[Review] Manila
- From: "tomvasel@xxxxxxxxx" <tomvasel@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 22 Dec 2005 06:21:05 -0800
I first played Manila (Rio Grande Games, 2005 - Franz-Benno Delonge)
at Origins 2005. As soon as the first game was over, I immediately
wanted to play it again - and again, and again. Later on in the year,
when doing a Musings On... about the game, a few people started to
dissect the strategy in the game. Some possible problems were
discussed, but I really didn't care. The reason for that is simple -
Manila is shear fun, fun, fun!
Manila is one of my favorite games from 2005, just because of the
enjoyment I get every time I play it. It's basically a gambling game,
in which players attempt to guess which boats will make it down the
river. Manila allows you some information when making wagers
(investments), and the excitement grows each turn as you sit there
cheering for or against the boats as they travel down the river. Yes,
there's a dose of luck, but discerning players will make better
guesses, and influence the luck to their advantage.
There are four different shares of goods sold in Manila (jade, coffee,
ginger, and cloth), and two random shares are dealt out to each player
at the beginning of the game, along with thirty pesos. A marker for
each share is placed on a track (from zero to thirty) on the board, and
the rest of the shares are placed face up nearby. Each player takes
three accomplices (four if only three players are playing), and the
first round is ready to begin.
In each round, players bid to see who becomes the Harbormaster,
bidding around the table until everyone drops out. The winner
(Harbormaster) pays their bid to the bank and has the option of buying
any available share at the market price (represented by the good's
marker on the track, but always at least five pesos). The Harbormaster
also decides what three goods will participate in the round and places
a cardboard piece, representing the goods in three different boats.
Each boat is placed on a river that has spaces from zero to thirteen.
The boats can start on any space from zero to five, but the total of
the spaces must equal nine. (For example, one boat can start at five,
another at four, and the third at zero).
Starting with the harbormaster and proceeding clockwise around the
table, each player places one of their accomplices and places it on any
available space on the board, paying the fee associated with the space.
Once all players have done this, the Harbormaster rolls three
six-sided dice that match the colors of the goods and moves each boat
accordingly. Players then place another accomplice in the same manner,
and the dice are rolled again - for both the second and third part of
the round. If any boat reaches space thirteen by the end of any of the
three phases, then that boat has finished the race.
The places where players may place their accomplices are:
- On a boat: Each boat has space for three or four accomplices - each
paying a certain amount (shown on the space - cheapest for the first
accomplices on the boat). If, and only if, that boat reaches space
thirteen, all the players split the money shown on the boat according
to the accomplices they had there. For example, the Jade boat has four
spaces, costing "3", "4", "5", and "6" respectively. If there are two
players who each have one accomplice on the boat, and the boat finishes
the race, then each of them receives half of the "36" award on the
boat.
- On a dock: There are three docks, "A", "B", and "C". The first boat
to finish goes to dock A, etc. A player can invest in a dock; and if a
boat lands there, they receive a reward. The cost/reward adjusts
accordingly to the chances of a boat landing there. For example, dock
A costs "4", and pays off "6" if successful. Dock C, on the other
hand, costs "2", and pays off "15" but is much rarer.
- On a shipyard: There are three shipyards, also "A" to "C". If a
boat does not finish the race (doesn't make it to space thirteen), it
is placed in shipyard A, etc. The cost/rewards for the shipyards are
equivalent to the ports.
- Insurance house: If a player places their accomplice here, they
actually receive ten pesos. However, they must pay the rewards to any
players who receive them from the shipyards.
- Small pilot: If a player places their accomplice here (paying two
pesos), they may move one boat forward or backwards one before the
third and final rolling each round.
- Large pilot: Same as the small pilot, except that the cost is five
pesos, and they may move the boat two spaces (or move two boats one
space each).
- Pirates: If a player places their accomplice here (and there are two
slots), the accomplice becomes a pirate. If a boat lands at space
thirteen EXACTLY during the second phase, and there is an open spot,
the pirate may jump on board. If the boat lands at space thirteen
EXACTLY during the third phase, the pirates kick everyone off, take the
profits from the boat for themselves, and decide whether or not the
boat lands (port) or crashes (shipyard).
All the boats which land in the port cause the value of their good to
increase, and the markers are moved accordingly. Players all receive
their profits (losses, in the case of the insurance agent), and the
harbormaster starts the next round.
If at anytime a player runs out of money, they can "loan" out one of
their shares, receiving twelve pesos, but they must pay back fifteen
by the end of the game. When one good reaches a price of thirty pesos,
the game ends. At this point, all players sell their shares for their
current price and add the current amount of pesos they have. The
player with the most money is the winner!
