FTW Staff Picks - Targi

I'm not a fan of worker placement games. Targi manages to add a cool little twist to the standard meeple-placing affair. Along with claiming the action you place onto, you also reserve a row or column in your favour to take a card among those in the center. It reminded me of Quadropolis' architects. But with Targi being a strictly head-to-head experience it feels even more cutthroat. 

Targi is a surprisingly meaty experience for a small-box game. There's a lot to consider each turn. Not only are you accumulating Goods and Tribes, but you have to carefully place them in your display to maximize points. And the round-timer also adds another thing to be mindful of. At each corner of the grid indicates the robber coming into play. If you don't meet the requirements you could find yourself losing victory points. 

There's a good amount of diversity in the Tribe cards, that allow for some strategizing for later rounds. So as the game goes on, each player will develop their own road to victory. But being mindful of how to stop your opponent is probably the most important thing. You shouldn't play nice in Targi, because it could spoil the game for you in the end. It's a bit of back-and-forth, ala Jaipur.

It's not necessarily my favourite two-player experience, but it fills an intriguing niche for me. It's a long-form 2-player strategy. Sometimes I'm in the mood for that, and other times the game can feel like its dragging longer than its intended weight. There are a few other games that I would probably prioritize playing over it - but I think there are probably a lot of folks who would also feel otherwise. I've seen more than a handful of pairs really enjoy their time with Targi. So I would definitely factor this one into: try it before you dismiss it.