Reiner Knizia has been a staple of most people’s board game journeys. Whether it be his tile- laying games like Tigris and Euphrates, his route-building games like Through the Desert or his myriad of small card or dice games, such as Gang of Dice. I feel he has touched the lives of most board gamers, in some way or another. Cascadero is the latest in Reiner’s route-building games.
Like Through the Desert or Blue Lagoon, Cascadero has you connecting point scoring opportunities, blocking your friends and follows Reiner’s well-known modus operandi of easy to learn but difficult to master rulesets.
In Cascadero, the kingdom is shattered; it’s up to you, his loyal minister and your advisors to reunite the land. While each minister will be trying to unite towns and bring prosperity to the land, they all have their own dedicated responsibility within the game to accomplish, otherwise they will be deemed a failure and, inherently, lose the game, which is so Knizia!
The Setup
Apart from placing the board in the centre of the table and placing a few Heralds and Seals on it, your only other task is to dish out some bits and bobs to each player. Each player gets their 30 envoys, which you will use to make routes on the board and their 12 flags for marking off shared objectives. They also get a score marker and a few cubes to put on the 5 tracks of the game.
Cascadero is a game that you can have up and running in a mere few minutes. You get straight into the action and that is always a good thing. No one wants setup to take forever and this one certainly does not. It’s set up and packed away in no time and that’s certainly an advantage in my eyes.
Placing Envoys
Much like in Reiner’s other route-building games, turns in Cascadero are child’s play, well, from the outset anyway. Place one of your envoys on the hex-based map and score accordingly, maybe get a bonus if you are lucky. It’s where and when you place these envoys that make these types of games so moreish.
The hex map has various towns scattered throughout. These towns are split between the game’s 5 colours, one for each player colour and a white town that has other functions. You can place them anywhere you wish on the map but you are trying to reach these towns with groups of envoys. When you do, you will move up the track for that colour, the number of spaces depending on how many groups have visited that city before you.
If you place your envoy touching a town, alone, it will not score. The rulebook states that these towns do not trust a lone envoy; to score, you need a group. If you are the first group to visit a town, you move up that town’s track by one; if you are the second, you move up two, that kind of thing, even if both groups are yours. As long as they are not touching and are distinct groups, you are all good.
There are also 4 towns that have a Herald on them, these towns increase your track movement by one when you visit them. This makes these towns vital throughout the game and really make them a hotspot of player interaction and lots of shenanigans.
This encourages blocking, strategy and careful placement. The tracks have bonuses, there are group objectives to score and don’t forget, if you do not get to the top of your coloured track, you are not eligible for the win.
Tracks and more Tracks
The game’s 5 tracks are linked to each of the game’s 5 town types. These tracks are littered with bonuses and boons, similar to a roll ‘n’ write. Pace more envoys, free points, moving envoys, that sort of thing. They even contain Seals, which can be very lucrative. Seals allow you to score cities with a group of only 1 envoy; it’s a Seal that makes the city trust you and they can be very important in getting those vital movements up the coloured track you require.
Using these tracks in unison to make vital placements and combo turns together is very important. As I said, it feels like a roll ‘n’ write in ways and I do enjoy it. It feels amazing to have a great turn, where you accomplish a lot, place a load of envoys and zoom up those tracks. It feels so rewarding and extremely pleasing to do.
Goals and Shared Objectives
Every game has a plethora of shared objectives to shoot for. A group that everyone can achieve and a group that can only be achieved by the first player to obtain it. These objectives give you
further things to work on, as well as your track traction. It’s how you blend these things together, along with combining the tracks, that will determine how well you do.
These objectives are things like linking the same colour cities with the same group, linking differing types of cities with a group and getting to certain parts of the tracks. They are standard board game fare but I they do provide just enough distraction and reward to pull you away from pure track work.
Components
The components in Cascadero are lovely. From the little wax Seals to the wooden Envoys, everything is well-made and beautiful. The iconography is clear and easy to understand, which, in my opinion, is very important.
While there is not much to it component-wise, it’s a great-looking, fully-functional package that has a classy look to it. I have no issues with either the production or component quality.
Final Thoughts
If you like things like Blue Lagoon and Through the Desert, Cascadero scratches the same itch. The tracks make it feel a bit more like a roll ‘n’ write, which may attract players who normally don’t gel with this genre.
Turns in Cascadero are very simple, but the ramifications are massive. That, along with the Reiner tried and tested scoring mechanism, creates something rather unique. As the game progresses and you start blocking other players, it certainly starts to show its teeth and becomes a very tactical affair.
Cascadero will be sticking around in my collection for a while, I think I still prefer Through the Desert but that could change with more plays. Cascadero is quick to play, easy to teach and tickles my brain in a way I like it tickled. It has combos, blocking and interaction with other players, which I love. Knizia has done it again!
