[Review] Before the Wind

It's almost as if the name of the game Before the Wind (Mayfair
Games, 2007 - Torsten Landsvogt) was made for jokes ("Break the Wind",
etc.) Normally I roll my eyes at this sort of thing; but when I saw
the box, I was sure that any sort of humor would be wonderful. Once
again we have another drab theme of trading in times of yore, with
lackluster artwork to help lull us to sleep. When I got the game, I
sighed heavily, hoping that the game would overcome this overused and
tiresome theme.

Fortunately, Before the Wind is actually a rather intriguing game,
allowing players to load ships with goods while actively annoying the
snot out of each other. It's a fairly intense, mean trading game, and
yet I enjoyed it. What could have been a series of endless auctions
turned out to be a quick, feisty, decision-filled game. The theme
actually works well, including the spoiling goods; and while I yearn
for something that's different thematically, I actually enjoy this
game - an especially good three or four player game.

Each player is a merchant trying to fill their warehouse with the
goods that different captains need. Each player takes a warehouse
card, with eight spots to store goods. Several ships are placed face
up on the board (determined by number of players). Ships are either
large, which need four goods to fill, or small, which need one or two
goods. Three stacks of cards: Purchase, Storage, and Shipment/Income
are shuffled and placed in three piles on the table. Next to that are
the four piles of goods cards (Spices, Cheeses, Apples, and Cloth) as
well as piles of guilders (of which players receive 22). Players take
two goods of their choice and add them to their hand; the starting
token is given to the last player on a ship, and the first round is
ready to begin.

The starting player turns over a number of cards from the three
stacks equal to the number of players. They must turn over cards from
at least two different stacks, and only two cards maximum from any one
stack. (i.e. In a four player game, Sam can turn over 2 Purchase
cards, one Storage card, and one Shipment/Income card). Beginning
with the starting player, each player chooses one of the face-up
cards, placing it in front of them.

The player can take a card that is face up in front of another player
but must offer them an amount of Guilders. Everyone else who does not
have a card yet may also offer Guilders, and the player with the card
can either take the amount from any player, giving them the card and
taking the money, OR paying one of the amounts offered to the offering
player, keeping the card for themselves. Either way, the card
involved is turned face down and can no longer be chosen for the
remainder of the round. The player who took money is also out of the
remainder of the round. Once all players have a card or Guilders,
then cards are played in clockwise order. After the cards are played,
the starting token passes to the next player, and players start
choosing cards again.

Each card has a different action:
- Purchase: These cards show one or two types of goods, and the
player takes the number of indicated resources, adding them to their
hand. Some of the purchase cards are special and allow a player to
take any type of goods they want. Others are called "Preservation"
and can be kept to prevent goods from spoiling at the end of a
round.
- Storage: These cards allow a player to put a certain amount of
goods into the open spots on their warehouse, paying the associated
amount shown on the card (i.e. 3 for 10, or 2 for 6, or 2 for 4).
Some special storage cards allow a player to take goods directly from
the deck and put them in the storehouse for a price. Another special
card allows players to exchange one or two goods from their warehouse
for equal good from the other players' warehouses.
- Shipment or Income: These cards give players a choice. They can
either take the amount of Guilders shown on the card and add them to
their hand, or they can ship goods. When shipping, a player must have
goods in their warehouse that match exactly those shown on one of the
face up ships on the table. The player discards the goods and takes
the matching ship, placing it face down in front of them. One special
type of card allows a player to sell any number of goods from their
hand or warehouse for three Guilders each; another card, the "Safe"
card, can be kept and played on a future phase, protecting a card from
other players attempting to steal it.

This continues until there are two or less ships still in the harbor
at the end of a game turn. At this point, all remaining ships leave
and are discarded. Each player then must check to see if any of their
goods spoil. All good cards in hands must be gotten rid of, as well
as all Apples in the warehouse, and half of the Spices and Cheeses in
the warehouses, rounded down. New ships are turned up, and a new
round begins. Play continues until one player reaches a certain
amount of points (50 in a two player game, 60 in a three to four
player game), at which point the player with the most points is
declared the winner!

Some comments on the game...

