Fives Tribes Review - Still Worth It?

Join us as we take a look at the mancala style game Five Tribes designed by Bruno Cathala and published by Days of Wonder.

[Eron_the_Relentless]

I love the practically trademarked quiet intensity. Great presentation, juxtaposed with funnies like "phallic object" etc.

[patrickwall]

My group had someone who took the time equivalent to eating an entire icelolly to take his move in this game (literally). We introduced a one minute time limit on the moves and the problem went away. It's much more rapid with deep thinkers that way. People then tend to make a 'good move' rather than the absolute best possible move.

[sdhokie]

You made my day. I'm so glad I just found you. It's your commentary I'm looking for. Your final comment comparing the game to Istanbul helped me save a little money. I LOVE Istanbul and glad I own that alternative.

[BelleAim]

Found your channel via the Grand Austria Hotel Still Worth It vid (and then found a used copy to add to my collection!). I really appreciate your humour and to-the-point delivery style. Just subbed and looking forward to more good times. Cheers!

[JonDelArroz]

Your problems with it are valid though we love this game and play it quite a bit. Never tried Istanbul

[aimajica]

Let's not forget Yamatai (2017) as a wonderful DoW production! ^^ (and a great game as well)

[jackburtonstwin]

First in and itching for some absolute bollocks. Bruno Cathala is one of my favorite board game designers. I have a clutch of his games from Shadows over Camelot to Ishtar and they are consistently good games with solid mechanics and good balance. Just checked, and I have seven games which he has a design credit for.

[Botanica_Gaming]

It was me. I'm the person that asks, "can you go back and forth?" They always write that rule into all board games

[petermillen]

Seven years, is it? Where do they go? Back then I was in a gaming group that loved its Euro games and I purchased this for the designer and the mancala mechanism. I traded or sold it whatever and looking back it resembles all my peeves on this type of game, eg:

Who are the players? What do your actions represent? Why this extravagant salad of victory points? Gins without tonic! I see Daddy bossed the game 141-102, inter-generational abuse I call it.

I remember the row over the inclusion of slaves too. I concede it was a poor commercial decision but thematically all the tales of Sindbad or other Arabian Nights featured the ever-present slaves, often wiser than their owner/masters. The arguments were more memorable as an early example of the progressivist swamp into which BGG would decay over the coming years.

Thanks for posting.

[Yaboishwa]

It seems to me that I'm one of the few who doesn't mind analysis paralysis that much...oh well.

[robertheiber]

play this with 2 players only and a timer. If you play with 3 or more players you might as well play a dice game.

[justmakingthistoreply]

Have you seen how much it’s gone up in price lately?

[Orochi_]

I don’t think Yamatai got the credit it deserves

[kaladze]

i absolutely hate this one. I haven't played anything as confusing. I love auctions as a mechanic, but in this game they don't really make sense

[barrybadranath]

Aw not you too, Statham! I seem to be one of the few who likes this game. Really breaking my balls man...

[Mono_]

Maybe I was too wasted to draw a decent conclusion but I swore to not play this game ever again. It's not that it's bad, it just has too much "visual pollution", let's call it like that. A PASS for me.

[zuhdizaaimuddin]

Phew. Dodge a bullet there. Im colour blind