Thoughts on… Sushi Go!
Matt: Hello! I’m so glad you came. We’re going to have a wonderful evening! Do you like sushi?
Anna: Raw fish?
Matt: Yes, yes. It’s delicious! Trust me, you’ll be fine. It’s surprisingly simple. Come on through…
Anna: Wait, what? Who are all these people?
Matt: Oh, sushi doesn’t really work with only 2 people, no matter what it says on the box. Now, sit down and have a look at your hand. Let’s think about what you might like.
Anna: Isn’t this your house? People don’t normally have menus in their house. People also normally only invite one other person for a date.
Matt: Well you can play with an empty chair but its just not as fun. Now, let me talk you through your options. We’ll start with Tempura. It’s a light starter, you only need two Tempura and you score 5 points! Isn’t that great? If you’re feeling braver, you could punt for Sashimi. You’ll need to collect 3 of them in a round, but if you do, you’ll score a massive 10 points!
Anna: But there’s three in my hand already? Can’t I just take them all?
Matt: Ah, sadly not. Once you’ve chosen your first dish, you must pass your hand to the player on your left. This is what’s called a card drafting game. Everyone has a hand and you all chose a card simultaneously. Then you get a fresh hand from the player on your right! It’s like a conveyor belt! Isn’t it clever!?
Anna: Oh you mean like in an actual restaurant. You know. Like the one we were supposed to be going to?
Matt: That’s right! It’s a wonderful intersection of theme and mechanics. The whole card drafting thing started with 7 Wonders, but I never really got it as a mechanism in that game. What does passing around a hand of statues, buildings and wood between players representing ancient civilisations mean? Why does Babylon building a market stop Rome from building one too? Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very clever game, but card drafting just makes so much more sense in a sushi restaurant.
Anna: Which this isn’t.
Matt: No. But I did build a conveyor belt on my dining room table for that authentic feel.
Anna: Yes. That’s quite impressive actually. So if I chose a Sashimi, will you pass me another one?
Matt: Ah. You’ve struck on to the crux of the game there! If the player passing you cards sees you trying to collect a certain set, they might chose to play them instead to make it harder for you to get points. You always need to keep half an eye on what your opponents are collecting. And that’s even more important for some of the choices.
Anna: Yeah, you’ve still only told me about two of these.
Matt: There are also Dumplings. They start out weak but the more you can get hold of, the better your meal is going to get! They follow the exponential Dumpling rule.
Anna: The exponential…
Matt: Dumpling rule. Yes. If you spot that no one is collecting them you can really rack up the points. But if you only get one or two they’re much worse than some of the other choices. Next up you have Maki Rolls. If you have the most of them, you score 6 points. The problem is if you don’t have the most, you not going to score very much at all. You have to balance the effort with the reward. There is no happy end to a Maki Roll fight, well, except for everyone who stayed out of it!
Anna: Wait! There’s a Dessert here! I can get Dessert straight away!?
Matt: Woah! Steady on. You can choose that, but you’re not going to eat it till the end of the game. The most important thing with Desserts: don’t be last. While you will get 6 points for having the most, you will lose 6 points for coming last! Turning a glorious victory into a crushing defeat.
Anna: I’m definitely having the most Desserts!
Matt: Ah! But don’t miss out on points during the main game. You play three rounds, and at the end of each round you score for all the main courses you’ve chosen, then discard them. The Desserts are saved up until after the final round. Hope you’re feeling hungry!
Chris: Sushi Go!
Anna: What the…?
Matt: Oh, don’t worry. He just used his Chopsticks. The Chopsticks don’t score you any points, but you can use them to play two cards from a later hand. It can be quite powerful to get a pair of Tempura, or to suddenly take the lead on Maki Rolls. Even to prevent your neighbour from getting anything useful. Now, the last thing I need to tell you about is the Nigiri.
Anna: Oh. Yeah, they didn’t look so good.
Matt: Yeah, the three different flavours just score you 1, 2 or 3 points. But the key to a good Nigiri is a generous helping of Wasabi! This potent paste multiplies the value of an otherwise bland Nigiri by 3. Turning your squid Nigiri into a 9 point scoring beast. But! You need to play the Nigiri on top of the wasabi, giving your opponents a chance to stop you ahead of time.
Anna: Hmm…
Matt: Exactly. It’s never an easy choice. Each turn you try and make the best of the cards you’ve been passed, but you also need to be aware of what everyone else is collecting. You’re looking for opportunities and tying to avoid going after something everyone else is building. Possibly grabbing that last Sashimi that some else needed. It means you’re always interested in what everyone else is doing. Just be decisive and you’ll be ok.
7 Wonders is often described as a good game for new people to the hobby because the mechanics are quite simple. I feel the shear variety of cards in 7 Wonders along with the amount of interacting links between them make for a very intimidating game. Sushi Go! Is absolutely superior to 7 Wonders as a gateway game. There are no resources to juggle, there are only 10 different cards (and that’s counting the 3 Nigiri flavours) and each of their rules is printed on the card in very clear text. It still has the annoying “add up everyone’s scores at the end” thing, but it is so much easier! Get friends hooked on Sushi Go!, then introduce 7 Wonders.
Anna: Right… Just one question.
Matt: Of course!
Anna: What are we having for dinner?
Matt: Oh, there’s some pizza in the oven.
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