01:00:53+00:00

My wife and I have played this game about 12 times now and enjoy it more the more we play it. Card management is pretty interesting in this game because you can create an auxiliary stack, so that on subsequent turns you can play up to six cards in a turn: three from your hand and three from your auxiliary. It took a few games to really get into how much you can do with this game.

Round1

There are also a number of dirty tricks you can play on your opponent as you try to be the first to get his raven to the end of the flight path. My wife made me move back a space; then hindered my flight with the Odin marker. She got ahead of me, so I added cards to the flight path to extend the race; however you sometimes have to be careful about extending the race. You score points according to how far ahead you are of your opponent.

Well I knew I wouldn't be able to catch her, so I made sure that I was ahead in the other race: the Magic Way. By placing more of certain types of cards in the Magic way than your opponent, you can score three points. It's sometimes hard to spare these cards as you can also use them in your race, but it is a good way to stay in the game.

Well, Penny's raven finished first, but I won the Magic Way.

Score:

Chris: 3
Penny: 5

Round 2:

This time I stuffed my auxiliary pile. You can put the next few cards you need for the race in it, then play from there and your hand next turn. Or place one of the Odin cards, which have special powers, in the stack. Sometimes this can really backfire f your opponent changes the flight path on you. I got ahead in the race, but I was behind in the Magic Way. Then I managed to tie on the Magic Way, which meant no one was getting points there.

I lengthened the race so I could win by more, and took the lead in the Magic Way. In the end I only won the race by three, but also won the Magic way.

Score:

Chris: 9
Penny: 5

Round 3:

This round I jumped ahead right away in the race, but Penny soon caught up, and we both lengthened the flight path. I managed to stay ahead in the race, but fell behind in the Magic Way, which this time had Odin cards as one of the possibilities. The more I play, the less reluctant I am to place them in the Magic Way rather than use their powers; however, they still come in pretty handy.

We each had five cards in the Magic Way, and the race had been extended considerably. We were racing beak and beak, but my wife pulled ahead at the very end, with the Magic Way tied.

Score:

Chris: 9
Penny: 6

Round 4

The race was another squeaker. Penny was ahead on the Magic Way as well, but then used an Odin card to remove one of the flight path cards, and she won the race too! What a difference removing a single card from the flight path can make!

Score:

Chris: 9
Penny: 10

Round 5:

I took the lead early in the race again, and in the Magic Way. I got stopped temporarily by the Odin marker, but stocked up my auxiliary stack for a big run. Well, I kept my lead in the Magic Way, and in the race, until . . . my wife played three from her hand and three from her auxiliary stack for a great six-card combination to win the race.

Score:

Chris: 12
Penny: 17

That is one of the great things about this game: great chances to plan cool card combinations that may or may not work.

Thread: Re: Playing Jokers counts as 1 or 2 cards?

wolper — 2008-04-13T14:52:24+00:00

Thanks for your replys. I totally overlooked that option. I kept thinking the rules should state that playing 2 cards as a joker counts as playing two cards, but in retrospect it's kind of ridiculous to think otherwise. Thanks again!

Thread: Re: Playing Jokers counts as 1 or 2 cards?

Rygel — 2008-04-07T20:48:30+00:00

Playing two cards counts as playing two cards. No matter what.

The way you do this is to play two from your hand and two cards from your auxiliary deck since you can play three cards from each each turn. Of course, you have to have cards in your auxiliary deck first.

Thread: Re: Playing Jokers counts as 1 or 2 cards?

mdp4828 — 2008-04-07T16:49:13+00:00

It's been awhile since I played, but I think it counts as two cards. To make a double joker pair (4 cards) you would have to use your auxillary deck.

Thread: Playing Jokers counts as 1 or 2 cards?

wolper — 2008-04-07T16:02:13+00:00

I have played that playing a pair as a joker counts as playing 1 card because the rules state that you can get past the Odin marker by playing 2 sets of jokers (4 cards total). It seems like you would not be able to do that if the pair played as a joker counts as 2 cards.

