| Tom Vasel
June 2003
USA
I was interested in Gold Digger because it combined
two things I really like: Out of the Box Publishing,
a company which makes quick, easy-to-learn, fun games;
and John Kovalic, the artist for the game, better known
for his humorous comics at www.dorktower.com . Add in
the fact that the designer was the prolific Reiner Knizia,
and I thought that Gold Digger was a sure winner.
So was it a winner? The short answer is yes, it's an
excellent little filler, and it makes a fine very fast
two-player game. Now we go onwards to the longer answer.
First, a short description of game play: The six
double sided mine cards are laid out in a row on the
table. Each player (two to five) takes three claim tokens
(tiddly winks) of the same color. The deck of sixty
cards is shuffled and three are dealt to each player.
The rest of them are placed in a draw pile in the middle
of the table. One player goes first, and each player
then takes a turn.
There are three things done on each turn.
-
Place a card by a mine card. There are 3 types
of cards that can be played. - Characters: There
are five character cards that match each mine. (For
example, "Annie Oakleaf" matches the Law mine.)
Characters and mines are color coded for easy matching.
Characters are placed above the mine. - Gold: Gold
makes a mine more valuable. Gold cards have from
one to eight bags of gold on them. Gold cards are
played below a mine, and make the mine worth that
many points. (1-8) - Fools gold: Fools gold is played
below a mine, just like gold. It doesn't affect
the mine at all, except that only five cards are
allowed below each mine. Fools gold cards block
placement of a gold card in the same spot.
-
Stake a claim in a mine: If you place a character
over a mine, you have the option of staking a claim
in that mine. The player should place one of his
claim tokens in that mine. By doing so, you will
get a portion of the gold (points) that the mine
is worth.
-
Draw a card. Obviously, once all five characters
are placed on a mine, the mine can no longer have
any claims put on it. Once five cards are placed
underneath a mine, the mine's value is fixed. When
all sixty cards are placed, the game ends. At this
point, the game is scored. If only one player has
a claim token(s) on a mine, they get all the points
for that mine. If more than one player has a claim
token(s), the total points are divided by the number
of tokens, and each player gets points according
to the amount of tokens they have on the mine. Whoever
has the most points is the winner!
Some comments on the game:
-
Components: The game in its entirety is just sixty-six
cards and 12 tiddly-wink counters. The box is very
small, and holds the cards and counters. I would
have preferred wooden counters, but it really doesn't
matter much. The cards of good quality, and are
very easy to distinguish. The six mines are six
different colors, and the characters match not only
those colors, but the name of each mine. There should
be no confusion when laying down characters, and
that's really helpful. The bags of gold card are
nice, but I think it would have been even better
to put the number of points each card is worth on
the card, instead of making the players count up
the bags. (Although, in fairness, it's not hard
to do so.)
-
Artwork: I loveDork Tower. It's artwork isn't
a stunning masterpiece, but it does makes me laugh.
It's nice to see that same humorous artwork transferred
to this game. The names of the characters are also
quite humorous (Dances with Rocks, Louis N. Clarque,
Donna Partie, etc.) And each character has their
own distinctive artwork. Is this necessary? - of
course not, but it adds a nice touch.
-
Time: The game plays extremely fast. When you have
a decision of three cards to play, and only a limited
number of places to place them, it doesn't take
long for each player's turn. The only time any hang-up
might occur is when deciding to place a claim token
or not. But then again, this is a yes or no question,
and shouldn't take that long anyway. A game can
last as short as ten minutes, and usually don't
take more than twenty-five.
-
Players: I thought I'd mention here that the game
seems to play as well with two as it does with five.
However, when playing with two players, we each
use six chips. It's a VERY fast two player game,
(sometimes as short as five minutes!) and is quite
fun. On a trip with a small amount of room, I would
take this game as a travel game.
-
Fun Factor: The theme is lightly layered onto
this game. It could have been produced as a tile
laying game, but the cards are fine. And staking
out gold is fun! However, when playing the game,
you are looking for optimal points, and usually
don't think much about the theme. The character
names usually draw chuckles, and the lighthearted
art seems to bring a lighthearted mood to the table
- but the theme is a little stagnant. (Not a huge
surprise with a Knizia game)
-
Rules: As with all OOTB games, the rules come
on heavy laminated stock paper, that is folded and
fits well in the game box. The rules are clearly
written, and a sample card layout is an invaluable
addition to the game. Some short playing tips are
included at the end of the rules, leading us too...
-
Strategy: As I said before, there aren't too many
decisions to make in the game. It gives me the same
feeling as Lost Cities, except in this game I only
have three cards in my hand. Do I place my claims
quickly, or wait until a lot of gold is in a mine?
Do I go for a mine with a lot of gold, which will
surely be contested - or a mine with less gold,
where I might get it all. The strategy isn't deep,
but there's enough there to warrant a second playing.
I must tell all those who do not luck to shy from
this game. There is a massive amount of luck in
the cards that you draw. If draw poorly, you will
probably lose. The games are so fast that it doesn't
bother me that much, but it might bother some people.
So I frankly have to highly recommend
this game. It's very inexpensive, easy to teach and
is fun to play. The two-player game plays very
fast, and is fun with a little strategy and a lot of
luck. Out of the Box Publishing has produced a little
winner here! -Tom Vasel
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