Iwari: My Favorite Game Mechanism

Jamey discusses his favorite mechanisms in the area control game, Iwari.

[raum]

I love iwari! I totally agree with you on the card play, it's one of my favorite parts. On the area control side this game adds another level with the totems, because their scoring separately for adjacent territories. And the best part is you don't have to control either of the territories with tents to place & score the totems. It let's you get a piece of the action anywhere on the board. And the way the scoring works, by ranking control with the tents, placing 1 piece and having the second most control of an area is incredibly powerful. This is definitely one of my favorite area control games!

[ginsbu]

Web of Power/China/Han/Iwari is just brilliant! My favorite lightweight area control game. The scoring is wonderful: most of your actions feed points to your opponents, ties are friendly so very advantageous, and you’ve got to balance the competing scoring methods of tents and totems. It’s a game where coming in second or even third can often be more efficient than winning an area.

On the card play, since the deck is a timer for the game, using pairs as wilds will quicken the game somewhat. It’s a nice way to give players some control over game pace.

[tonycorkpa]

I love Michael Schacht designs in general - Serengeti (rethemed from Don and later as Templari) is my favorite, ahead of China (rethemed from Web of Power, and most recetly, as Iwari). In Iwari/China, I love the tension in deciding the most efficient tent and totem placement, given the marginal VP benefits available under the quirky scoring system. The interlocking mechanisms of tent single area control, neighboring totem area control and 4-tent chaining provides such a very satisfying gaming experience.

[BoardGameFamilyTime]

I agree. It allows for so many more options- play the pair as a wild or use it in an area you need then draw a pair from the face up deck. Great mechanic. I also love this game because it is simple to learn, just a handful of rules, but you can apply a ton of strategy. Determining when it is best to go for 2nd place- calculating when you have majority regardless of what will happen, and when to explore. Do I "waste" a turn buy going into a new territory and placing only one tent, or do I take over another. Great game.

[JayBee]

I love the scoring mechanism of getting points in an area based on the number of tents from the person who has more control than you, or in the case of the person who has the most, all of the tents in the area.

[DarrinLauritzen]

Seems well tuned. It's important then to have three cards and to draw up to max hand at the end.

[StevenStJohn-kjeb]

Anxious Annie should have liked the pair mechanism, but she felt it was two tents.