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Introducing Gem Dealer
Gryphon Games is currently putting out a nice series of bookshelf games. Of the five currently available, the middle child of the family is Knizia's Gem Dealer:
In fact three of the games in the series are Knizia games. That's no surprise really - to say that Reiner Knizia is a prolific game designer is almost an understatement. With several hundred published games under his belt, the designer wizard is still churning out new ones on a regular basis.
With his background as a quantitative analyst, and his credentials as a mathematics PhD, it's no accident that Knizia often uses a simple game system revolving around evaluating risk and requiring thoughtful game-play, and that many of his most successful games use auctions as a means to price risk. Among the auction greats in the Knizia ludography are names like Ra, Modern Art, Medici, and more recently, Strozzi.
A much lesser known auction game by Knizia is Attacke, from 1993. It's so obscure that it doesn't even have the honour of having a single BGG review. With some additions, Attacke was reimplemented with a new theme in 2000 as Ivanhoe. And now in 2008, Gryphon Games has come out with another implementation of Attack, this time with a gemstone theme (courtesy of Rick Soued) under the name Gem Dealer, with little or no other changes to the original. As with many of Knizia's games, it contains many of the trademark elements that have made the man's games great: an auction, simple rules, and tense game play. Perhaps the highlight of the new edition are the great components - good quality cards, and shiny look-alike gems!
Welcome to this pictorial overview of Gem Dealer! As a special bonus for those familiar with the related game Ivanhoe, I've included a detailed comparison between Gem Dealer and Ivanhoe towards the end of this review. Fasten your seatbelts, and let's start learning about how to buy precious gems!
Components
So what does the game look like? First of all, we notice that the box lid has an actual hole in it! Yes, really! Why? So that you can see the lovely gems inside the box and start drooling!
So what's the game about? The back of the box tells us more:
Here we are introduced to the theme: "Throughout history, beautiful gems have been the prized possessions of kings, artisans and lovers alike. Now as then, wealthy clients send gem dealers to search the world over for the finest stones to add to their fortunes. In a back room of The Club Hotel in San Isidro, Peru, you face rival gem dealers from other syndicates. Using cunning strategy and a little bluffing, you bid against each other for the precious stones that will complete your client's collection (and perhaps line your own pockets as well)." In other works, players are gem dealers, trying to use cunning, calculation and bluffing to get the best collection of gems the quickest.
So what's inside? Looks like some cards and some gems!
Here's the complete list of components:
● 90 gem cards
● 6 wild cards
● 25 acrylic gems
● 1 rule book
Let's check out the components a little more closely!
Components: Rule Book
The rule book is in the same format as the others in the Gryphon Games series:
Clear, concise, and short. It's just a sheet of thin card, folded in half. So learning a game like this is a breeze.
If you want to get a sense of how the game works, you will find a translated version of the rules of the original game Attacke (although it has a completely different theme) here:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/file/info/11845
Components: Gems
The gems come inside a plastic storage box:
They are made out of acrylic, and there are 25 altogether:
There are five different colours, corresponding to five different types of gems:
● sapphires (blue)
● amethysts (purple)
● diamonds (clear)
● rubies (red)
● emeralds (green)
There are five gems in each colour:
Players will be bidding for these gems, and the aim of the game is to be the first player to get four different types (colours) of gems. Certainly one of the strong points of Gem Dealer is the lovely components.
Components: Gem Cards
There's also a deck of 96 cards:
These are good quality, and designer Reiner Knizia now not only gets his name on the box, but on the reverse of every card!
Of the 96 cards, the majority (90) are gem cards. Like the gems, these are in five colours:
These are the cards that can be used to bid for the gems. So for example, the clear/white cards can be used to bid for diamonds. The gem cards have a value of 2,3,4,5 or 7:
Altogether there are 18 cards in each colour, distributed as follows:
One word of warning: don't get this game if you're colour blind. My friend was unable to distinguish the colours, so we simply couldn't play the game, and instead had to opt for a game of Ivanhoe.
