Seiji Kanai is a Japanese author who became famous for the small but remote "Secret Message". If you look at the author's portfolio, then the vast majority of his games are made with a minimum number of components (maps, mostly) and maximum gameplay capabilities at the same time (for example, here). And relatively recently, another of his creations appeared on the market, which I will talk about here ...

WHAT IS INSIDE?

In a flimsy little box from Hobby World, whose main purpose is to deliver the components of the game to the consumer and be thrown away, hides 38 cards and a handful of cardboard coins.

Coins stylized as gears (the name of the game and the genre chosen for decoration are obligatory). Imperfect, with burrs, but they do their job perfectly. =)

Game cards look very stylish and rich. Today, with an abundance of board games on the market, not everyone can boast of such a design. Detractors grumble that the pictures are borrowed from the Berserk collectible card game (Hobby World borrowed them from itself =)). But if it were my will, I would probably do the same, what good is lost.

In general, the content of the box corresponds to the price, but the colorful art of the game cards is an additional nice bonus.

HOW TO PLAY?

To win this game, you need to either accumulate 8 coins, or collect a collection of 8 different cards (with the player's two starting cards counting).

At the beginning of the game, everyone already has a starter set of 2 cards, no money, not a coin. Starter cards cannot be stolen or otherwise lost, and they have no value. The "Raid" card, as you understand, can be used far from the beginning of the game and prevents you from accumulating coins in a straightforward way. It's time to tell you how. =)

On his turn, a player has the right to play 2 cards from his hand. Moreover, he can play any number of them face down without a written effect. In this case, the card brings 1 coin. The example above shows a variant of the first move in the game: get a coin and immediately buy a card with it.

The second variant of the first move, cumulative: play both cards face down. If there were no "Raid" card, then the first player in the game on turn 4 would always win in this way. =) This variant of the move allows you to do...

Here is such a second move and buying a card is noticeably cooler and more expensive. Played and purchased cards go to the discard pile. If at the time of the next move the player has no cards in his hand, then the player takes all the cards from the discard pile into his hand and again can play up to 2 cards. It turns out here is such a cycle of cards, in desktop circles called "deck building" or "deck building".

The properties of some cards allow you to play cards beyond the limit of 2. Also, if you suddenly bought the same cards, then they can be played as one, but their property will work several times. The example above shows a perfectly achievable player move.

Now is the time to get acquainted with the cards that we can buy.

Cards worth one coin. =) For me, these cards remained a mystery. Why buy them (except for the collection), how to build a winning strategy on them? Moreover, it is not yet clear why, as in the case of a bodyguard, one should waste one's precious move on discarding an opponent's card?

Cards for 2 coins are already more "fun", they allow you to seriously screw up your opponent. But all the same, everyone who has tried tries to take possession of the first thing ...

Cards for 3 coins. As the first games showed, if one of the players is allowed to freely take possession of two gunsmiths, then in most cases he will win by accumulating 8 coins. The duchess has not yet been beaten for me, I have not built a deck on her. But the Inventor is already more profitable than a simple card face down.

The most expensive and only 4-coin card is the Baron. While saving up for it, I never had time to use it for its intended purpose. Looks like you need to save up for it as quickly as possible and take one of the first.

The player's reset is divided into open and closed (those for which a coin is given). Face down cards cannot be attacked by thieves or other characters. As soon as it turns out that at the beginning of the turn the player has no cards in his hand, then all the cards from the discard pile are taken into his hand and the case begins all over again, and so on until victory. =)

IMPRESSION.

Having played 5 games, it becomes clear that they are sorely lacking in order to learn all the options for strategies. A game rarely takes 15-20 minutes, so it is not difficult to play 2-3 games in one sitting.

When playing board games with beginners, the main thing is not to scare. =) Because a large number of letters on the cards, incomprehensible properties of the cards (why do all this ???) are not immediately ready to be swallowed by everyone. It should also be accepted as a fact that the game is able to reveal itself in all its glory after at least three games, and maybe later. So do not expect instant success, as after the "Secret Message".

I have won a couple of times. And once I accumulated 8 types of cards and thought that it was unrealistic to win according to the second option (remember the "Raid" card?). Then a little later I won by accumulating 8 coins: my opponents missed the second Gunsmith, which I bought, after which I first accumulated 3, and then 5 coins in one move. Each game there is some new strategy that can squeeze the previously found one, and I like it.

