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Main Catalogue | BOARD GAMES & CARD GAMES | Phalanx Games | Emira

Emira

Price: £24.99

This item usually ships in 2 to 3 days.

Board Game, 3-5 Players, Ages 10+ by Phalanx Games Which sheik will attract the princess? The players are sheiks, competing for the charms of the sultan’s lovely daughters. In each game turn a princess comes into play. She eventually chooses the sheik who suits her best, depending on her personal wishes. So the sheiks have to invest in their personal appearance, status and property. To meet the demands of these spoilt royal beauties, the players need a lot of gold, which they earn in the spice trade. The player who first reaches his personal target wins the game **********. 3-5 players, 150 minutes designed by Liesbeth Vanzeir and Paul Van Hove reviewed by Greg Schloesser In a hobby filled with elves, dragons, medieval villages, explorers, warriors, castles, etc, it is truly refreshing to immerse myself in a game that has a completely different theme. Emira, designed by Liesbeth Vanzeir and Paul Van Hove, casts players as budding sheiks attempting to attract an assortment of lovely ladies to form a harem. Whether or not one ultimately enjoys the game, there is no quibbling with the originality of the theme! First, let me confront the potentially controversial issue surrounding the game: the theme itself. In western culture, harems have come to be viewed as sexist. Trying to attract multiple women for their ability to cook, clean house and provide romance may certainly be practical, but it certainly isn\'t politically correct. The authors do attempt to meet this issue head on in the rules, issuing a disclaimer stating that the game is satirical in nature and that the women are the ones in control as they are the ones that get to choose their future. Maybe, but the rules, cards and box cover are peppered with artwork of women in provocative poses. I fully realize that this is a game, and harems were (and maybe still are) a historical fact of life in certain cultures. I also admit to having fun role-playing, boasting about the domestic talents of various ladies. However, I also felt uncomfortable doing so. Perhaps it is just my upbringing and personal beliefs interfering with my ability to set aside ``real life\'\' and enjoy the game and theme. Whatever the case, I did feel a bit uncomfortable. It isn\'t a good thing to feel uncomfortable when playing a game. On to the game itself. Each player receives a player mat, whereupon he tracks his various spice caravans, camel herds, palace size, and personal attributes. A central board mainly acts as a display area for the various items which are available for acquisition, including the most current princess and any princesses who are undecided. Sadly, all of these boards warped almost immediately upon removal from the box, which is quite irritating. Rounding out the components are various decks of lavishly illustrated cards and an assortment of cardboard counters representing palaces, personal attributes, camels, money and the like. Each player receives a secret ``goal\'\' card, which lists his personal victory conditions. These generally require the player to either recruit five princesses with specific talents, or seven princesses with no regard to their specific abilities. Each player also receives initial capital of 350 gold, an event card, and a specific starting bonus based on the color selected. The sequence of play is identical each turn: 1) Play event cards Events generally give a player a temporary advantage, but sometimes grant this advantage to everyone. Other cards negate certain abilities. Since it costs money to acquire these cards, it is best to use them judiciously. Event cards can often be a bit unbalancing or chaotic, and some possess the capability of radically altering a round. They do often cause players to re-think or alter their strategies, and occasionally give a player a much-needed boost. Thanks to their hefty cost, however, the frequency of their use is somewhat controlled. 2) Receive income Players receive a base income of 250 gold, but the majority of one\'s income is derived from the spice trade. More on this in a bit. 3) Prepare the board, bidding and actions This is the heart of the game, and is very similar to the mechanisms used in Princes of Florence. Each turn, players will bid for turn order in acquiring various assets. These include camels, palace sections, spice trades, personal attributes or status. Individual princesses will desire particular assets of their prospective sheik, and the player with the most of the desired asset will attract the lovely lady. This will drive the acquisitions and the bidding urgency of the players. The bidding process can become quite spirited, particularly when the princess-in-waiting possesses a quality that numerous players desire. When a player wins an auction, he gets to purchase the asset he desires. So, not only will a player usually spend gold during the auctions, he must also pay to purchase the item he desires. Money flows from one\'s coffers very quickly in this game. Once a particular item is selected, it is no longer available to other players that round. Acquiring spice trade tokens allows the player to increase his income, but only temporarily. Two are available each turn, and the winning players can choose which track upon which to place the tokens. The main choice is whether a player wants a smaller income for a longer period of time, or a larger income for a shorter period of time. Each turn, the caravan moves along the track, and eventually expires. Keeping a steady and reliable income is one of the keys to success in the game. Each camel a player acquires gives him a 50 gold credit to his bids. They are quite powerful, but in my opinion, skew the auctions, artificially escalating the bidding. 