Brian M
United States
Grand Ledge
Michigan
Tasteless Brute
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I first played Thebes over two years ago, and I've played it many times since then. Now, when someone starts off a review this way, I guess it's natural to think "Ah, so this guy is some venerable sage who has played this game dozens of times and is a true expert on it. Let us sit down and listen to his wise opinion". At least, that's how we reviewers hope you react.
But no, I am not a wisened Thebes veteran. I've only played this game a handful of times over the years, but with each new session, my enjoyment of the game goes up a little bit. This game gets a pretty bad rep for being "all random, no skill", so let's dive in and see what it has to offer.
courtesy pHr0sT
Playing the game
The premise of Thebes is that a bunch of eager archaeologists are scouring the lands for rare artifacts to show off at museums. The execution is less Indiana Jones and more Gertrude Bell. If you don't know who Gertrude Bell is, then that probably is a good indication of the sort of archaeology you can expect in this game. You aren't raiding temples. You aren't running from infuriated tribal warriors. You're a scholarly archaeologist hoping to make some valuable discoveries. When you "dig", you reach into the cloth bag of the appropriate color and you blindly grab the number of tokens you're entitled to. Some of these are blank (sand), and others have treasures printed on them. These treasures give you points, and you can also use them to grab some extra points in Exhibitions.
However, nabbing ancient treasure isn't the only thing you do in this game. No, you still need to return to Europe and show off the goodies. There are a number of Exhibitions in Europe that require a certain number of certain colors (types) of treasures, and if you can make it back in time while also having the appropriate type/number of treasures, you claim that Exhibition card, netting you a fat whollop of points. In addition, a good archaeologist also needs to be a good historian. If you want, you can certainly run around haphazardly, burning up your time and digging up anything and everything, but it is best to spend some time in Europe researching the various cultures, a.k.a earning Book cards that allow you to draw extra tokens. Plus, at the end of the game, having the most in a particular color of Books earns you some bonus points.
But that's not all. If you know anything about our world, then you know that the people who talk about discoveries can make just as big of a name for themselves as the people who actually make the discoveries. You can spend a bit of time on the lecture circuit in Europe, and if you grab enough of these lecture cards ("Congress" cards), you'll get a massive bonus at the end of the game. This is yet another way to earn points. I've even won the game using these lecture cards.
All of these gameplay mechanics are driven by a simple - but interesting - time track. Everything is driven by the time track, even the turn order. How it works is you move around the map (taking time) and then you take an action (taking more time). The simpler actions like taking a card or turning in an Exhibition usually don't take up much time at all. The digs are what eat up your time, and time management is often what will win you the game. Before reaching into the cloth bag to search for treasure, you have to wager some time on your time dial. The more time you wager, the more tokens you get to draw, but of course, the more time you spend, the longer it will be before you get to take another turn. And spending a lot of time does not guarantee you'll grab a good treasure. You might get a handful of sand. That's just how the game works.
Some people hate the dependence on luck. As for me, I think the luck is what makes the game interesting. The very real risk of grabbing a handful of worthless sand is what makes banking it all on a huge dig and seeing a huge payoff all the more satisfying. This is a game of risk-versus-reward, and gambling your time can really leave you in the dust (pun intended) or it can earn you a big haul of treasure. I mean, that's what makes games interesting, right? If there is no risk of failure then success feels hollow.
courtesy scottredracecar
After the first impressions
Thebes is a very luck-driven game, but it would be a lie to say that luck determines the winner. There are plenty of ways to mitigate the luck, and it is usually the player who has also gone to Exhibitions, done lectures, and gathered Books who wins the game. Still, the spine of the gameplay involves blindly ruffling through a cloth bag while hoping to find some treasures, so there's a major element of luck here. You have tools at your disposal to make educated decisions on how much luck is involved, though. For instance, there are cards that display the quantity and the value of the treasures in each color. So, if you look around the table and see that a ton of Purple treasures have been claimed, you know that your chances of grabbing a Purple treasure - instead of sand - are slim.
Thematically, it all makes sense. You're digging aroudn in the dirt. There's no guarantee that you'll come out on top. That's just how it works in archaology, I suppose, but those who do their homework (by gathering Books and Shovels) will be able to draw more tiles while spending less time, meaning that you have a higher chance of drawing the treasures you need. Thebes is a game of racing around the map grabbing Books, grabbing treasures, and trying to grab Exhibitions before someone else does. The rules are quite simple, making it a great family game or gateway game.
