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I am currently stoned. No, not that, you naughty Nellies! I mean that I am filled to the brim with gorgeous, chunky, colourful, patterned tiles. Having recently binged on Mandala Stones like a squirrel let loose in a nut factory, I am very happy indeed.
Why? Well, I’m an out and proud abstract strategy game fan. Games don’t have to be beautiful to tick my boxes. They just have to be full of thinky goodness. They need to give me a dose of Vitamin Crunch!
But, when colour, patterns, and abstract strategy collide, the planets in my gaming universe align. And not even meddling Mercury can mess things up! Think Calico, Sagrada, Azul, Azul Summer Pavilion, Azul Sta…..ok, so basically all the Azuls. You get the pretty picture.
Mandala Stones is another example of how crunch and colour can make sweet music together. Or, rather, a beautiful work of art!
Plus it fills a void in my own gaming collection which I didn’t realise was there until, well, it wasn’t anymore. Whilst I can puzzle over some abstracts for bordering an hour plus when time permits, this is a lighter, faster but still thinky game.
Stone Me That’s Simple…..Or Is It?
The rules are very simple; either you can (a) pick stones from the main board by moving the artist pillar, collecting those matching that pattern, and adding them to one of the scoring spaces on your player board. Note that you can’t take tiles sitting between two artists pillars.
As the HTP guide details, each scoring space criteria is different. You must also pick in a clockwise order and stack them in the order you took them. Oh and you can’t add to it later.
Alternatively, so long as at least two stacks have a top stone of a matching colour, you can (b) select a stack of stones you have formed on your player board and score it, adding those tiles to the swirly scoring board afterwards. There is a third option to score single top stones to clear some space but that’s pretty much the crux.
Gorgeously Gritty
Although your first few games will probably focus on matching patterns to get as many stones as you can each turn, it quickly become apparent that the order in which you pick stones from the board is crucial. Why? Because this is a game where you need to be thinking ahead. 2, 3, even 4 moves ahead if you want to score big.
Picking to layer up tiles to meet VP scoring conditions AND needing two top stones to match in colour means that your synchronising powers will be tested. If you can’t stack your tile piles in complimentary ways ahead of time, you are going to have to go for some short sharp scores in order to wipe the slate clean and start picking again.
Add in matching stone patterns to constantly moving artists, the adjacency rule, and the possibility that your opponents are sacrificing the big points through grabbing those mandala bonuses by simply scoring a few tiles at a time, and you’ve got pretty predicaments!
And just when you think your brain has had enough kaleidoscopic crunch, your secret objectives are also sitting in front of you, waiting to be worked on to ensure VP bonuses at end-game time.
Pebble-Dash
The racing element and quick-fire scoring option were pleasant surprises to me. Being able to take the heat off by scoring a few tiles when needed is welcome respite. Conversely, having the option to sprint into the end-zone before your opponents have got into their groove, is a useful tactic.
Stone Chippings
I do have a few minor niggles with this game. The tile stacking can be a little bit fiddly. Knocking them over during set up and in-game happened several times at our table. The player boards are also a little thin. For a game with such beautiful attention to detail on the stones and patterns, the quality of the player boards was a wee duff note The main boards are, however, thicker, and the card stock and bag are fine.
Interestingly, the rulebook refers to “red stones”. I don’t think it is my eyes, but the stones appear to be blue, pink, purple, and yellow. I presume the production process therefore has altered the colour slightly, but I am not complaining – the bright pink pops! A colour based game is not going to appeal to everyone, of course, and I don’t know how user-friendly it is for gamers with Colour Vision Deficiency (CVD).
Final Thoughts
Overall, however, I love this game. And in fact, I am working out a way in my head to play it solo. No official solo mode exists, but I don’t want a lack of opponents to stop me from playing it. I don’t think it will replace Azul for us, although it does have gorgeous, chunky tiles and can be hate-drafter’s dream. But it doesn’t have to be. It stands on its own merits and is enjoyable for being Mandala Stones!
