Carnival Game Board Game

Picked this game up on a discounted whim, as I liked the weight of the box and the look of the graphics. Figured why not? Turns out, this is one of the best games I've picked up this year.Carnival is a beautiful game where you attempt to construct 4 of your 5 carnival rides before anyone else. To do this, you try to gather and play all four parts of at least four of your rides on your Midway, hoping that other players don't steal those parts for their own rides. Of course, your opponents don't know if they'll even be able to steal from you on their turn, as that decision depends on a dice roll. AND, even if one of their three rolled actions would allow them to steal from your Midway, maybe their other options are better. Steal from your hand? Take the top card of the discard? Maybe just draw a card, even. They only get to pick two of the three they rolled, after all. Though.. maybe they will try to steal from your carefully laid parts, only to be BLOCKED when you spend one of your 3 tickets! Granted, if you use up all your tickets blocking actions, re-rolling dice and changing pips, the only way to ensure the safety your ride's part is to complete the ride without using any Wild cards.As you might be able to tell, Carnival has a different mechanic when it comes to what actions a player may chose to do on their turn. The best part is this mechanic is not only unique, it's actually fun. A whiff of fresh air in a game world obsessed with deck building and resource allocation (Don't get me wrong, I love deck building and resource allocation games, but sometimes a girl needs something new!) It adds a chaotic chance to your action selection, with just a hint of an illusion of control to make you keep waiting to play again and again.I've played several times now with just 2 players and I keep wanting to play it again and again. 3 player game worked just as well, excited to try out a four player match. We've had games run 20 minutes to 40, and there are ways to shorten the duration if desired. This is a great between-games game, for those game nights that run into the wee mornings.Highlights:The art is simple and gorgeous; the cards are durable and slick; the dice are wooden! The pieces and parts are all beautiful in their own right, but combine for a fun new take on a direct-competitive card game.Bottom Line/tl;dr:Carnival is solid, little box, big hit game for 2-4 players that plays in about 30 minutes. Directly competitive strategy with semi-random action selection mechanic makes this a refreshing change from your usual favorites. Good for kids 11+, adults sober to not. Must have for the game collectors stash.

Awesome game!