Components: Wild Cards
In addition to the 90 Gem cards, there are also 6 Wild Cards, also called Rainbow Gems. Here's an example:
There are three 7s, and three 10s, and since these can be played instead of a regular gem card, you can see that these can certainly help win bids, because of their high values:
Game-play: Set-up
So how does the game-play work?
The gems are placed in the center of the table, along with a shuffled deck of cards. Each player gets 5 cards, except the starting player, whose slight advantage in starting is minimized by only getting four cards:
Game-play: Flow of play
The starting player chooses a gem he would like to bid for, and plays a gem card corresponding to that gem, to start the auction. Bidding proceeds around the table, and players must increase the bid, or pass. Each time a player drops out of the bidding by passing, or when they play a card to increase their bid, they get to draw a card. In this way you are constantly getting new cards. When everyone except one player has dropped out of the bidding, the last player gets to keep the gem and starts the next round. All cards used for the players bids are discarded.
Although when starting a round, the starting player must use a Gem card, there are three ways players can bid:
Bidding: Gem cards
The usual way of bidding is to play Gem card corresponding to the gem that is being auctioned, trying to play the highest amount.
For example, in the picture below, the player on the right started the bidding by selecting a ruby for auction, and played a red 3. The next player played red cards worth 4, the next player played red cards worth 5, and the next player played red cards worth 8. The starting player can now add cards to make his bid over eight, or else pass and drop out of the bidding.
Bidding: Wild cards
Players can also increase their bids using Wild (Rainbow Gem) cards.
For example, in the picture below, both players have used wild cards to get massive bids of 21 and 26 respectively in an all out effort to win the sapphire:
There is one twist here: only one player can play a 10 card in an auction (Edit: as discussed here, this rule is not quite correct - other players may also play a 10 card in an auction, but only one per player). It is the most valuable card, but it also comes with a risk - the player using this towards his bid must win the auction. If he doesn't, then he must give up a gem that he has won in an previous auction - a painful cost!
Bidding: Concealed bids
A final way players can increase their bid is by playing Gem cards face down, each counting as 1 toward their bid.
For example, in the picture below, the player has increased his bid from 6 to 9 by adding a "concealed bid" of three cards, in a desperate attempt to outbid the previous player:
Players may only add a concealed bid to their bid once per auction.
There's one other rule that I haven't yet mentioned: players can win only one of each gem. So if you have a particular gem, you can participate in an auction for an identical gem in order to stop another player from getting it, but if you win the auction, the gem remains in the stock pile.
Winning the game
The game ends as soon as one player has four different gems. A win condition of five different gems can be used for a longer and harder game.
How does it compare with Ivanhoe?
Since its equivalent Attacke (1993) is relatively unknown, it seems best to compare Gem Dealer with the more well-known reimplementation, Ivanhoe (2000).
Ivanhoe did quite well as a filler game. Many people suggest it scratches the CCG itch, and others compare it with the card play of popular games like Condottiere and Taj Mahal. You'll find positive comments about Ivanhoe like these:
"Really good card game with excruciating player interaction. Like Taj Mahal without the board and uncomplicated victory point accumulation." - Greg Parker
"When Knizia gets it right, he gets it REALLY right." - Vince Bamford
"My favorite filler. Lots of fun. Succeeds wildly at being the kind of game it's trying to be. Paradoxically it manages to be both brainless and interesting at the same time." - Kevin Bourrillion
"Fast moving, tense, and well-balanced. One of Knizia's top games." - Paul Glenn
"Great filler game - some luck, but some card management can help. Good as a family game, or cross-over game for new gamers." - Scott Brooks
Given the close relationship between the two games, will Gem Dealer evoke similar comments? It is true that Ivanhoe is much the same game as Attacke (rethemed = Gem Dealer), but Knizia did make several additions and changes to the game that increased the complexity of the game. In the minds of some, this improved the game-play from Attacke to Ivanhoe. In the minds of others, it made it worse. So if you are familiar with Ivanhoe and want to know how Gem Dealer works, you will want to know what things make Ivanhoe different from Gem Dealer.