However, the rules clarification file says the following:
If you play 2 of the same type of card as a "joker", does this count as 2
cards played towards the 3 card limit, or do the two combine to just make
1 card played?
- Two cards used to form a joker count as two cards played. You can play
both from your hand, both from your auxillary stack, or one from each.

Anybody have thoughts on how to handle this?

Thread: Re: Pushing the odds...

mvettemagred — 2008-03-25T01:15:45+00:00

True, without two of the appropriate terrain card, you'd need a minimum of 3 cards to break the Odin Marker. I just haven't been stuck like you have, expecially with and aux. stack. You really had bad luck with those cards!

Either way, I find whenever the wife wins, we both win.

Thread: Re: Pushing the odds...

jgrundy — 2008-03-24T14:54:24+00:00

mvettemagred wrote:
Sounds like a great match! Just curious -- were you playing the Odin Marker correctly? You know you can get rid of it with a Joker, right? With all the cards in your hand+aux stack, you should have had two cards of the same type.Well, you need two cards, which could be two natural, or one natural and a joker pair, or two joker pairs making four cards. (All explicit in the rules.)

At any time you have access to between five cards (if you have no auxillaries) and eight cards (if you have at least three auxillaries). Three uselesss Odin cards and a triple occupy six cards.

It's certainly possible I misplayed my options through there somewhere and could have improved my chance to make two jokers, but yes I know you can break the Odin marker with a joker+natural or two jokers.

mvettemagred wrote:
Also, how did you get two races with the same Magic Way card? Do you shuffle them after each race?Yes we do. I'm pretty sure we've had some games stretch out to the seventh hand... we find it quite common to get only a couple of points. Split between the two of us you could run up 20+ points before game end. Anyway (1) the rules say to reshuffle everything so we do and (2) there's nothing inherently bad about repeat Magic Way cards.

Thread: Re: Pushing the odds...

mvettemagred — 2008-03-24T14:17:06+00:00

Sounds like a great match! Just curious -- were you playing the Odin Marker correctly? You know you can get rid of it with a Joker, right? With all the cards in your hand+aux stack, you should have had two cards of the same type. You don't need to wait for the Odin card that moves the marker.

Also, how did you get two races with the same Magic Way card? Do you shuffle them after each race? We just discard the card from the previous race and flip up the next card. Since there are six MW cards, it's highly unlikely that a game will go more than six races.

Thread: Re: Pushing the odds...

Hendal — 2008-03-24T13:44:17+00:00

Never heard of this one, but it sure sounds fun, thanks for sharing, I am off to check out this game!

You had bad cards, you should have won it sounds like to - of course that is because when I lose to the wife I say I had no good cards or the dice where against me, or anything but you are better then me at this!

Thread: Pushing the odds...

jgrundy — 2008-03-24T09:44:52+00:00

My wife and I break out the ravens from time to time. Our games are always quite long, as we both make extensive use of extending the flight path, so I laughed out loud when my wife said "how about a quick one" and plopped this on the table.

In the first race, the Magic Way was an Odin Card / Fields combination. My wife and I both chose to pause a turn to stock our auxillary piles and this time we each threw a card at the Magic Way. Soon my wife surged to the lead, making a clever swap to gain her several steps advantage. In spite of my best efforts, she claimed a solid win of four steps, but equal on the Magic Way.

In the second race, the Magic Way was Forest / Water. This was a slightly longer race, with both of us having turns of feeling pressured and extending the race path. Finally I claimed the race for three points and the Magic Way advantage for a total of six.

In the third race, we had an Odin / Field Magic Way again. I spent the race with almost no fields, and in spite of spinning most of the fields to my wife's side of the race I came out the slower here and my wife claimed a further five points, bringing her total to nine and within reach of the required twelve to win. Now the pressure was on.

