Glen More -- More! More! More!

[Gerald]

Glen More is a two to five player game published by Ravensburger and Rio Grande Games.  It is part of the Alea Medium Box series, and is designed by Matthias Cramer (who also recently designed Lancaster, which is a KdJ nominee).  A game lasts around forty-five to sixty minutes, depending on the number and the type of players.

Glen More is a game about seventeenth century Scottish clans looking to expand its territory and its wealth. 

COMPONENTS:
The version I have is by Ravensburger (German version).  The game comes with a bunch of wooden meeples, eighteen cards (though card is really understatement as they're more like thick tiles shaped as cards), wooden cubes in various colors, an "AI" dice (used for two or three player games), a board, small wooden whiskey kegs/barrels, cardboard money and victory points, alot of square tiles, and a rulebook.

Picture Taken By: Harald Schrapers || Taken From the BGG Database

The board and the cardboard tokens and the tiles (with the exception of the "card" tiles) are a bit flimsy... thinner than your usual euro cardboard fare.  That is not to say that they are not durable (as this has yet to be ascertained), merely that they are not within the norm that I am used to. 

The wooden components are of equal quality with most euros, nothing new or groundbreaking here.  They are functional... 'nuff said.  I only wish the components were similar to the ones pictured below... would've served the game better.

Picture Taken By: André Kretzschmar || Taken From the BGG Database

The artwork on the other hand is quite nice, and fits very well within the theme of the game.  Since the rulebook was in German, I was provided a printed copy of the English rules by the nice people I bought the game from, so I cannot comment on the clarity of the provided rulebook.

Overall, the quality of the components range from average to slightly sub par.

GAMEPLAY:
This is where Glen More really shines.  Though it borrows heavily from alot of pre-existing mechanics, the designer combined them very well and produced a game that delivers a breath of fresh air. 

The initial setup varies slightly from a two or three player game compared to a four or five player game.  But basically, you lay out the main board in the middle of the table, layout the tiles labelled "0" (and "1" if needed) until you reach one square shy of the last meeple.  Each player is given six coins initially, along with a starting village tile and a chieftain/black colored meeple. 

The last player/meeple in line gets to go first and chooses a tile he/she likes.  He/she then draws a new tile to put on the tile behind him/her before he/she moved.  So, in the picture below, it'll be yellow's turn to do his/her turn.

Picture Submitted By: Werner Bär || Taken From the BGG Database

You then lay your chosen tiles down onto your village tableau.  The tile you lay down (along with every other tile adjacent [diagonally or orthogonally} to it) activates and the active player reaps the rewards.

What you're trying to achieve by picking and laying tiles is to build a village in your tableau (pictured below) that'll help you score in the three scoring rounds that occur each time a stack of tiles run out.  There are three ways to score.  One is having whiskey barrels, another is in having special tiles/buildings and the other is in promoting chieftains.  Basically, you compare the number you have of each, compare it with the player with the FEWEST of each category and subtract accordingly.  The total will yield a certain amount of points, depending on a chart that's printed on the board.

Picture Submitted By: Bruce Murphy || Taken From the BGG Database

At the end of three rounds, you also tabulate how much coins you earned (each coin is worth one point) and players with the biggest villages get a penalty (apparently, you're trying to be efficient but not large)... and that's it.  That's basically how the game works.  I skipped over a nuance or two, but this should give you a feel for how the game plays.

As you can probably deduce, gameplay is quite simple, and after a game or two, you should have the hang of it.  Its important to know what each special tile/building does, but that just comes naturally with numerous plays.

COMPARING IT TO OTHER SIMILAR GAMES:

It can't be helped, but Glen More is bound to be compared to other tile laying games like Infinite City and Carcassonne.  Like other tile laying games, there is an element of luck and randomness to Glen More.  Sometimes, what you need just never comes out at the right time... but on the upside, the same element of luck and randomness does add to the replayability and unpredictability of the game. 

Unlike Carcassonne however, where players build on a central board... in Glen More you each get to build your own villages and construct it just the way you like (more or less). 

The viciousness in Carcassonne rears its ugly head in Glen More as well, though in a different way.  In Carcassonne, its all about positioning your meeples in the board and limiting the points your opponents can get.  In Glen More, its still in the positioning of the meeples, but this time, you're trying to deny your opponents their respective tiles while at the same time choosing one that's beneficial to you as well.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Glen More is a good game that can either be considered part of the entree or as an appetizer, heck probably even dessert.  It fills its role well as a quick go-to game you can play as a filler or while waiting for someone to come... or as a solid way to end a gaming night.

The simple mechanics and easy rules make this an excellent gateway game as well (I've personally thought it to a lot of non-gamers and have gotten very positive feedback). 

Be sure to not miss out on this gem when Rio Grande releases its next printing.  A good, good game that any gamer should be proud to have in his/her repertoire.