[Board/Tactical Game]: The Traders of Genoa, reviewed by ShannonA (4/4)

http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/10/10128.phtml

Shannon Appelcline's Summary:

Want a trading game that isn't over in an hour? This game upholds the standards of Alea's Big Box line.

Go to the full review for more information.

Post originally by Gargoyle at 2004-02-18 03:29:48
Converted from Phorums BB System

I think Traders of Genoa is one of those games whose attractivity depends somewhat on the group you play it with. Most of the time it's actually one of my favorites, but there are some people I really don't like to play it with.

Like you mentioned, over-analytical approach makes the game rather dry and slow-moving. Thus it's best enjoyed with those, who trust their insticts, are not adamant on their demands and have a flexible approach to trading. Players with a tendency to overanalyze things tend to make the game much less interesting and fun. Especially since they aren't even always right in their predictions, 'cause there are so many different variables in this game that calculating them all is very hard.

I also think that the hidden scoring of this game is worth mentioning. The amount of money everyone has is secret, so the winner isn't usually clear until the points are actually tallied. We've had quite a few surprises with Traders. People aren't always as far behind as they might seem...

Post originally by Rich Sample at 2004-02-18 11:23:18
Converted from Phorums BB System

Hi,

I have this game sitting on my shelf but haven't played it yet, does anyone have any Traders experience with 3 players? Howzit work?

Thanks in advance,

Rich

Post originally by Shannon Appelcline at 2004-02-18 11:39:02
Converted from Phorums BB System

We played the game with 4, where it worked fine.

If anything I suspect the game works better with 3 than with 5, because at 5 you'd start to get extreme scarcity issues with some players not getting actions every turn.

But that's just speculation ...

Shannon

Post originally by Numskull at 2004-02-19 02:25:59
Converted from Phorums BB System

This game, my favorite game, works fine with 5 players. Not everyone gets to do something every TURN, but with the tower moving five times per round, everybody usually gets 3 or 4 actions before the round marker is moved to the next space. Plus, I get a kick out of watching two people keep raising the other's bid, ultimately paying far more for a certain action than they normally would.