Christopher Rao
United States
Seattle
Washington
Q:When I say "lawyer" what pops into your head? A:Someone who designs games about penguins." - Dormammu
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Although designer Tom Lehmann is not as popular as top designers Kramer, Moon, Knizia and so forth, he has had some recent successes lately with Phoenicia and To Court the King. He also co-designed the nifty 18xx game that's set in space (!), 2038. Pizarro & Co. is an overlooked 2002 gem from Lehmann (currently rated #459) that stands up well to Knizia's auction hits Ra (#14) (redone and rethemed admirably in card game form as Razzia! - #189), Modern Art (#32) and Medici (#102).
courtesy Psauberer
Like these classic pure auction games, Pizarro plays wicked fast (30-45 minutes). Like Medici, it plays up to 6 (though I think it's fine with as few as 3), and it's actually better with 6 than Medici. And Pizarro boasts enough truly snazzy mechanics to feel different than any other auction game I've seen.
The theme - hiring explorers like Pizarro, Marco Polo and Columbus to go find new lands - may be thin, but the graphical execution is very well done.
courtesy dipdragon (board B, side 1)
Rules
Pizarro is played in 3 increasingly fast rounds. In round one, up to three boats (representing financing) may be placed on each of the six explorers you bid for, for a total of 18 auctions. In round two, each explorer receives 2 boats (12 auctions). In round three, there are only six auctions, or one per explorer. The order of the explorers is critical, and completely random, making for some very interesting decisions (more on this later). Each player has a maximum of 6 boats (this maximum only really matters in a 3-player game; with more players there is nil chance of winning 7 auctions on round one anyway).
courtesy Stas
Each player starts with 9 cards, numbered 1-9, totaling 45 gold. To make things even more interesting, at the end of the game, unspent cards are worth victory points, but not in the usual way: the low cards (1,2,3) are worth 3 VP each, the medium cards (4,5,6) are worth 2 VP, and the high cards (7,8,9) are worth, you guessed it! - 1 VP each. At the end of rounds 1,2 & 3, players get 2 new random cards plus bonus cards depending on which explorers they backed. Bonus cards at the end of round 3, obviously are only for VPs and cannot be used for bidding (b/c there is no round 4).
Auctions go round and round in the style I first saw years ago in Outpost - keep going round till all but one passes. Because you don't get any change from the cards you play, and because cards are worth VPs, the bidding choices are delicious. And after a few plays, it's not too time-consuming to value your choices.
As each round has fewer auctions than the round before, this means that only those who won the previous auction (as shown by a boat) may participate in the next round's auction for that explorer. So for example, if a player wins both of the second round auctions, s/he can take the third place auction for any price s/he wants (this is a common strategy). Note that because boats move forward if they win an auction, the VPs for each explorer are paid out only for the space a boat is on at the end of the game - but the bonus cards and special abilities resolve each round.
courtesy dipdragon (board A, side 2)
Each explorer gives different rewards in each of the three rounds. And the two playing boards (each with 3 explorers) are double-sided, with some interesting variations in the payouts of each explorer:
Columbus gives 1, 5 and 10 VPs in the 3 rounds, and pays 1 bonus card per round. He also has a special ability that each of his three first round cards may be used to delay one auction in the game, any time after the card is purchased. That is, the player flips the card over and the card that was up for auction is put at the bottom of the deck. This can be critical if you want to delay a particular auction until your rival or rivals have less resources than you do. Columbus is the only explorer that is identical on both sides.
Pizarro gives 7, 0 (!) and 15, and gives 0, 3 and 0 bonus cards. So you may prefer to leave your boat on the round one spot than contest the next auctions. On side B, he gives 0, 0 and X and pays 1,2 & 0 bonus cards. To resolve X, the player who wins round 3 flips over gold cards till he stops, getting 1 VP for the sum of the cards (1-9 each, not 1-3) of "busts" if s/he pushes her/his luck and gets over 20. Thus you are assured at least 11 points before you have to risk a bust. This is, by the way, the only payoff of the game that I don't like - it's exciting but simply too luck-driver for a game this good.
Magellan pays no bonus cards, and gives 1x, 2x, and 3x VPs where the card(s) underneath the Magellan card are multiplied (for maximum VPs of 3, 6, and 27 VPs). On side A, you must put a card from your hand under Magellan. On side B, you put a card from your bid (this makes Magellan much more powerful on side B, but I don't play side B b/c it has "bad Pizarro").
courtesy dipdragon
Marco Polo gives 0/0/3 and pays 2/2/2 bonus cards. On side B, he gives no VPs, but pays 2/3/4 bonus cards. He has a special ability on side A only - before rounds 2 and 3, for each Marco Polo boat you have, you can trade in up to 3 cards after drawing your cards for that round. I like the ability, so I like side A here.
