After the Sackson stream, we played a Sid Sackson game, Bazaar. I commented during the stream that Bazaar is probably one of the least interesting games to watch someone play since it’s primarily a game of mental math. You randomly get a couple large cards set out on the table that show you potential trade equations and you spend your turns attempting to buy cards using gemstones that are acquired either through trading or rolling a die. It’s a simple concept, but a complex game BECAUSE you want to be efficient when you buy a card. The fewer gems you have remaining in your possession after a 5 gem purchase, the better you score for that card.
So...the result is a lot of people staring at the table and their gems and trying to math out the best combination possible. Players who can see turns in advance and plan ahead will excel at this game.
First of all, this game came out in 1967. I can only think of four other games I’ve played that came from that decade, two of which were designed by Sid Sackson (and the third will be the next game I review). The most recent printing of this was in 2011, so that tells you that the design has a certain longevity to it to still feel relevant almost 50 years later. Does it feel modern? No, it definitely has a “classic” feel to it. For one thing, the scoring system is waaaaaaaay slow. It tells you to play to 50 points in a two player game. We played to 10 in our live play and felt like that was a good length. On the other hand, I do find this game kind of trains your brain to look for combinations that work for you in a given situation and as the game progresses it becomes easier to recognize things like “green gems can’t be cashed in for anything in this game” or “white with blue gives me red, red, yellow, yellow”.
Overall, I think this game is alright. It’s certainly challenging and dynamic because of the variables involved. There’s even a solo mode where you play against yourself and count how many turns it takes you to use just the equations to spend your exact gem count. The problem is that it appears to be marketed toward children (The Discovery Toys line) and this is NOT the kind of game most children would be pumped about playing. But it’s accessible and great for a group that likes mathy puzzles and I would play it every now and then.
