Good cooked, nice working game that unfortunately just feels like 100 other games of this type

Video at Amazon.com View Istanbul is the latest game from Rüdiger Dorn. I have the game again created a video where I where you can perform actions an overview of the materials, the gameplay, the rules and the different places. Due to the time limitation of videos from Amazon I can not go into all the details exactly, but I guess if you have seen the video you can roughly estimate whether the game is for one or not.

The game shows a number of known mechanisms that are well combined.
Let us begin with the variable Schedule construction. Actions you can always perform in places. There are 16 different places with 16 different actions. This can be interpreted arbitrarily by chance in a 4x4 grid so that one again finds another playing field in every game. An art then lies in being able to read the Schedule so that it is planning its actions ideal.
The next mechanism is a kind of worker placement. Each player has a merchant character, and at first four assistants. Whenever the merchant goes somewhere and want to perform an action, he has to leave at this location or gather again for a mate. Alone, the merchant not take any action. So you have to place sent his assistants and is still in between always come back to the well, where all the assistants get back without you having to separately collect.

The actions you can perform the classic actions in commodities trading games: collect resources, larger storage capacity, the demand on verschiednen markets operate in order to obtain money, Cams Categories Money, bonus actions perform, buy special action tile, retighten action cards, goods sale delivery for victory points, money for VPs , There are also pieces that appear at different places on the board and give an extra resource or action cards.

Very positive, I find that you collect here no victory points but rubies. Although rubies ultimately nothing else than victory points, it does make a lot more here to collect these gems, as easy to collect on an outside scoring track points.
Something disturbing the stack was composed of Kaufmann + assistants. We are constantly forgot to depose the agents or collect again and often one has wondered whether the already standing there or you have collected it. You have to be very disciplined and focused approach not to get confused by there.

Most of the trains are relatively short, you simply move its merchant here has a plan in mind, takes the action well done. Therefore, the playing time is also indicated with 40-60 minutes. Each player knows the rules is the time absolutely realistic, so a great game for all who want to spend 2-3 hours with no such a game.

Why do I still only 3 stars, which means "not bad"?
The game is not bad. Basically, it's even quite good. It is well thought out, works, the mechanics interlock and the "Kaufmann + assistants" (K + G) mechanism is quasi The highlight of the game games of this type always need a trick to differentiate themselves from other games of this kind, because apart from there is nothing, absolutely nothing at all to Istanbul what feels new, interesting and fresh. The only thing I really was extremely positive, cubes mechanics was to get money.
Variable Schedule construction? An old hat. Worker placement. Also, and I personally find the K + G mechanics not so convincing. Collect goods, goods for money, Aktiosnplättchen or victory points to trade? * Yawn *. For this purpose the classic theme: dealer in a bazaar.
Please do not misunderstand: As already mentioned, the game works, is well thought out and has a certain challenge, is pleasant to learn short and very fast. If you have not yet played little games of this type is to properly find it, really good.

If one has however already played many games of this type, it feels just as well as at:. Like many other games of this type I used also loved those games and played on the assembly line, at some point, the gameplay uses but sometimes it has been truly a special his game to then trigger enthusiasm. Istanbul is no such game. It is a good, but just not a special game.

I know that I'll probably end up with this opinion quite alone and there will be a lot of criticism or negative clicks it, but a review is just only a subjective opinion, it is my opinion and I have absolutely no problem with it if other people are saying, that they will find the full game great and absolutely love them and do not understand why I did not rate it better. I'm happy if the game like people. But I hope that the players have similar views as I know so what you are getting and you might be a disappointment is spared, precisely because this game is really all discussed very positive, but in this case it is just a variation on standard unexciting game mechanics.