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Dakota

Settlers agains Native Americans

Inspired by the westward trail, Dakota combines a linear mechanism with an emphasis on the topic. You either control a group of settlers or a tribe of Native Americans. You cooperate and rival with other players to raise the status of your faction, using raw materials that have different value for settlers or Native Americans. Settlers want to exploit the regions for agriculture and industry; the Native tribes wand to conserve the land and its resources and at the same time use them for their own tribe. Each round of the game is divided into seven phases: Activation – native settlements, a settler reinforcement and a native reinforcement are activated – first and second placement phase, 3 explorer pawns in clockwise direction and 3 neutral pawns in counter-clockwise direction from each player – Collection Phase – players collect resources in territories – Market Phase, an explorer in the market can buy one resource with wealth points – Development Phase – each player can ask for reinforcements, build a settlement, sell resources, recruit a new explorer or buy victory points with wealth points – end of round.

The astonishing and rather new aspect about Dakota are the really different way the game plays for settlers or native Americans, especially how they acquire resources; the neutral explorers have a huge influence on the game. Furthermore, the flow of the game is entirely dependent on the way the group plays – it can run rather confrontational and a bit nasty or cooperate within the group. In any case, it might take a few games to get really acquainted with the possibilities and strategies or tactics of Dakota.

Players: 3-5

Age: 10+

Duration: 60+

Designer: Piero Cioni, Luca Pansecchi

Artist: Giorgio Albertini, Meri Davini

Price: ca. 50 Euro

Publisher: Tenkigames / Heidelberger 2010

Web:www.hds-fantasy.de

Genre: Resources management game

Users: With friends

Version: de

Rules: de en it

In-game text: no

Comments:

Different game play for settlers or natives * lots of tactical possibilities and strategies * supply shortages can happen * neutral explorers heavily influence the game

Compares to :

All worker placement games for the basic mechanism, first game in the overall play

Other editions:

In French at Iello

Chance: 1

Tactic: 2

Strategy: 2

Creativity: 0

Knowledge (yellow): 0

Memory: 0

Communication: 0

Interaction: 3

Dexterity: 0

Action: 0