Nov
30
California
Theme Week: Chock-o-block Schacht
In a 2004 interview, designer Michael Schacht said, “I am a big fan of games with few rules.... I prefer a rules structure that also permits poor play. After all, one should be able to learn a game and improve with each play. That has the disadvantage, though, that some of my games aren’t completely understandable during the first play.”
Designer: Michael Schacht
Publisher: Uberplay
Year Published: 2006
Price: $32.99
Playing Time: 60 minutes
Number of Players:
2
3
4
5
Age Range:
10-up
Family
Teen
Game Type:
Tile placement
Strategy
If you search long enough, you can find a game on almost any topic. Druids dancing around a tree? Check. Firefighters putting out a forest blaze? Check. Iroquois hunting for beaver pelts in the woods? Check.
Thus it shouldn’t be a surprise to find a game that involves home decoration. Instead we should merely say, “It’s about time.”
The premise of California is that each player has her own freshly built mansion, devoid of any furnishings other than a single piece of flooring. Flooring comes in six types, and each player starts with a different type. Your goal is to install flooring in much of the mansion, then bring in specialty house items such as a swimming pool or pinball machine to attract guests. Ideally guests will bring housewarming presents with them because, as in real life, gifts equal points.
The game lasts twelve …
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