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Gamebox author Ralf Togler writes about the game: Pirates are looking for the great treasures of "Einauge" ('One Eye'), one of the most famous Pirates who ever haunted the waters of the Caribbean. Sailing from one island to the other and fighting against each other for the biggest amount of the treasure and the highest reputation - who does not know this story? Even the youngest of us will have heard a variant of such a story, and so it is not really a wonder that from time to time the pirate theme plays a major role as background in the board game world, too. In the last years nearly every big publisher has published the one or other pirate game. And now it is time for AMIGO to try a Pirate-game again. No others than Wolfgang Cramer and Michael Kiesling adopted the theme to set up a light-weighted family game. And so I negotiated my suspicion against the somewhat worn-out story and the suspiciously pasted-on theme of the game and began my first round of Einauge. The rules are very short and easy to learn, and after reading them I must admit that I was not convinced that the game could satisfy a round of experienced gamers. It seemed to be enough for families with smaller children, but after playing the game the first time I have to admit that my first thoughts were deeply wrong. So, let me show you that a small gamebox sometimes can be rather deceiving when thinking about the playing value of a game In the game the players, as famous pirates, fight for islands that are represented by cards in eight different colors. The colors are quite important, because collecting the same color multiplies the awards of the islands. The island cards must be purchased from a choice of six cards when it is a players turn. Each island has a specific value that must be paid for with Ducats. When I buy an island I immediately get the award of my new island card and of every island card I already possess of the same color. It is rather necessary to try to obtain matching colored island cards if you want to win the game, and nicely enough the basic playing mechanism works fine in a two player game, but there will be a big fight if four or five players are participating. Awards can be Sabres (I soon get back to the use of these), Ducats and Jewels, part of Einauge's treasure and victory points. Each turn I must buy one of these island cards, and in case of need I also have to exchange jewels for Ducats to make this turn's purchase. Another island card can be eked out from Einauge's pirate table. To get one of these cards I have to pay with Sabres. At least three Sabres must be paid, but if my island of desire gives me a Sabre as an award it is one Sabre more. The award for this additional island is the same as in the regular buying phase, even with the multiplication for islands of the same color. At the end of my turn I have to move one island from the table of choice onto the pirate table and finally I restock the island cards to give the next player a choice of six islands again. When the game comes to its end the players exchange Sabres for Ducats and Ducats for Jewels. Additional Jewels may be earned by players with the most treasure chests on their island cards, and here once again each color counts for itself. Although the rules are very simple, the game develops a very special own charm. The clever mechanism of multiplying the awards for islands of the same colours gives enough space to play tactically. This is degree of strategy is high enough for this kind of family game, but it will pose an interesting challenge for experienced gamers, too. The graphics are very attractive and although the Jewels could be a little bit bigger they give the game a somewhat noble feeling. With two players the game already works very well, but with four or five player the game really rocks. Once again, Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling have proven their high reputations with their new game Einauge sei wachsam!. Additional Notice: Due to some criticism from players the authors have done some minor rules changes. An update German set of rules can be downloaded at the AMIGO-Website. |
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