Joel Eddy
United States
Coeur d'Alene
ID
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This is the tenth in a series of written reviews to counter balance my Video Review Series. Starting with my 50th Video Review, I will go back and re-review a game that I originally reviewed "50 videos ago". Hopefully, I can include insights I've learned from playing the game after having reviewed it once already, as well as check back in with the game to see if it's still fresh after time has passed.
Component Quality:
Biblios stinks! If you haven't heard already, the box for Biblios smells fiercely like glue. That smell may only be present in the IELLO English edition that I have, but I have heard more than one other reviewer mention it. The smell will defintely die out over time, but it's stark when you first open the box!
Putting the smell aside for a moment, the components are a bit of a mixed bag. The game comes with a deck of cards, five six-sided dice, and a board. All of this is contained neatly and compactly in an awesome box. The box lid actually snaps shut via magnets and illustrated smartly to look like a book. It's simply one of the favorite game boxes in my collection.
The board and dice are both very good quality. The game comes with five oversized dice. The dice are hefty and vibrant, and unlike any other six sided dice I have seen. They are very chunk and delicious looking. The board is nicely illustrated and has a spot for placing each of the five dice. The deck of cards is a different story. The artwork and layout of the cards is very attractive and professionally done. However, the card stock is extremelystiff and thick. Considering the difficulty of shuffling these cards mixed with the black borders, players should sleeve their game sooner rather than later.
(image by EndersGame)
Gameplay Impressions:
Biblios is a very unique game. It was unlike any other I had played until that point.
The game is broken into two phases: a Drafting Phase and an Auction Phase. During the Drafting Phase, players will take turns drawing and choosing cards to either keep, "gift", or set to be auctioned later during the Auction Phase. Once players have drafted through the initial deck, they will each have an assembled hand of cards to use during the Auction Phase, where they will bid to win any of the cards set aside.
The Drafting Phase
Biblios has the simplest, most refined, and streamlined form of card drafting I have come across in recent memory. On a players turn they will draw cards equal to one card plus the number of players. But, you don't draw all the cards once! You must draw one card at a time and make your decision right then and there. You have three possible places you can put the card. You can keep one card for yourself. You can put one card in a pile to be auctioned off later in the Auction Phase. Or, you can place a card in the center of the table to be "gifted" to each of the players, starting with the player to your left.
However, you can never keep more than one card, or put more than one card in the auction pile. You can also not put out more cards to be "gifted" than there are other players in the game. Combine this rule with the fact that you can only see one card at a time on your turn, and you have a recipe for many interesting decisions throughout this phase of the game.
There are three types of cards that will be you drafting in a game of Biblios.
Category Cards
First, we have the Category Cards. These are the cards you are trying to collect and score at the end of the game. There are five categories (colors) matching the five dice placed on the center board. Think of it as five suits similar to what you would find in regular deck of playing cards. The category cards will range in value from one to four. At the end of the game you are going to score each category separately. Whoever has the most total value in a particular category is going to win points for that category. The amount of points that each category is worth is determined by the number shown on the die of the matching color at the end of the game. Each of of the five dice start out showing three points, but that can be changed throughout the game.
(image by EndersGame)
Gold Cards
There are Gold Cards in three values: one, two, and three. During the Drafting Phase, players will want to make sure they have enough of these cards to use in the Auction Phase. In the Auction phase, these Gold Cards will be used to bid and win any of the cards that were set aside in the first phase.
(image by EndersGame)
Church Cards
Finally, we have the Church Cards. The Church Cards are the best part of the game for me. Church cards will depict one die or two dice showing a modifier of "+1", or "-1", or both. When a Church card is selected during the Draft Phase, it must be played immediately for its effect. If the current player chooses to put it in the auction pile, where it will sit until someone wins it during the Auction Phase, at which point they must immediately play it for its effect.
Church Cards are used to modify the dice on the board. Playing a Church Card showing a die with a "+1" on it will let the player change any of the dice they wish and move its value up by one step. If the Church Card has a "-1" on it, you can move its value down by one step, and so on.
These cards are awesome! Player will need to manipulate them carefully as you don't want to give too many clues to the other players regarding which categories you are trying to stack your hand with. But, they are also very powerful and should not be ignored. One of the most satisfying (or heart wrenching) parts of the game is when a player has a clear advantage in one of the categories, but that category ends up being worth only one or two points at the end of the game.
The Church Cards are also largely responsible for the replayability of the game. Sometimes, they get used up early and the points for each category are set in stone. At this point the game almost becomes a game of pure card drafting, with players focused on keep certain cards away from other players. However, if the Church Cards are buried away until later in the game, players will need to be much more cautious and alert so as not to be left in the lurch at the end of the game.
