Targi is a fun game for two players that’s a bit different from your usual board game. The game board is formed by a 5 by 5 grid of cards. The ones on the edges stay the same during the game, and most are spots where you can place your workers. In the middle, there are nine special cards that represent goods and tribes, and they change as the game goes on. In each round, you and your opponent take turns placing your worker on the edge cards. Once all three of your meeples are out there, you make imaginary lines and mark the intersections with tokens. This determines which middle cards you can claim or use to gain resources.
Your main goal in the game is to gather resources efficiently to pay for tribe cards and add them to your tableau. Most tribe cards have special powers that help you in some way. The game ends when one player manages to complete a 4 by 3 grid of tribe cards or after 12 rounds.
Targi is a worker placement game with a twist: you can’t place your worker where your opponent already placed one in the same row or column. There’s also a robber figure who takes away one action space each round. These rules add a layer of strategy to the game and make you really think about where to place your workers. You have to strike a balance between going after resources and cards you need and blocking your opponent from taking certain actions or cards while your opponent has the same things in mind. This makes the gameplay fun, intense and engaging.
One notable challenge we encountered while playing Targi was keeping track of the ongoing benefits of tribe cards. Frequently, we found ourselves forgetting some of these advantages.
The Expansion: Elevating the Experience
Four years after the base game’s release, Targi: The Expansion was introduced with several significant improvements.
The existing tribe deck is replaced with a better version. These new cards feature icons denoting the timing of their powers, reducing the risk of overlooking their effects. Some of these new tribe cards also introduce one-time-use abilities that can be used at any time during the game.
A new resource, water, is added, making the game more interesting in different ways. It can be used for discarding blindly drawn tribe cards to make more attempts. This is particularly valuable when looking for specific tribe cards to maximize your points. Additionally, water tokens double as currency for acquiring specific tribe cards or exchanging for gold or goods, making gold much more accessible compared to the base game.
But the most exciting part of the expansion has to be the Dune cards. Three of these cards are placed on the table during setup and are replaced after each raid. Either player can place their workers on these cards to gain powerful benefits. However, because they’re off to the side, you will give up on at least one center card by placing a worker on Dune cards. These cards mix things up and give each player more options each round. One thing to be aware of, though, is that some of the text on these cards is small and not the easiest to read. This might be a problem for players with poor eyesight.
Given the additional rules and changes introduced by the expansion, player references could be a valuable inclusion, though they are not provided in the box. Thankfully, you can find great player aids on BoardGameGeek.
In conclusion, Targi stands as one of the best two-player games available. The expansion enhances an already excellent game, making it a must-try for fans of light to medium-weight games.
Disclosure: We received a review copy of this game. Also, there may be an affiliate link in the links included at the end of this article.
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