Board Game Arena - Winter of Games - Review - 101: The Match

 

101: The Match (2021)

Players: 1-2
Playtime: 10 Minutes
Easy to Learn

If you have been following the Board Game Arena Winter of Games along with my reviews then you may have noticed that I have fell something out of order. This is because the game that were brought to us over the weekend (namely Daybreak and Goldblivion) are a little bet heavier than the previous titles so taking longer for me to get to grips with and hence compose a review of!

So, I was relieved to see that the game which arrived on the site on Monday was the short, two player head to head tile placement battlement - '101: The Match'. In tile laying game, your quest is simple....create more effective columns and rows of number than your opponent from the tiles you draw. The game is played on a 5v5 board with each row and column being "one point" whoever has the strongest run/straight/flush etc in that column wins the point. The person with the most points when both grids are full!

The Dynamics of the game work quite simple. After the opening turns where tiles are played and laid, the player has two choices....you can play the tile that is showing in the central draw grid or turn over another tile and play it. If the latter you must play that tile. At the end of your turn you make sure there is still on tile showing for the opponent and repeat. The backs oft he tiles give a rough indication of the colour and number range of the tile, so there is some skill involved in planning out the way you take on this aspect of the game.

The game moves at a frantic and quick pace, and the head to head combat style is right in line with the kinda of two player games I enjoy but I just found something missing in the game itself. I am not sure whether the large luck element involved played a role, but one thing that certainly did was when the game breaks down into a "top decking" experience.  This essentially happens when one of the revealed tiles is of no use the strategy of either player and remains there for much of the game meaning a cycle of draw and play starts which then increases the luck element further. I cant help but feel on a 5x5 grid based game, perhaps the numbers should only have went as high as 8.

That being said, in the half or dozen so games I have played so far I have enjoyed '101: The Game' and its a quick time filler and ideally for commutes or some quick blasting 2 player fun. However, the flaws in the game and the lack of anything unique in the gameplay drives the score down. 

6/10

Pros - Easy to learn, quick paced, satisfying when combos are pulled off

Cons - Lack of uniqueness in gameplay, stale games develop easily