David Boeren
United States
Marietta
Georgia
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Title says it all. The quoted time is 120 minutes but I've heard that the time varies a lot with the number of players. It sounds like 3 is slowest by far and we can avoid that.
But once you know how to play can you get through a 2p game in 60 minutes? 75? 90?
What about a solo game, how long does that take if you're skilled?
Also, is is possible to enjoy this game on a casual level (it's a 3.2 for weight so maybe?), or do you have to be willing to play in brow-furrowing mode?
Thanks! From what I've seen this may be an overlooked gem but want to make sure it's appropriate for us.
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Ken Thibodeau
Canada
Quebec
Quebec
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I think 90 minutes is possible if you're fast. But 120 minutes is more like it. It's not a brain burner but you always have tight decisions to make. Every penny in the game is hard fought. I concur that this game is underestimated. Everygame is really tight, due to the nature of scoring VPs.
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Maarten D. de Jong
Netherlands
Zaandam
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dboeren wrote: But once you know how to play can you get through a 2p game in 60 minutes? 75? 90?
75 sounds about right. The first learning game will take a bit longer, and as you get more familiar with the special cards in the deck (of which there aren't many), I think another 5 to 10 minutes can be shaved off. It's a fairly quick game, really.
Quote: What about a solo game, how long does that take if you're skilled?
Never played solo, so can't comment.
Quote: Also, is is possible to enjoy this game on a casual level (it's a 3.2 for weight so maybe?), or do you have to be willing to play in brow-furrowing mode?
Weight is a next to useless indicator of what to expect from a game—the number doesn't tell you anything more than a look at material and rules will already tell you. So you'll have to do it the old-fashioned way, I'm afraid, which is relying on the word of other gamers  .
You can play Loyang quite casually, but you'll quickly realise that the very nature of this game demands that you challenge yourself. It is, first and foremost, a puzzle game: your objective is to squeeze as many points as possible from a fairly straightforward resource-to-VP conversion engine. You need to develop a keen sense of efficiency, and deal with the anti-efficiency pinpricks of your opponent while doling out some yourself. Finishes can be exceedingly tight as a consequence, with things not always clear as to why someone won. I've seen games won or lost on a difference of 1 cash on a total of about 100 made. That's really not a lot. It also means that an aformentioned pinprick can cost you the game without you knowing it until the end.
Summarising, the game is in how far you want to push yourself. If you're not really interested in this, then Loyang is not likely to be an appropriate choice. If you are, then you will find a balancing act emphasising subtlety rather than (rules) complexity. This is also, I think, the reason why Loyang is generally regarded as the least of the 'Harvest Trilogy' games: it isn't about showering the players with possibilities until they drown in them. It is about taking a fairly simple and short process, and masterfully executing it to perfection.
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Dan C
United States
Florida
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I can knock out a solo game in about an hour. In my experience, 2p is around two hours.
Never played 3p or 4p, but the downtime seems like it would be brutal.
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Jimmy Okolica
United States
Washington Township
Ohio
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My 2-player is limited, but I'd say 75 is about right. Solo ply can take about 45 minutes if you know what you're doing.
Personally, I find this game to be of the brow furrowing kind. As already said, every dollar counts so trying to figure out how to get one extra dollar is critical. I completely concur that Loyang is an under-rated gem. It is my favorite solo brain-burner (although it may be about to be replaced by Mage Knight)
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Ben
United States
Washington
Dist of Columbia
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90 for two players, in my experience.
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Only played solo so far.......about 45-60 minutes. Really like this game. Looking forward to breaking it out with my wife.
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Richard Bright
United States
Rancho Cordova
California
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It all depends on who you are playing with. My wife and I played this once together (she is not a gamer at all) and our game, with teaching, was about 75 minutes. I've had both 3p and 4p games last about 90-120. Rarely players with AP stretch this into the 150-180 range, but some coaxing and/or a turn timer can keep this from happening.
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David Boeren
United States
Marietta
Georgia
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Thanks for all the replies so far, very helpful. Special thanks to cymric for an excellent description of the spirit of the game.
The question about casual play is mainly the "will my wife play it?" sort of thing. I'm hoping to pitch it to her as sort of an "Advanced Jambo", as she likes that game - does that seem at all apt as a description? All I really need is to get her to try it and then see if it sticks, but not to scare her in advance by claiming it's a complicated game. She actually seems to like puzzle-ish games of the "trade things for other things" sort like Jambo and Bazaar so I'm hoping this might fit. Getting it done in 90 minutes or less will also help my case. 75, if we can achieve it, would be even better but I don't expect to get there the first game if at all. I'm totally willing to play quicker and get a lower score to keep it more wife-friendly.
And hey, if it doesn't work for her, I've got me a nice solitaire game anyway 
I saw an opened copy at the local game store (belongs to the owner I think), I'll try to swing by soon and see if I can either find an opponent willing to try it or ask him to let me borrow it.
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