The Great Zimbabwe

I had left it on the shelf because I had convinced myself it was heavy and difficult. In the end, the only genuinely difficult thing was reading the rulebook, with the background and typeface the lads chose. Once we got past that, we set it up, explained it quickly, and the cattle market began.

At the table, the game put us in a distinctly economic frame of mind, with the Temple and the offerings brought by its faithful becoming part of the conversation as we planned our moves. The first game went far more smoothly than our group usually does: we played almost carebear-style, with no hang-ups and no hatred.

That does not mean interaction is absent. There were some fine seat-swaps from the heathen opponents, but they were only a taste of what the game appears to allow. The drunken god swept us along and left us completely exposed; next time, though, I expect blood, because there is plenty of room to hit the others where it hurts.

The Great Zimbabwe has crazy depth and is definitely worth returning to with a less peaceable attitude. With five, it may be even more epic—I do not know, but I want to find out. After the necessary break for beef skewers and mutton, we also looked at DRCongo, but the right preparation had not been made; that will wait for another time. The plan, however, remains economic.