http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/40444

not sure what to make of this one.



*sent from my Wii!

Seems like a good game, but the price is only a slight discount from online retailers and not the usual tanga MEGA deal.

can anyone out there give a description of gzme play, or what it might be similar to?



*sent from my Wii!

With the shipping, it is no different than the online store near my home. Would have gone for it if it were $5 cheaper.

I picked Livingstone up this year, and the game has been a big hit, both with my wife and my playgroup. Basic rundown:

Each round the starting player rolls two dice per player in the game and arranges them sequentially.

On your turn, you choose a die and perform an action. Actions include taking pounds (currency), drawing a card, drawing gems out of a bag (half are worthless, half have varying value), or building a tent (VPs). The more pips on your die, the more powerful your action - so if you choose the "5" die you can pick 5 gems out of the bag, or build a 5 point tent, etc.

When everyone has taken a turn, the starting player may choose another die from the remaining dice, provided is is of *higher value* than the first die they chose. So if you started by taking the 6 die, you cannot gain any additional turns that round. If you instead chose the "1" die, you can pick any die that's left which is greater than one. With careful play you can try to chain together multiple turns (start with 1, then go 3, then go 4) or try to block other players. A very neat mechanic.

As the game goes on, the price to build tents increases, and you are limited to the number of tents you can build in a game. The game ends after 10 rounds I believe.

Each player also gets these quality treasure boxes where they donate money to the queen (in secret) throughout the game - the player who donates the least cannot win - even if they have the most points.

There are a few other neat nuances I haven't mentioned, but that is the crux of the game. This is a game that is very easy to teach, but has a lot of different strategy paths and neat interactions. Luck plays a roll, but a player is unlikely to cruise to a victory on good rolls/gem pulls alone. Instead, a player who can manage their luck/risk and control the actions of their fellow players is likely to be victorious.

This plays easily in less than an hour, and for a "cheap" game the components are very nice. There are also some clever rules variations for two players that give the game a slightly different flavour. Livingstone has been my surprise hit of 2009 thus far, and is an easy recommendation from me.

If I didn't already have it, I'd go for it. Not because the price is great but because it's a game that I think is surprisingly fun.

It's a really great little family game. It reminds me a bit of Vikings but without the rondel. My 6 year old daughter loves to play it because of the gems. She pulls them gleefully out of the bag and cheers depending on the color. We leave the cards out of the game when we play with her. It's essentially her first euro-style game.

It is definitely a treat to look at too. The little treasure chests, artwork on the board and everything are high quality. Playroom has done an excellent job on this one!

Plus, it's a rare, quality game set in Africa. It gives us a chance to talk about a bit of history (Livingstone), African animals and Victoria Falls...

I would get it again if I didn't already own it. It's about 6 dollars less than the cheapest price you'll find online... So, it's essentially just the price of the game without shipping.

Highly recommended...

[6] I need to agree that there are a great many nuances to the game we have begun to discover. I began looking forward to it while we lived in Africa over the last 5 years. I found out about it and kept pestering Playroom about release dates. It was worth the wait. I'm gonna try to get it to the table again this weekend.

Oh... And, despite my review, it's really NOT a children's game. It's just easy to simplify for use with younger children...

Buy it!

A game about another exploitation of Africa?

Not for me, not for my family!

The game plays best with 3 to 5 and actually does play in less than an hour with lots of Euro touches (borrowed from a variety of other games) that work well together. A nice "gateway game". However, it really doesn't work with two. (With two, the game boils down to a final dice roll to see who wins.)

[10] Please explain
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Livingstone#Livingstone_and_slavery ?

I'm interested but the price is mediocre, especially with shipping. Any New Yorkers want to split an order?

[12] Explained:

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/37467

People who may want to split shipping:

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/46526

[14] Thank you. :)
(But really, I feel terrible. I usually am the one who keeps saying lay off...but I couldn't help myself. I'm a hypocrite.)

Thanks for the reviews!!

ANYONE IN THE MINNESOTA / TWINCITIES AREA WANT TO SPLIT SHIPPING?!? You can order up to 3!

Update: I bought three. DragonBear82 claimed one, one's for me, and there's a third that's for anyone in the NYC area for $25. Otherwise it goes up for sale on ebay or BGG. Send me a Tangagram if you're interested in claiming it.