by SlikkRikk
BASARI
I am a big believer in the 'discount buy' as it pertains to board gaming. If there is a game that is getting sold for $10 or under, and it has the SLIGHTEST appeal to me, it is mine baby! The thought process is that you could get a steal of a deal -- and if you don't, you'll most likely get your money back in some way or another through future dealings. Presumably we all subscribe to this theory.
At any rate, a local gamer was selling this one for $5, and of course I picked it up. Tom Vasel had a high opinion of it (granted, it was years ago) and it seemed fun enough to try. This was one of those 'steal deals' that was very happy to have found! Not only is it fun to play, but it's fun and easy to teach.
In Basari, players place both their start marker and their token on the same spot to start the game. Each player is given a collection of gems and three action cards -- one with a die, one showing gems, and one showing numbers. The object of the game is to accrue victory points, and you do that buy moving to different spots on the board and using your action cards. The genius of this game is that when people are lying these cards down, there are certain 'hiccups' that occur if more than one lays down the same one (which they will frequently). If everyone lies down a different card, then everyone can take the action. If three or more people lay down the same card, no one can do anything. And if two people lay down the same card, there is a period of gem bartering to see who gets to take the action. This last option is what perhaps makes the game, as one of the main ways to accrue victory points is that at the end of the round the person who has the most of one color of gem gets points. So when you're bartering, you're really thinking about what gems the other person has, and how much you should be bartering to make sure you win/they lose. Of course, you also have to weigh the action and how much it is worth to you. Very, very cool.
Once you move around the board and back to your starting spot, the round ends and points are tallied for the gems. A round takes about 10 minutes, and there are three in all. It felt like the game ended right where it should have by the time it was done, and this was a 'learning game' in all respects. Truly awesome thinking and depth in a little package. By the end of the game, we were all quite pleased with how fun an activity it was, and was a great lead-in to an awesome gameday.
This is one of those games that perhaps received a bit of hype when it came out (Spiel des Jahres nominee, and rightly so) -- but one that could be lost in the shuffle in today's amazing assortment of available games. I encourage you to hunt up a copy and give it a run with your family and friends. It might cost you a bit more than five dollars, but I think you'll find it worth it."
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