Orleans review

Dominion, a popular deck building game, is loved by many around the world. This is a very good mechanic that I like in almost every game that uses it. However, the mechanics of "deck building" have grown into the mechanics of "bag building", or the bag optimization game. This time for a very interesting and different game - Orleans.

Subject matter

Set in medieval France, players control peasants, knights, schoolmasters, artisans, fishermen and monks who are drawn from a bag and piled up in various combinations over 18 rounds. It seems that there are various medieval elements in the game, but I don't see any planned themes. True, the graphic design is chosen very skillfully and reminds players of medieval-style paintings.

Components

The game box is a good combination of cardboard and wood. You can feel its weight. There are many components and they are good enough. The game has a large, clearly illustrated and tasteful base area, each player has his own individual area. The main ingredient is cardboard tokens representing farmers, monks... and are pulled out of a bag - black as the cellars of a monastery. I think these tokens, which are the main mechanic, could be better, so after the first couple of games I ordered wooden men from the manufacturer's website, which, however, gives more tactile pleasure when digging in the bag.

Mechanics

There's a lot going on in the game, but the core mechanics are pretty simple. 4 to 8 characters are drawn from the bag, which each player then places on their playing field to trigger certain actions. Each activity requires a combination of individuals. For example, to do chivalry, you need to use farmer, fisherman and merchant. Every round, depending on the player's choices, more and more chips appear, which means that very different combinations will be drawn from the bag and the player has to think carefully about what exactly he can do in his turn.

In addition, you have to constantly keep track of the various crises that are being dragged out of the jam of events, as well as travel around medieval France and build guilds. Although the game lasts 18 rounds, it has very little waiting time and can be played in two hours. Overall, there is a lot going on in the game, but the basic mechanics can be learned in 10-15 minutes.

Multiplayer

The game's mechanics and logic are very interesting, but there are not enough variables, so even though the challenges are different, it still feels a bit exhausting. The expansion helped the game a lot for me. Orleans has two expansions, one that improves multiplayer and makes events more interesting, and another that makes the game a co-op game where players must work together to defeat an external evil.

Rating

Before I name the rating, I want to say that Orleans also has a younger brother, the game Altiplano , which is a game from the same publishers with very similar basic mechanics. Both games have their strengths and weaknesses. Altiplano's graphic design is more modern, but at the same time more childish. Orléans has an interesting mechanic where you have to travel around the map of France, while Altiplano has secret missions scattered at the beginning of the game. Orleans is easier and faster to learn, but Altiplano is a bit deeper in the game. Technically, both are very good games, so choosing one or the other is a matter of taste. Rating 8 out of 10.

Board Game Geek rating: 8.1

Author: Kristaps Auzāns

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