Mandala boardgame review

 A while ago me and Noshi tried out one of the 2 player games we recently obtained in the newly started collection of boardgames, Mandala.

 

 

Released in 2019 by 999 Games overhere, this is a game of colours and tension.

 

To be honest, I was so focused on the game of colour combining that I actually forgot to take a picture of it mid-game, so you will have to do with an opened box one below, appologies.

 

In Mandala, you try to combine colours on a cloth gaming board.  Divided into a mountain, a field and a river, while you also have a chalice for points calculation at the end, you must build and destroy Mandala's.

This is done by trying to put the 6 colours in a Mandala, wether on the mountain or in your field, and the player with the most cards in the field gets first pick of the cards on the mountain.  By doing so, you will fill your river in the sequence you acquire colours from the mountain, and the later you get a new colour, the higher it's points value, and the cards you have in your chalice are the actual ones scoring.

 

This goes on until one player completes his river, or until the draw deck runs out, in which case a new stack is formed with the discarded cards from both players fields.  After the first Mandala is then completed, the game ends.

 

 

As you play with two mandala at all times, you have to take into account not only which colours go where, but also if it is intresting to complete it yourself to start picking the colour cards lying on it's mountain.  That way you not only need to see if they are good for you, but also if your opponent doesn't obtain to much of the colour cards high on his or her scoring river.

 

A fun and abstract game, it requires an intense focus to try and take the win, while never going to overcompetitive.  You can bluff a little for not just yet completing a mandala, or ending it swiftly to prevent the mountain becoming to filled up, but in the end you are also playing against the clock of the draw deck.  That way you can't stall forever, and forces you to avoid having a to low river count.

 

Great fun for certain!