Tinman

The title pretty much says it all. There are many good descriptions of the game on the site. I recommend that you find a friend, family member or local game group that has the game and give it a try. The game is easy to learn, easy to teach others and plays in 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours. Just remember when teaching new players remove the Lord who scores off of bui;dings, the quest that grants the Liuetenant and the building that grants the ambassador. These are all things that favor the experienced player and can handicap new players.

This is a must have for family gamers. The components are visually appealing. The game is very easy to play. Simply attach the bark to the rings, stack the rings on the stump, and take turns “chopping” on the tree with a plastic ax. I have played with family members from small child to teenager to adult and all have enjoyed it and played it several times in a session.

It is probably the fact that I have played a lot of games, but I found nothing new enough, or no new combination of older ideas, to make me want to buy the game.

The game is based around the auction mechanism. You are building towns in effect. Each turn you bid for the right to build a particular type or types of building and possibly to earn a game bonus such as an extra worker, etc… The number of options available is 1 less than the number of players playing so someone will always have to drop out. Money and/or trade tokens are needed to perform most actions and are of course always tight. There were no real surprises in terms of new mechanisms in the game, but it was put together well and the components are colorful and fun. If you like auction games you will like this one. I play games with my son who is an avid gamer and as a casual gamer I would say this borders on my limit for how “serious” a game I would ever play. It plays in about an hour and was not overwhelming me with rules and strategies.