Himalaya (game)

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Himalayas
Deskohraní 08-10-05 047.jpg
Game data
author Régis Bonnessée
graphic Johann Aumaitre , D. Cochard
publishing company Tilsit Éditions ,
Marektoy
Publishing year 2004
Art Board game
Teammates 3 to 4
Duration 90 minutes
Age from 12 years

Awards

Game of the year 2005: nominated for the
German Games Prize 2005: 5th place

Himalaya is a board game by Régis Bonnessée , which was published on the German market in 2004 by the French publisher Tilsit Éditions . It is suitable for 3 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, a game lasts about 90 minutes.

In 2005, Himalaya was nominated as one of five games for the Game of the Year Critics' Prize and reached 5th place in the German Games Prize .

Theme of the game and equipment

Players move their Yak - caravans through the Himalayas , collecting goods ( salt , barley , tea , jade and gold a) and ship them off at their destination. In doing so, they acquire material values ​​in the form of herds of cattle, religious values ​​by building a stupa and political influence by sending delegations. They are in competition with each other and always have to hope that their goods are in demand.

The large game board shows 20 villages , temples and monasteries as well as the paths between these places in clear colors and comic-like motifs . The game figures are made of colored plastic, the goods are symbolized by different colored wooden cubes, orders and herd tiles are cardboard rings.

Game flow

At the start of the game, an order is randomly distributed to five of the twenty locations and goods are distributed to five other locations. Then the caravan guides plan their travel route, initially hidden, by laying out six action tiles. When all players have finished planning, they remove the screen and start executing.

First, each player in turn makes his first move and so on up to the sixth move. It is no longer possible to change the previously planned sequence, so that a player can anticipate the successor and thus thwart the meaning of his move. Since every caravan driver always has to buy the cheapest good, it depends on the order in which the players pass a location.

If a trader fulfills an order by delivering exactly the desired goods, he can choose two forms of remuneration from the three options of material wages in the form of cattle, religious values ​​or political influence.

After each round, orders and goods are randomly replenished so that there are five orders in the game and goods in five locations.

After every four rounds there is a scoring in which cattle herds can be won for the current stock of goods. The final scoring takes place after twelve rounds: the overall winner is whoever leads in two of the three categories. If no player fulfills this condition, material values ​​take precedence over political influence and religious values.

Target group and assessment

The rules are simple, but allow different priorities and strategies. The need to plan six moves in advance makes the game complex. Himalaya is primarily suitable for rounds of experienced players.

Himalaya was initially published by the author on the Internet for free in 2002; the schedule and rules were available for download on his homepage. In 2004, the French Tilsit Éditions was a publisher who brought the game onto the market commercially with professional equipment.

Web links