Wise Words
There is an old adage among the board game fraternity. It goes like this.
Some games you search for. Some games you find. But some games… well, some games find you.
Wise Words
There is an old adage among the board game fraternity. It goes like this.
Some games you search for. Some games you find. But some games… well, some games find you.
Now, we can debate whether or not this is an actual adage or whether I made it up but the point is that Tammany Hall is definitely a game that found me.
I remember the day. Clouds cakes the Edinburgh horizon, sending little droplets of liquid ice gently down onto my rosy cheeks. I had just wiped my glasses for the third time as I stepped into the charity shop and saw in the distance the dark, looming figure of Boss Tweed gesturing towards me.
I drew nearer. My interest was piqued. But as I picked up and read the box I was cautious. You see, the player count of three to five is not my usual. I often find myself playing two player games so anything with a higher requirement is iffy.
Also the description.
Tammany Hall is a game of backstabbing, corruption, temporary alliances, and taking power at all costs.
I tend to shy away from such games. They don’t grab me in the way of games with positive player interactions. Maybe I’m too nice. Maybe I’m not ruthless enough for a game about the notorious Boss Tweed. So I did some research. BoardGameGeek gave it a high rating and many praised reviews. That’s a good thing.
Caution to the wind, I bought it. It is a board game, after all.
And then I parked it on my shelf for over a month.
Remember the wise words
That was, until I took it to my board game meetup and finally sat it down on the table. And boy, oh boy, was I glad I did.
This game surprised me. Tammany Hall held an elegance I have not often found in games of its ilk. Part of why I dislike games of broken alliances and backstabbing is because they can leave a bad taste in the mouth, a sort of negativity that risks ruining the game. But not here. In Tammany Hall, it is not so much targeted malignance but rather a general understanding that nothing is guaranteed. The corruption, the power grabbing. It is built into the mechanics of the game.
The mechanics
And oh, those sweet mechanics. So simple. So elegant. On your turn you take one of two actions. You play two mob bosses or you play one mob boss and one immigrant. Mob bosses give you strongholds over areas of the board. Immigrants give you voting power come election year. That’s it!
So simple. And that’s what’s key. As the game grows, so do your options, but only within the framework of two possible actions a turn. At first you’re just putting pieces down and understanding how to gain influence among the immigrant population. But by the end you’re spending all your brain power trying to find that perfect placement to ensure you get the most votes in the final election.
And this works because of timing. Tammany Hall is played over four elections. Sixteen turns. It’s quick. You place four times, you hold an election. You place four times, you hold an election. Do that two more times and the game is over. There really aren’t many victory points available and there really aren’t many ways to get them. It’s a slow burn that builds in tension until everyone is fighting over a few necessary points. And then it’s over.
Done.
When a game finds you
There isn’t much left to say here. I try to go through a few of the negative elements of a game during my reviews to give the reader a sense of whether or not they will like the game but that’s a little tricky because what this game does, it does really well. The artwork is great and very in the style of the game. The rules are simple – so much so that they are all listed on the board you’re playing. And gameplay is seamless.
Maybe the only negative is that it’s not something else. Because when a game finds you it is often a pleasant surprise, but at the end of the day there is a reason you gravitate towards games you enjoy. I myself am partial towards a coxy worker placement or a good engine builder. I love the feeling of that investment paying off and trying to figure out moves in advance. This is not that game. But it’s also not trying to be. And I guess that’s more a negative element of my openness than it is on the game.
… so yeah. Review over I guess. Now just remember that old adage and always let yourself be found by games you aren’t necessarily looking for. Because they might very well surprise you.
