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Toledo
Author: Martin Wallace
Publisher: Kosmos
Year: 2008


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Melding swords, possibly with an inlay of jewels, and bring them in a hurry to the castle; that is the task the two to four players in Toledo have to accomplish. Whoever does his utmost will walk away with the most valuable sword that in itself is no guarantee to win, but at any rate gives the necessary points for it. Each player has five tokens that start in the cathedral; faith in this era still is professed with the sword in hand. A single road leads to the finish, the route itself is divided in nineteen fields.

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Three of them are already preprinted but the majority of them are empty and must be filled with the workshops of the players as a possible action in their turn. These ‘shops’ come in four types: iron, jewels, the blacksmith's shop, and fighting - all twice, with space for one or two tokens on each of them. On the board two taverns and a studio are preprinted, offering space to two tokens on each of them.
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By playing one or more number cards the token of a player can be moved. There is a limitation that the second and following number card has to be of the same value as the first played. Empty fields may be skipped - but are counted as spaces – but a token may not end its move at such an empty space. The number cards count from 1 to 6.
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Once at a shop the iron for a sword can be got: iron. For a more valuable sword jewels can be added. If the shop is owned, then the item may be taken freely, otherwise the owner must be paid with a number card. Depending on the progression on the track, this costs a 1, 3 or 5 number card.
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At the blacksmid’s shop the materials are then transferred into a sword. Which sword it will become is a players choice. There are nineteen swords to choose from, ranging in value from 2 to 15 points. The 2 point sword only takes one iron , but the 15 point sword needs 4 iron and 4 jewels.
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Melding itself is not sufficient; the points for a sword can only fully be claimed by bringing a token to the castle. Time also is of the essence, as the game ends when a player has brought three tokens into the castle.

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Along the road there is a studio where players can buy paintings, bringing immediate points with no need for a token in the castle. The cards in this stack decrease in value, so again it are the early birds that take away the best points.
In the tavern three cards can be drawn.
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When a field is occupied, a player must play another number card to get to a position where there is space, but he also could decide to fight his way in by means of a duel. In this latter case three number cards are drawn from the pile, one after another. On each of the number cards there is a coloured illustration of fighting men. Sometimes the left figure is highlighted, representing the attacker, sometimes the right figure, representing the defender. When the cards show two of the same figures, that side has won the fight, it’s as simple as that. The loser is sent back to the cathedral.

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This does not have to be such a drawback, as the road only has one way traffic, and the only way to reach a shop when a token has passed by, is to sent it back to the cathedral where it can start again, or by the aforementioned outcome of a duel.
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At the ‘duel’ shop duel chits in three different colours can be taken that increase the chance of winning a duel: when drawing a number card, now only the colour of the illustration is important. A player who has a duel chit in this colour has won this strike automatically. Only when both or none of the players have a chit in this colour, the highlighted illustration is important again to define the outcome.
There also is a chit that enables it to once in a turn play a different numbered card than the already played number, bringing some flexibility in movement. The downside in taking this chit is a -2 in victory points at the end of the game.




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When a player has three of his tokens in the castle, the game ends with all other players having one more turn. After this, the points are added; secured swords in the castle earn full points, other swords only half. Each two jewels are one point, and the paintings are worth their printed value.
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In the beginning of a game a player will be inclined to bring his iron and jewel shops nto the board, somewhere along the beginning of the track, to be able to have easy access to these materials, without having to be dependant on the neighbours that will have to be paid also. Somewhere further on the track the blacksmith’s shop could be placed. Unfortunately there is not room for all shops; it is unevitable that players will have to visit other player’s shops. But it also is likely that a popular spot will be fought by means of a duel.

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Of course a player could decide to collect cards, and play them all at once in a continuous series of 1’s, 2’s, 3’s, or whatever number cards he has collected to have a homerun into the castle. But then he probably will have a minority of shops on the board, and this means he will have to pay with cards at the majority of shops, more or less leveling this tactics.

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Keeping a popular space occupied is a good way of hindering the other players, especially if this goes with the possession of one or more duel chits. Even having the ‘2’ sword can make the difference at the end of the game. Keeping up the pressure by moving tokens to the castle, even without the counter value in swords, is a good counter against players who collect cards a bit too much. x
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'Toledo' is a dynamic family game with nice tactic possibilities that will also please the seasoned player. Simple, playful, fast, and yet a game that causes you to have little plans in your head! It only is a pity that the crowded board has a rather pale charisma and lacks emphasis. But then, is it ever to anyone’s way?
© 2008 Richard van Vugt

Toledo, Martin Wallace, Kosmos, 2008 - 2 to 4 players, 10 years and up, 45-60 minutes


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