Troyes

Troyes, where have you been all my life? I thought I was DONE building my collection. And then THIS showed up. And then THIS was researched on BGG and YouTube. And then THIS needed to be added because THIS was available on MM (and other places). Reviewers advice that it's printed seasonally so if you see a copy, grab it while it's hot. This game is something else. Really strategic. Really challenging. Oh yes...TAKE THAT!!! (if you don't like your dice or strategy stolen, avoid at all costs). Don't get intimidated by the rulebook. It plays best at 2-players, OK with 3. Grab it while it's still hot off the print.

Troyes has a great mix of cooperative elements (combating the events), area control (when and where you place your tradesmen), and deduction (trying to suss out which Nobles your opponents have so you can maximize your score). The randomized card setup at the beginning of the game also helps keep the game feeling very fresh even after many plays. And I love how clever it can make you feel when you chain together a lucrative combo, or how clever and *sneaky* you feel when you steal that last yellow die from your opponent right before they can start their own combo. Also, I think the art is fantastic. I know, I know.. not as glamorous as a lot of the board games that come out today, but I really dig the medieval styling and lettering.

Think heavy and decision medium, gives you a lot you want to do while having to worry if your opponent is going to take your resourses instead of taking you action.

Troyes is a killer euro. The mechanics encourage players to go for broke nearly every round, making the game play out as if it were 4 to 6 small games building on one another. The first three rounds introduce random activities the players can purchase access to, which can be combined in absolutely wicked ways. The ability to anticipate the direction an opponent is pushing in and what dice (workers) they'll need to use is crucial to outplaying them. The addition of hidden agendas that change end-game scoring for everyone adds another level of mind games where players are trying to read one another while obfuscating their plans. Your ability to reach into an opponents dice pool means no one's plan is safe while their opponents have some cash to lure away their workforce... This game feels like a mental wrestling match. An apex strategy boardgame.

Troyes is a killer euro. The mechanics encourage players to go for broke nearly every round, making the game play out as if it were 4 to 6 small games building on one another. The first three rounds introduce random activities the players can purchase access to, which can be combined in absolutely wicked ways. The ability to anticipate the direction an opponent is pushing in and what dice (workers) they'll need to use is crucial to outplaying them. The addition of hidden agendas that change end-game scoring for everyone adds another level of mind games where players are trying to read one another while obfuscating their plans. Your ability to reach into an opponents dice pool means no one's plan is safe while their opponents have some cash to lure away their workforce... This game feels like a mental wrestling match. An apex strategy boardgame.

Troyes is somewhat unique in the realm of dice-placement games. The game puts you into the medieval city of Troyes in France, and your goal is to become the most powerful figure in the city (i.e. by acquiring the largest number of victory points). Throughout the game, you'll engage in activities like building the city's cathedral, combating negative events, farming, hiring tradesmen, and various other things that will earn you influence, money, and VPs throughout the game. The pips on the dice that you roll represent your workforce, and your people represent the classic French three estates -- the nobility (red dice), the clergy (white dice), and everyone else (yellow dice). Each turn, you roll a group of these dice based on the number of meeples that you have of each color, and then you assign these dice to various spots on the board or on various cards that come into play -- this is similar to other dice placement games. What makes Troyes unique is: (1) When you assign dice, you usually have to divide the number of pips on these dice by whatever number is on the spot they're located. This tells you how many times you can perform the action. For instance, if you assign a red 4 and a red 5 dice to a spot that makes you divide by 3, then you can perform that action three times, as 5+4=9, and 9/3=3. (2) You can buy the dice that other players roll, and they can buy your dice. You aren't just limited to the dice in your district. This opens up a large number of possibilities for each turn, but as money can be difficult to acquire and dice can be expensive, it restricts you and makes for some incredibly difficult decisions! (3) There are a number of ways to mitigate bad dice rolls, including using influence to re-roll and "flip" dice. Rolled a 2 but need something higher? Pay a little influence and flip that dice over, and that 2 will become a 5. Troyes combines dice drafting, worker placement, and area control into an incredible package. The game is thinky, and it requires some basic math skills (nothing harder than adding and dividing numbers under 20, but it's math nonetheless), but I've yet to play anything that's quite like it. There's a lot of replayability in the cards that come out each turn (you use less than half of the cards in the box each game), and the game plays well at all player counts. It's a bit dry, but the fantastic artwork by Alexandre Roche allows the theme to emerge. I'm not sure if the components justify the $50 price tag, but the game itself is fantastic for those looking for a deep Eurogame that will make them think.

Troyes is somewhat unique in the realm of dice-placement games. The game puts you into the medieval city of Troyes in France, and your goal is to become the most powerful figure in the city (i.e. by acquiring the largest number of victory points). Throughout the game, you'll engage in activities like building the city's cathedral, combating negative events, farming, hiring tradesmen, and various other things that will earn you influence, money, and VPs throughout the game. The pips on the dice that you roll represent your workforce, and your people represent the classic French three estates -- the nobility (red dice), the clergy (white dice), and everyone else (yellow dice). Each turn, you roll a group of these dice based on the number of meeples that you have of each color, and then you assign these dice to various spots on the board or on various cards that come into play -- this is similar to other dice placement games. What makes Troyes unique is: (1) When you assign dice, you usually have to divide the number of pips on these dice by whatever number is on the spot they're located. This tells you how many times you can perform the action. For instance, if you assign a red 4 and a red 5 dice to a spot that makes you divide by 3, then you can perform that action three times, as 5+4=9, and 9/3=3. (2) You can buy the dice that other players roll, and they can buy your dice. You aren't just limited to the dice in your district. This opens up a large number of possibilities for each turn, but as money can be difficult to acquire and dice can be expensive, it restricts you and makes for some incredibly difficult decisions! (3) There are a number of ways to mitigate bad dice rolls, including using influence to re-roll and flip dice. Rolled a 2 but need something higher? Pay a little influence and flip that dice over, and that 2 will become a 5. Troyes combines dice drafting, worker placement, and area control into an incredible package. The game is thinky, and it requires some basic math skills (nothing harder than adding and dividing numbers under 20, but it's math nonetheless), but I've yet to play anything that's quite like it. There's a lot of replayability in the cards that come out each turn (you use less than half of the cards in the box each game), and the game plays well at all player counts. It's a bit dry, but the fantastic artwork by Alexandre Roche allows the theme to emerge. I'm not sure if the components justify the $50 price tag, but the game itself is fantastic for those looking for a deep Eurogame that will make them think.