Tokaido Review

A lot of people call Tokaido a "zen game." I take exception to that term for a number of reasons, but there is something enlightening about the way it reveals hidden depth behind its simplicity. Designed by Antoine Bauza as part of what I like to call his "Oriental Exoticism" series of games, Tokaido is often dismissed and sometimes praised for its lack of meaningful decisions and peaceful sense of flow. In fact, Tokaido at its best is about strategically breaking that flow at exactly the right moment to make life for your opponents a living hell. Which is sort of zen, if you consider that caning your disciples while they're meditating is a commonly accepted path to enlightenment, but I don't think that's what most people mean when they use the term.

In Tokaido, 2-5 players—although it's best enjoyed at the two extremes—take on the roles of travelers in Edo-period Japan, walking the Tokaido, or Eastern Sea Road, from Kyoto to Tokyo. The board is a single line of about 50-60 spaces representing stops along the road. The stops come in 8 varieties, each associated with a simple action. In single file, the players take turns moving to these spots, taking the quick actions, and reaping the benefits. The player with the most points when everybody reaches Tokyo is the winner.

The benefits provided by each space are a little different. Hot Springs give you those points directly, a random draw worth either 2 or 3, while other spaces, like Temples and Villages, require a bit more work and some pocket change. Panoramas use a set-collection mechanism made up of tiles with interlocking artwork. Each tile you add to the picture scores more points than the previous one, and there's a bonus for the player who completes each type of Panorama first. Souvenirs, purchased at Villages, also score using a set-collection mechanic, and there are larger Achievement bonuses doled out at the end of the game for specializing in Hot Springs, Souvenirs, Temple donations or Encounters (who otherwise provide a random benefit associated with another space). Stopping at one of the 3 intermediary Inns along the road, as well as the final Inn in Tokyo, gives players the opportunity to purchase meals, with the first traveler to arrive at the Inn getting first choice of the menu. Some meals are cheaper than others, but they're all worth 6 points, regardless of cost. On the other hand, you can bet there's an Achievement for spending the most money on grub.

There's a unique benefit to each space, but when you weigh them against each other—and I've seen statistical breakdowns—they even out to roughly the same thing: no matter where you land, pretty much all of the spaces will be averaging you about 2-3 points per visit. The only spot that doesn't award points directly is the Farm, where you can do some part-time work to earn some coins. And one more thing: the next player to pick a destination is always the traveler who is farthest behind along the road. There's no moving backward, so if you skip ahead to claim a particular space, you are essentially giving up a turn—a turn that would, statistically, have netted you 2-3 more points.

Luckily, having a wonderful journey has nothing to do with statistics and everything to do with seizing felicitous opportunities when they arise. On all but 1 or 2 of your turns each game, it's the better move to just take the next available space. The skill is recognizing those 1 or 2 turns, the ones when you do want to skip a space or two ahead, when they come up.

And, contrary to the "peaceful" label attached to this game, those moments are all about putting the squeeze on your opponents. Did one of your opponents just spend his last coin on Souvenirs? This might be an excellent time to hit up the Farm. Sure, you don't need those coins yourself, but with no other means of revenue, he'll be going hungry at the next Inn and kissing that Gourmet achievement sayonara. Although it doesn't award any points directly, the Farm turns out to be a critical denial space—there are at least 3 types of locations that are utterly useless without cash on hand. Another skip-worthy space is the one immediately before the Inn, which ensures you will be the last to enter that space—last dibs on dinner, yes, but travelers leave the Inn in the opposite order they arrived, putting stragglers in the idea position to start the next leg of the journey.

Tokaido really comes alive at 5 players, when the board is crowded and the Inn lineup becomes a bigger deal, or with 2. Like 7 Wonders, Tokaido's 2-player variant fills some of the empty interaction space by giving both players shared control of a neutral dummy traveler, whose sole purpose is to loiter around Farms and Villages, blocking them from your (by now fuming) opponent.

So the gameplay is deeper than it seems. But just as important is the brilliant artwork by Naïade. Everything is perfect, from the minimalist graphic design, which makes compelling use of negative space, to the detailed Panoramas and colorful characters, making this one of the most beautiful games on the market. Speaking of characters, their special abilities and different starting purse keep the players from falling into the same routine each game.

But wait! When people complained about the lack of choices, Bauza and Funforge listened, and the result was Crossroads, a 5-star expansion that completely reinvents the game by providing an alternative action for each space. There are now Cherry Trees to see, an alternative to Panoramas that provide an alternative way to earn coins; Amulets to buy at Temples for one-time-use abilities; Calligraphy cards to buy instead of Encounters, giving you additional end-game scoring goals; and other game-tweaking additions, as well as 6 new Travelers. While the new options do remove the claws from some of the more nasty blocking moves, they also provide many new ways to score (or deny) points, in particular the Calligraphy cards.

There's also a brand new expansion, Matsuri, which adds global events to the game in the form of Festivals that take affect each time you stop at a new Inn, and the Deluxe edition, which packages both expansions together with updated components, including the obligatory minis. The simple walking journey is getting a little expensive, but it's never been more magnificent.