Theme
In Ivanhoe, players are knights at a medieval tournament, and you compete in different events like jousting, fighting with your sword, axe, morningstar, or without weapons.
In Gem Dealer, you are bidding for different gems in an auction. Both themes work well and fit the game-play, so which you prefer will largely be a matter of taste.
Advantage: tie (depends on personal taste)
Components
The artwork on the cards in Ivanhoe is pretty enough, but the quality isn't as good as the cards of Gem Dealer.
Furthermore, in Ivanhoe you get simple coloured "tokens" as rewards for winning tournaments, whereas in Gem Dealer you get lovely sparkling acrylic gems!
Advantage: Gem Dealer
Action cards
Ivanhoe adds Action cards that allow you to do things like change the colour of the tournament/auction you are competing for, take cards from other players, remove cards played by other players, etc. Those who enjoy CCG type games (as I do), will find this tremendously appealing, and enjoy the extra possibilities that this allows.
Others will prefer the the simpler style of play of Attacke and Gem Dealer.
Advantage: tie (depends on personal taste)
Card Distribution
The 14 cards in each different coloured set/event in Ivanhoe have different values.
In Gem Dealer, the 18 cards in each different coloured set/auction have the same values. I like the variety created by Ivanhoe, because it makes every auction different.
Advantage: Ivanhoe
Rules
There are several other minor rule changes implemented in Ivanhoe:
● There are no concealed bids
● Players draw before instead of after their turn
● Players start with 8 cards instead of 4 or 5
● Winning the purple event allows players to take a token of any colour
● The highest wild cards are lower in value (6 instead of 10), and may be played by more than one player in an auction.
One of the issues I've found with Gem Dealer is that you can get stuck with cards in your hand that don't correspond to the auctions started by other players. As a result, you're forced to pass, and unable to cycle through your cards to improve your hand. In Ivanhoe, this is less of an issue, because you start with a larger hand, and the Action cards give you more possibilities. It seems that most of these rule changes were an attempt by Knizia to correct some of the weaknesses of Attacke, and improve the game.
Advantage: Ivanhoe
Scalability
Ivanhoe supports 2-5 players, Gem Dealer only supports 3-5 players.
Advantage: Ivanhoe
Overall
For me personally, the overall advantage is on the side of Ivanhoe, but for families and non-gamers, the overall advantage might just be on the side of Gem Dealer. My four year old can join in with a game of Gem Dealer (and win!), with Ivanhoe that would be impossible.
What do I think?
Gem Dealer is certainly not in the same league as Knizia's brilliant auction games like Ra, Modern Art, or Medici. But it's not intended to be either - this functions more as a light filler, rather than a more meaty main course. As such it succeeds reasonably well, even if it doesn't match the success of his auction fillers like High Society. The decisions to be made aren't earth-shattering, and it has to be admitted that the luck of the draw can play an important role in how each particular game shapes up. But we can handle that as long as the game plays quickly, which it does.
One strength of the game: the lovely components. The gems are very attractive, and being able to bid for coloured sparkling jewels already adds a bit of excitement to the game. The cards are also very good quality - I love the artwork and the quality finish a great deal.
Gem Dealer doesn't have the additions added by Ivanhoe, but some will argue that the game is better for it, because Knizia is often at his best when things are kept simple. Certainly it's easy to explain, and this makes it more suitable for families and children than Ivanhoe is. As a gamer, I personally prefer the deeper and improved game play resulting from the additions made in Ivanhoe. But when it comes to playing with non-gamers and children, I have to admit that Gem Dealer is a more sensible choice, because of the more attractive components, and the simpler game-play, even if the amount of decision making and depth of game-play suffers as a result. Has Mr Knizia created a colourful gem? Time will tell.
What do others think?
