Pros
- +
Easy to learn
- +
Very moreish gameplay
- +
Engrossing, versatile mechanics
Cons
- -
Can't add more players
- -
Not tremendously deep
Recommended reading
Jaipur review: "Lightning in a bottle"
(Image: © Future / Benjamin Abbott)
Easy to learn
Very moreish gameplay
Engrossing, versatile mechanics
Can't add more players
Not tremendously deep
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There's something moreish about Jaipur.
More specifically, one match is never enough. Even if I just had my arse handed to me, I'm always keen to reset and g🐷o again when the final totals are tallied; Jaipur is that kind of game. I'd go so far as to say it's lightning in a bottle, actually. It has enough depth to keep you invested over the course of countless sessions, buಌt is easy-going enough not to take up much brain-space.
I hadn't expected to fall so hard for it. Jaipur was never on my radar despite the years I've spent reviewing the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best card games, and it was only recommended as an afterthought when I visited a board game café many moons ago. I was hooked enough to sling it straight o🉐nto my wishlist then and there, which rarely happens.
So, should you buy Jaipur today even though it's been kicking around since 2009? Abso-bloody-lutely. If you ask me, it deserves a spot in every collection and is one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best board games overall.
Price | $24.99 / £19.99 |
Ages | 10+ |
Game type | Open draft |
Players | 2 |
Lasts | 20mins |
Complexity | Low |
Designers | Sébastien Pauchon |
Publisher | Space Cowboys |
Play if you enjoy | Lost Cities, Splendor, 7 Wonders Duel |
Players step into the🧸 shoes of rival businesspeople from the Indian city of Jaipur, and your aim is to become the best – thus earning the privilege of becoming your maharaja's personal trader. Put simply: earn the most poin🍌ts to win.
How you do that is your choice. There are a wealth of goods available for purchase at the market, and you'll sell those on for a profit. The trouble is, these items lose their value as more of them are sold… so you'll have t❀o be quick if you want to make a killing. Once three stacks of goods are gone, the round ends and you count up your earnings. Whoever has the most is awarded a 'seal of excellence,' and victory is yours if you collect two of these.
Jaipur has an elegance🥃 to match such straightforward mechanics. Its cards are vibrant and the artwork (displaying piles of luxurious items from gold to silk) is as sumptuous as the open-air market of your dreams. The tokens are equally stylish, and t▨hey're sturdy enough to survive plenty of use.
Thankfully, these are stored in dedicated slots🅺 within the box. Unlike other games I could name, they won't be rattling loose when not in use.
The central premise of Jaipur is selling, but how you do that will define whether you win or lose. Do you buy cheap items like shoes and sell them off quickly? Or should you wait for morꦫe expensive items and pawn them at a huge profit, with the risk your opponent will beat you to the punch? It's a balancing act with no right answer, and that pressure keeps yo🅘u invested from start to finish.
Yes, Jaipur is mechanically simple. But that doesn't meꦛan it's boring. As an example, you can collect a single goods card each turn or draw all of the camels lying face up in the market. Besides giving you bonus points at the end of every round if you gather the most of them, these act as jokers and can be used to claim multiple goods at once. However, grabbing them refreshes the market with new cards… which potential gives your rivalꦓ exactly what they need on their next go.
If you like games such as Jaipur, it's also worth checking out the 2-player 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Splendor Duel. As our glowing review 💫says, this one "p﷽unches well above its weight class."
This is Jaipur all over; it's a dance with your opponent where you're reacting to the other's strategy moment by moment. Flexibility is your most valuable tool as ♊a res🌌ult, particularly because there's no guarantee they won't see what you're doing and scupper your efforts.
My one criticism is that you can't increase the player-count. Jaipur is designed with two people in mind, and it just won't work if you crowbar in extra players (this is a shame, because it'd be a blast with more people). Still, this laser-focus means it's a great 2-player option – one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best 2-player board games, in fact.
I think Jaipur is one of those games everyone should own. It's incredibly compelling despite be♕ing so straightforward, can be replayed endlessly, and isn't going to get boring anytime soon.
There are deeper games with similar mechanics, like Splendor, but few can match Jaipur's tantalizing blend of speed, immediacy, and replayability. Plus, its short run-time and portability make it ideal for everything from a lazy night in to vacation pla𒁏y.
Criteria | Notes | Score |
|---|---|---|
Game mechanics | Jaipur's core loop isn't complicateꦗd, but it still manages to seize you by the collar thanks to it🌺s versatile trading system. | 4/5 |
Accessibility | Simple but very effective trading mechanics make 🐼Jaipur easy to get y꧟our head around. | 5/5 |
Replayability | It's not quite as deep as othe🦹r board games for 2 players, but the fact that your strategy will always evolve depending on what's available and what your opponent does means it has longeꦅvity to spare. | 4/5 |
Setup and pack-down | Seeing as it's a deck of cards andꦯ tokens, you𝓡 can set up and put away Jaipur in a fraction of the time other games would take. | 5/5 |
Component quality | Although the cardboard box is likely to get scuffed if you take it on the go, Jaipur's comp🍬onentꩲs and cards aren't going to wear out anytime soon. | 4/5 |
This review sample was purchased by the writer.
I've been playing Jaipur avidly ꦏfor years now, and have battled against different people in that time across a variety of environments from home to vacation – you could say I've well and truly lived with it.
For more on our process, check this guide on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test board games. As for the site at large, be sure to visit the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GameRadar+ reviews policy.
Want more recommendations? Don't miss the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best cooperative board games or the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best family board games.
I've been writing 🎃about games in one form or another since 2012, and now manage GamesRadar+'s tabletop gaming and toy coverage. You'll find my grubby paws on everything from board game reviews to the latest Lego news.
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