HIGHLIGHTS AMONG GAMES

 

MAKA BANA

 

Reed Huts on pacific beaches

 

Dear reader! Let me transport you to a little island paradise in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Four exotic beaches – Azzura, Bikini, Diabolo and Coquito - invite you to construct romantic reed huts. Ten of those huts are at the disposal of each builder. As soon as the last one has been set up the adventure on Maka Bana ends, but it is strictly forbidden to build on Holy Sites. Those sites are protected by totems representing Polynesian Deities. Already when first spreading the board you cannot escape the exotic flair. Fine sand, grass, rock and lagoons are depicted in the deep blue Pacific width. The reed huts may be plastic, as are the Tikis or totems, but all the same very beautiful scenes develop in the course of the game in the eyes of beholders. (From: WIN 332) If you are not yet familiar with this jewel in the art of bluffing you are cordially invited to Leopoldsdorf im Marchfeld, to Österreichisches Spiele Museum, www.spielen.at

 

In the stark light of the Pacific sun four inviting beaches offer you the opportunity to set up reed huts and Tikis, that is, totems on potentially advantageous building sites. The game mechanic on which this first issue from French Tilsit Collection (the back of the box is marked with “1”) reminds one already in the very first moves of the familiar standard mechanism of Rock-Paper-Scissors – maybe not implemented in the elegant, decorative way as in Klaus Teubers Adel verpflichtet or Stefan Dorras Razzia. But the mental leaps in Maka Bana seem very familiar already in the first building phase: Player A implements an action, because he thinks that Player B thinks that Player A thinks that … you know what I mean! One is always ahead of the other by a tick, or maybe not. Alas! That is what comes with this kind of game mechanics. The flow of the game is very clearly structured and comprises four short phases: Players must choose a building project secretly; one indicator where you want to build is announced; Tikis are set up and projects are, if possible, instantly implemented. If you guess where others want to build you can spoil someone’s project quite thoroughly. In the final phase the reed huts are set up, the Tikis are taken back and you begin immediately preparations for the next season. This is repeated in a simple scheme for season after season until one player manages to place his 10th hut or until one of the beaches has been completely filled with huts. This ends the adventure on Maka Bana. In a quick final scoring you are rewarded for majorities on individual beaches and for adjacent huts of the same color. In any case, the mood on our Pacific island can be unrestrictedly described as being relaxed and companionable. Aloa ‘Oe!

 

Comments to: hugo.kastner@chello.at               

Homepage: www.hugo-kastner.at

 

RECOMMENDATION # 92

Players: 2-5

Age: 10

Time: 45+

Designer: François Haffner

Art: Johann Aumaitre

Price: ca. 30 Euro

Publisher: Tilsit Éditions

Year: 2003

    

Competence: 2 von 9

Info±: 4 von 9

Chance: 3 von 9

 

Maka Bana plays very easily and relaxed and, fortunately, the graphic design adapts itself ideally to this mix of bluff, tactic and a dash of deduction. The tactical component relates to the different value of each individual building site. If you want to set up your huts profitably you must out-bluff your rivals, because otherwise an opposing Tiki will block the panoramic view of the wide ocean.

 

Hugos EXPERT TIP

 

Tension builds up in Maka Bana especially in case of four or five players populating the island. In case of two players the bluff element is less attractive and challenging and I also cannot recommend the variant of Maka Bana Mao. Somehow bluffing in it does not really work, let alone tactics. Of course, there are denunciations but the tension when the three cards are revealed to fix building sets is missing and this destroys the clear structure of the game, leaving little room for romance for two and mutual denigration.

 

Hugos FLASHLIGHT

 

The flow of this game comes across as almost banal and it is exactly this. But in games there are other criteria then strategic/chance-dominated, communicative/pondering or simple/complex. On the contrary, the overall mood must take you to other imaginary settings. My experience is that in Maka Bana, despite the simplicity of the game flow, people have lots of fun. Everybody tries in a nearly messianic way to place his Tikis, the images of Polynesian deities, on those sits that will outwit other players in building their huts.

 

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