(I assume the reader already knows how to play Gemblo)
The Gemblo Expansion (DG Games, 2005 - Justin Oh), is merely a set of cards that is added to the wonderful abstract game of Gemblo. When I first heard about the expansion, I was a little wary. How can a deck of cards add to abstract game? But after playing the expansion, my worries were eliminated. While I certainly don't find the expansion necessary, it certainly doesn't detract from the game. If anything, it makes Gemblo a little easier to play and slightly less cutthroat.
A deck of cards is shuffled, and a certain amount is dealt out to each player. The player who goes last gets the most cards, etc. - following the amount specified in the rules. Each player can only keep two of their cards, discarding the rest. During the game, a player can use a card, discarding it, on their turn. There are nine different cards:
- Advance 1 - This allows a player to jump one empty space, placing their next piece so that it has a side that faces towards another of their pieces.
- Advance 2 - Same as advance one, but the player MUST jump two spaces, not one.
- Change - The player can replace one of their pieces with a different piece they haven't used yet. The player then can place one additional piece.
- Unification 1 - This allows a player to place a piece that touches one of their current pieces on one side only.
- Unification 2 - This allows a player to place a piece that touches two sides of their current pieces.
- Unification 3 - This allows a player to place a piece that touches three sides of their current pieces.
- Penetration 1 - This allows a player to jump another piece and place it so that it has one side facing a side of a piece currently on the board.
- Penetration 2 - This allows a player to jump two pieces and place it so that it has one side facing a side of a piece currently on the board.
- Rush - This allows a player to jump another piece that is connected with the outward line of apex.
My descriptions may not be the easiest to understand, but the cards each show a picture of how the pieces can be placed and are fairly self explanatory. Between the rules and cards, we figured it out rather quickly.
I can't really guess if any cards are better than the other ones, although some are easier to use. For example, the Change card can really help someone out in a real time of crisis, but there's a good chance you'll never need it. It's annoying to have the "jump 2" card, when you really only need to jump one. Still, the cards make the game slightly less stressful for players. It's not so critical to make sure that you aren't boxed in by other players' pieces, when you have a card that lets you "jump" to safety. And in the case of Gemblo, less stress is probably a good thing.
One clever idea, I thought, was giving more choices of cards to the player who goes last. Going last in Gemblo is a slight disadvantage, so getting a slight counter to that doesn't hurt. Players still only get two cards; they just get to choose which ones.
And that's all I have to say about the Gemblo expansion. For many people, the choice of whether to get it or not will be easy; it comes packaged with the game in many circumstances. But at $2, it's certainly a bargain, even if you merely get eighteen cards. I can play Gemblo with or without the expansion and have no less fun either way. Having the option, with more variety, is what I like.
Tom Vasel
"Real men play board games"
www.tomvasel.com
