Board Game Review: Java

Or, "What Would Happen if Carcassonne and UpWords had a Baby"

Java is one of those games I never really thought I'd get my hands on. It's been out of print for years (word to all the OOP games out there!) and it costs too much dough for me to justify treating myself so nicely. So thank the gods for clever and generous Secret Santas! If you missed it, here's the scoop on how I got my little mitts on a copy of this OOPer and how it made my Christmas.

But what about the game itself? Once the buzz of the unwrapping presents wore off and I was done wheezing "My preccious!" at the Best Husband in the World, then it was time to test the game. Would it live up to all its hype? (All of which was generated by my own tongue...) Would it be a regular playable? Or would it be one of those nice collectibles you brag about, but never really pull out of the game closet? Well, here's my review:

First Impressions:
Weeeeeee! Okay, really, I'll stop being giddy and euphoric now. Serious pretend journalism time here. Honestly, it's hard not being impressed with this particular set. Aside from the fact that this "used" set is in mint condition and my Santa arranged to have all the little cards sleeved for us (so classy!), this board game was made to impress.

First, let's consider the tiles in this tile-licious game--they're thick and well-made. Whomever punched them out clearly didn't have too many problems, as all the tiles are cleanly punched and spectacular. The game also contains a miniature deck of "Festival" cards that have breath-taking artwork. Pair that with the painted wooden player tokens, and you have a well-crafted set. Plus the box contains a very functional organizational tray to keep different tiles sorted, organized, and neatly in place. Whomever worked on designing this game for mass market went to a lot of trouble, and I hope they know it hasn't gone unnoticed. I looked for ways to poo-poo this set, but really the only negative I can possibly figure is that the 17 x 12 x 2" box is larger than many other games, and will require some reconfiguring of my board game closet. Boo.

Set-Up:
First things first--the rules booklet. The good news is that the rules booklet isn't too long and you can be functionally playing inside 30-45 min. The bad news is that the dry text suffers from the same prob as so many other games: The rules are listed in such a peculiar order that you are required to understand the minutia before knowing the big-picture goal. I call it the Rule Jumble Paradox. If Rio Grande ever reprints the game, I might suggest a reordering to make the flow a little more accessible and smooth (I know an eager writer you could hire! Cheap!).
  
Beyond mastering the rules, the set-up is fairly straight-forward. Every player gets a slew of tokens, tiles, a game mechanics cheat sheet card, and three "Festival" cards. No big whoop. The whole game can be set up in about 10 minutes. 

The Gameplay:
In order to avoid violating the Rule Jumble Paradox, why don't I start by explaining the purpose of the game? Each player acts as a Javanese ruler who embarks on a quest to dominate and conquer a yet-untouched area of inner Java. How do the Javanese rulers do this? Through tile laying, a-course! Most of the tiles laid by players consist of three hexes connected to each other in a triangular formation. There are also double-hex and single-hex tiles available to "rulers" in limited quantities.

On each ruler's turn, he (or she) lays a tile on the hex-honeycombed board, and then has the option to place a "developer" wooden token on top of the tile. Oh, but here's the fun part about tile laying: They STACK! Yep, as long as your tile can be placed on "even ground" and is not placed exactly on a tile of the same shape, then you can stack 'em up high. Four tiles, five tiles, watch them tower! And getting the literal high ground is how you dominate your cities via your developers. Interesting, no?

There are several other actions a player may take, including moving developers from tile to tile, placing extra tiles, building palaces, and more--but said ruler had better have the "Action Points" (AP) available to perform the action. This turn mechanic provides 6 APs to spend per turn, before finishing the turn with an optional "Festival" at one of their developer-occupied cities. Said festivals earn rulers big "fame points" (and those are whatcha want to win the game!). In order to throw (or participate in) a festival, the players must play at least one "Festival" card from their hand that matches the top card in the deck; This represents the only real element of chance in the game.

The game ends when three-hex tiles are exhausted, and then "fame points" are tabulated based on who dominates the most territories by literally holding the high ground.

The Review:
Java is a thinking woman's game (or man, whatever). Don't expect to pick up this game for a casual get-together or a breezy night of gaming, since most players will experience extreme Analysis Paralysis every turn. The Best Husband in the World and I have already agreed that this game is reserved for just the two of us, since we'd have to punch anyone else in the face for taking so long each turn. As it was, a fairly stupidly played game (I kept letting him cut off my cities into little villages) took us 90 minutes. And as our strategies develop, I anticipate this only lengthening.


Now, don't think I'm complaining! For all of the "Paralysis" and popcorn throwing (and Jeopardy! theme humming) that went on during our games, each turn was exciting and smile-inducing. Each of us found cunning and delightful places to stack tiles that the other person hadn't yet anticipated.

And what about that chance element? Annoying, sure. Most of us don't like to have craftily-played games trounced by chance card draws. And the fame-point-rich Festivals can have a significant impact on the game, especially if you get gonged a few times. During the last game we played, I was frozen out of Festivals for the second half of the lengthy game, and I fear that was an agent in my sad loss to the Best Husband in the World. But is it a deal breaker? No. Most of the time, the Festivals do not play a large enough role, and the odds are stacked neatly in favor of all players. I chalk up my experience to a rare fluke (I hope!).

How does this compare to other games? Compared to most games in my closet, this is definitely lengthier and requires a serious mental commitment to the game (read: No shows with Nathan Fillion can be on in the background). But I love the unique twist on what I have viewed as classic tile-laying play from games such as Carcassonne. Your brain will be pushed to think in new dimensions and to fight ruthlessly against your opponents (so no playing with anyone deemed "sensitive"!). Overall, for a long winter night's tete-a-tete with someone you love (to screw over), this game is magnificent. [Twists handlebar mustache devilishly]

Game: Java
Creator: M. Kiesling and W. Kramer
Publisher: Rio Grande Games

GRADE: A-