Funforge Tokaido Crossroads: The First Expansion

A perfect expansion. Base Tokaido is very very light, almost to the point that it's only fun with children or very new gamers. This expansion adds a decision to every space on the board except the inns, and, surprisingly, that seems to be enough to really add a fair amount of strategy- when you land on any space, you have your choice of drawing a random Tokaido card (or 3 and choosing depending on the space), OR you can pick up the ENTIRE crossroads deck of 6 cards for that space and pick ONE card from it (often for a price). The Temple now gives you the option to purchase an amulet for 1 coin (again, not at random- you pick one of 6 from the deck). Each amulet acts as sort of an "instant" card from Magic: The Gathering, being able to be played at any time that they would have an effect. For example, one of the cards let's you occupy the same space as someone else even if it's occupied (when both of you are last place on the board, you move first). Another let's you get a single meal card for free. You pick up the whole deck and choose this card in secret (the deck is kept face down for this reason). The Village now has the option of letting you acquire one of six legendary objects- 2 of them, for 1 coin each, give you a point for every souvenir and legendary object in your collection; 2 of them, for 2 coins each, add a 5th suit to your souvenirs worth up to 9 points; the last 2 are legendary katanas worth 3 coins each that score 8 victory points. The village is arguably the most contested space on the board with the expansion so long as players have money, and making the decision early on to purchase a 5th suit or a card that scores a point for every souvenir/legendary object is an extremely risky one, especially with lots of players competing for villages, while buying a katana has less potential points, but might be enough in the late game to get you just far ahead enough. The Hot Springs now let you choose to instead buy a bathhouse card for 1 coin instead of drawing from the 'monkey" deck. Bathhouses are ALL 4 points each. The Encounter (traveler) space let's you draw a calligraphy card instead of meeting someone. These, like the amulets, are chosen in secret, and give you a secret goal to complete for extra points- one, for example, gives you extra points for accomplishments and other calligraphy cards (including itself), while another gives you extra points for arriving at the last inn last. The three painting spaces give you the option of drawing one of six cherry trees, all of which are worth 2 points and give you a coin. This simple addition is actually my favorite of all the new decks, as it allows anyone who gets blocked from the bank another way to acquire money, AND it doesn't force someone from having to skip a painting space simply because they already finished that space's panorama (if the deck is empty, they will then have to skip the space). The downside of not getting the huge potential points of completing panoramas could be worth the coin, especially if other people are competing for panoramas and you simply wish to block them. Finally, the bank gives you the option to gamble 2 coins (if you have them) and roll a die for a payout. The die has faces X, 1x, 2x, 3x, 3x, and 4x, meaning there's a 50% chance of getting more than 3 coins net (that is, more than 5 coins), while it gives a 50% chance of a net less than 3 coins. This option is often the least picked, BUT it's potential payout for, say, a low wealth character that early on decides to wager to get even with everyone else, or for someone towards the end who just needs a lot of money for whatever reason, makes it a valuable one to have in the game. Strategically, it's a worse option most of the time, but the fact that it's there and can absolutely put someone into the lead makes me happy that it exists. The expansion also comes with 6 new characters (adding to a total of 16), 4 of which can actually be played in base Tokaido. One of them is completely under-powered (he starts with 0 coins and gets a coin for each painting space he lands on, with a potential payout of up to 9 coins, which ties with one other character in coins without having a relevant ability). However, the other 5 are perfectly fine for the most part. It should be noted that the rules are a tad confusing- online FAQ's helped me figure out exactly what IS and ISN'T counted between the two games, and the interaction of symbols between the two games basically comes down to this: - If a character's ability is activated on a space, then it activates even if the Crossroads option is picked (like the man who gets a free donation to the temple every time he lands there still gets a donation even if he picks to buy an amulet). - If a card or ability scores bonus points for a type of Tokaido card, it DOES extend to the Crossroads cards (like the man who gets a bonus point for every hot springs- he also gets points for bathhouses). - If a character's ability let's them draw a card for free or for a discount, it ONLY refers to the Tokaido card pictured (like the woman who gets the cheaper of two souvenirs for free, or the man who draws a souvenir every inn). This discrepancy was a bit confusing at first, but it becomes natural enough after a few plays. The rule book, after reading it three or four times, didn't do a very good job explaining this, but comments from Antoine Bauza himself allowed people to figure out these basic rules. Other than that, the game is solid, and Tokaido + Crossroads is really the only right way to play Tokaido. If you like Euro games and perfect theme, GET THEM BOTH.

The item was as described and arrived quickly I am very pleased with my purchase.

Great extension to the game. Add a bit of complexity and re-play-ability to the standalone game. The pieces and cards are as beautiful and well made as in the orignal game.

Awesome expansion! We loved the base game so we thought we’d upgrade with this to change it up a little. Have a lot of fun with friends pulling this one out. It’s an enjoyable and relaxing strategy game, sure to be a lot of fun for a long time still!

Un excelente juego de mesa, algo complejo al principio, pero después se disfruta mucho, ojo esta es una expansión necesitas tokaido para jugar