(image by EndersGame)
The Auction Phase
After players have drafted through the inital deck of cards, they will each have a hand of cards to be used in the Auction Phase of the game. The player who started the Drafting Phase will reveal the top card of the auction pile. Starting with the player to their left and going around the table until everyone but one player passes, players will bid on the revealed card. If the revealed card was a Category Card or Church Card, players will bid with any Gold Cards they have in their hand. Any Church Cards that are won in this phase must be played immediately by the winning bidder. Category Cards that are won go into the winning bidder's hand.
However, any Gold Cards that may come up during the Auction Phase are going to be bid on by discarding cards. Players will bid round robin around the table, in the same manner as before. But, instead of offering gold up for bid, they will simply offer the number of cards they are willing to discard in exchange for the Gold Card currently up for auction. They can discard any type of card they wish if they win the auction and do not have to reveal what cards were discarded.
After the current auction is finished, the auction pile passes to the left and a new card is revealed to continue bidding around the table.
Winning the Game
When the Auction Phase is completed, players will reveal their hands. Whoever has the highest total value in a category will take the matching die of that color. Everyone adds up all the points shown on their dice and whoever has most points wins. Easy!
(image by duchamp)
Was It Fun?
Biblios just might be the best quick filler on the market! Players will need to be shrewd in both the Drafting Phase and the Auction Phase. There are a few things that players will have to take into account. Depending on the number of players, you will want to be strong in a reasonable amount of categories. You will also want to be strong in categories that are actually worth a decent amount of points at the end of the game. But, you will also need to have enough money (but not too much!) to have an effective Auction Phase, especially if the Church Cards have not made a significant appearance during the Drafting Phase.
Now. Pack all of that decision making process into deciding whether or not to keep, gift, or set aside a single card and you have yourself a delightfully "filling" game of drafting and bluffing.
Is It Still Fun?
Absolutely! Biblios is no longer something I break out at every game session, but that's only because I have played it at least thirty times. I've probably played it more than For Sale and I like For Sale quite a bit. Honestly, I think Biblios is better than For Sale. For Sale gets a bit too automatic. There's no room to experiment in For Sale. There's a right move and a right bid for just about every occassion.
In Biblios, you can bluff! Once you discover how to effecitvely bluff, you've found the secret to unlocking the next level of the game. This has made the game much more replayable for me than something like For Sale or even No Thanks!, which I also enjoy.
There also some sublteties that I won't go into for this review regarding the distribution of cards in each of the different categories that will make the game a challenge as players become more experienced with the game.
Conclusion & Rating: (8.5/10.0)
Biblios is simple and stream-lined enough that I can introduce it to novice gamers, but really shines when playing with "Biblios veterans" whom I can unleash my inner gaming jackal upon! I could probably rate this higher than an 8.5, but there are games that are few and far between, where you feel like you didn't have any effect on the outcome. But, these occurrences are very few and very far between. Honestly, if anyone tells you this game is "all luck" and "too random because you can only see one card at a time", it's only because they had a poor attitude going into the game to begin with, and probably don't enjoy a sense of adventure when playing board or card games. That sounds a bit harsh. However, this game is still very overlooked I think.
I will not be getting rid of Biblios.
"Draft Killer":
I originally sub-titled the Video Review as "Draft Killer". Biblios is one giant twist on the whole field of card drafting. At the beginning you draft your cards like you do in any card drafting game, but with one wrinkle. You draft them one at a time! How awesome and daring is that! One card at a time? Fiendish! Even better, during the entire process of the game it is possible to change the value of each of the categories as players are drafting and auctioning. This is also amazing! I have to wonder at its sheer simplistic genious sometimes. So, let me get this straight. Not only are players watching for your traditional drafting queues like which cards players keep or don't keep, but players also need to keep a keen eye out on which dice other players are changing and which direction they are changing them? And, you don't want to tip your hat too soon when choosing to rotate a die up or down?
That's just awesome.
If you enjoyed this written review, please feel free to check out the Video Review counterpart.
For other revisit/reviews check out my Geeklist of written reviews.
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Kearn Reif
United States
Howell
Michigan
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I won't be getting rid of mine either.
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Joel Eddy
United States
Coeur d'Alene
ID
-
I should also mention that it works quite well with two players. I meant to post that in the review, but the review is long enough as it is.
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Kathy Sheets
United States
Port Saint Lucie
Florida
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We love this game so much! We took it on a cruise with us and that's how our game count surpassed 50. I was so obsessed with it that I actually dreamed a strategy (which you hint at) and for a little while I was unbeatable! I'm usually the last one who catches on to strategies so it was fun to be the first for a change.
