Remember when we took a look back at Flinch? Rulebooks have changed a lot over the years, and I wanted to do a review of an older game to see if rules were better "in the good old days".
So today we're going to take a look at Advance to Boardwalk! In 1985 this game hit shelves with the Monopoly Man on the cover despite it sharing very little with Monopoly. The game has you trying to build up hotels (the pieces actually stack on top of each other) onto properties trying to control the most properties worth the most moneywhile rolling dice and using Fortune Cards along the way. The game never picked up much steam, so you best chance to find this game if you're interested is probably thrifting, ebay, or by checking it out on BoardGameGeek.
So today we're going to take a look at Advance to Boardwalk! In 1985 this game hit shelves with the Monopoly Man on the cover despite it sharing very little with Monopoly. The game has you trying to build up hotels (the pieces actually stack on top of each other) onto properties trying to control the most properties worth the most moneywhile rolling dice and using Fortune Cards along the way. The game never picked up much steam, so you best chance to find this game if you're interested is probably thrifting, ebay, or by checking it out on BoardGameGeek.
So, were rules really better "in the good old days"? Pull up a PDF of the rules and let's find out!
Organization and Layout: The organization is really good. You get your main objective, followed by components and setup, and then a simple explanation of gameplay followed by the in depth explanations. The rulebook definitely works if you are reading it while you are learning to play, and the layout while simple works just fine.
Clarity: The rules had one particular fuzzy point. "You must build at least one unit on a turn unless you roll an "F" on the color die." The issue is, it is possible to roll a number low enough so that this isn't possible. To make matters more confusing, in the Order-of-turn reference guide it says "Build a unit(s) if possible". So, this may leave you making a house rule or trying to interpret what you are actually meant to do.
Graphics: The only two pictures in sight are the picture to show how property cards should look, and the explanation for property ownership. While the rulebook still works, it could have been vastly improved with more pictures and ESPECIALLY color since it plays such a roll in the game!
Depth: It covers situations well (except the issue mentioned in the clarity section). It works as a reference if you have a question about how something works.
Writing: It has the professional feel you look for in rulebooks with no grammar errors or typos. Even though this was written a while ago, the rules don't feel that way reading them today which is really nice.
Organization and Layout: The organization is really good. You get your main objective, followed by components and setup, and then a simple explanation of gameplay followed by the in depth explanations. The rulebook definitely works if you are reading it while you are learning to play, and the layout while simple works just fine.
Clarity: The rules had one particular fuzzy point. "You must build at least one unit on a turn unless you roll an "F" on the color die." The issue is, it is possible to roll a number low enough so that this isn't possible. To make matters more confusing, in the Order-of-turn reference guide it says "Build a unit(s) if possible". So, this may leave you making a house rule or trying to interpret what you are actually meant to do.
Graphics: The only two pictures in sight are the picture to show how property cards should look, and the explanation for property ownership. While the rulebook still works, it could have been vastly improved with more pictures and ESPECIALLY color since it plays such a roll in the game!
Depth: It covers situations well (except the issue mentioned in the clarity section). It works as a reference if you have a question about how something works.
Writing: It has the professional feel you look for in rulebooks with no grammar errors or typos. Even though this was written a while ago, the rules don't feel that way reading them today which is really nice.
While Susan is not a hotel building philanthropist, he sure knows what makes a good rulebook! On the Susan Rating Scale this game gets:
Susan's Explanation: You can still play the game from the rulebook, but that one rule being confusing along with the fact that it could be vastly improved with colors is why I decided to give it an average score. It's passable, but nothing exciting.
Maybe rules weren't better in the good old days! Do you have an older game with a rulebook you'd like us to review? Let us know below! Until next time: Every Game Deserves A Good Rulebook.
Susan's Explanation: You can still play the game from the rulebook, but that one rule being confusing along with the fact that it could be vastly improved with colors is why I decided to give it an average score. It's passable, but nothing exciting.
Maybe rules weren't better in the good old days! Do you have an older game with a rulebook you'd like us to review? Let us know below! Until next time: Every Game Deserves A Good Rulebook.