The main highlight of the game mechanics, which distinguishes it from other deck-building games, is the ability to play several identical cards as one. After all, in fact, players need to strive to get a bunch of different cards, but the rule of playing the same cards makes its own adjustments.

"Brotherhood of Steam" is the most inexpensive deck-building game on our market - only 290 rubles, and the game works out every penny 100%. A "Dominion" similar to it now costs about 2500-3000 rubles, which, of course, is cooler in terms of content and capabilities, but what if you don't like this mechanic? But if you like the "Brotherhood of Steam" process, then I highly recommend paying attention to the older brother in mechanics.

Who has found interesting links and strategies, share in the comments. =)

Flying over the railway tracks, along which a steaming steam locomotive was rushing, a huge airship with the inscription hobby world hovered over the main square of the dusty, gloomy city, shrouded in smog, and threw a small cardboard box on my head, going to the gear shop for new staff. I hid my powder pistol in my tailcoat pocket, took off my top hat, put Goggles over my eyes, removed the dust from the box with a leather glove (without fingers, which, of course), and saw on it the following intriguing words - "Brotherhood of Steam". So-so, so that's how it delivers its games now hobby world ... And you all say - the 19th century, the age of technology ...

I had to postpone the trip to the gear and stomp home on the paving stones in order to study more closely what this time my favorite airship threw off for review.

Serezha Kanaev in the country of Berserker

Brotherhood of Para - this is another mini-game authored by the resilient Japanese Seiji Kanai (the one who invented Love Message /love letter ). The original name of the game is Master Merchant , and she talks about the harsh everyday life of sellers. Apparently, the HW publishing house doubted the commercial success of the original theme, so with a slight wave of the hand, the theme is transferred to the universe berserk , which contains the site of the legendary stronghold of the Brotherhood, which denies magic and encourages mechanics and inventions. There, in the citadel, we are on our way in order to earn more money or make friends with as many big shots of the city as possible.

Of course, Brotherhood of Para (BP) can not do without comparison with Love Message , because the author of the games is the same, the format of the box is the same, the set of components in both games is minimal. In general, there are similar moments. To be honest, before unpacking the game, I myself thought that I had another version of the Message in front of me, only this time in a steampunk setting.

The box contains a set of cards (36 pieces) and 3 cardboard boxes with extruded tokens. The cards have a number in the corner, text, which immediately suggests that Secret Message livelier than all the living, but reading the rules surprised me very much, because BP turned out to be ...

… this is a micro-Dominion!

BP, it turns out, has nothing in common with Love Letter in terms of mechanics. In this game, players start with only 2 cards in their hands, as the game progresses they can buy new cards from the market (in the game it is called "city") and form a new deck from them.

The first starting card, if played, can steal one coin from each player who has 4 or more of them. The second starting card allows you to buy 1 card in the city.

There are piles of cards in the city with a face value from 1 to 4. The higher the face value, the fewer cards in the pile. For example, one is 4 pieces in a pile, and there is only one four. The numbers indicate the value of the card.

A player can play up to two cards on their turn. True, there is one small, but very useful nuance - cards with the same name are considered as one. Those. You can play them as much as you like, the property of each card is triggered, but only one card goes into the card limit per turn.

A card can be played in two ways - by playing it on the discard pile and resolving its ability, or by playing it next to the discard pile, face down, for one coin.

After the purchase, the card goes immediately to the discard pile. Cards are returned to the hand when at the beginning (!) of the turn the player has no cards left in his hand.

There are two ways to win - either collect at least 8 cards with different names, or accumulate 8+ coins.

Everything seems to be simple. And in fact?

The whole truth about the Brotherhood of Para

To be honest, I rarely come across games of this kind. These are games that carry the mechanics of a big game, but at the same time are their greatly reduced copies. If you look at the reviewed game globally, then I would note the genius of Kanai. Before us is really reduced many times Dominion . Only the long monotonous process of collecting a playable deck was thrown out of it. BP will simply not give you time to collect everything you need, i.e. the game always ends very quickly. The properties of the cards are delicious, I want to try to take everything, but this is simply impossible in the realities of the game.

Kanai has long since gotten his hands on small games where everything ends before it even starts. Why inflate stacks of cards for purchases to 10+, if you can limit yourself to three, two, or even one at all. And let the players fight for these most expensive, delicious cards, which are not enough for everyone. This is what the fan is about.

