I first played Manila (Rio Grande Games, 2005 - Franz-Benno Delonge) at Origins 2005. As soon as the first game was over, I immediately wanted to play it again - and again, and again. Later on in the year, when doing a Musings On… about the game, a few people started to dissect the strategy in the game. Some possible problems were discussed, but I really didn't care. The reason for that is simple - Manila is shear fun, fun, fun!
Manila is one of my favorite games from 2005, just because of the enjoyment I get every time I play it. It's basically a gambling game, in which players attempt to guess which boats will make it down the river. Manila allows you some information when making wagers (investments), and the excitement grows each turn as you sit there cheering for or against the boats as they travel down the river. Yes, there's a dose of luck, but discerning players will make better guesses, and influence the luck to their advantage.
There are four different shares of goods sold in Manila (jade, coffee, ginger, and cloth), and two random shares are dealt out to each player at the beginning of the game, along with thirty pesos. A marker for each share is placed on a track (from zero to thirty) on the board, and the rest of the shares are placed face up nearby. Each player takes three accomplices (four if only three players are playing), and the first round is ready to begin.
In each round, players bid to see who becomes the Harbormaster, bidding around the table until everyone drops out. The winner (Harbormaster) pays their bid to the bank and has the option of buying any available share at the market price (represented by the good's marker on the track, but always at least five pesos). The Harbormaster also decides what three goods will participate in the round and places a cardboard piece, representing the goods in three different boats. Each boat is placed on a river that has spaces from zero to thirteen. The boats can start on any space from zero to five, but the total of the spaces must equal nine. (For example, one boat can start at five, another at four, and the third at zero).
Starting with the harbormaster and proceeding clockwise around the table, each player places one of their accomplices and places it on any available space on the board, paying the fee associated with the space. Once all players have done this, the Harbormaster rolls three six-sided dice that match the colors of the goods and moves each boat accordingly. Players then place another accomplice in the same manner, and the dice are rolled again - for both the second and third part of the round. If any boat reaches space thirteen by the end of any of the three phases, then that boat has finished the race.
The places where players may place their accomplices are:
- On a boat: Each boat has space for three or four accomplices - each paying a certain amount (shown on the space - cheapest for the first accomplices on the boat). If, and only if, that boat reaches space thirteen, all the players split the money shown on the boat according to the accomplices they had there. For example, the Jade boat has four spaces, costing "3", "4", "5", and "6" respectively. If there are two players who each have one accomplice on the boat, and the boat finishes the race, then each of them receives half of the "36" award on the boat.
- On a dock: There are three docks, "A", "B", and "C". The first boat to finish goes to dock A, etc. A player can invest in a dock; and if a boat lands there, they receive a reward. The cost/reward adjusts accordingly to the chances of a boat landing there. For example, dock A costs "4", and pays off "6" if successful. Dock C, on the other hand, costs "2", and pays off "15" but is much rarer.
- On a shipyard: There are three shipyards, also "A" to "C". If a boat does not finish the race (doesn't make it to space thirteen), it is placed in shipyard A, etc. The cost/rewards for the shipyards are equivalent to the ports.
- Insurance house: If a player places their accomplice here, they actually receive ten pesos. However, they must pay the rewards to any players who receive them from the shipyards.
- Small pilot: If a player places their accomplice here (paying two pesos), they may move one boat forward or backwards one before the third and final rolling each round.
- Large pilot: Same as the small pilot, except that the cost is five pesos, and they may move the boat two spaces (or move two boats one space each).
- Pirates: If a player places their accomplice here (and there are two slots), the accomplice becomes a pirate. If a boat lands at space thirteen EXACTLY during the second phase, and there is an open spot, the pirate may jump on board. If the boat lands at space thirteen EXACTLY during the third phase, the pirates kick everyone off, take the profits from the boat for themselves, and decide whether or not the boat lands (port) or crashes (shipyard).
All the boats which land in the port cause the value of their good to increase, and the markers are moved accordingly. Players all receive their profits (losses, in the case of the insurance agent), and the harbormaster starts the next round.
If at anytime a player runs out of money, they can "loan" out one of their shares, receiving twelve pesos, but they must pay back fifteen by the end of the game. When one good reaches a price of thirty pesos, the game ends. At this point, all players sell their shares for their current price and add the current amount of pesos they have. The player with the most money is the winner!
