Arkadia board game

by Gary Sonnenberg

(Waukesha, WI)

Arkadia
Board game manufacturer:
Ravensburger
Number of players:
2-4
Ages:
8yrs+
Time:
60 mins

Quick verdict

Arkadia includes some of the more unusual pieces you are likely to see in a game. There are tetris-like cardboard buildings, castle tiles complete with parapets, seals that look like coins, coins that look like rectangles, and little builder dudes in five colors. This combination makes for a fun game that is more than the sum of its parts.

The game and gameplay

You start Arkadia with a hand of four cards which match the colors and shapes of the buildings you’ll play on the board. When you place that building, you lay a seal on it in the corresponding color.

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Buildings are considered completed when they are surrounded by other buildings and/or worker dudes. When one is finished, you collect the seal on top of it plus more seals based on how many of your workers helped to build it; that is, the number that are surrounding it. If other players helped complete the building, they too receive seals.Also, when finishing a building, you add a castle tile to the center of the board. You then have the option of turning in one of your four banners (hanging from your screen). You’ll want to do so when the color of the seals you’ve collected matches a large number of the colors showing on the castle tiles in the center of the board.

Multiply the number of seals in a given color by the number of like-colored castle tiles and collect that much in gold coins as shown on the rectangular money pieces.

Since you can only cash in five times (once for each of your four banners, plus once more at the end of the game), you’ll need to time your moves wisely. Arkadia ends when the second story of the castle has been constructed.

Pros and cons

If you have played Tetris or similar video games, the buildings may draw you in at first, but you’ll soon discover they are not used in the Arkadia board game the way they are in the video game.

Arkadia consists of nicely designed pieces, even if the coloring is a little on the drab side.

The game is easy to learn yet makes you think about maximizing the efficiency of placing your buildings and workers. You want to have your opponents plays actually help your own construction without taking things over.

The verdict

Arkadia won’t be classified as an exciting game, but it is one you’ll want to return to again and again.

If you’ve played Arkadia, please leave a rating and comments using the link below.