Torres
Torres is a game of tactical movement and resource management for 2-4 players ages 12+. The game is played over 3 phases (years) each consisting of 3 or 4 rounds with players taking turns building castles, placing/moving their knights, moving along the score track, and drawing/playing cards.
Each turn players may spend 5 Action Points (AP) and must decide what actions they want to use them on. Placing a knight on the board costs 2 AP, moving a knight, building onto a castle, moving one space along the scoring track, and drawing a card cost 1 AP. Playing a card that was drawn on a previous turn costs 0 AP. At the end of the year players earn points for each castle they have a knight on based on what level (height) of the castle the knight is on and its size (number of spaces it covers on the board). In addition to this players can earn bonus points for being in the same castle as the king at the end of the year. At the end of the third year the player with the largest score wins and you get to play again.
This game is simplistic enough that younger players can pick up the concepts easily while offering enough of a challenge that experienced players can get a challenge trying to outwit their opponents. The components are well made and work well for those of us who are less dexterous in the family.
Wynken’s Thoughts:
I liked that you had to think before your turn and figure out what you wanted to do on future turns because you only have a limited amount of options each turn. I liked the special cards because you could use them on future turns without having to use one of your actions so they really helped you. I liked that you could not share places with someone on the scoreboard so you could score an extra point by jumping over them. The game design was really cool and made the game interesting I liked it a lot.
9/10 Stars
Blynken’s Thoughts:
I liked that each turn you got a different amount of castles each turn depending on how many people were playing so the board didn’t get too crowded. I also liked that placing a piece in the same castle as the King piece gave you bonus points at the end of the round and that the person who is lowest on the scoreboard can move the king before each new round.
8/10 Stars
Torres can be found at your local game store or from the publisher IDW Games.