Anyway, genius game, great review, and definitely a game that will never leave my collection.
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Kenny VenOsdel
United States
Saint Paul
Minnesota
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eekamouse wrote: I should also mention that it works quite well with two players. I meant to post that in the review, but the review is long enough as it is. :D
Nice concise review and I concur about the 2-player game. I think it works great at all player counts actually. The only thing I wish is that there was room for one more player.
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Joel Eddy
United States
Coeur d'Alene
ID
-
kvenosdel wrote: eekamouse wrote: I should also mention that it works quite well with two players. I meant to post that in the review, but the review is long enough as it is. Nice concise review and I concur about the 2-player game. I think it works great at all player counts actually. The only thing I wish is that there was room for one more player.
That's probably the one area that No Thanks! and For Sale beat out Biblios. They can play up to seven and six players respectively.
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Kenny VenOsdel
United States
Saint Paul
Minnesota
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eekamouse wrote: kvenosdel wrote: eekamouse wrote: I should also mention that it works quite well with two players. I meant to post that in the review, but the review is long enough as it is. :D Nice concise review and I concur about the 2-player game. I think it works great at all player counts actually. The only thing I wish is that there was room for one more player. That's probably the one area that No Thanks! and For Sale beat out Biblios. They can play up to seven and six players respectively.
I beleive you meant 5 and 6? If it weren't for that I would probably get rid of those two. Ah who am I kidding, I'd keep em all, just in case you run into one or two friends who don't like the other titles. Still though, Biblios rules!
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Andy Andersen
United States
Newark
Delaware
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Agreed that the Church cards play a very important role. Thanks for the written review as I bought the game based on your video review. My wife and I really enjoy this quick game.
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Jason Sugiuchi
United States
Orlando
Florida
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Fantastic game at all player counts. Thanks for posting the follow up. I'm with
I will not rest until Biblios is in the Top 100.
United States
Budd Lake
New Jersey
Well I been watchin' while you been coughin, I've been drinking life while you've been nauseous, and so I drink to health while you kill yourself and I got just one thing that I can offer... Go on and save yourself and take it out on me
that it should be in the top 100.
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Jerome Nivet
Ireland
Cork City
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Great review, thanks.
I usually play as a 2-player game. I had a 3-player game once, and my impressions is that the more players, the harder it is, because you have to keep tabs on more players, therefore information, visible or not, is more difficult to obtain or extrapolate.
I'd love to have a 4-player game for the sheer "divide your brain to think like them" factor 
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David Short
United States
Tucson
Arizona
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Great review Joel. Although I was hoping you would touch on your thoughts about how Biblios relates with PAX. Does one make the other obsolete even though they are both good games? Which would you keep if you had to keep one? Which plays quicker?
Thanks.
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Joel Eddy
United States
Coeur d'Alene
ID
-
dshortdesign wrote: Great review Joel. Although I was hoping you would touch on your thoughts about how Biblios relates with PAX. Does one make the other obsolete even though they are both good games? Which would you keep if you had to keep one? Which plays quicker? Thanks.
I was still in the process of "learning" PAX at the time I wrote this review.
As far as one game making the other obsolete, I think it depends on the group(s) you play with. My lunch group and "gamer" group really enjoyed PAX, but also liked Biblios. However, my family group likes Biblios better. PAX has a bit of a gamery flare to it. Biblios is more of a traditional filler I think.
They both are really close in terms of play time, unless playing PAX with non-gamers, then it takes a bit longer, but not much I think.
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David Short
United States
Tucson
Arizona
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eekamouse wrote: dshortdesign wrote: Great review Joel. Although I was hoping you would touch on your thoughts about how Biblios relates with PAX. Does one make the other obsolete even though they are both good games? Which would you keep if you had to keep one? Which plays quicker? Thanks. I was still in the process of "learning" PAX at the time I wrote this review. As far as one game making the other obsolete, I think it depends on the group(s) you play with. My lunch group and "gamer" group really enjoyed PAX, but also liked Biblios. However, my family group likes Biblios better. PAX has a bit of a gamery flare to it. Biblios is more of a traditional filler I think. They both are really close in terms of play time, unless playing PAX with non-gamers, then it takes a bit longer, but not much I think.
Thanks. That confirms my thoughts. Looks like Biblios is the game for me.
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Todd
United States
Phoenix
Arizona
Fez.
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Great review. I really like Biblios, though because the theme doesn't do much for me, I still play with the poltical retheme version that I made after I got the first edition of Scripts and Scribes.
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Posted Fri Feb 3, 2012 11:31 pm
