Game 138: HerStory

 

The game HerStory was another gift from my brother - no special occasion, just thought I would like it. I love history, and I am a woman, so, you know  .  .  .  Anyway, we've played it a couple of times this weekend, and it is a very nice game. It is a resource management game and has elements of Splendor and a hint of Dominion (but just a hint) and also a tiny hint of Wingspan, but it's nowhere near as strategic as any of those. It's a very casual strategy game. I think the more we play it the more strategic we'll be able to be because we'll know better what all of the cards do - what to look for - what kinds of combos we can make. Some cards provide symbols to help you build other cards, some have game-end bonuses, others have bonuses during play if you're in last place, others have high value but no other bonus, etc. 

Though the strategy is pretty light, there is some strategy to it. The first time we played, I was going for big point value cards eary on, but my son was staying at the back of the pack and picking up cards that had a benefit if you weren't in first place. I remained way out in front until the end-of-game points were tallied, at which point he blew past me. I had done a lot of "drafting" (of "chapters"), but he never drafted - just took reference tokens and went straight to completing chapters. He also tried to finish his book early (game ends when someone has completed 8 chapters), so as to catch the rest of us short. Today I tried to follow more of his strategy, but it didn't work as well for me as it had for him. Then again, different cards came up today, which weren't so beneficial at end of game, so there is some luck too in terms of what cards are available - and also strategy to figure out around that - how to best use what's available.




The conceit behind it is that you are writing a book on influential women throughout time. At the end of the game each player reads one "chapter" (i.e. the back of one card) from their "book" to the whole group. It's not a trivia game; you don't need to know facts in order to play it, but you learn some interesting facts at the end. The women represented are from all continents and cultures and from across time - from Cleopatra, Hypatia and Theodora to Caroline Herschel, Mary Shelley and Sojourner Truth to Selena, Mae Jemison, Eva Peron, Malala Yousafzai and Dolly Parton. From authors to astronauts to singers to scientists to nobel prize winners and leaders of nations.  Here are the backs of some of the cards:


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