Fun Factory is a new company based in Singapore that has recently started producing board games. Their first game, Dividends, was a fun romp that could handle up to twelve players and a game I rather enjoyed. Their second game was Giza (Fun Factory, 2005 - Nikki Lim) and was about building pyramids in Egypt. It was a smaller game than Dividends, and upon reading the rules, I felt as if there was a high "take that" factor involved in the game.
If you like games that allow you to play cards (or tiles) on other players, then you'll probably enjoy Giza. It's a bit simplistic, which may turn away some more serious gamers, but with the right crowd it can be enjoyable. I like the components, theme, and gameplay, but don't know how often I'll bring it out -it just doesn't really "do" it for me. But for people who are looking for a simple "take that!" game, Giza may be what you're looking for, a change of pace from the myriad of card games that dominate this genre.
Each player is given a player board, with four spaces on it (Pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure; and the Great Sphinx), as well as a listing of all the tiles in the game. All of the tiles (eighty-three of them) are shuffled together and placed face down in the middle of the table. Each player draws four tiles, and one player is chosen to go first. Play proceeds clockwise around the table.
On a player's turn, they may either play a tile or discard any number of tiles from their hand, drawing back up to four tiles. The tiles that a player may play are:
- Stone Tiles: Each stone tile shows a number from "-5" to "5", and can be played on any of the three pyramid spaces on ANY player's board. However, a stone tile can only be played on an empty space, or on a tile that has a higher absolute value than it. (For example, a "-2" can be played on top of a "+5", "-3", or "-4+, but cannot be played on top of a "+2" or "-1")
- Treasure Tiles: Each treasure tile shows a number from "+1" to "+5". They may ONLY be played on top of a stone tile that has the same absolute number. (A "+2" treasure tile may be played on top of a "-2" or "+2" stone tile, but may not be played on top of a "+2" treasure tile or "+3" stone tile.)
- Demolish Tiles: These tiles may be played on any space on the board. The demolish tiles remove the top-most tile in that space, discarding both tiles.
- Scarab Tiles: These tiles may be played on any space on the board, keeping any other tiles from being placed on that space. A player may skip their turn to remove one scarab tile from their board.
- Sphinx Tiles: These tiles may only be played on the Sphinx space and must be played in order: Sphinx Base (-5 points), Sphinx Body (+10 points), and Sphinx Head (+15 points)
This continues until the last tile from the middle of the table is drawn, or if one player has completed their three pyramids (they all have a "+1" or "-1" at the top). The game then ends immediately, and players total their points. Each player adds all the tiles in their pyramids and sphinx and compares the sums. The player with the most points is the winner (ties broken by number of treasures).
Some comments on the game…
1.) Components: The tiles are about a square inch and are of a decent thickness with sand coloring as their background. They really look good on the player boards. All over the boards and tiles roams Egyptian artwork, drawn clearly and simply, making everything easy to identify, yet keeping with the theme. Each level of the pyramid looks larger than the next, which helps the game work visually. Faint Egyptian writing occurs on the tiles, and the theme works really well. Themes are often pasted on games such as these, but for Giza, the theme is realized. Everything fits well in a small, sturdy box.
2.) Rules: The rulebook is eight pages long and has many, many detailed illustrations and examples throughout it. For the game being as simple as it is - the rulebook does a terrific job of explaining the rules - one of the best I've seen. Even though it adds to the cost of the game, it's always nice when a publisher takes the trouble to make sure that the rules are not ambiguous in any way and includes plenty of examples.
3.) Tiles: The tile mix is printed on each player board, which is important for each player to know. Knowing when to play the right tile is important, as players will sometimes even play a negative tile upon themselves, just to build themselves up a little bit more in the future. Take one step backwards to take two forwards, and all that. Knowing when to play scarabs and demolish tiles is important, as sometimes Demolish Tiles should be played on oneself, to rid one of an annoying tile.
4.) Get 'em! One of the biggest problems (or fun features) is the fact that anyone can attack anyone at any time with no provocation. So, players can conspire to take one person out, or always attack the leader, etc. I've seen players score very low scores just because everyone attacked them, for whatever reason. If you don't like games where people can gang up on others, than perhaps Giza might not interest you.
5.) Luck and Fun Factor: There is a high luck factor in the game - that of the tiles that players draw. There is only one Sphinx head and three of each treasure. If players manage to never get any of these tiles, the game can be a bit boring for them. While knowing when to play the right tile matters - negotiation with other players is important - sometimes I feel that luck is the single most determining factor of the game. I don't mind this luck, but it might deter some players.
Giza is a small, light, fun game for up to six players; and if you don't mind a game where players can gang up on each other and where the fickle winds of fate can change the outlook of the game in a moment, then you'll enjoy it. I don't mind playing Giza and expect to play it in the future. Sadly, though, there's nothing that really grabs me about the game, with the sole exception of how the pyramids build upon each other. Nice mechanics abound, and the game certainly is enjoyable; but it's a little too light for me. Whether it's a game for you should depend on how much you like the theme, simpleness, and ability to affect others.
Tom Vasel
"Real men play board games."
www.tomvasel.com
