Jeremy’s Gaming Gratons: Kutná Hora

Board Game Gumbo is pleased to present another game night recap with Jeremy Dobler. This time, Jeremy returns to Kutná Hora!

We are going to play some of our other CGE games while we wait for SETI: Space Agencies to get to the table. Tonight we brought back to the table Kutná Hora!

I had to watch the How-To-Play video again as it’s been long enough since we last played. Once we started rolling though the game, the rules came right back — not how to win mind you, but at least how to play.

Kutná Hora is a pretty straightforward game: play 2 cards/actions, which are double sided giving you some juicy choices about what to do and when, do that back and forth a few times, until the players have each played a total of 5 cards.

During those turns you’ll take turns back and forth, plotting land in the town, gaining the rights to construct buildings, building those buildings on the plots, excavating the mine to increase the town’s commodity values, constructing the St. Barbara Cathedral for rewards, taking income for sweet cash to do all the other actions, or if you’re in a pickle taking the Joker card to do any of the other actions, but at a rep loss. You either pay the current tax or suffer a rep loss, which can result in VP loss during and at the end of the game.

Then comes tax time! Gotta pay your dues to the gubment!

There’s also the Patricians during the latter half of the game, who can give you bonus VP for various conditions within Kutná Hora, the Mines, and your contributions to the St. Barbara. I’d forgotten how fairly low scoring the game can be, but I still really enjoy the loop here, building out the city, digging in the mines, and affecting the economy of this budding City of Silver!

I played with my wife (my frequent gaming partner) Jamie, and she managed to best me 51 to 43.

Just a little something to chew on — Jeremy

Jeremy is an omni-gamer from Lafayette, Louisiana, who games at home with his wife and young son, but also can be frequently hosting or visiting game nights with friends all over Acadiana. Jeremy loves games about nature, IP games involving turtles and batmen, and games appropriate to play with his young son, but expect lots of different games discussed here each time.