Vasco de Gama gives 1/3/6 and has the absolute coolest special ability. He pays 1/2/3 bonus cards, but you draw the cards immediately, not at the end of the round! This means that you can easily gain a card advantage on other players, because you are replenishing your resources right away. Side B has a neat dual track, where the left side of the track gives no VPs but has the 1/2/3 bonus cards immediate draw ability, and the right side of the track pays no bonus cards but scores 8/12/8 VPs. Importantly, you can switch back and forth between the left and right sides, depending on whether you need bidding arsenal or VPs more. The only thing I don't like about Vasco (my favorite b/c of his cool ability) is the 8 VPs you get on round 3. Since the average VPs are 6 (b/c the average per card is 2 VPs), 8 doesn't seem like enough. I think maybe it should be 10. Small gripe, though.
James Cook gives 5/10/20 VPs, pays no bonus cards, and forces you to play with your hand face up the rest of the round after winning one of his auctions. This can be a big disadvantage. Worse still, on side B, although the VPs are even higher - 6/15/27 - you lose a random card after winning each auction, which is even more brutal.
At game end, you get your bonus cards if any, count up your cards and VPs for boats you have on the board in a space that awards VPs, and count up. Most points be dee weener.
GAME REVIEW CHECKLIST
courtesy Stas
1. DEPTH/COMPLEXITY 9 of 10
"How many and how compelling are the decisions you make per minute?"
The keys here are the speed and the difficulty in computing the end value of cards versus the necessity of having more gold to bid with along the way. You start with 18 VPs, and collect another 6 free cards during the game, for an average of 30 points at the end if you do absolutely nothing. And still I've seen plenty of scores under 30 points.
One really nifty element of the game is that in rounds 2 and 3 you know exactly who your competitors are for each auction, and you have to plan around what auction(s) you feel you must win and what each of your competitors is likely to feel that she or he must win.
- Analysis Paralysis/Downtime?
I've never seen downtime be a problem in many plays of this game. I'm not sure exactly why, but I think it's because the calculations are either fairly easy to calculate or totally opaque, giving no real incentive to try to endlessly crunch numbers. Like a lot of other great games (including Puerto Rico), the critical strategic decisions are made early, and the rest of the game is about refining tactics.
2. MECHANICS 10 of 10
"How intuitive, elegant and flowing are the moves that bring your tactics to life?"
There's just so much elegance in the way the rules weave together. The explorers are just different enough to give a lot of interesting scenarios, but not so complex that you need to check the rulebook. The setup is remarkably fast, and there are just so few pieces that the game is amazingly un-fiddly. The order or auctions and the reduced number of competitors means that you often are in a position going into round 2 that you have no more auctions against a specific player or two.
3. INTERACTION 7 of 10
"To what degree does it facilitate a rich social experience?"
Auction games necessarily have a lot of interaction, as does this one. What makes it different is that you compete with just one or two players on all the auctions later in the game, not the full table. Nice twist!
courtesy Surya
4. ORIGINALITY 8 of 10
"How fresh and unique are the strategy, mechanics and theme?"
There's just so much that's fresh: 1)having VPs on each gold card that make low gold cards worth more VPs; 2) the way that you are blocked forever from future auctions on an explorer if you don't get in on the ground floor; 3) the interactions of all the different explorer payoffs and special abilities; or 4) the way in which payouts are somewhat opaque and variable. This last twist makes the game feel more like craft and less like science, which is a good thing.
- What's the freshest part of the game?
The way the game narrows so that by the end you may have no contested auctions at all. This does reduce interaction, but with the benefit of making the game end very quickly when there are fewer contested auctions. This is what makes Pizarro a great 6-player game - it plays almost as fast regardless of the number of players.
5. AMBIENCE 8 of 10
"How much do the theme, aesthetics and bits add the overall experience?"
The theme is admittedly thin, but the board, and the cards are just exquisite and clear. I am often annoyed in Euros at the choice to have pretty art at the expense of clarity (like in Medici!). It's nice to have both here, and more rare than it should be.
6. AUDIENCE
"Who would love this game?"
- Fans of X may love this game, but fans of Y may not.
People who like auction-heavy games with little setup or downtime will love it. People who don't like auction games or who want extremely high player control may not like it.
- Does it hit a sweet spot? Which one?
Absolutely. It's the best 6-player auction game I know.. Plus there are few games out there of any genre with quick set-up, low downtime and a decent amount of depth all in about 45 minutes. China, Saint Petersburg, Samurai and Modern Art also come to mind.
- Luck (& Chaos) : Player Control
Relatively high player control, but the draw of cards from Vasco de Gama, and between rounds can be pretty big. Getting a 9 from Vasco in round one is much better than getting a 1 or 2, for example, and can influence the game quite a bit. As the game is so fast, however, this is not a huge problem, and can be planned for to some extent. The player control is probably a little lower than any of the big 3 Knizia games b/c of this.
courtesy itiswon
SUMMARY 9 of 10
For a six-player game in under an hour, I'd make it 10 of 10. The only other game that meets that criteria consistently is Mü & More, or maybe Bohnanza with a quick group that doesn't push for the impossible trade every turn.
