Fancy a trip to the Japanese island Shikoku? This cosy two-player game might just be for you! Tokaido Duo is inspired by the original game Tokaido, but with different game mechanisms to bring a new experience.
The Characters
Tokaido Duo is a two-player game based on the Japanese island of Shikoku. Each player has three characters they play throughout the game: a Pilgrim who travels around the island completing various actions based on where you land to gain Victory points and special benefits, a Merchant who follows the inner trade routes acquiring and selling Wares to gain gold, and an Artist who moves from area to area painting the beautiful landscapes and gifting their Paintings for Victory points.
You must progress each of your characters throughout the game, weighing up the best actions based on the dice roll. It might be tempting to focus on just one of your characters (for me I can’t resist collecting gold through the Merchant) but it’s the player who manages to make the most of their character’s combined abilities that wins the game!
Players take it in turns to roll and pick the three dice which correspond to your three characters.
The Pilgrim
The Pilgrim moves around the edge of the island, moving clockwise the number of spaces on the die shown. The main aim of the Pilgrim is to visit the Temples and Gardens to advance your Viewing peg one spot which gains you end of game Victory points. You can also gain other special benefits, like stopping at a Coastal town to gain some gold, visiting a Hot springs to gain a token which allows you to take a future turn again, or visiting the Seashore to choose a Wave tile to benefit from special effects like moving extra spaces or gaining extra gold.
In my experience, the Pilgrim is the easiest character to forget about. But those Viewing pegs multiply up fast, so don’t rule out this option even if it doesn’t feel as exciting as others.
The Artist
The Artist travels across the eight landscapes within the island, moving from area to adjacent area. You move your Artist the number shown on the die and can perform one of two actions: paint or gift a Painting.
To paint, you reveal as many face-down Painting tiles from your Artist board as there are other characters in your Artist’s area.
To gift a Painting, you must move your Artist to the segment with the icon matching the icon on the Painting. This tile is then removed from the board revealing the Victory points you’ve earned. You can only gift the topmost, leftmost revealed tile on your Artist board, so you need to be strategic about when you pick the die to move your Artist to the segment you need.
The Merchant
The Merchant moves only along Trade routes linking Mountain and Coastal towns. You can move your Merchant the amount of the spaces according to the die. Depending on whether you land on a Mountain town or a Coastal town, you can perform two actions: acquiring Wares, or selling Wares.
To acquire Wares at Mountain towns, you draw the number of Ware tokens from the bag as the number printed on the Mountain tile.
Each Coastal town has one Ware you can sell there and its coin value. You can sell as many Wares as you have that match the Coastal town, and gain the amount of coins from the supply. When you’ve gained ten coins, you receive a gold slab to add under your Merchant board.
The Victory
There are three events that trigger the end of the game, one for each of your characters. When either your Pilgrim reaches the final slot of their Temple or Garden track, your Merchant adds their sixth and final gold slab to the bottom of their board, or your Artist gifts their tenth and final Painting token, you resolve any remaining dice from the current turn and add up your Victory points. The player with the most points wins.
Final thoughts
If you fancy a two-player game that is relaxing and isn’t overly competitive, Tokaido Duo might be the game for you. I have to praise the quality of the board and pieces, as it makes it very satisfying and tactile to play. The artwork is beautiful, and adds to the adventure and narrative of the game wonderfully.
Some people might not enjoy the lack of sabotage in this game, as the only real way to disadvantage your competitor is to steal the die you think they’d want. That being said, it’s what makes the game so serene. There’s an ease to playing your own separate games, without the stress of someone interfering. This is a game that isn’t likely to end in arguments!