Some comments about the game…
1.) Components: The components for Manila are absolutely fabulous! The coins, which come in several denominations are double sided plastic coins - great to feel and look at it. The only problem is that there seems to not be enough coins. In the majority of the games I've played, we've run out every time. The boats are nice large wooden boats, and the cardboard tokens fit in them easily. The board looks great - long and thin, with tremendous artwork on it. The goods cards each having a matching die in their color - which while not necessary, certainly just brings up the "wow' factor of the game. The accomplices are wooden pawns - chunky and easy to hold. Everything fits perfectly in a custom plastic insert in a large square box. Manila is really a delight to look at and play with - all of the components are top notch. This does mean, unfortunately, that the price is higher, but I feel that this is justified to have a game that lasts.
2.) Rules: The full color rulebook, complete with illustrations and examples, is easy to understand. I found that Manila was fairly easy to teach to other people; I simply talked about gambling or investing and gave an example of each investment and the payoff. I have had zero problems when teaching the game - everyone picks up on it quickly. The bidding is the only problem that people have - not because it's hard, but because it's hard for players to easily put a value determination on how much being the harbormaster is worth.
3.) Harbormaster: Being the harbormaster is a huge advantage, and bidding often reflects this. Not only do you decide which good is excluded from a round, the harbormaster determines the starting position for each boat, which often determines whether or not that boat finishes or not. But more so than any of these, the harbormaster gets to purchase one share. Since shares can possibly be worth thirty pesos at the end of the game, this certainly is a big deal. In fact, one person asked me why we even played the game, since buying the shares was obviously the most important part. My response to this would be twofold. First of all, I think that if the auctions are forceful enough, the person who pays to be the harbormaster should be paying high enough for the privilege that it slightly negates their share value. Secondly, I think it's possible to win the game with only a few shares, as long as a person makes canny investments during the game.
4.) Investing: Deciding where to place one's accomplices is the heart and meat of the game - and by far the most enjoyable. Some investments, such as dock A or shipyard A, will most likely have a pay-off, but a very small one. Other investments, like dock C will have a huge pay-off, but I rarely see them accomplished. And what boats should your accomplices ride? Should you ride in a boat all by yourself, but probably won't make it, or should you put more than one accomplice in a lucrative boat? And is it worth it to pay money to move the boats? These choices aren't hard, but they do make the game extremely enjoyable.
5.) Pirates: One of the most fun, and lucky, parts of the game are the pirates. There's not a lot you can do, strategy-wise, when it comes to placing a pirate. You simply put one down and hope a boat lands on thirteen. It doesn't often happen, but when it does, there are shouts and groans all around. Having the pirates in the game adds a lot of luck, but it's worth it, in my opinion. A player who is behind can "bet the house", putting all of their hopes in a pirate or two, hoping to come from behind. I remember having two pirates take TWO boats in one round - effectively putting me in the lead. Yes, it's a long shot, but it's definitely fun to try.
6.) Luck: A lot of people may not like the amount of luck in the game. The boats going down the river are controlled by the roll of dice. This is mitigated by their starting positions, and by the pilots; but ultimately, a good roll can help a player, and a bad roll can ruin one. While this may annoy people, I don't see how it's a huge problem. For one thing, a player can spread their bets to avoid massive swings of luck; and for another, it's a light, fun game anyway! I've seen players win solely by luck in games of Manila, but the risks they took were great, so there wasn't a lot of begrudgment afterwards.
7.) Fun Factor: I can't emphasize that the main reason I enjoy Manila so much is that the game is just a blast to play. Reminding one of the roulette wheel - Manila allows a player to have a great deal more control over what they do. Players try to determine each round where to place their accomplices, and the shouts and jeers when a boat finishes or doesn't are loud and raucous - there is no such thing as a quiet game of Manila!
8.) Players: The game works well with three to five players, and I couldn't tell much a difference between them. Five players caused every position on the board to be filled, sometimes, but the bidding was fiercer. Three players gave each player more accomplices, but it didn't really seem to affect the game's enjoyment value at all.
Manila was not nominated for game of the year in Germany, which I think is a crying shame. It's certainly one of the most family-friendly games I've played, equally accessible by children and adults alike. It has some strategy, a chunk of luck, but most important to a game of this length (an hour or so) - a lot of fun. The stunning components don't hurt the equation, and the replayability helps also. Manila easily makes my top ten games from 2005, and I expect to be playing it many years to come.
Tom Vasel
"Real men play board games"
www.tomvasel.com
