PLAYED FOR YOU

Galapagos

Searching for TUrtles

We look for turtles on an island named for the Pacific islands famous for species variety. The island is assembled randomly from hex tiles in six colors, each color represents a kind of landscape, but those landscape are only pretty decorations, the colors are the essential element

Depending on the number of players you draw five or six turtles from the bag and place it - color carapace up - on the hex with the same number. Then each player draws a turtle to determine the starting hex for his marker, the turtle is put back into the bag.

Each round comprises a planning phase for all players and a movement phase in order of play. In the planning phase you roll all six color dice and arrange them in the order in which you want to use them. The first one to finish this planning is the first to move, the others follow in clockwise direction. Each die gives you one step on an adjacent hex of the same color; if there is a turtle on the hex you take it, also at the start of your turn. When all have moved there markers, new turtles are placed on the board for a new round. When all turtles have been collected, you score eight points for each set of turtles in six colors, single turtles are worth one point and you win with the highest total score.

Galapagos is a good example for a pretty family game, quickly explained and easy to play. The allure, also maybe for experienced player, is in the tactical optimization of the dice results. The sometimes unavoidable bad luck in rolling the dice is aggravating enough, but the time pressure from the mechanism of determining the order of play can take the fun out of the game for beginners.

Players: 2-4

Age: 8+

Time: 30+

Designer: Björn Heismann

Artist: Alexander Jung

Price: ca. 20 Euro

Publisher: Amigo Spiele 2013

Web: www.amigo-spiele.de

Genre: Placement, collecting

Users: For families

Version: de

Rules: de

In-game text: no

Comments:

Very colorful, but otherwise nice components

Simple rules

Lack of dice luck and the method to determine order of play can unbalance the game quickly

Compares to:

Atlantis and other game using color of cards and other components to determine movement

Other editions:

Currently none

Chance (pink): 3

Tactic (turquoise): 3

Strategy (blue): 0

Creativity (dark blue): 0

Knowledge (yellow): 0

Memory (orange): 0

Communication (red): 0

Interaction (brown): 1

Dexterity (green): 0

Action (dark green): 0