Some comments about the game...
1.) Components: The components for Manila are absolutely fabulous!
The coins, which come in several denominations are double sided plastic
coins - great to feel and look at it. The only problem is that there
seems to not be enough coins. In the majority of the games I've
played, we've run out every time. The boats are nice large wooden
boats, and the cardboard tokens fit in them easily. The board looks
great - long and thin, with tremendous artwork on it. The goods cards
each having a matching die in their color - which while not necessary,
certainly just brings up the "wow' factor of the game. The accomplices
are wooden pawns - chunky and easy to hold. Everything fits perfectly
in a custom plastic insert in a large square box. Manila is really a
delight to look at and play with - all of the components are top notch.
This does mean, unfortunately, that the price is higher, but I feel
that this is justified to have a game that lasts.
2.) Rules: The full color rulebook, complete with illustrations and
examples, is easy to understand. I found that Manila was fairly easy
to teach to other people; I simply talked about gambling or investing
and gave an example of each investment and the payoff. I have had zero
problems when teaching the game - everyone picks up on it quickly. The
bidding is the only problem that people have - not because it's hard,
but because it's hard for players to easily put a value determination
on how much being the harbormaster is worth.
3.) Harbormaster: Being the harbormaster is a huge advantage, and
bidding often reflects this. Not only do you decide which good is
excluded from a round, the harbormaster determines the starting
position for each boat, which often determines whether or not that boat
finishes or not. But more so than any of these, the harbormaster gets
to purchase one share. Since shares can possibly be worth thirty pesos
at the end of the game, this certainly is a big deal. In fact, one
person asked me why we even played the game, since buying the shares
was obviously the most important part. My response to this would be
twofold. First of all, I think that if the auctions are forceful
enough, the person who pays to be the harbormaster should be paying
high enough for the privilege that it slightly negates their share
value. Secondly, I think it's possible to win the game with only a few
shares, as long as a person makes canny investments during the game.
4.) Investing: Deciding where to place one's accomplices is the heart
and meat of the game - and by far the most enjoyable. Some
investments, such as dock A or shipyard A, will most likely have a
pay-off, but a very small one. Other investments, like dock C will
have a huge pay-off, but I rarely see them accomplished. And what
boats should your accomplices ride? Should you ride in a boat all by
yourself, but probably won't make it, or should you put more than one
accomplice in a lucrative boat? And is it worth it to pay money to
move the boats? These choices aren't hard, but they do make the game
extremely enjoyable.
5.) Pirates: One of the most fun, and lucky, parts of the game are the
pirates. There's not a lot you can do, strategy-wise, when it comes to
placing a pirate. You simply put one down and hope a boat lands on
thirteen. It doesn't often happen, but when it does, there are shouts
and groans all around. Having the pirates in the game adds a lot of
luck, but it's worth it, in my opinion. A player who is behind can
"bet the house", putting all of their hopes in a pirate or two, hoping
to come from behind. I remember having two pirates take TWO boats in
one round - effectively putting me in the lead. Yes, it's a long shot,
but it's definitely fun to try.
6.) Luck: A lot of people may not like the amount of luck in the game.
The boats going down the river are controlled by the roll of dice.
This is mitigated by their starting positions, and by the pilots; but
ultimately, a good roll can help a player, and a bad roll can ruin one.
While this may annoy people, I don't see how it's a huge problem. For
one thing, a player can spread their bets to avoid massive swings of
luck; and for another, it's a light, fun game anyway! I've seen
players win solely by luck in games of Manila, but the risks they took
were great, so there wasn't a lot of begrudgment afterwards.
7.) Fun Factor: I can't emphasize that the main reason I enjoy Manila
so much is that the game is just a blast to play. Reminding one of the
roulette wheel - Manila allows a player to have a great deal more
control over what they do. Players try to determine each round where
to place their accomplices, and the shouts and jeers when a boat
finishes or doesn't are loud and raucous - there is no such thing as a
quiet game of Manila!
8.) Players: The game works well with three to five players, and I
couldn't tell much a difference between them. Five players caused
every position on the board to be filled, sometimes, but the bidding
was fiercer. Three players gave each player more accomplices, but it
didn't really seem to affect the game's enjoyment value at all.
Manila was not nominated for game of the year in Germany, which I think
is a crying shame. It's certainly one of the most family-friendly
games I've played, equally accessible by children and adults alike. It
has some strategy, a chunk of luck, but most important to a game of
this length (an hour or so) - a lot of fun. The stunning components
don't hurt the equation, and the replayability helps also. Manila
easily makes my top ten games from 2005, and I expect to be playing it
many years to come.
Tom Vasel
"Real men play board games"
www.tomvasel.com
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