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decide, which shows that creation can really be a pleasurable, low-barrier-to-en- try affair.
But at some point, after two-and-a-half, three hours or more, Ecos falls apart. By that point, it almost always happens that instead of cre- ating the earth, you just want to hasten its end. Please, will someone just pull out that grass element token that will allow a player to score another twelve points and finally, finally, reach the 80-point victory target? Quiet, quick prayers for the continent are mur- mured, intercessions requested. Ecos just takes way too long. If you are creating a continent with six players, you need that certain taste of joy some monks feel through
self-flagellation.
It is not the luck factor,
what with the random distri- bution of cards, or the Bingo ele- ment that is annoying at this point.
It just that the game’s ideas do not hold up for long. Sure, the conti- nent grows and grows and grows,
sometimes with mountains or forests, sometimes deserts or seas, sometimes full of animals, sometimes without. But even if each game is completely different, and even if the continent’s surface looks completely new each time, the game only pretends to offer variance and strategic depth.
Too bad. Because a lot of things feel right here. The components are wonder- ful, the mountains and the trees create something visually spectacular. Thirteen animal species from A (antelope) to S (stork) hint at
tactical variety. Each of the 105 cards is unique. A bingo mech- anism paired with an engine builder and a
tile placement game, seasoned with stra- tegic depth? How beautiful!
However, all these promises quickly turn out to be individually interesting but weak when taken as
a whole. There’s no
connecting narrative arc, no dramatic com- position that capti- vates players over such a long time. If Ecos were 45 to 75 minutes long, as the publisher claims, it would be fine.
But this is difficult to
o
o
Should the Bingo master, who is called the Harbinger, draw an element out of the bag that a member of the Gw does not need, then that player can rotate his dial token. This offers a way to draw new cards, obtain additional cubes, or play another card. You can also rotate the dial token if you don’t want to cover an element, but simply want to get supplies faster. There is actually nothing more to
t achieve even with just
three players.
The time estimate is
not the only alternative
fact that AEG uses here.
Simultaneous play is
also a bit of an exag-
geration. While every-
one does place their
cubes or rotate their
dial by 90 degrees at
the same time after
the Bingo master has performed his distinguished task, once “Ecos” is called, the simultaneous play is gone. At this point, up to six action cards need to be processed, with all of the passion of a government official dressing up to take action.
I Chain actions and multiple bingos
But that’s not all. If the cards unlock
additional element symbols for further “Ecos” calls, you can get chain reactions of perhaps seven, eight or even more indi- vidual actions to consider. In the worst case scenario, mostly in the final phase of the continent’s genesis, every player but one calls an “Ecos.” If you’re the player who gets to witness how three or five other gods handle these actions – always strictly in the seating order starting from the Bingo bag because the continent is constantly changing and the situation will be different for each player – you
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