Basic Gameplay
At its heart, Gatsby is a duel game, but played across multiple arenas at the same time. You will either take on the role of Dorothy or James who are high flying socialites wanting to gain pals and be the best. To win the game, you must either gain favour of three tiles of the same colour or gain a tile of each of the five suits to win.
There are three areas to the board, the cabaret where you will be using your tokens to create pathways across the board and gain bonuses along the way. The Racetrack where you will be placing tokens into each of the races hoping to finish a race and gain the character tile but also gaining bonuses along the way. And the Finance Centre where you’ll be aiming to not get left behind as you both ladder climb and gain character tiles and bonuses. Each area needs to have attention given to it to keep your opponent in check.
During each of your turns you will take two actions. You cannot duplicate the exact actions that your opponent took so there shouldn’t be a leader and a follower which can happen in two player games. You may also take the special action if you have a tile available in your area, at which point that action will be removed from the game.
Components
The central board for this is graphically clear and the icons are pretty straightforward and also well explained in the rule book. I love the theme of this game and think that the artwork on the board and the character tiles really lends itself well to that. The wooden components are beautifully screen printed with simple elegant designs . The character tiles each are unique and have a great style to them which nods to the opulence of the era.
Replayability
This is a game which has a very low barrier to entry with it being simple to learn, but there is quite significant depth to the strategy of the gameplay which can make you want to go back again and again. The location of the bonuses on the Cabaret will change from game to game as this is made up of four smaller tiles. Additionally, the location and spread of each of the tiles and what special action tiles you have available will make each game feel significantly different.
Round Up
If you want a duelling game that isn’t a lane battler but has a similar vibe in tug of war, then perhaps check out Gatsby. This is a great themed game that will appeal to a wide audience and won't outstay its welcome, all being over in 30 mins.
