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Rajas of the Ganges is one of the most underrated worker placement games I can think of and everyone who I have introduced it to has loved it. While I’m on the subject of this game, I also adore the roll and write version ‘The Dice Charmers’. So with my self professed adoration of the game out of the way, it is time to turn my attention to the first of two small box expansions that have been released. Each bringing together some promotional items previously released as well as a few different modules which can be added to the game as you see fit.
In this box you will find the previously released promotional items of the Mango Village and the tiger which were part of the Brettspiel 2017 and 2018 advent calendars and the snake which was part of a Dutch Spielpreis 2018 goodie box. So unlikely anyone who bought the game in the UK has any of those. Alongside these promotional tiles are some new modules in Test of Fate and Gemstone dealers as well as two new River Tiles and two new Mango Village tiles.
The river tiles slot in easily to the base game, and just help to add more variety. The same can be said of the snake and tiger tiles which can just be added to the respective colour stacks and incorporated in all future games going forward easily. They both offer new strategies with the snake tiles costing two dice of the same colour and the tiger tiles offering permanent bonuses which can really pay off if purchased early.
Next up we have three modules which you can optionally pick and choose depending on how you feel, or if you’re introducing the game to new players. The first of these is the Mango tiles which to me are an excellent addition in that they require two dice of the same value rather than colour which gives you more options when looking to build up your province board. They also offer a new kind of spot for workers on your own player board, which adds a whole new layer of strategy to the game, it offers more decisions but also I feel is an easy enough explanation to always include.
The final two modules I think are better to be used from time to time to add more spice to the game. The Gemstone Dealers expansion shifts the emphasis of play away from the money track onto the fame track by giving you more to pursue on that track, I think it’s an excellent addition although I wouldn’t introduce it to first time players, and wouldn’t include it in every game. Finally the Test of Fates offers new tiles to alter the way the tracks work, however for me they add an additional layer of complexity to the game that I don’t find particularly necessary, it’s one I would play with sometimes if I was in the mood but more often I would go without.
In conclusion, I think this is worth picking up if you enjoy Rajas of the Ganges, the majority of the tiles and new pieces can just be immediately added to the core game and forgotten about but will add replayability and offer new options to mix up your strategies when playing the game. Of the three new modules to sometimes include, the Mango Village is a straight up hit, offering some great new decisions and I would always want to play with it going forward, probably even if I was teaching Rajas of the Ganges for the first time. I could see what they are trying to do with the Test of Fates, and will play with it sometimes but it was more of a miss for me, and I really enjoyed the additional shift of focus on the fame track that the Gemstone Traders bring.
So a goodie box of mostly hits that adds more to one of my favourite games, most of it as a permanent addition and despite being in a lovely box the contents could fit inside the main box is still definitely a win for me.