4) Purchase Event Cards Players can spend 150 gold to acquire a new event card, choosing two and selecting one. They can increase their options by spending 250 gold to select three cards, and keeping one. This is expensive, but some cards can be quite powerful. 5) Princess chooses her sheik Each turn, a new Emira (princess) card is revealed. In addition to an enticing image of the lady, the card also depicts her talents (housekeeping, cooking, intelligence and/or romance) and the primary and secondary attributes she desires in her potential sheik. She will only consider joining the harem of a sheik if he has the required space in his palace. This is why players must acquire palace sections during the auction rounds. The princess will choose the sheik who has the necessary space and the most of the attribute she desires. If more than one player is tied for this attribute, she will then move on to the secondary attribute she desires. If this is still tied, her card will be moved to the ``undecided\'\' box, and will eventually be awarded once the tie is broken. 6) Upkeep Finally, players must pay 50 gold for each princess in their harem. Wives are expensive! Play continues in this fashion until one player meets the requirements on his goal card. Victory - and the admiration of all men - is achieved! Emira is not a simple game, as it weaves various mechanisms into a solid, albeit rather lengthy game. Most of these mechanisms aren\'t new, but they do blend together nicely here. The game is fun, and the theme - albeit questionable - does match well. While I do admire the originality of the theme, and can even get past the inevitable jokes about the women\'s attributes, I have some serious issues with the game design. My major concerns: 1) Specialization There are four attributes that a prospective lady seeks in her sheik: appearance, palace size, wealth and notoriety. As mentioned, each lady will seek a particular attribute first, and then consider a secondary attribute if more than one sheik is tied for dominance in the first attribute. The result here is that each player will tend to pursue one attribute in which to dominate. It is nigh impossible to dominate in more than one attribute. Once a firm lead is established in a particular attribute, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to surpass that player. As a result, each player tends to target one attribute, resulting in a ``specialization\'\' effect. Thus, it simply becomes a matter of hoping that the girls desiring your attribute appear in quick succession. Other than some attempts at deck manipulation via the event cards - which may be quickly reversed by an opponent - there is little one can do to influence what ultimately occurs. This severely tarnishes an otherwise enjoyable game and it is enough to ruin it for me. 2) Auctions Simply put, there are too many of them. Each turn consists of a series of auctions, one less per round than the number of players. With the treasure chests of players often overflowing, this means each auction can go round-and-round and take a considerable amount of time. It grows old quickly. 3) Camels This aspect is intricately connected to the auctions. Each camel acquired gives an initial 50 gold credit when participating in an auction. The amount of the credit can increase dramatically by the play of certain event cards. The net effect is that this artificially escalates the bidding during the auctions. While this is clearly the intent, it is dissatisfying. 4) Length I don\'t normally mind longer games, but the two to two and a half hours it takes to play Emira to completion is a case of the game outlasting its welcome. This occurs for me due to the repetitiveness of the auctions and the ``specialization\'\' that occurs, which has the result of making the ultimate winner a factor of which girls appear from the Emira deck. So, while I do find the theme intriguing and fresh, and much of the game is enjoyable, the flaws are just too great to ignore. While I don\'t normally mind longer games, this one is too long - it drags and feels repetitive. Sadly, unless reasonable variants or ``fixes\'\' are devised, Emira is destined for banishment to the desert.

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Main Catalogue | BOARD GAMES & CARD GAMES | Phalanx Games | Emira

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