In order to promote discussion on Lemmy, I’m doing micro-reviews for my favorite boardgames by genre. Please join in, provide your reviews, flame me for my terrible taste or to suggest a category for tomorrow!

Today’s game is Targi

TL;DR

Score: 8/10

Positives:

• Fun puzzle to solve

• Rewards adaptability

• Easy to learn but has a lot of depth

• Cheap

Negatives:

• Somewhat repetitive

• Artwork feels dated

The Review

In Targi, you are a leader of the Tuareg tribe, the semi-nomadic people who inhabit the Sahara desert. You compete against a leader of another Tuareg tribe to have the most prosperous tribe. The theme on this game is paper thin. You’re essentially trying to collect resources in order to fill objective cards and add them to your portfolio, which isn’t particularly original. So why does this game stand out from the rest?

Image credit to @Arneji on bgg, source here

Cards are displayed in a 5x5 grid. The “outer” square of the grid are action spots while the “inner” 3x3 grid are resources/objectives. During your turn you will place one of your 3 workers in one of the available action spots. Then your opponent places their worker but they cannot place their worker in the same column or row than your wokers. After both players have placed their 3 workers, you place tribe markers (the cilinders) on the cards where your workers intersect. At the end of the round you get all the resources/objectives where you have cilinders and perform all the actions where you have workers!

I feel like deciding where to place your workers is an extremely interesting decision to make. It’s a tense game because the moment you place your first worker your opponent probably is denied of every card in that column/row. However, if they understand exactly which card you want, they place a worker on that row/column to prevent you from intersecting it! They won’t get that card but now neither will you. It’s a cat & mouse game that rewards your ability to quickly ajust your strategy to the oportunities that present themselves at any time.

The game is very fast, easy to teach and enjoyable to play. It’s a classic game from 2012 and its gameplay continues to feel innovative, different and unique. It’s definitely something I think everyone should at least try once.

Context Information

I don’t have anything on ScorePal :(

Suggested player count: 2 players, since that’s the only choice you have :P

Honorable Mentions

• Hanamikogi - This is a “I split, you choose” 2 player game with some area majority in the mix. I honestly think this game is fantastic but I have had very low success in introducing it to other people. The game is very quirky, very different than everything I’ve tried. You force players to make hard and unintuitive decisions and I think that turns off some people. “Why would I split these cards, I want them all. How can I have them all?”. Split wisely! I guess the art work and box doesn’t help people get excited about it either.

• MicroMacro: Crime City - There is some debate about wether this is even game or just an activity but I don’t really care about that. This game is absolutely brilliant. It’s basically a “Where’s Waldo” but with all timelines printed into a single map. Each mission points you to a crime and you have to trace back the map to understand what actually took place there. Where did the victim come from, what were they doing, who looked at them funny? I would put this game as the best 2 player game but it have felt weird for the best 2 player game to be a game where you can play with an infinite number of players. Wouldn’t recommend more than 2 players tho! Get it!