Despite its speed, there are many ways to win the game. Focusing on one or two explorers to reduce the number of contested auctions. Focusing on the big point explorers, Cook and Magellan. Keeping flexibility by buying one boat in several different explorers. All these strategies can win, or fall flat, depending on execution and the actions of other players.
I'm not sure it's as good as the big 3 by Knizia, but it's sure not far off, and is packed with enough innovation and elegance for several games.
Cheers!
courtesy dipdragon
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Mik Svellov
Denmark
Copenhagen N
EU
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It's is cartainly not a bad game.
But after 5 years of play I feel it has exactly the ratimng it deserves, and is not underrated at all.
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Chris Bailey
United States
Broomfield
Colorado
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This is a great auction game for 6 that plays in 45 minutes.
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Got it on clearance at Cardhaus a few months ago, and haven't gotten it to the table yet. But it's good to know that it works well with the full complement of six.
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David Seddon
United Kingdom
Congleton
Cheshire
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I like the game too.
I think you've written a great review here, but I'd just say this to you:
Atlantic Star
- this is a game just as good for 6 that lasts about an hour.
Of course, I'm not including the Knizia bidders in there as you've already mentioned them.
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John Paul Sodusta
United States
Santa Barbara
California
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Re: Underrated quick auction game, great w/ 6 players (9 of
How does this compare to Medici? That is suppose to be another good auction game for 6 players.
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Christopher Rao
United States
Seattle
Washington
Q:When I say "lawyer" what pops into your head? A:Someone who designs games about penguins." - Dormammu
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Re: Underrated quick auction game, great w/ 6 players (9 of
Admiral Fisher wrote: I like the game too.
I think you've written a great review here, but I'd just say this to you:
Atlantic Star
- this is a game just as good for 6 that lasts about an hour.
Of course, I'm not including the Knizia bidders in there as you've already mentioned them. It's funny that you mention Atlantic Star, because it's also a favorite of mine, and plays well with 6. I thought long and hard about what to include on my list of quick games that play well with 6. I thought about including AS, but didn't b/c It has very little player interaction, putting a notch or two below Mü & More and Bohnanza. Nevertheless, Atlantic Star is a great game, and probably underrated as well. Also, unlike Pizarro, the game length increases dramatically as the number of players increase.
Cheers!
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Christopher Rao
United States
Seattle
Washington
Q:When I say "lawyer" what pops into your head? A:Someone who designs games about penguins." - Dormammu
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Re: Underrated quick auction game, great w/ 6 players (9 of
Barkam wrote: How does this compare to Medici? That is suppose to be another good auction game for 6 players. As I wrote above:
topherr wrote: Like Medici, it plays up to 6 (though I think it's fine with as few as 3), and it's actually better with 6 than Medici. Why? As much as I like Medici with 6, it tends to bog down just a bit with so many, mainly b/c the calculations of who you're competing with for goods and for top numbers increase quite a bit with 5 or 6. Counting to see whether you're likely to end up 3rd or 5th in total numbers for a round is just a little more complex than I'd like for a short, lighter game. With Pizarro, more people actually decreases your complexity, because you're involved in less auctions. Still, it goes by so fast that there's little down time even with 6.
Cheers!
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David Seddon
United Kingdom
Congleton
Cheshire
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I'm not keen on Bohnanza - too silly and not enough skill. Just a load of trading.
I don't mind out and out silly games, but Bohnanza is a strange beast.
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From the review . . .
Quote: Because you must pay with exact change . . .
I'm pretty certain that you don't have to pay with exact change. You can overpay, but you don't get any change back. To me this makes bidding even more interesting because a bluff element is added. If you have a 6, 7, and 8 in your hand, you can still bid 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, or 21 . . . you'd have to overpay if the bidding stops at anything less than 21, but you don't have to jump from 15 to 21 in one round of bidding.
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Christopher Rao
United States
Seattle
Washington
Q:When I say "lawyer" what pops into your head? A:Someone who designs games about penguins." - Dormammu
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Re: Underrated quick auction game, great w/ 6 players (9 of
Drew1365 wrote: From the review . . . Quote: Because you must pay with exact change . . . I'm pretty certain that you don't have to pay with exact change. You can overpay, but you don't get any change back. To me this makes bidding even more interesting because a bluff element is added. If you have a 6, 7, and 8 in your hand, you can still bid 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, or 21 . . . you'd have to overpay if the bidding stops at anything less than 21, but you don't have to jump from 15 to 21 in one round of bidding.
Of course you're right. I meant that you don't get change, but that's not what I said. Thanks for clarifying. I'll go back and edit now....
Cheers,
topherr
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Q:When I say "lawyer" what pops into your head? A:Someone who designs games about penguins." - Dormammu
