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The Settlers of Palestine
Yeah, yeah, there's an "Other Games" forum, I know, but it's kinda dead in there. Has anybody else played this awesome game? If you haven't, it's hard to explain, but basically, all the players are Israeli politicians, putting down settlements on land which is rightfully theirs, sort of, and trying to build up a primitive economy so they can earn "election points." The first player to get ten election points wins.
So, how do you get election points? A lot of ways. First, every settlement is worth one or more, depending on its size. You buy settlements (and everything else) with Food, People, Money and Zionist Rhetoric, raised by existing settlements. You also get election points for building the longest length of wall or hiring the largest peacekeeping force (which are purchased with the same four resources).
But what really mixes it up are the event cards. If you have enough Money and Zionist Rhetoric, you can buy a draw off the deck. Here's what you can get:
-PALESTINIAN SQUATTERS. Uh-oh, there are some politically inconvenient people in the 'hood! Whoever draws this card can foist this off on another player's spot, where they will, most annoyingly, prevent any resources from being harvested until either the card is drawn and used again or the player uses up a peacekeeping force to relocate them.
-GRUMPY FOREIGN DIPLOMAT SPEECH. This card can be inflicted like the P.S., but all it does is prevent the struck player from buying anything for one turn. It doesn't really affect gameplay that much, and to be honest I think they could have just left it out of the deck.
-INTIFADA. Now we're talking! One enemy settlement gets reduced in size by one, or removed entirely if it's size one.
-PUBLIC RELATIONS NIGHTMARE. Oops, somebody just demolished a building with the Arabs still in it--and it was a preschool! Unlike the previous three cards, this card affects whoever draws it, and it counts as -2 election points. It's aggravatingly common for such a devastating draw (there are three in the deck), but it does discourage people from spamming event cards.
-PEACE TALKS. As an incentive for good behavior, the U.S. gives you three units of money, which you can use to buy soldiers, walls or additional settlements.
-ARCHEOLOGICAL DISCOVERY. This coveted card produces one unit of Zionist Rhetoric per turn for the rest of the game! True, Z.R. is the most common resource, but this card is immensely valuable nonetheless.
There were some other cards, too, but I don't remember what. I've only just started playing, and already I'm hooked--I feel like I could play this little game for years and not get bored!
So, how do you get election points? A lot of ways. First, every settlement is worth one or more, depending on its size. You buy settlements (and everything else) with Food, People, Money and Zionist Rhetoric, raised by existing settlements. You also get election points for building the longest length of wall or hiring the largest peacekeeping force (which are purchased with the same four resources).
But what really mixes it up are the event cards. If you have enough Money and Zionist Rhetoric, you can buy a draw off the deck. Here's what you can get:
-PALESTINIAN SQUATTERS. Uh-oh, there are some politically inconvenient people in the 'hood! Whoever draws this card can foist this off on another player's spot, where they will, most annoyingly, prevent any resources from being harvested until either the card is drawn and used again or the player uses up a peacekeeping force to relocate them.
-GRUMPY FOREIGN DIPLOMAT SPEECH. This card can be inflicted like the P.S., but all it does is prevent the struck player from buying anything for one turn. It doesn't really affect gameplay that much, and to be honest I think they could have just left it out of the deck.
-INTIFADA. Now we're talking! One enemy settlement gets reduced in size by one, or removed entirely if it's size one.
-PUBLIC RELATIONS NIGHTMARE. Oops, somebody just demolished a building with the Arabs still in it--and it was a preschool! Unlike the previous three cards, this card affects whoever draws it, and it counts as -2 election points. It's aggravatingly common for such a devastating draw (there are three in the deck), but it does discourage people from spamming event cards.
-PEACE TALKS. As an incentive for good behavior, the U.S. gives you three units of money, which you can use to buy soldiers, walls or additional settlements.
-ARCHEOLOGICAL DISCOVERY. This coveted card produces one unit of Zionist Rhetoric per turn for the rest of the game! True, Z.R. is the most common resource, but this card is immensely valuable nonetheless.
There were some other cards, too, but I don't remember what. I've only just started playing, and already I'm hooked--I feel like I could play this little game for years and not get bored!
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