Gorus Maximus is a card game published by Inside Up Games. Coming from the 2018 Kickstarter, the game went to retail at Essen the same year. The designer, Conor McGoey brings with this game a revisit of the traditional Trick Taking game.

Let's dive into the theme of the game. Close your eyes and here you are in Ancient Rome, in 66 B.C. more exactly. To satisfy the people and to win the favor of the crowd, rich patricians decide to organize the most bloody games ever made: the Gorus Maximus. You play as people who are power hungry. Do not we say: "a happy crowd, is a crowd conquered"? To become the most influential politician, you call on the best Lanistes (gladiator owners and coaches) of the Republic. They are eager to offer you their best gladiators but also their most cruel and hungry animals to ensure a good show. Now set up the game and may the best Lanistes win?

The first thing that surprises with this game is the graphics. The very violent and gore bias fits perfectly with the desire to thematize the game. As such, Kwanchai Moriya (Catacombs (Third Edition), Dinosaur Island) brings his personal touch. The game wants to be family style, the illustrator chose to keep the desired on the gore side, while the sweetener with a cartoon style more than assumed. This results in a fun rendition, bloody but not disturbing. It's beautiful and colorful without being overloaded.

The game in itself plunges you back into the traditional game of Trick Taking. It will make you very quickly think of the Belote for example. On the program, you have five schools of sixteen gladiators. Each school corresponds to a color (or a symbol). Each gladiator has a number ranging from 0 to 16. Not all cards will be played at each game. The setting up depends on the number of players. The more you are, the more cards will be there.

Each player will have a ten card hand. The first player will play a card of their choice. It will become the favorite school of the moment, in other words, the trump. Like any Trick Taking, the trump is the strongest card and must be played unless you lack it’s color for example. Continue until all players have played a card. In each round, the one who won the previous trick starts the new one. At the end of a round, you’ll count the points. Whoever has the most, wins a favor from the crowd. The first to have three wins the game. Simple, no?

Yes... But without counting the talent of the author. Gorus Maximus has a twist that will upset the established order. In your turn, you are obliged to play a card of the same color as the first played. Unless you put a card of the same value (and therefore not necessarily the same color). There is a change of mood in the audience. The favorite school changes in favor of the one just layed.

In other words: a blue five has been laid. The trump is red. The second player plays a red three (for now it is they who lead). The third player places a green three. The trump changes in favor of the green school. So it's this players that lead, for now.

It can be even more cunning. If we take the previous example. The third player leads with their three green (become trump). The fourth player plays a blue three. As a result, the asset changes color (in favor of blue) and the first player becomes the leader of the next hand.

This simple twist makes it possible to invigorate the parts and reversals of situations can occur at any moment. Of course the more numerous you are, the more these situations will be able to multiply.

In addition to that, each card does not earn the same number of points at the end of a round. Some like the "eight", will even lose points to those who own them. Be careful when you pick up tricks. We also talked about the presence of a "zero". At the end of a round, the zero is worth zero points ... unless the color of the favorite school at this time is the same. And that's five points in the pocket!

Your simple Trick Tacker becomes a game much more cunning and clever. The game is really fluid. Simple in the rules and in the implementation, it promises a lot of twists. Of course, the more players there are, the more interesting it will become. Below four players, the game can be played but the surprises and twists will be less. It will be more about the classic, a race to one who will avoid the "eight". It will become a little less replayable. At more player, you have more possibilities and more fun. It is also possible to play as a team. The game then takes on another flavor. Smart and well thought out, this little game can make you happy like a big game.

The system of what could be called the double trump: the color but also the number, offers you the opportunity to get out and upset the established order. It creates tension and good laughs.

Available in two editions, basic and deluxe, the composants are really quality. The cards are very pleasant to handle and resist time and touch. The author also thought of inserting in his box the means to turn your game into a travel game. It is a very laudable intention and it works pretty well. Big plus too, the price, it is not expensive. It is in line with its category, despite a quality of material well beyond the standards. Variations of the game exist, play in teams, but also other unofficial, like count the points after each round.

