Review
Caylus
Caylus is still a lean, tightly constructed German-style euro whose mechanisms need no decorative excess. Its pivotal building races will not suit everyone, but they go a long way towards explaining its reputation.
- Published
- 2005
- Designer
- William Attia
- Publisher
- Ystari Games, Brain Games, Edge Entertainment
- Players
- 2–5
- Playing time
- 150 min
Caylus has the sort of old-school clarity that makes one wonder why so many newer designs insist on adding another layer. It is an honest, minimalist German-style euro: its systems lock together without fuss, with a little of Wallace’s stern economy and none of the need to show off.
The game’s centre is the contest for buildings that turn your choices into progress and, eventually, points. There is little room for leisurely development simply because it looks appealing; each building matters because of the way it connects to the rest.
The interesting decision is which building to pursue before someone else does, particularly when a vital resource has to pass through a bottleneck such as the gold mine.
TheTrainSpotter
Interaction comes through access and competition. The interesting decision is which building to pursue before someone else does, particularly when a vital resource has to pass through a bottleneck such as the gold mine. At that point Caylus becomes less a quiet construction exercise than a careful argument over who reaches the right door first.
I was not entirely won over by the prospect of one large scoring building launching a player ahead, especially when access to it is decided by such chokepoints. Even so, this is a very agreeable, disciplined design, and its accolades seem entirely earned.
Even so, this is a very agreeable, disciplined design, and its accolades seem entirely earned.
TheTrainSpotter
Source: BoardGameGeek
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