I got all swept up in the prerelease buzz about this game. The exploration theme, buying stuff, building stuff, hunting, fishing, lots of pretty bits, the unique rhomb tiles - more than enough to get excited about. This was followed by the sound of my over inflated balloon of expectation bursting as a steady flow of early bad reports poured in. But then my hope was renewed after online discussions in which it was discovered that a key rule had been played incorrectly by many. Of course by now there wasn't a stateside copy to be found anywhere for sale, but thanks to Adam Spielt, I was able to purchase a copy. This game is all about exploration and managing resources. Players' prospectors start out at a common trading post and then move outward and explore, hoping to strike gold. The goal is to be the most successful prospector by acquiring the most gold nuggets. Of course obtaining the nuggets requires the necessary equipment and supplies. Mines or canals might need to be built first and these too, use valuable supplies. Each player has a player mat in front of him with sections of slots for supplies. These different sections represent your backpack, a cart should you buy one, and other items you might carry. The number of slots is VERY limited and many of the items can only be acquired at the trading post. There seem to be a number of approaches one can take to the game and certain items combine well for certain strategies. Another thing to consider in your planning is the fact that other players can use anything you build as well. With limited actions per turn, you don't want to set yourself up to mine some nuggets next turn only to have another prospector swoop in and swipe the goodies right out from under your nose. With our heads overloaded with rules, we sent our clueless prospectors out in to the wilds of the Klondike. A mountain range rich with gold was quickly discovered to the east, but with so many eager prospectors lurking in the vicinity ready to pounce, nobody was foolish enough to build a mine just yet. I struck out to the west, where I found plenty of animals to hunt for food, and several fields rich in river gold. The only problem was that it was far from the necessary water source. Adam and Mark ended up building canals and working this area later in the game. Meanwhile I acquired a horse for speedy transport and turned northward, and discovered more mountains and a lake full of fish. With the others busy elsewhere, I was able to scoop some nuggets up for myself. Adam ended up getting 10 nugget tokens first and raced back to the trading post to end the game. Results: Adam 19, Susan 14, Mike 11, Mark 3 The merits of this game are still being debated online, but I definitely have to side with its fans. I really liked it. The shared resources and the moving and planning reminded me somewhat of one of my very favorite games, Roads & Boats. The exploration element and the hunting die rolls give it a hearty dose of luck, but it really contributes to the theme. While being a little fiddly and closer to a simulation than many of the games I play, I really enjoyed it. I only wish we could figure out how to get those triangle tiles out more. I need to get the game out on my own and play with it. Funny side note: We loved how no matter what the food source was (bear, fish, etc.) the tokens representing it in your pack had a picture resembling a chicken leg. Apparently everything "tastes like chicken" in this game! Back to Table of Contents -- Game! # 9 To Game! List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2004 by George Phillies. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com