That is why one of the ways to win sounds funny - collect 8 coins. In this game, everything ends faster than you manage to hold at least 4 coins in your hands. With a competent game of opponents, you simply will not be allowed to win by coins. But of course you can try.

Now the important thing is that the BP is not revealed immediately. In the first game, I singled out for myself only 2-3 useful cards, with the help of which I tried to win. Let me remind you that there are 12 different cards in the game, taking into account the starting ones. Probably due to the fact that I did not carefully study other cards, did not understand their attractiveness, the game immediately seemed to me somehow, well, quite weak. Where is the fan? I thought. I understand that this is a mini-game, but it should also bring some kind of thrill.

In the second game, which I played purely for the purpose of writing a good review and not for my own pleasure, I found the single-card action to be pretty darn useful. In addition, I spied one kombu from an opponent. And on the same day that I started writing this very review, I was shaving in the morning and a smart idea suddenly came into my head that as an adventurer you can not only buy cards in the city and in someone else's discard pile, but also immediately put a card in your hand, but not to the reset, and it's just a mega-cool thing. This unexpected discovery almost shaved off my beard. And I immediately wanted to play the game again and try to play with a new strategy. Actually, this suggests that the game after one game cannot reveal all its secrets.

The first impressions about the properties of the cards were as follows - something is somehow boring and old as the world. Returning a card from the discard pile to your hand, defending against an opponent's action, drawing a card worth 1 for free, stealing 1 coin from the player, playing an additional card, taking a card from someone else's discard pile - nothing new, right? Therefore, at first each player chooses what is closer to him. Someone does not see the point in stealing coins from other players, someone just tries to buy all the cards one by one, someone saves up for the most expensive card. But to really learn all the hidden game strategies, you need to play far from 2-3 games. In fact, all the cards in the game are playable and interesting in their own way. That's just you will not be allowed to play them to their fullest. Because in this game, control over opponents is very important.

In BP, it is important not only to build your winning strategy, but also to keep an eye on your opponents so that they do not do it before you. Playing just two cards always seems very little. I want to buy something, save coins, and play a couple of bad cards on other players. Therefore, one has to make hard choices, strengthening one and weakening the other. If someone bought an expensive card, then you need to somehow collectively take it away or return it back to the city. If someone has a lot of coins, take the coins. If someone already has 7 names of cards - urgently attack him with anything. It is very important to see the situation of the opponents.

You can play BP with either three or four players, and this is one of those rare games that tells the truth. It often happens that a board game can be attributed to such modes that, well, practically do not work at all, but they nevertheless exist. In BP, as it were, you can play together, but it will be very boring, and it will be, it seems to me, easy to win. If you choose between three and four, I will choose the maximum composition. Because when you play with four, then until the player reaches the move, opponents can deprive him of leadership. One took the coin, the other took the coin, and the third one destroyed the map with an assassin - that's it, start over. The three of us can also do this, but the chances of surviving after other people's moves are much greater. And that is why trying to collect coins to win with the maximum composition is an extremely crazy idea. It is much easier to buy all ones and deuces on one card. Well, or if possible, take something for 3 coins. A card for 4 was bought quite rarely in the games I played, and even that card was “killed” by opponents almost immediately.

BP is a very subtle, prudent and clever game. But it has one serious minus - it ends quickly. That's why you sometimes think - why the hell do I need these expensive cards, if it's easier to collect change and win? Although, it also depends on who you play with… With good opponents and small change, it will be difficult to win…

In general, my impressions of the game are positive. This is really a mini-deck building that can entertain on a trip or in nature. It is short-lived, very smart and does not forgive mistakes if someone gapes and does not notice that the opponent is one step away from victory. But in order to notice all this in the game, you need to play more than one game. Not every player is ready to spend more time on the game if she didn’t roll him from the very beginning. I read reviews on the Internet, compared with those that I received from the players I played with, and realized that not every player sees combos in the first games. In terms of a serious board game, it’s really better to decompose Dominion . But what makes BP unique is that it's a small game that is designed in the spirit of a big one and at the same time has a wonderful price.

By the way, yes, the price! In Minsk shop hobby games the game costs 87,000 (other stores seem to have the same situation). In my opinion, this is a great price for a game that may or may not go and give to friends / acquaintances. It seems to me that in this case no one is trying to deceive the consumer - a mini-game for mini-money - everything is fair.

