Spyrium Board Game

Originally posted on [...], a new idea everyday!Game-SpyriumProducer-AsmodeePrice- $35TL;DR- An amazing game with slight execution problems 85%Basics- It's time for some steampunk worker placement/terrain control. A recently discovered element called Spyrium has been found to have amazing properties to power steam machines. You take the role of a merchant in this steampunk setting vying for control of a Victorian empire. Each turn you set out building/cards in a 3x3 grid. Players take turns placing your workers between the available buildings, using that rounds special power, or moving to the second phase where you pick up your workers, use your own buildings, or use that rounds special power. When you pick up a worker you can either get one money for each worker next to that card or buy that card paying extra money for each other work next to that card. All cards have a point value for the end game. The buildings you control allow you to get money, get extra workers, get more money at the start of each round, get Spyrium, change Spyrium to points, or get game changing effects like extra money or ignore a number of workers near a buildings for paying the buildings cost. The special round powers give you options to get more workers, free money/points/Spyrium, or get an extra worker placement after you enter the worker pick up phase. The game ends after the sixth round and then points are counted. Person with the highest points has control of the empire and is the winner.Mechanics-This is an excellent worker placement/terrain control game. It's not terrain control as Carcassonne is, but reading other players and the board can really influence if you buy a property, only use it to gain money, or use your workers to bleed your opponents dry! The choice of when to move from worker placement to worker retrieval is an underused mechanic that really gives more choice to the players. I really love what I saw when I played this game. 5/5Theme- I wouldn't say this is the best game for theme, as I didn't feel like a Spyrium baron in this game. But, I did feel like I was in this steampunk world. I love the little components. The little Spyrium random shapes are awesome. The cards/boards have consistent art that is great. A good effort when you look at it all together. 4.5/5Instructions- I liked these instructions. The mechanics are not simple, but the instructions do an excellent job of explaining the rules. I did have some questions, but was able to find the rules on Board Game Geek. Our question focused on if you build over a building that gave an effect like getting more workers, do you still get to keep those workers. The answer is yes, but I felt the rules should have covered that. 4.5/5Execution- Here is where things fall apart a bit. I love the components like the rules and the cards, but I found it hard to keep the active workers separate from the inactive workers. The other workers did too. I felt these should have been a spot on the placer place cards that was set up to separate active vs. used workers. Also, the main board has a spot to list the amount of money you get at the start of each round. I wanted there to be a similar spot to list the number of workers you have at the start of each round. In general, great parts in this game, but it needed a bit more. 3/5Summary- I loved this game. It's a phenomenal game with intricate strategy. The parts that are in the game are amazing and draw you into the game. I want a bit more, but the game is playable out of the box. If you love steampunk and worker placement games, then this buy is a no brainer. Even if you don't like steampunk, this game is definitely worth playing if it comes to the table. 85%

Spyrium is a mid-level Eurogame in a small box for a small price. This game falls slightly under my personal threshold for how much Euro I can put up with, and as such, I kind of like it. The main aspect of this game is worker placement, and there are plenty of difficult decisions to make early in the game as you have very little you "can" do, and aren't very sure of what you'd "want" to do either.Unfortunately, this game did not go over all that well with my light-weight gaming wife (who likes many Ameritrash games, but few Euros), and my more hardcore group. My wife's main complaint is that the game offers too much back and forth between money, Spyrium, tokens, and victory points, and she doesn't "see the connection between what you're doing and how you win." I think she's right,,,ultimately, everything you do gets you something,but if you don't invest your resources in the right way from the beginning of the game, you might be able to make a lot of gems, but not be able to really do much with them. My hardcore gaming group dislikes the lack of variety between cards, and shares my wife's disconnect between the theme, and how "one worker + one gem = 3 points" aspect.The rulebook is well-written, albeit a little dense, and it's far easier to learn how to play from the myriad videos that can teach it to you in a few minutes. In a 2 player game, it's particularly difficult to raise money early in the game, which makes it even harder to do impressive things. Often our workers would have to crowd around the same small group of cards in low-player-number games so that we could remove guys for money, and if we didn't, we were left with many workers who could do nothing or net us no cash. As such, it's a much improved experience with 4-5 players.It's an OK game, and good bang for your buck, but nothing more.

Spyrium is the latest game by William Attia, the designer of the now-legendary Caylus. And while this game is smaller than Caylus in terms of length and complexity, it is just as rich and intense as its big brother.The premise of the game is that in Victorian England (1800’s or so), a rare new crystal called Spyrium is discovered that revolutionizes industry and technology. You need to mine Spyrium, build buildings, and hire new workers in your quest to be the biggest industrial tycoon that England has ever seen.Here's my rating of the game on using the DARA scale (Decisions, Artwork, Replayability, Awesomeness):Decisions: 5/5. The decisions in Spyrium are simple enough (there are only a handful of possible actions), but thinking through all the ramifications of a given choice can be overwhelming at times. Each decision is meaningful and significant, and an unexpected set of choices can lead you in a totally new direction, which I love.Artwork: 4/5. I really like the artwork and design in this game. Some of the iconography is impossible to decipher for new players, but overall it’s slick and works well.Replayability: 5/5. The fact that the Marketplace and the Turn Action are random each game means that I can’t count on any one strategy from game to game. Each play session offers a unique set of choices and must be approached on its own terms.Awesomeness: 5/5. This game is the real deal. Each time I play I’m amazed at how things end up; it’s so well balanced that even when I think I have no good options, I’m able to figure something out that leaves me satisfied (even if I lose).TOTAL SCORE: 19/20Bottom line: Spyrium is a gem in a coalmine. It may never achieve blockbuster status, but for true gamers among us will appreciate its value. Game on!

This was a Christmas gift for my son. We have already played 3 games and the game is great. There are quite a few rules so it takes a while to learn, but great strategy game once you understand the play.

Great game. Great seller.

アマゾンで中古が安かったので購入。届いてビックリ、未使用で外箱を包むビニールが破れていただけだった。本当に得した。言語依存は無いけどアイコンは理解するまで日本語訳ルールブックで勉強しよう。大衆受けしなくてもマイベストボドゲ