USD ($)
EUR (€)
Set-Up
To set up the game, each of the players is given a set of Lore Chips, a Moral Card (which I'll touch on later) and a Rest Marker. Then you put all the Theme Cards in the middle of the table face down. Draw the same number of cards as there are players, and lay them out in a line. The game starts when the youngest player picks one of the cards laid out and starts bidding on it.
Tokens Versus Points
You Need A Good Poker Face For Allegory
As I mentioned before, there are nine different card types. When the game begins, you are given a Moral Card which will show you one of these cards. At the end of the game, you get an extra bonus point for each of the cards matching the Moral Card that you collect. Also, if you get three cards matching each other, you get two bonus points. This results in bidding for mediocre cards to complete your set or get your bonus points. Other players work out your Moral Card, or the three in a row you're aiming for. And then the devious among them will set out to ruin that plan. Personally, I love games like this. In this way, the game kind of reminds me of Skulls or Perudo, lots of bluffing and psyching out your opponents.
Another Round!
A round of Allegory usually lasts around 30-50 minutes. This is the kind of game you can play maybe four or five times in a row. You get yourself in the right headspace, or demand revenge after another player ruins your plans. The great thing about the game is that it’s the type where the feel of it is really defined by the player. That's what makes it exciting. You don't get bored with replaying it because it's the players that make it exciting.
The Allegory Of Allegory
Okay, so you can probably tell that I'm a fan of this game. I've raved about it enough to prove that. However, there is one thing I found annoying about the game. The whole 'writing a book' aspect. I feel like it doesn’t quite fit. In the game, you're competing in bidding to buy themes. J. K. Rowling and Rick Riordan didn't have to bid against each other over who could use the 'coming of age' theme in their series. And you use lore chips to bid and buy themes, but you don't have to sacrifice lore for themes when you're writing a book. When reading through the rules, this setting of the game can get kind of tedious and complex. So I guess what I'm saying is one of the weaknesses of the game is Allegory's allegory.
Final Thoughts
I'm really glad I went with my gut and got Allegory. It's quick and easy to understand with hidden depths. It's perfect to start or end a longer playing session, or just to play over and over and watch your friends get progressively angrier and angrier. In the stats, I've only given the art four out of five because I think the tokens let the overall art down. But, to restate a point I can't stress enough, the card art is amazing.