What do people think about the equivalent Attacke?
It's too early to know what people think about Gem Dealer, since the game has only just appeared on the market. But the game has appeared previously under the name Attacke. It seems that Gryphon Games acquired the rights to Attacke, and rethemed it - the only apparent change is the different theme. So some comments about the earlier game Attacke can give us some indication about what to expect with Gem Dealer.
"Excellent simple card game with nice theme of challenge. Recently re-issued, hunt it down!" - Jon Power
"A nice game, with simple mechanics and fast gameplay." - Cal Macewan
"Basically it is the essence of Taj Mahal card-play. Great short game. Sure there are a lot of luck but it creates great deal of excitement." - Ken Shoda
"Well balanced and entertaining. " - Terry Egan
These are the positive comments, you'll also find some very critical ones from people who found it too simple and dependent on the luck-of-the-draw.
Is it worse than Ivanhoe?
Is it for you? That depends on your taste. There are critical comments about Attacke as well, and some clearly prefer the enhanced play offered by the more complex Ivanhoe:
"I only take time to rate games that are great in my opinion. [Ivanhoe] is a very easy to learn system that has the potential of yielding many enjoyable hours. Easy and quick set up. Best of all it's not part of the whole Collectable Card Game scam. I had my 8 and 9 year olds playing in no time thanks to the simple rules (that still provide a very challenging game). Do yourself a favor and forget all the CCG hype and buy this game instead." - Jeremy Leacock
"I could have saved myself thousands of dollars that I wasted on Magic the Gathering, had I just bought this game [Ivanhoe] first. It takes two seconds to teach, and has all the essential play elements of MtG (including the elusive Ivanhoe counterspell card)." - MisterCranky
"[Attacke] can drag with 5 players. I think Ivanhoe is a bit better." - Dana More
"Simple and very quick Knizia card game, since eclipsed by Ivanhoe." - Richard Lea
Is it better than Ivanhoe?
Others prefer the simpler and more stream-lined play of Attacke and Gem Dealer above Ivanhoe:
"This simpler version [Attacke] is actually slightly better than the newer and more convoluted Ivanhoe. " - Kevin Nunn
"Gem Dealer is acceptable as a quick filler. I really didn't like Ivanhoe with its assymetrical suits and special cards. Gem Dealer throws out most of that nonsense and it makes the game flow better ... I'm not offended by Gem Dealer, but the lack of control and arbitrary clashing really cuts into strategic depth and replayability." - Justin L
"Ivanhoe is probably a bit worse due to the badly-designed special action cards." - Chris Farrell
"Take a perfectly good 15 minute filler [Attacke] and turn it into a never-ending game of "take that" with extra chrome & extra randomness." - Mark Jackson
"A few games of [Ivanhoe] and you wonder why you traded the brilliantly elegant Attacke away. Overblown." - Doug Adams
The final word
Is Gem Dealer for you? Time will tell what people have to say about this Knizia auction game, but if you're looking for a simple filler with an auction mechanic that's suitable for families and children and has great components, Gem Dealer is certainly one of the options that merits consideration.
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The complete list of Ender's pictorial reviews: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/37596
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R H
United States
Lake Oswego
Oregon
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It looks like a really fun filler that will play well with the family, but the cut-out in the box is just so gimmicky...
Thanks for the great review!
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David Witzany
United States
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EndersGame wrote: One of the issues I've found with Gem Dealer is that you can get stuck with cards in your hand that don't correspond to the auctions started by other players. As a result, you're forced to pass, and unable to cycle through your cards to improve your hand.
Can't you dump several of them in a concealed bid and then draw replacements, hoping you get cards of the appropriate gem type for the current auction? (Excellent review, by the way. I can't decide which I need, but I definitely have to get either Ivanhoe or Gem Dealer.)
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A. B. West
United States
Beech Grove
Indiana
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Ender's reviews rock!
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fuldhim wrote: Can't you dump several of them in a concealed bid and then draw replacements, hoping you get cards of the appropriate gem type for the current auction?