The game is however not free of defects. It’s weak point will be in the games with less than four players. It could even in some configurations look long and repetitive. Turnarounds or negative cards are few. Be careful, I'm not saying it's bad, just that it's not with this configuration that it reveals its potential and its true interest. Graphics can also sometimes work against it. For a family game, some families can see the presence of blood (even cartoonesque and not in the sense of gore) of an evil eye. But to limit oneself to that would be to miss a good set of Trick Taking with original mechanisms. The theme is also very quickly forgotten. Afterwards for a game of this category, it is often difficult to incorporate a theme that is very end-to-end.

In teams or with many players, Gorus Maximus will be able to entertain you. Multilingual (including English), if you like this genre, it would be a shame to miss out.

Games on mountaineering's thematic are not that numerous. One of the most famous titles remains K2. There is one that, without necessarily going unnoticed, did not necessarily have the success it deserved. Let me help you discover to Summit: The Board Game.
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In 2016, on Kickstarter, launched a campaign to support the game Summit: The Board Game. It was a success and the game arrived on your doorstep in 2017 (if you backed it). The game for 1 to 6 players, published at Inside Up Games and from first time designer, Conor McGoey (Vault Assault, Gorus Maximus). Summit invites you to live the rise of a cruel and dangerous mountain.

​The first thing that surprises is the graphic choice. Jordan Danielsson offers us here a rather bias and original view. With a mix between a cartoon style, with an abstract and dark look. It gives an immediate atmosphere to the game. As for the board, we can see an empty mountain that will appear to us as and when you progress your team of mountaineers. The mostly black mountain at the beginning of the game will gradually become covered with snowy white tiles. Starting from an abstract design, the final result is quite pleasant and representative of the certain madness of the game. Finally, graphics that really sticks to the game’s atmosphere. An original but effective choice.

​The game offers to relive a deadly race climbing a famous mountain (put here the name you want). It is not one but three modes of gameplay that will be proposed to you. Before talking in detail about these game modes, let's focus on the gameplay.

On your turn, you will have to choose, from the three tiles you have in hand, one to place on the board. Each tile has important information and you have to pay attention to the details, like the color of the rope (watch out for the air holes), the number of knots (more takes you longer to move) and that everything connects the path well (everything has to be connected). We will gradually see the mountain develop before your eyes. Depending on what you choose, the climb will be more or less difficult.

​Once a tile is placed, the player can move their mountaineer. Depending on how they are loaded, having a light or heavy backpack, will give a different displacement rule. You’ll climb or go down, following the path of ropes. The more knots there are, the longer the path will be. Watch out for traps and air holes that can waste time, oxygen or life (because yes, you can die!).

Finally, you roll two dice. The first is the weather dice. It will play a fairly important role in the ease or difficulty of the climb. If the weather is against you, the need to eat will be felt even more. The mountain has a magical side and especially unhealthy for the players. From one turn to another, the weather can change quickly. The second is the presence or absence of an event that you will draw. Before drawing your hand size back to three tiles and it goes to the next player.

​Simple, isn't it? Yes, but that's not all. As I told you, there are three game modes.

Do you want to beat each other happily? So try the competitive mode. The goal of the game is to survive the climb and return to base camp. If there is more than one player, it will be they with the most victory points, that wins. Points are earned during the game through cards and actions. An element is added in the competitive version: Karama. You will have cards related to this Karama. Each player can play cards from their hand whenever they can. The more good Karama you have, the more bonus points you will earn at the end of the game. Being nice is cool. And conversely, the lower your Karama, the less you will gain from losing it. But who wants to hurt others ... What is this Karama for? As I told you, you have cards in hand. These cards allow you to do good ... or bad actions. The good ones favor your opponent but in return you earn Karama. The bad ones slow down the others (maybe even worse) but make you lose. It will be necessary to judge what is the right moment to help or hinder your opponents. In this version, the game becomes happily deceitful, unpredictable and dangerous. Death can happen unfairly at any time. Beware of the mountain but also the smile of your neighbor. What it gives you at one time, can prepare you for worse at another. The competitive mode is very fun, it must be admitted. Be careful though, as between the draw of tiles, the cards in hand and the role of dice, it is necessary that you like playing with luck. Because yes, it is quite present. After all, you are not in a game of optimization, and thematically, this chance fits well with the madness and magic that operate around this mountain.