BP somehow reminded me of the game Seventh Hero about which I have already blogged. Of course, in terms of mechanics, these are completely different games, but in each of them you need to notice and successfully use card interactions. And if someone does not see them, he says that the game is UG, I want another one. I still advise you to try to play BP, but I am sure that in some companies it will definitely not take off. Micro games require a microscope, which not every player has =)

In this way!

Brotherhood of Para is another small game from the Japanese Seiji Kanai. This time, Kanai decided to reduce the deckbuilding idea to 36 cards. The theme is sustained in the entourage of steampunk. It is played quickly, but in order to feel the game and see all its charms, you need to play far from a couple of games, which not everyone can do. But the game fulfills its price easily! The game will appeal to fans of experimental budget games.

Positive points:

the game has everything that is most valuable from deck building, everything superfluous is thrown away;
played quickly;
compact box;
many different combinations with a minimum of cards;
the properties of the cards are quite simple and it is impossible to get lost in them;
great price for the game.

Ambiguous points:

The game doesn't open right away. It may seem to someone at the initial stages too simple or boring;
it is very difficult to win by coins;
the box runs the risk of quickly falling apart / torn;
there are doubts about replay value (after all, there are not enough cards);
same starting hand for all players = many start playing the same way.

Board game Brotherhood of Para provided for review by the company

Your path lies in the legendary citadel of the Brotherhood of Ferrine from the famous universe of the fantasy board game "Berserk". Here, magic is outdated and considered a relic of the past, and the exact sciences, modern technologies, logic and prudence are at the head. Sorcerers will not receive due respect here, because mechanics, inventors and entrepreneurs are primarily held in high esteem…

About the game

The board game "Brotherhood of Steam" takes you to this steampunk atmosphere. In Ferrain, you have to go from the bottom of society to the heights of power and take a worthy place among the elite of society. At the very beginning of the journey, you are limited in your choice of actions. To begin with, it is worth establishing contacts with influential magnates, industrialists and mercenaries. Each character has different properties that are useful in a given situation: some will be able to rob your competitors, others will protect you from this, and still others will bring more profit. The more connections - the more opportunities, but such flexibility is not always good. You have to develop an accurate and effective strategy for the game in order to win.

How to play

The rules of the game are easy to learn, but the gameplay itself will require prudent and balanced actions. The player itself is a draft-type card game with three areas: hand, discard, and deck. The deck will be gradually filled with new cards, new cards will fall into the discard pile, and the hand will be replenished from the deck. The player's turn consists of only two phases:

the player can play up to two cards and apply their properties;
the turn passes to the next player.

You can play fewer cards and optionally not use their properties by playing a card face down, which will help you protect that card later and add 1 coin to your piggy bank. In addition, you can play several of the same cards in a chain at once and even apply their properties, but this will be counted as playing one card. You already understand that it is quite profitable to purchase the same cards. How to do it? Very simply, the properties of some cards will allow you to make a purchase. But in order for the card to become yours, you still have to pay its cost. The card then goes into your discard pile.

Who has won?

The game ends with the player's victory in either of two cases:

the player first accumulates 8 or more coins;
the player first draws 8 or more types of cards.

Game features

What are the key points of this game I want to highlight:

a rare steampunk setting already makes this game intriguing enough for connoisseurs of board games;
the universe of the Berserk CCI, familiar and beloved by many, is distinguished by an interesting and well-developed world. Many fans will definitely be interested in being in the Ferrain Citadel itself;
this is a completely card game that uses only tokens to count coins, that is, it combines compactness and convenience: you can play anywhere and anytime;
interesting mechanics with a deck that you yourself expand the way you want, building tactics through various combinations. The growth of the deck symbolizes your progress in society;
many different strategic options ensure that you won't get bored of the game soon!

The steampunk style evokes the most sparkling admiration in me. This enchanting direction of steam and mechanical machines in the style of the nineteenth century, invented in 1987 by writer Kevin Jeter, is still amazing. In an alternative reality, huge airships soar, mechanical machines are in every house, monstrous steam-powered mechanisms move along the streets. Who would have thought that this style was invented as a parody of "cyberpunk" ... Today on the Pink sofa - parostyle board game "Brotherhood of Steam".

