Trial of the Temples

Have you ever taken a punt on a game because of a designer or publisher? Often I will spend ages researching a game, poring over reviews, considering the pros and cons and replayability before I will put my hand in my pocket. However, there are some games that will appeal immediately because of other games in that publisher’s stable. Trial of the Temples is one of these games.

Emperor S4 games have a lovely back catalogue. Every one of their previous offerings has excellent production values, superb artwork and interesting themes. Hanamikoji and Walking in Burano are two beautiful games from this small Taiwanese game producer. When I saw Trial of the Temples, at the price that Zatu were offering it, I knew it was a “no brainer”. Without any thought, I pushed the “buy” button and waited for the post to arrive.

What Is It All About?

The theme is in the title. Up to four players take on the role of wizards, competing in a competition to find the best magician. This takes place in a circular area, bounded by 12 temples. The central area is subdivided into three sections, each representing different types of wizarding spells. Wizards must use their cunning to gain resources [crystals and spell cores] to enhance their abilities in each of the three spell groups [fire, water and sand]. However, as the game progresses through the turns, day becomes night, and so different temples offer new rewards with each passing session. Any resources collected must be used before the next day as they have a very short shelf life! There is no chance to store crystals [except if your wizard learns a specific skill].

What Mechanisms Are At Work?

Fundamentally Trial of the Temples includes worker placement and set collection. Each player places their magician within a temple, immediately claiming the reward on offer. Additional resources will also be offered depending on the position of the day/night card and other player’s magicians. No mage may be played such that another player’s piece is bounded to the left and to the right. Players may place their meeple adjacent to others as long as one side is unoccupied. The temples provide other gems and it is in collecting these that wizards can enhance their fire, water and sand spells.

Who Goes First? 

Trial of the Temples employs a mechanic called variable turn order. The player who places their magician closest to the day/night marker [and who will often get the fewest resources] will take the first player token. This brings balance to the game and means one player cannot hog really good resources and crystals. There are additional rules that provide extra tokens to players that receive very few crystals. With a two-player game the starting player token alternates.

Who Has The Strongest Wizard?

A player’s abilities are indicated on the three spell tracks. Ultimately it is the aim to advance along these routes by paying the resources and crystals as needed. With only one player occupying each space on these tracks any magician wishing to progress may jump over other pieces into the next available free spot. Any players that are bypassed in this way gain extra reward points that can be exchanged for crystals or spells during the game.

The game ends when two [of the three] top spots are occupied or after five rounds. Wizarding strength is assessed across each of the water, fire and sand roots. Individual spell boards also add to the point tally to find the winner. 

Thoughts On Trial Of The Temples 

Emperor S4 Games have done it again. Trial of the Temples is a well-made game. The box art evokes a Legend of Zelda feel to it. There is magic abounding around a central pyramid. The back of the box gives a clear explanation of what is in store with a summary of components and a snapshot of a game during play. The publishers helpfully have given their own rating of the game with which I completely agree. We have found that most games last just under an hour, never more. This is a game that requires thought and predicting your opponent’s play, so it is only suitable for teenagers and adults. Younger children will not cope with the core mechanics.

How Is It To Learn? 

Opening the box and the rule book is well written [in English and Chinese]. Before embarking on a game, I will often scour the Internet to watch a “how it’s played” video and see a few reviews. Not so with Trial of the Temples. This is a game that is under the radar and, despite being just over two years old, it has not made it into the gaming consciousness. This meant starting from scratch. The colourful, glossy rules are clear. The examples of play with numbered explanations make for easy understanding. From this it was very straightforward to explain the basics of the gameplay to the other family members. 

The two-player variant is slightly different to the three or four player version. This involves players controlling two wizards at a time [their own and a clone] and choosing which to activate for resource collection. There are additional neutral markers on the trial tracks that advance under certain conditions. The rules make these explanations very clear and simple. 

My only bugbear was that there should have been more emphasis on the need to remove some spell cubes from play in the two or three player games. Although this is clearly written in the first section on game setup, I would suggest an extra line is added to the rules on the section of the two player variant. With that out of the way, the remainder of the rules are very understandable with no glaring issues. 

First impressions count a lot in gaming. Once laid out on the table there is an eye-catching tableau. The central three trial boards are the correct size to hold the appropriate spell corps, the printing aligns well. The card is thick and robust. However, I do believe it would have been better if the three centre pieces interlinked to form a single unit when in play. This will stop them being knocked and separating slightly as players flip over the temples from day to night. The 12 temple cards are similarly very thick, quality card stock. Their curved lower edge fits perfectly against the trial board. Once in place, they radiate out like colourful spokes on a wheel. Each temple is different, with the day/night phase putting me in the mind of the day/night images of the 7 Wonders game. 

Each temple tile shows the main resources and linked resources in the top left and bottom right of the tiles respectively. It is very clear which crystals can be claimed if a mage might enter that temple. The day/night barrier similarly leaves no question to the players as to its function. The remaining components are standard resin cubes and crystals with thick action tokens.