1.) Components: I've mentioned the boring artwork and theme, although
I think some might like the "elegant" look of the art, and I do like
the cheese pictures. The components are a good quality, however -
although most of the game is cards. I love this for the money - money
is never good as paper - and the goods, and it's nice how the goods
and money have the same backing, so that a player can better hide what
is in their hand. All the action cards are also the same size,
although I wish the backings were a little better, the dull colors in
the artwork tend to make them look similar. The ship cards are great
- large pictures of ships with four colorful icons to show what goods
are needed. I don't know if the warehouse cards, thick cardboard, are
actually needed (it's rare for someone to store more than eight
goods), but they do look good and help draw attention to where a
player's cards start and the main cards end. All these piles of cards
fit inside a custom plastic insert in a small, well-designed box.

2.) Rules: The seven-page rulebook is very handy, with full color
illustrations and examples of how to play the game. After one read-
through, I was confident to teach others; and it was easy. It's best
to teach the special cards as they appear and perhaps treat the first
game as a "learning" game. As easy as everything is, I would only
recommend this to older teenagers in the youth realm, because the
tactics take a bit of thought.

3.) Trading: The trading phase is really the heart of the game, as
the playing of action cards is simply the conclusion, really. Being
the start player is great, because you get to choose which cards are
going to be drawn. Don't underestimate this; it's fun and
interesting, because not only will draw cards of the type you need,
but you will most certainly try to avoid drawing cards that the
opponent wants. At that point, being the start player remains nice,
because you get to pick the choice of cards you want. This assures
you either the card or hopefully a nice payoff. And these "auctions"
are fairly unique, because a player does not necessarily have to bid
higher than the other players. If they go under, they may get picked
to receive money; OR the player with the card may pick them simply to
spite (whoops, I mean hinder) the other player(s). The trading phase
is why I think the game breaks down with only two, as the interaction
is a lot less tense. In a three or four player game I was constantly
wondering if the other players wanted the same card I did and adjusted
my bids. The trading is the heart of the game; so if you are thinking
about picking this game up, look carefully at this phase, without it
Before the Wind is nothing.

4.) Theme: I scoffed at the theme, but it does actually work here,
especially the rotting aspect. Apples are the most easily lost, but
they are also the most valuable; all the most valuable ships, both
small and large, need apples. At the same time, you may figure that
apples are highly regarded by the other players and go for the easier
goods. Taking goods, storing them in the warehouse, trading for them,
fighting over them, shipping them out - it all makes sense. Had not
two thousand other games of this genre (I might exaggerate a tad) been
released, I would hold this up as a game in which the mechanics are a
wonderful example of theme.

5.) Interaction: I mentioned a bit of this in the trading; but if you
like to really get down and dirty with your opponents, Before the Wind
will delight. Players can pick cards they know that their opponents
don't want, or pick cards that they DO want, and then try to extort
them for money. One must watch money at all times; because if another
player gets a substantial amount more than you do, then they will buy
you out of the cards you need. Players can also use the one special
card to trade goods from an opponent's warehouse - this card is very
popular and can be game-deciding if used at the right time. If you
want to play "nice", then I recommend trying another game, because a
player who is constantly attempting to stop their opponents, whether
aggressively or passively, will do well at this game.

6.) Fun Factor: Some people get a kick out of collecting resources,
sorting them, and then selling them (or whatever word is used).
That's certainly here in Before the Wind, but the fun comes from the
trading round, and trying to out-maneuver your opponents so that you
can ship the lucrative ships first. Some may not like the repetitive
trading phase, as it occurs a good fifty times or so; but it felt
fresh and interesting, because the game seemed to have a count down
timer to when the ships launched; and I was worried that someone else
might get the goods first.

Not for the easily stressed, Before the Wind is a highly interactive
resource gathering game. It fits its blasé theme well and will please
those who like to interact with their opponents a great deal. While I
can see it fading into the sunset in several years, it's a game that
will keep me occupied for now - one that allows me to actively gauge
what my opponents are doing and keeping me on the edge of my seat the
entire game.

Tom Vasel
"Real men play board games"
www.thedicetower.com

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