The fourth race was the hardest fought. Yet another Magic Way card with Odin, this time paired with Snow. I struggled with the snow in my path, tossing snow cards at the Magic Way and as a result winding up having to throw a pair of forests to pass one snow and the Odin card to move one step forward to pass another. My wife meanwhile seemed to throw another Odin card at the Magic Way almost every turn, and at one point exclaimed, "hey, I've got EIGHT cards on the Magic Way!" ... we both thought she'd had six. Four of them were Odin cards! Meanwhile I was extending the flight path on plenty of turns, and twice she did likewise.

At last the stars aligned and I took the lead, surging down a lonnng mountain ridge. All I needed was one more step to win. On her turn, my wife closed a little of the gap and sensing defeat she didn't extend the flight path. (That would just give me an extra point for the race.)

But at a single step to go, the five cards in my hand just wouldn't let me take that step! And on the next turn, my wife closed just a little more of my lead and put the Odin marker in front of me. I couldn't crack the Odin marker, so my auxillary pile swelled and the Magic Way swelled (though somewhat uselessly in the face of my wife's lead there). My wife could possibly win from here, so I extended the flight path. The following turn was the same... still stuck, and now I was three steps from finishing with a bloated auxillary pile. My wife passed me... she had two steps to go.

At last I got the Odin card to move the marker, while having the cards (between my hand and auxillary pile) to finish.

Hmmm. Thinks to self: Finishing now would give me a one point loss. OR... with the Odin marker in front of her and currently no cards in her auxillary pile my wife can take a maximum of two steps. If I stop one step short of finishing (I've already got the next card I need) and extend the flight path by one step she can't finish on her next turn PLUS she might not be able to break the Odin marker at all... I may have a chance to actually claim a couple of points! Hmmm. The last landscape in front of my wife is snow. The only flaw in my plan is if I draw a double-snow card, giving her a two-fer-one as her last step, AND she has to have EXACTLY the right cards. Certainly a long shot.

So of course, I drew double-snow and she had the right cards, giving her two points for winning the race and three more for dominating the Magic Way.

Final result: four races, two hours, She=14 points, Me=6.

Good night.

Thread: Re: Swapping Two Unoccupied Landscape Tiles

Khabbi — 2008-03-03T13:53:46+00:00

Thanks for the replies. We'll try a little hard to keep the passed landscape tiles on the table, which should be a problem since we play on an 8 foot long poker table

Thread: Re: Swapping Two Unoccupied Landscape Tiles

sos1 — 2008-02-19T21:36:06+00:00

We play you can swap with the passed-over cards. We've had to scrunch them a bit, but never have had to remove any.

Thread: Re: Swapping Two Unoccupied Landscape Tiles

jgrundy — 2008-02-19T21:16:48+00:00

It's open to house rule.

We usually play in fairly limited space, and generally tidy the "old" cards frequently.

We decided to play that the swap can only reach back as far as two behind the trailing raven. "Swap" is the most powerful of the Odin actions anyway, so this very slight diminishment of its power is no big deal.

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spearjr — 2007-12-14T03:48:44+00:00

Brown is ahead and grey has an obstacle.

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Toynan — 2007-11-18T15:34:09+00:00

Back of the french edition (Tilsit)

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Toynan — 2007-11-18T15:33:44+00:00

Front of the french edition (Tilsit)

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KSensei — 2007-06-10T04:08:59+00:00

Hugin beats Munin by a feather!

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Agape — 2007-04-08T15:56:44+00:00

Ravens are ready to fly... (Game is about to begin...)

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ZiggyZambo — 2007-04-05T21:01:37+00:00

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ZiggyZambo — 2007-04-05T21:01:11+00:00

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mwda — 2007-04-05T12:49:52+00:00

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petersjs — 2007-03-10T04:35:55+00:00

The card backs: brown player, grey player, land, and magic way.