Page 15 - spielbox_0717_EN

emptying out more. And as this scores victory points, all players have an interest in accelerating the process. The starting coach of each player alone is worth 12
points, when all five
passengers have dis-
embarked. Additional
coaches can generate between 4
and 10 points. Emptying a coach also earns an additional dollar for the carriage driver, an income that is more than wel- come in the light of the typically dire cash situation. Bar staff and farmers help with
disembarkation.
The barkeeper always takes another freely selectable person in tow. The farm- ers can take two additional settlers off other coaches to work on their specific farm. Other players are also able to profit from each job offer, for the job postings
allow at least double occupancy. And while employed pioneers can no longer exploit the special actions of a space, they still leave the coach with more empty seats and, with some good route planning,
score points in the end. As soon as a player has used up all 15 road pieces or the coach supply for the open offer runs out, the game is over. Empty coach seats then score one victory point, and the nug- gets collected by the gold diggers count for
three to five.
Often the game is decided
by the largest road network populated by a player’s own pioneers, because every pawn there earns double the amount of victory points.
I Money is not always tight Gameplay in Pioneers can be highly variable. It may feel different each time, because the job tiles are distributed face
second phase on an empty wallet plays totally different.
The fascination of Pioneers results from the easy access to the game, and an astonishing depth that only man- ifests over time. With a neat network in place there are many possibilities to travel to and fro and score points on the way. While all players are initially restricted and there may be some start player advantages (for example, if one of the first two destinations is hiring bank- ers), numerous options will develop for all players over the course of the game, including long-haul travels from west to east and back again in the end phase. It is wise to pay special attention to the farm- ers who are a decisive factor in the final scoring with all player constellations. A triple farm (or, better still, two of them) should be on every player’s balance sheet. Not neglecting the farmers also has the additional effect that more coaches rake in even more points.
Apart from the already mentioned plusses, the gaming components of Pioneers are practical, and the graphic design is pleasant. Just one thing both- ered me: The publishers have not invested enough inside the box as there are not enough Ziploc bags. Pioneers is an amus- ing, entertaining family game and I am always happy to sit on the coach box for a ride. Wieland Herold/cs
down and not all of them are in the game. Players constantly adapt to changing circumstances. Sometimes the bankers are directly in reach and shortage of money is their smallest problem. In other rounds, the first banks will only appear close to the Mexican border or beyond the Rocky Mountains, in which case the
Title: Publisher: Designer: Artist: Players: Age: Duration: Price:
Pioneers
Queen Games Emanuele Ornella Markus Erdt
2–4
about 8+ years
about 45–60 minutes about 40 €
Reviewer Playing appeal
Wieland Herold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Christwart Conrad . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Stefan Ducksch*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Harald Schrapers** . . . . . . . . . . . 8
* Sophisticated family game, age range starts too low.
** Unfortunately, the coach strategy sometimes comes to an early end when players run out of pioneers, and the rule book does not provide a clear solution for this dilemma.
13
spielbox