Naturelich Games

Caylus, oh Caylus. What a game you are! A lot of hype has been generated around you. I was able to escape from your spell for 5 months despite owning a copy of you. I was afraid of the long rules. I tried other games before you which seemed easier to learn and quicker to play.

Caylus, you King of Board Games, I was wrong! Please forgive my ignorance. I shall serve you loyally hence foreward!

Well - maybe I *am* getting a bit geeked out now, but Caylus is a great game. I had a chance to enjoy my first ever Caylus session with Shelak and Raven today and the game blew me away. I had read the rules twice up front and while explaining them it all fell into place. We started the game and had to make our first decisions - not really knowing where we were headed. I decided to put my workers into the castle during the first few rounds. Shelak managed to build the Mason in the first few turns which seemed to be a critical building (and it was). Raven build the Lawyer on a subsequent turn but I was not able to build anything of value. Until I got to place one of my workers into the Mason - I decided to build a Farm while at the same time cutting availability to this resource by transforming the neutral building. I had hoped to gain further advantage in building the castle but both Shelak and Raven were unimpressed and scored highly in the second phase of castle-building.

As the game progressed I discovered new tactical options each turn. And I believe this is the main reason behind the hype. I felt totally drawn into the game. Time was flying by. Caylus is probably the first game since The Settlers of Catan inducing an high anxiety to play it again. Just to be challenged by all those decisions and their possible effects - it is so intriguing.

Please note, I am not saying Caylus is a great game for any type of gaming group: it is long, it is complicated, it is strategic. There are plenty of rules to remember. I wouldn't recommend it for children or casual gamers. Our session took about 3.5 hours, although it felt like 1.5 hours to me. In my opinion, that's way too much for those target groups. But it worked for us and all three of us liked the game.

Now, how did the game end? As the end drew near, I had managed to acquire several pieces of gold (through mining and money exchange in the bank) and decided to build a Cathedral and a Hotel. These two buildings made me earn enough prestige points to sustain another two turns ahead of the others.

And now, I am waiting for the next time we get Caylus to the table...