Zapotec

After the previous release from the same company, Zapotec continues in the same vein: a light-medium game of about an hour in which we build pyramids — apparently the cathedrals of 2022. Where its cousin initially gave me a somewhat slapdash impression, this one feels much more tightly put together, both in design and in flow. Everyone is trying to become the most renowned Zapotec architect, building houses and pyramids, while not hesitating to put a few neighbours to the blade for victory points and divine favour.

The core is the set of 27 action cards, divided between the players and the shared offer. Each round, we play one card, which simultaneously activates a row or column on our personal 3x3 production grid, sets the initiative order and —most importantly— determines what we can build and where. I really like that these functions are not separate: choosing a card is, all at once, a production choice, a timing choice and a construction-plan choice.

The game ends quickly, since we effectively play five cards before heading to final scoring. Even so, resource production rises almost exponentially, so the later rounds are noticeably richer in actions than the early ones. That gives the game a respectable amount of brain burn, with tough choices and usually close scores for everyone who has remained in the race. Interaction also comes through the card distribution: if you do not get the right cards, or if the faster cards help you less, your plan can go wrong early.

This is also my main reservation. By the third round, what you are supposed to do feels overly specific: two houses in the same row or column in the first round, with production of at least one gold, then four houses total in the second round with all resources covered. Through either a mistake or an unlucky card deal, you can miss the train and become a spectator for the rest of the game. Thankfully, it is short and can be set up again immediately for a rematch. Overall, it is a good game that, for me, stands alongside Furnace in enjoyment, duration and brain burn, despite sharing no mechanisms with it. I recommend it, with one reservation about replayability.