If the auction has gone around the table, often you might need to play 3 or 4 cards in a concealed bid to beat the current bid. But regardless of how many cards you play in a turn (even if it is 6 cards in a concealed bid), you are only allowed to draw one card. The rules state: "After a player adds to his display, he draws one card, regardless of how many cards he may have played." So the amount of cards you have in hand will constantly change, and this kind of hand management is part of the game.
If you have a chance of winning the game, or desperately need to win the auction to prevent someone else winning the game, it's worth the risk to do a concealed bid in such a situation, hoping that the card you draw is what you need for the current auction (drawing a Wild 10 would be nice!). But if the game isn't on the line and the cards for a potential concealed bid are going to be important for you to win gems in other colours, it's usually a more sensible play to conserve them, pass, draw a card, and hope for more success in the next auction for a different gem. Meanwhile other players still bidding in the auction have the advantage that they are cycling their cards and likely improving their hand for future auctions in other colours.
(Note also that each player is limited to one concealed bid per gem being auctioned.)
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Chris Brua
United States
Allen Park
Michigan
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2007/03/28
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EndersGame wrote: Action cards Ivanhoe adds Action cards that allow you to do things like change the colour of the tournament/auction you are competing for, take cards from other players, remove cards played by other players, etc. Those who enjoy CCG type games (as I do), will find this tremendously appealing, and enjoy the extra possibilities that this allows. Others will prefer the the simpler style of play of Attacke and Gem Dealer. Advantage: tie (depends on personal taste)
This should be Advantage: Ivanhoe. You can always play Ivanhoe without the action cards if you don't like them. You can't add action cards to Gem Dealer (without considerably more work).
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Roger Smith
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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Excellent review - thanks for that. As an owner and big fan of the original Attacke, I'm tempted to get this one. The gems are a great improvement over the plastic chips.
So glad FRED/Gryphon didn't make the mistake of implementing any features of the bloated disaster of a game that is Ivanhoe. IMHO, GMT totally destroyed an elegant, tense and fast playing game. (GMT did exactly the same thing with the re-implemetation of Titan the Arena as Galaxy the Dark Ages. However, in their defense, they did a great job with Schotten Totten -> Battleline.)
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Ken Shoda
United States
Washington
Dist of Columbia
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Great review!!
Also thank you for quoting my comment about Attacke. It is sitll one of my favorite short games and I am now happy to see Gem Dealer.
EndersGame wrote:
There is one twist here: only one player can play a 10 card in an auction.
Is that really true? If so they changed the rule from Attacke. In Attacke, a player is limited to play at most one 10 card per auction, however more than one person can play a 10.
I posted a rules from Attacke and two different Gem Dealer editions (bookshelf and small box) in the thread below.
http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/411327
I wonder if FRED was not careful about translating this part of the rule.
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Ken Shoda
United States
Washington
Dist of Columbia
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So there is an official answer in the other thread.
"Each player can play one "10" wild card per contest."
Personally, I like this rule better so I am happy about it.
It is a lot more fun to see 2 people fighting with both laying their 10s. One of them must lose a gem!!
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William McDuff
Canada
Prince Rupert
British Columbia
"'A grey man,' she said. 'Neither white nor black, but partaking of both. Is that what you are, Ser Davos?' 'What if I am? It seems to me most men are grey.'" -- Lady Melisandre of Asshai and Ser Davos Seaworth from A Clash of Kings by G.R.R. Martin
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I just received my copy of Gem Dealer last night. I'm colorblind, the purple and blue are very close for me, on both the cards and the gems. I'm probably going to modify my copy somehow to adapt, but Ivanhoe has the pictures on the cards, and my chips sport stickers of either a lance or axe on the purple and blue, so as Ender says, if you're colorblind, go with Ivanhoe.
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相当棒的游戏介绍！！
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Posted Thu Feb 12, 2009 7:00 pm
