Sagani (2020) Board Game
Sagani is a board game released in 2020, designed by renowned game designer Uwe Rosenberg and published by Skellig Games. The game falls under the category of Abstract Strategy and features mechanisms such as Pattern Building and Tile Placement. With an age recommendation of 8+ and a playing time of 30-60 minutes, Sagani is suitable for 1-4 players, with the best experience being for 2 players.
## Game Components of Sagani
– 72 spirit tiles, each representing one of the four elements (earth, water, air, fire)
– Sound discs in player colors
– Red Cacophony discs
– Scoring markers
– Game board with an Intermezzo row
– Victory point track
## How To Setup Sagani
To set up Sagani, the 72 spirit tiles are shuffled and split into three facedown drawing stacks. A supply of 5 tiles is placed face up where all players can see them. Each player takes Sound discs in their player color and places their matching scoring marker on space 0 of the scoring track on the board. A supply of Red Cacophony discs is also placed on the table.
## Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective
– **Tile Placement**: Players select face-up tiles and place them orthogonally adjacent to already placed tiles in their tableau.
– **Elemental Balance**: Each tile has a unique color and colored icons along its edges, requiring players to use Sound discs or Cacophony discs if they don’t have enough.
– **Intermezzo**: When the last tile in the display is taken, players can choose to place it in their tableau or in the Intermezzo row, triggering an intermezzo phase where players adjust their tableaus.
– **Game End**: The game ends when a player reaches a set victory point target (45/60/75 points for 4/3/2 players). The player with the most points wins, with ties broken by the lowest marker on the scoring space.
– **Solo Games**: Included rules for solo play, where the goal is to score 75 points with 25 or fewer tiles.
## Player Experience
Sagani offers a challenging yet rewarding experience, blending strategic planning with a significant random factor. Players must balance the rewards of complex tiles against the penalties of using Cacophony discs. The game requires advance planning and opportunistic thinking, as the availability of tiles can be unpredictable. As players become more familiar with the game, they improve their skill in placing tiles effectively.
### Pros
– **Challenging Puzzles**: Engages players in spatial puzzles that require forward thinking.
– **Variable Gameplay**: Each game develops differently due to the random tile draw.
– **Strategic Depth**: Simple rules but complex gameplay mechanics.
### Cons
– **Table Space**: Requires a lot of table space due to the expanding tableau.
– **Complex Intermezzo Phase**: Can be confusing without a physical token to keep track of turns.
## Personal Thoughts on Sagani
Sagani is for players who enjoy strategic tile-laying games and are comfortable with a mix of planning and luck. It’s not for the faint of heart, as it constantly challenges players at every turn. However, the satisfaction of solving the spatial puzzles and maintaining elemental balance makes it highly rewarding. If you’re looking for a game that will keep you thinking and adapting, Sagani is an excellent choice.
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