Today I wanted to do a review of one of my favorites: Tokaido, which is one of the earliest games that set off my love of modern board games.
Tokaido, by Funforge and Passport Game Studios, is designed by Antoine Bauza and features beautiful artwork by Naiade. It is a 2-5 player game that plays roughly 45 mins. It retails for around $39.89 for the regular edition and $139.99 for the deluxe edition.
The main things the deluxe version adds are metal coins and sculpted miniatures. If you are fortunate to have backed this on Kickstarter or manage to find a copy on eBay or such, the miniatures are fully painted.
In Tokaido, you play as a traveler on a journey along the East Sea road of Feudal Japan which was known as the Tokaido. You are essentially trying to see and do the most things on your trip or vacation if you will. The turn order mechanic is the most unique I’ve ever seen in a game. The player at the back of the line always goes next and moves to whatever available space you desire. There are many different spaces you can travel to. You can visit the local villages and go shopping or meet a fellow traveler to gain points or some other bonus. You can pray at the temple or even paint a beautiful panorama or even bath with monkeys at the local hot springs. If you are running low on money you can visit a farm and work in the field a bit. There are rest areas which are mandatory stops that represent the various Inns along your journey. At the Inn, each player has the opportunity to enjoy a hearty meal but each time it must be a different meal.
There are many interesting and colorful characters you can play as, which are dealt out randomly to each player and one is chosen. Each character has a unique ability and their own start-up money depending on who you pick. As such, every character will play differently and cause you to play a different way each game. The base game has 10 unique characters. The Crossroads expansion adds six more and the Matsuri expansion adds a whopping 25 new characters. This makes for endless variety in all your games.
Between the awesome components and gorgeous artwork, this game is simply amazing. Each time my group and I have played this, we all have a sense of calm and relaxation about us when the game ends. This sentiment was recounted to me by Felicia Day when I had the pleasure of meeting her. Tokaido is by far my number one game just due to the fast yet laid-back game experience. I’ve never felt cutthroat or competitive playing Tokaido which is refreshing.
So if you feel like playing something a little simpler then Tokaido is the perfect gateway game for you and your game night. Plus, now is the perfect time to get in on this amazing game. This year marks the fifth anniversary of Tokaido and there is now a new edition with brand new art. So gather up your friends and take a scenic journey along the East Sea road.