I can't neglect to talk about the components. Thebes is a very nice game on the eyes. The board fits the theme well. The cards are bright. The tokens all have unique treasures from their particular ancient cultures. The time dials are built of sturdy cardboard. The cloth bags are an especially nice touch. You definitely feel like you've bought a quality product when you open up the board and punch the components. My favorite components are the little colored "archaeologist" meeples.
courtesy kilroy_locke
The Verdict
The first few times I played Thebes I was not too impressed. I didn't hate the game, but I wasn't chomping at the bit to play it again. After buying it and playing it many more times, I've come to appreciate it for what it is. It's a unique, very thematic game, and it just feels good to play. Even if you're getting screwed over with the tile draws, it's still fun knowing that you might draw that awesome high-value treasure during your next dig and win the game at the very last breath.
With a lot of players, the game drags on a bit too much and I think you'd need to have a group of die-hard Thebes fans (or a family with younger kids) to make the 4-player mode enjoyable. With 2 or 3 people, it's a brisk little game that's a lot of fun. It won't elbow out your heavier Euros or your dice-rolling, card-drawing thematic games, but Thebes still fills a niche and it's a worthy addition to your collection.
Thanks for reading!
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Sheldon Morris
Canada
Elora
Ontario
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I share your sentiments of this game. I've enjoyed it more and more with each play (not as many plays as I'd like, but hey, I have a few games like that). Every time this game hits the table I look forward to playing it.
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Andy Andersen
United States
Newark
Delaware
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Thanks for writing. My wife and I have played this once and she said "no more, it's too simple." But I'll talk her into trying again soon after reading your review.
Thank you.
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Mike Clarke
Canada
New Westminster
B.C.
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Hey Brian nice review. I've had Thebes since the year it was published too, but last week I traded it and Castle Ravenloft both for Phil Ecklund's High Frontier and the Expansion. (Yeah the guy thought he made out like a bandit because he got substantially more stuff)
I'm happy with that trade. Truth be told I wasn't playing either one. Like Orangemoose's wife there I found Thebes too simple for my tastes (although I agree it does its theme well)and Castle Ravenloft was just too one dimensional.
Your review however, reminds me of everything I liked about Thebes. I never found it too random. After all, life is random. And so is digging for treasure. As you also point out, there are ways of mitigating that in the game. It's a beautiful looking game too, but for me, it just lacked tension.
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Brian M
United States
Grand Ledge
Michigan
Tasteless Brute
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Orangemoose wrote: Thank you.
You're welcome!
mikecl wrote: It's a beautiful looking game too, but for me, it just lacked tension.
Yes, it does indeed lack any meaningful tension. I mean, I suppose you could play rather aggressively by snatching away cards or going after the same colors as other people, but it almost feels like a waste to expend so much effort of that sort into this kind of game (if you really want to play aggressively, there are better games to play).
So yeah, I know exactly what you mean.
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Nice review.
I found this a great game to play whilst catching up with friends. It's easy to play and chat at the same time but there is enough going on to be interesting.
I'm starting to think of a game collection in the same way as a music collection. And, for me, this is a top-shelf background music game.
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Justus Pang
United States
Houston
Texas
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Yeah I like the marriage of theme and mechanics a lot, but it was too lucky heavy for my gf and just luck heavy enough for me its fallen off of the wishlist....the only reason it still lurks at times is because it IS such a nice marriage of theme and mechanics.
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Kevin B. Smith
United States
Margate
Florida
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An outstanding review, and very well said.
Our first game was 4p, and did run long. I enjoyed the game, but didn't love it, and nobody else at the table wanted to play again. I was able to play a few more times, and liked it aside from the length. It wasn't until I played it with another person who knew Thebes well, and had our 2p game finish in a brisk 45 minutes, that I saw what a good game it could be. It's definitely better with 2 than with 4 (I haven't tried with 3 yet).
Sure there is luck, but that's no different from games with dice. With Thebes, there are many things you can do to improve your odds. Plus one could argue that the card draws can screw you as much as the chit pulls. Anyone who argues that there is little to no strategy/tactics is not paying attention.
The time track mechanic is one of the very best mechanics in all of board gaming. Dreadfully underused.
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Chris Copac
United States
Hudson
OH
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I just got done playing the game for the first time ever with 4p. I loved it. It may just be because we were learning it for the first time, but is it normal to not claim many exhibits? In our game, I think three were claimed, two small, and one big. We may have spent too much time redrawing the 4 research cards. Overall, again, I loved it and hope to play it again to see where we may have played too inefficiently,
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