This is a great expansion. Once you've played vanilla Tokaido several times, this expansion takes things up a notch. Note on the Cherry trees and why you'd take them: In the base version, once you've completed a panorama (I.e. green) you cannot land on those spaces for the rest of the game. Now with the cherry trees you can land on them after completing the panorama to; a) grab a cherry tree, b) block someone from accomplishing the panorama they need, and c) an option to get money when you need it most. Plus there should be another expansion coming very shortly this year. Looking forward to it!
I have Tokaido and Crossroads and would agree with these statements :) The base game is fantastic, a chilled gaming experience and very accessible for newbie gamers. There is less emphasis on fighting and blocking your opponents as there is with simply lining up your own goals and attempting to complete them before the end of the 4 seasons of travel. With Crossroads, you essentially get the same experience, but there are more ways you can interfere with other players and/or mitigate their interference, as well as giving you higher more substantial goals to complete by the end-game when you pick up a 5th collection card, or a calligraphy card for example. The art style and theming is fantastic too, and the game can be played within 30 minutes and is the most relaxing board game I've played ever. I thoroughly recommend it for a different experience to cut-throat competitive games and it's more about the journey with your friends than getting the highest score. My girlfriend also loves it which is a huge plus!
I agree with some commenters that this expansion looks like eliminating bad places to go to. You always get something now. I'm on the edge with this one. I love Tokaido for what it is and probably wouldn't want to staff it with too many options.
I love Tokaido, especially its zen-like quality. Crossroads I've only had a short while, but haven't had much chance to play it yet - but I think your criticisms are spot on - it adds a lot to the game which would confuse new players/new gamers, and it does reduce the zen like quality too. However, I really need to play more Tokaido regulary with the same people so that we can eventually introduce Crossroads into our games (I'm usually teaching it to at least one new player). I'm not a fan of the gambling die, but the other cards do give some interesting choices.
Thank you for this review! Been playing Tokaido and honestly I felt like it was flat. Sure it was zen to play, but I felt like winning the game was more out of my control and more in the hands of the other players. But it looks like this expansion would make me feel more in control about my actions so that I can make the right decisions and still have a chance of winning the game.
I wouldn't want to detract from the "Zen-like experience" of the base game, but the extra Characters could make it more interesting (barring the ones that need the extra stuff to function;) could that work?
Never considered it that way but the original game was made by having some choices not being desirable, by adding more options you are essentially taking out that essence where skipping parts of the road isn't as good as it used to be.
The base game is definitely my go to game for getting non-gamers into gaming, but would rather open up a whole new game of greater complexity than this expansion when those new players are ready to step up a level. Thanks for the review, I think the expansion is not for me. Also ruining the zen like feel of the game might break it for me.
My question is if I include the expansion can I beat my opponents if I choose to play the game without picking up a single expansion card or are the cards broken that I would need to fight for them in order to compete?
your limiting factor is always going to be money. You still HAVE TO hold aside enough cash to buy your meals at the inn, and it's not like money rains from the sky in this game. Hording cash is already a bad strategy, so while yes, i would say that you should "fight" for the "legendary" items or whatever, the expansion set isn't broken, by any means. It adds nuance.
I think that I won't buy this expansion. I like the base game and the zen-like feel there is to it and this adds more complexity to it than it needs. Pass for me.
This is a great expansion. Once you've played vanilla Tokaido several times, this expansion takes things up a notch.
Note on the Cherry trees and why you'd take them: In the base version, once you've completed a panorama (I.e. green) you cannot land on those spaces for the rest of the game.
Now with the cherry trees you can land on them after completing the panorama to; a) grab a cherry tree, b) block someone from accomplishing the panorama they need, and c) an option to get money when you need it most.
Plus there should be another expansion coming very shortly this year. Looking forward to it!
You not only sold me on the expansion but the base game as well.
I love Tokaido, but I wish it could be more. Definitely getting the expansion. Thanks for this video!
I have Tokaido and Crossroads and would agree with these statements :) The base game is fantastic, a chilled gaming experience and very accessible for newbie gamers. There is less emphasis on fighting and blocking your opponents as there is with simply lining up your own goals and attempting to complete them before the end of the 4 seasons of travel.
With Crossroads, you essentially get the same experience, but there are more ways you can interfere with other players and/or mitigate their interference, as well as giving you higher more substantial goals to complete by the end-game when you pick up a 5th collection card, or a calligraphy card for example.
The art style and theming is fantastic too, and the game can be played within 30 minutes and is the most relaxing board game I've played ever. I thoroughly recommend it for a different experience to cut-throat competitive games and it's more about the journey with your friends than getting the highest score. My girlfriend also loves it which is a huge plus!
I agree with some commenters that this expansion looks like eliminating bad places to go to. You always get something now. I'm on the edge with this one. I love Tokaido for what it is and probably wouldn't want to staff it with too many options.
I love Tokaido, especially its zen-like quality. Crossroads I've only had a short while, but haven't had much chance to play it yet - but I think your criticisms are spot on - it adds a lot to the game which would confuse new players/new gamers, and it does reduce the zen like quality too. However, I really need to play more Tokaido regulary with the same people so that we can eventually introduce Crossroads into our games (I'm usually teaching it to at least one new player). I'm not a fan of the gambling die, but the other cards do give some interesting choices.
Thanks for the review!
Never played Tokaido, but seeing this expansion I really want to give it a try ;)
Thank you for this review!
Been playing Tokaido and honestly I felt like it was flat. Sure it was zen to play, but I felt like winning the game was more out of my control and more in the hands of the other players. But it looks like this expansion would make me feel more in control about my actions so that I can make the right decisions and still have a chance of winning the game.
I've never played Tokaido. It might work for my group.
I have the digital edition on my cellphone (with 3d characters, 3d map, animations and living panoramas), the game is really good and relaxing.
How does the multiplayer online work
I wouldn't want to detract from the "Zen-like experience" of the base game, but the extra Characters could make it more interesting (barring the ones that need the extra stuff to function;) could that work?
Never considered it that way but the original game was made by having some choices not being desirable, by adding more options you are essentially taking out that essence where skipping parts of the road isn't as good as it used to be.
I don't know why you would put x2 on a dice if it's not going to double the bet, that seems needlessly confusing.
anxietydown It does. You bet 2 coins, so getting your bet plus 2 more will give you 4 which is 2x2.
brog5108
Can you only bet 2 coins? Because that makes more sense then.
anxietydown Yes you always bet two coins.
The base game is definitely my go to game for getting non-gamers into gaming, but would rather open up a whole new game of greater complexity than this expansion when those new players are ready to step up a level. Thanks for the review, I think the expansion is not for me. Also ruining the zen like feel of the game might break it for me.
My question is if I include the expansion can I beat my opponents if I choose to play the game without picking up a single expansion card or are the cards broken that I would need to fight for them in order to compete?
your limiting factor is always going to be money. You still HAVE TO hold aside enough cash to buy your meals at the inn, and it's not like money rains from the sky in this game. Hording cash is already a bad strategy, so while yes, i would say that you should "fight" for the "legendary" items or whatever, the expansion set isn't broken, by any means. It adds nuance.
I think that I won't buy this expansion. I like the base game and the zen-like feel there is to it and this adds more complexity to it than it needs. Pass for me.
I found the base game incredibly boring and predictable. This expansion certainly adds more depth to it.