The four magician meeples are very sweet. They depict a Gandalf-like magician with a staff. They are a hit with my teenagers and certainly a very unique component. Emperor S4 games could have chosen the quick and cheap option of a cardboard figure in a plastic base. They should be commended for going the extra mile and investing in these wooden figures. It is these little touches that enhance the gameplay. 

Each player has a unique spell mat with individualised starting conditions. These present extra scoring opportunities and enable a little engine builder to get started. These symbols are easily understood and icons mirror those on the main board. There is, however, one player board that I think is slightly stronger than the other three.

The ability to start with a purple spell cube immediately is a great help. These purple cubes are quite difficult to acquire. Because of the internal rules that govern spell placement, I believe this is of great value. To offset this, we either do not use this board for a two or three player game, or perhaps allow players to convert existing spell cubes to a purple colour [or another colour] for the price of a spell and two crystals of that chosen colour. This little oversight does not affect gameplay at all, but more end game scoring and bonus opportunities. 

How Is It To Play?

Once underway there is a natural flow and rhythm. Day/night tiles are rearranged, mages are placed, resources are collected, and trials are completed. There are just five rounds and 45 minutes zooms past in no time at all. This is a surprisingly “thinky” game. The temple you choose for your mage will not only affect your resource collection but hamper the adjacent opponents. If you want to play tough you might partially hem in the other players. This curtails their crystal collection but also limits your own gem acquisition.

By playing first you can, at least, get the choice spot for primary resources [in the upper left corner] but then your other crystals will be affected greatly by how others choose to place their pieces. Sometimes it doesn’t pay to go first. Playing last can have quite a bearing on how the game unfolds. This interaction is wonderfully refreshing. There can be no more moaning that my son or daughter have claimed the prime spot. Even if they do, this mechanic of moving your mage to hamper their plans keeps the game in balance.

The key to success in Trial of the Temples seems to be getting a nice “engine” going. Even if your mage placement is sub-optimal, as long as you have a few crystals this opens up opportunities to move along the trial tracks. By populating your personal spell board wisely, you can convert gems between colours. Then there is more flexibility to advance irrespective of other’s choices. The rules limit the number of advances on each track to just three, but in our games, it is rare for a player to have sufficient resources to move more than four or five spaces in total.

Do I Hold Back For The Big One?

During gameplay only one token may occupy a single space on the trials track. This allows players to jump others and advance [as long as they have sufficient resources for the new space]. This is such a satisfying rule. In a four-player game and with three others ahead, there is certainly a smugness when you can jump on a trial track by six spaces, leap-frogging everyone else to higher-value spots. The others also gain some comfort from this superb move by gaining a bonus point each. To prevent such a daring move we have found it is good strategy to put some “space” between your piece and the others. This means that the other players will need to cross the open ground before they can leap-frog ahead. 

We enjoy games where players need to take a balanced approach. In Trial of the Temples you need to progress on all three trial tracks, achieving experience points in each trial. Focusing on just one or two trials means others will probably have a higher aggregate score, and will win. So, a little like the Tour de France, it helps to be part of the pack, perhaps a little to the back and then putting on a spurt to take the yellow jersey at the finishing line. 

I like the idea where each player has their own spell board. This is a creative way to ensure that each gamer can develop their spells in a unique manner. I love the idea that the magician can create new spells to utilise other resources and make them more valuable. This is a nice positive feedback loop that, if you pick the right spells and get a little luck, gets a nice little engine going. 

Emperor S4 Games have put some thought into the arrangement of the spell spaces on each player board. The ability to gain end-game bonuses if three or four adjacent spells are created means players could focus on one or two elements of their mage’s skills. However, to claim these spells requires a selection of spell cubes, and these can only be claimed by a balanced approach on the trials track. This means a “runaway leader” along a single track cannot cash in on their spell board. 

The game plays around the central board, but a player’s spell board can have huge implications in how these actions can be improved. Players ignore their spell boards at their peril. Indeed, this is where the game seems to be won or lost. It is easy to see your opponent’s points accumulating on the central trials track, but more difficult to account for their spells and abilities. For us it is the spell board score that has allowed victory to be secured. 

With the importance of the spell board, I personally believe these should have received the same quality card as the temples and trial track. Rather than a relatively thin sheet of card, this needs a little thicker card stock and perhaps some recesses for the spell cubes and any stored crystals. It is a very small thing but this would have elevated this from a good quality game to give it a real premium feel. 

Final Thoughts On Trials Of The Temples

This is a surprising game. I bought it with no previous knowledge, but I’m so glad that I did. There’s a lot to like here; plenty of interactions where you can affect others’ game plans, a solid worker-placement mechanism and a lot of thought and pondering during play. Five rounds of play in 45-60 minutes is perfect. For the current price, it is difficult to think of another game that gives as much depth and replayabilty, and so value for money is excellent too. Emperor S4 games have not disappointed with this offering so now it is time to look at the companion game, Mystery of the Temples.