Brian Bankler writes in his blog about Maharaja and manages to sum up lots of good reasons why not to like the game. Positive feedback is probably one of the worst, when building palaces gets you more money to build more palaces! I’m considering should I even try to make an effort to play the game second time or would that be a complete waste of time…
Maharaja
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Maharaja
If I ponder a game while commuting, that’s a good sign. If I’m still thinking about it after a few plays, that’s great. I like variety, so most games get played a few times then dismissed. Maharaja’s cycle: intriguing, worrying, dismissed. De…
It’s worth trying. But with some variants:
1) The start player receives fewer initial houses and fewer gold. I play that players receive 9 houses and place 4 initially. They receive 15 gold each. Start player receives 8 houses and gets to place 3 initially. He only receives 14 gold. This makes a difference.
2) The centre palace is worth 2 points, not 3. 3) Character #7 provides one free house to your stash from the quarry.
My group loves this game, as do I.
I recommend you try the game. Maybe it’s a matter of taste, but the negative criticisms of it don’t apply to my experience.