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I’d always wanted to try Ethnos. Yes, it looked a little drab. Yes, the garish player tokens created a strange visual juxtaposition against this muted backdrop. Yet I’d always heard great things about the gameplay. When Ethnos 2nd Edition was announced, with a smart, modern look to its publication (and even a solo mode), I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it and see what it had to offer.
Setting Sights on Set Collection.
At its heart, Ethnos 2nd Edition is a set collection game. A very simple one at that. On your turn, you take a card from either the market display or the top of the deck, or you play a set of cards from your hand, adding a control marker to the appropriate region. In one sentence I have explained the essence of the rules. So far, so very ‘Ticket to Ride’.
Layered upon this simple rules framework are the intricacies of Ethnos. To place a marker in a region, players must play a set of cards of at least one more than their current number of markers in said region. So 1 card will place your first, 2 your second and so on. However, sets score more points the bigger they are. 0 for size one, 1 for two, 3 for three, 6 for four, 10 for five and 15 for a set of six cards or more.
So yes, you could go into a region with a set of one single card, but players are incentivised to play larger sets. Go big, or go home, as it were.
The other, clever rule about playing cards in Ethnos is that when you play a set, any other cards that are not part of that set are discarded into the open market and are available to be taken by other players. Throw in the strict 10 card hand limit and there is an element of ‘see who will blink first’ to the gameplay, as players hold on, hoping an opponent will play some cards and give up the exact ones they want to the market as a result.
The card play in Ethnos certainly sets it up for success, but there is more to it than that. All the factions in the game have unique powers.
Fancy Factions.
There are 12 different factions in Ethnos 2nd Edition, each of which has a unique power that triggers when a card of that faction is declared as the party leader. Some allow for additional point scoring opportunities (Koi, Bears, Monkeys). Others break area control ties, or allow players to keep additional cards in hand and so on. Each game will have six of these factions in play meaning each game presents a different tactical challenge, according to the faction combination selected.
Having the right leader at the right time is an important part of playing Ethnos well. It adds further intrigue to the simple card play and helps elevate Ethnos to becoming something that is more than just set collection; there is strategy alongside the tactical opportunism that is inherently part of the set collection genre.
The Art of Card Play.
Ethnos 2nd Edition is mechanically the same game as Ethnos. There has been a big overhaul of the art, with a new, vibrant map and anthropomorphic anime animals on the card art. This is a style that may not be to everyone’s taste, but I think the art is stunning.
More controversially, Ethnos 2nd Edition has done away with all faction art being identical. Now, there are different pictures for the different colours in each faction. I’ve not found this to be a problem, but several veterans of the old version of Ethnos have said it makes it harder to tell at a glance which faction a particular card is from.
The cards do include faction icons in the top left corner for clarification, but I can see why some would have this criticism. Coming straight into Ethnos 2nd Edition, I have not found myself, or any players at the table being confused by the factions, but it is something to be aware of if you’ve played a lot of first edition Ethnos previously.
The More The Merrier.
The rapidity with which Ethnos can be played means it is a game that excels at higher player counts. I’ve played it inside 45 minutes with 4 players and in an hour with 6.
It plays pretty well at 1-3 also, though at these player counts the game is played over 2 phases rather than 3. If you are going to play mostly at 3, I think Ethnos is still a good choice. 2 player and solo are still enjoyable, though I think there are other games I’d consider over Ethnos, were I to mostly be playing at those player counts.
At 4 or more players is where Ethnos truly excels. It is accessible enough to teach to new gamers and the varied faction powers mean you can tailor the experience to your audience according to how familiar they are with board gaming generally and Ethnos in particular. I think it is an excellent alternative to something like Ticket to Ride, being a touch more complex and providing a good introductory area control experience.
Ethnos 2nd Edition is a game I think most gamers should try and is one that will appeal to a wide range of players. It’s easy to teach and the faction abilities are easily understood for the most part; there are one or two instances of less than clear iconography and some factions are a touch more complex. Despite the accessibility of the core ruleset, there is enough strategy here to satisfy experienced gamers too and plenty of variety on offer with the faction combinations.
Ultimately, Ethnos is great, engaging, pacy fun for all the participants. Isn’t that what we want from our board games?
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About the author:
When not reviewing board games, Graham is teaching maths, running a games club and failing to convince his students that baseball is the greatest sport ever invented. You can read his thoughts and opinions on all things board game on his blog, GrahamS Games.
You can find him on BlueSky, where he will invariably be wittering on about whichever game has currently captured his attention.
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