Batavia
$49.99
Batavia at a Glance
| Game Type Economic, Nautical, Auction/Bidding, Stock Holding | Play Time 45 mins | Skill/Complexity (2 - 5) Light |
| Age 10+ | Publisher(s) Queen Games | Published 2008 |
| Categories Family / Strategy | Players 3 - 5 | Rules Manual Official Rules PDF |
| Our Rating 7/10 | Cost $49.99 |
About – Description
Batavia is a game based around the East India Companies and players take on the role of a merchant who visits many trading posts in Asia.
The game was created in 2008 and designed by Dan Glimne and Grzegorz Rejchtman while it is aimed at players who are aged 10 and over. This strategy based family game takes around an hour to play and is suitable for up to five players.
Who’s it best suited for?
This is a game that is perfect for families and those who enjoy strategy games due to the way in which players have to move throughout the game.
This auction style game is also suitable for families with younger players and so, it could be seen to have an educational aspect to it, especially as it does have an element of history as well.
Skill – Complexity
Batavia is considered to be around average in terms of complexity and that is because it does have a strategy element to it where players have to think about their next move and how they navigate through the game.
There is no knowledge required to play the game other than perhaps some experience of playing strategy based games although this is not required as it is suitable for a younger audience.
Therefore, while this is not a difficult game to play, it is one that does require some thought to succeed.
Set Up – Gameplay and Basic Rules
The game consists of 35 trading posts, 1 target counter, 1 die, 75 promissory notes, 60 commodities, 5 merchant figures, 5 counting pieces, 110 ship cards, 1 ship, 1 cannon, 5 ship cubes, 5 company seals, and the Batavia board game rules and instructions.
Each player takes on the role of a merchant and the first player rolls the die and turns over a number of ship cards that correspond with the roll of the die. The cards are then auctioned off with the highest bidder being the person who starts the round. Players then make moves around the board traveling to trading posts the most lucrative goods that they could get hold of.
The idea is for each player to trade these for other goods that will eventually earn them the most gold at the end of the game.
This introduction video is very useful…….
Other Versions, Editions or Expansions Available?
A Batavia Queen English edition was released in 2016 but as this is still a relatively new game, there have not been any further special editions or expansion packs released just yet.
Likes & Dislikes
- Nice artwork.
- Players enjoy the way in which the game can be played quickly while some believe that the simplicity over the way in which they can play the game makes it desirable for many.
- Highly interactive game that engages players together without downtime and just about the right amount of play time.
- Some players do feel as though the rules can prove difficult to teach.
- It is not really a memorable game that you want to shout about, however, it is good and worth playing.
Final Thoughts
Despite this being a strategy game, players do not have to make too many choices when it comes to the way that they play the game. It is lightweight and simple enough for young players to pick up, giving families the chance to enjoy a strategy based game together.
