Lanterns is a tile placing game by Christopher Chung which is set in Imperial China during the Harvest Festival. Players take the role of artisans who are decorating the palace lake with lanterns for the Harvest Festival. Lanterns is currently on Kickstarter, being run by Foxtrot Games.
As I received a prototype copy of the game, the art is not final on my copy, and the new art on the Lanterns cards via the Kickstarter page are gorgeous. The tile art have remained the same, showcasing different colors of lanterns on each tile. These tiles, when placed, give lantern cards for each player depending on the color facing them. I was pleased when I saw each lantern color has a different symbol, so no issues for colorblind players.
The gameplay of Lanterns is simple. Each player starts with a hand of 3 tiles and place one lake tile per turn. The colors do not have to match, but if they do, then the active player gets a bonus lantern card. Each player on every turn, gets a lantern card on the current placed tile, depending on the color facing them. This allows for interaction during every turn, so there is really no downtime.
Once the game progresses, you’ll have the chance to exchange a lantern card. (using two favor tokens) and dedicating those lantern cards. Favor tokens are obtained by matching colors that contain a platform on the tile. Dedicating lanterns is how you receive honor (victory points) in order to win the game. Players get honor by turning in lantern cards that are three pair, one of each color, or four of a kind. They receive a dedication token, which have been placed in descending order based on points. Because of this, it’s important to get higher point dedications faster than other players, as they will get less points as the game continues.
One unique thing about Lanterns is that on each turn, players have a chance to get a lantern card due to the placing of the current tile. This allows for some subtle strategies, as a player may place a tile in which an opponent may not get a lantern card if the that color is empty. Also, a player may increase their bonus if matching colors on multiple sides. This can allow the current player to get a few lantern cards in one turn, giving them a boost. This can be the difference between getting in winning, as the games I’ve played have been very close. If a player can get a higher point dedication token consistently before another player, they will undoubtedly win the game.
Lanterns is a fantastic gateway game that can be taught to non-gamers and gamers alike. There is enough strategy to keep experienced gamers interested, but it’s not so much to overwhelm new players. The theme does very well, you can imagine these lanterns floating in a lake, creating a beautiful landscape for the Harvest Festival. Lanterns is definitely worth backing, especially if you enjoy Tile placing games with a good theme.
I received a prototype copy for this game.
