Transatlantic

A strong gaming weekend ended exactly as it should have, with a favourite Gerdts title. I understand why plenty of people place it next to Concordia and dismiss it as a dry imitation, but I think that description does it a disservice. This was my fourth time playing it and, so far, it has left me with the same pleasant feeling every time.

In the classic ruleset, the central dilemma I notice is when to turn my hand over. Waiting is rewarded, so this is not merely a procedural move: you need to read when it benefits you to hold off, and when you simply cannot postpone it any longer.

This time I tried the ribbons variant for the first time. I liked it, although I am not yet sure I prefer it to the classic system. In any case, the game has enough interaction that choices at the table do not become a solitary exercise, while its strategic depth keeps those decisions interesting.

I would not call it better merely because it resembles Concordia, nor worse because some people see a family resemblance. For me, Transatlantic stands perfectly well on its own: pleasant, honest, and substantial enough that I want to come back to it again.