​The second game mode will allow you to climb to the top of this damn mountain. Together you are stronger ! In this cooperative mode, you’ll forget Karma and its magic. The goal is to reach the summit and then go back down to base camp. And no matter if there are deaths on the road, you are a team, as long as one of you comes back alive, your glory will shine. In this mode, we add two new tracks: Sherpa and Time. So you will have the main opponent, Time. You will have to act quickly and correctly to win. Sherpa is here to help you get vital resources. But beware of new violent events that may occur.

The last mode is for those who like to play alone. Solo mode works like cooperative mode except you can only rely on you.

​The game, unlike the size of the box, is not a big "expert" game. The rules read pretty well (even if the mix of modes can disturb on a first reading) and the game is easy to learn. The duration of games vary depending on a lot of factors like the choice of the game mode. The role of chance is quite important but not omnipresent. Moreover, it participates a lot in the vast replayability.

At first glance, it's the graphics that attracted me to this game. This abstract, cold, spare side pays tribute to the theme of the mountain. There is a lack of life (the absence of pupils in the eyes for the characters) that reinforces the survival side of the game. The « minimalism » of illustrations plunge you directly into the atmosphere. An atmosphere that will not leave you throughout the game. The competitive mode remains the most fun mode to play. Here, no mercy. All shots are allowed to survive as long as possible. The idea of ​​Karma is very well founded. This forces you to make choices over the course or long term. However, the cooperative mode remains appreciable by offering a challenge and an idea, close to the realism of such an expedition. At the character level, the game offers an asymmetrical setup. Everyone does not start with the same physical abilities. From one party to another, it forces you to adapt and prove that you are a survivor. The strategic choice of the game seems quite simple: find the shortest way to get on and off by staying alive. But it is not so simple... Replayability and the fun of playing are very important. Knowing how to best manage own resources and objects becomes crucial to survival. The placement of the tiles, a little like in Carcassonne, makes the mountain appear step by step, like a "fog of war". It's very well thought out. For each game, the board will be different and the way up also. The games may be a little long but we did not see the time pass (except in cooperative mode because we were fighting against the game, haha). Mix between a party game and a game for players, Summit stands out. It’s ease of gameplay, replayability, fun, difficulty to win, choices, graphic bias are all points that make it a very enjoyable to play and replay. The designer offers us an original game and certainly one of the best on this theme. In the snow, no one will hear you fall ...​

Do you find the game too realistic? You want a fantastic touch to it and more? Beware the legends are sometimes true... The game is released at the same time as its expansion: Yeti (Beware the legends are sometimes true…). This small expansion offers a new non player character : the Yeti. This mythical creature (will someone say real?) will be as guardian of the mountain. During the game, it will follow you in your expedition and when you do not expect it, it will go so far as to trap you ... fatally. But kept calm, the Yeti does not take sides, it attacks everyone. It's a good … beast ? Very well thought out, this expansion does not add too many rules and fits well overall. On the other hand, it offers a slightly offbeat side and a uncertain presence. But the Yeti meeple is so classy ! Without forgetting that if you survive the Yeti AND the mountain, your glory will be even greater. A good expansion, a little empty, but well brought and pleasant to play. I recommend it. No doubt.

A next expansion like Yeti size is no on Kickstarter : Teams. ​Click the link to see it.

​Technical Score 8.5/10
The cardboard is good qualities, the graphics are sober but are in line with the theme. The rules are clear and well detailed. For individual trays, it is possible that some tokens do not fit easily, too bad.
My BGG Score 8.5/10
(Very good. Enjoy playing and would suggest it.)
A very good game, the best on this theme. Maybe sometimes too easy but leaves very good feelings. Several game modes for even more fun and replayability.​
Combined Score 8.5/10
And now it's over to you...