You have no idea what clothes steampunk fans wear and what accessories they make with their own hands - these are works of art worthy of museums. No wonder such a bright star in the world of science fiction has been noticed by board game developers. Cards are the most fertile ground for designers, so today we will dive into the steampunk style with an easy but addictive card game...

Inside the "disposable" box is a deck of cards, a scattering of tokens and the rules of the game. Looking ahead, I would like to note that we spent the past weekend in clouds of steam smoke...

Cardboard gear tokens act as victory points for players and serve as cash to purchase characters into individual decks.

In the box you will find 28 characters and 8 starter cards (four pairs for four players). Stylish illustrations create an indescribable atmosphere, and simple actions give room for a variety of winning strategies.

There are two significant areas on each card: the cost of the character in the gear (starting cards do not have a price); at the bottom there is space for a text block with a special property. Also, any card, regardless of its type, can be used to get one victory point (they are also local currency), which I will discuss later.

Let him steam!

Before the start of the game, give your opponents two start cards (without price), put the rest in the box. Sort the characters by value and place them in piles in the center of the table. Tokens make up the general reserve - opponents start the game without a single gear in their pocket.

On your turn, you can play up to two cards, using (optionally) their special properties. It is also allowed to play a card from your hand face down and get one gear for it, without activating the character traits. Thus, during the course you can earn two gears, which will be useful to you when buying cards.

Replenishment of a personal deck is possible only with the help of special properties of characters that allow you to purchase a card from any available pile in the center of the table (for example, “Deal”). Please note that the cost of the card must be paid in full and the acquired character is placed first on the discard pile, and only then goes into the hand (if it has time).

The fact is that some representatives of the “ferry world” are able to steal cards from the discard pile of opponents for free. For example, "Baron" will replenish his master's hand from the opponent's deck at no cost, and "Recruiter" will bring any of the three characters from the market for free at a cost of one gear.

There is one more nuance in the game: if you apply properties, you can play as many identical characters as you like, applying their abilities in turn - this will be considered a “chain” (one card). For example: with the first action we play "Assassin" on the right player, then the same "Assassin" - on the left. After that, the second action is to activate the "Duchess" and play two cards again. In this way, you can make combos (if, of course, you have the right number of cards in your hand).

So, the cards are either arranged face down and bring gears (these cards are forbidden to be stolen), or the properties of the characters are applied and the played cards are arranged in a "ladder" picture up (they can be stolen). Returning played cards, and they are returned all at once, regardless of the use, is allowed only if at the beginning of the turn you have nothing in your hand. By the way, stealing starting cards is also prohibited, regardless of the principle of their use.

The goal of the fight is to collect either eight gears, or a similar number of any cards (including starting ones). The winner immediately gets a steam locomotive, a feisty mechanical robot, and goes to Siberia...

To the sound of a steam engine

The “Brotherhood of Couples” has a stylish design, high-quality workmanship (the box, unfortunately, is disposable) and accessible rules. In a word, everything is fine - I will not dwell on this in detail, given the more than humane price. Let me tell you more about the gameplay itself.

Before us is a deck-building game that is compact in all respects for a wide range of board game fans. Given that the rules themselves are significantly influenced by the cards themselves and their properties, before starting the game, study the characters and develop a preliminary plan of action. Your task is to make profitable combos, track opponents' folds and their capitals.

Do not think that you will be able to earn 8 coins in 4 turns by discarding face-down starting cards without buying characters from the center of the table. Rivals will immediately empty your treasury, and you will be left with nothing. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain a balance between greed and practicality. Don't forget about the opportunity to steal expensive cards from opponents' discard piles for free. True, for this you yourself will have to accumulate a few gears ...

"Brotherhood of Steam" is perfectly balanced, while there are no winning tactics - it all depends on the opponents' responses, which ensures high replayability of the board game. Add to this the atmosphere of "steampunk" and the short time of parties even with beginners - why not an ideal filler for any occasion?!

The game is asking for additions, I will look forward to them. By the way, with the "", whose logo flaunts on the box, the card "steampunk" has nothing in common in terms of mechanics - completely different games.

Seiji Kanai is a Japanese author who became famous for the small but remote "Secret Message". If you look at the author's portfolio, the vast majority of his games are made with a minimum number of components (maps, mostly) and the maximum possible gameplay at the same time (for example, here is my review of "Secret Legacy"). And relatively recently, another of his creations appeared on the market, which I will talk about here ...