Riverboat (2017) Board Game – Board Game Guys

Riverboat is a board game that was released in 2017 and designed by Klemens Franz. The game is published by Lookout Games and falls under the farming category. With a runtime of 90 minutes, Riverboat is suitable for 2 to 4 players aged 10 and above. The game features mechanisms such as action drafting, hexagon grid, open drafting, set collection, and tile placement.

Game Components of Riverboat

Game board featuring the Mississippi River and farm lands

Worker tokens

Crop tiles

Riverboat tokens

Role tiles

Scoring cards

Coins

Surveyor tokens

Harbor master tokens

How To Setup Riverboat

To set up Riverboat, each player starts by selecting a farm board and placing their worker tokens. The game is divided into four rounds, each round consisting of five phases: cultivation, planting, riverboat, opportunity, and scoring. At the beginning of each round, players draft role tiles that determine the order and bonuses for each phase.

Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective

Cultivation Phase: Players place their workers on their farm boards based on randomly drawn cards, or they can spend a coin to place a worker anywhere.

Planting Phase: Players draw crop tiles from random stacks or can dig for a specific crop by spending a coin.

Riverboat Phase: The type of crops planted determines the available riverboats; players can choose a riverboat or take one already chosen by spending a coin.

Opportunity Phase: Players receive a random scoring card or can search the deck for a preferred card by spending a coin.

Scoring Phase: Players choose what to score, with options dependent on previous phases.

Objective: Manage your farm, plant crops, load riverboats, and score points efficiently while navigating luck and limited resources.

Player Experience

Riverboat offers a dynamic and strategic gameplay experience, where players constantly assess risks and make tactical decisions. The game integrates luck through random draws but provides mechanisms to mitigate this luck using scarce coins. Players must balance moving their harbor master to score full points for their riverboats, placing surveyors to maximize scoring, and optimizing their farm operations. The game is easy to teach but rich in strategic depth, making it both engaging and challenging.

Pros

Novel Integration of Luck: Riverboat uniquely blends luck with strategic decision-making.

Fresh Design: It stands out from typical modern Euro games with its innovative mechanics.

Tense Trade-offs: The game offers constant, engrossing decision points.

Easy to Teach: Simple to learn but deep in strategy.

Cons

Expensive: The game is priced higher than some players might find reasonable.

Risk Assessment: Not suitable for players who dislike heavy risk assessment or luck elements.

Personal Thoughts on Riverboat

Riverboat is an excellent choice for fans of strategic board games who enjoy managing resources, mitigating luck, and making tactical decisions. It is particularly appealing to those who appreciate Euro-style games with a twist. However, players who prefer games with minimal luck or less risk assessment might want to look elsewhere. Overall, Riverboat is a delightful strategy game that showcases Michael Kiesling’s innovative design.

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