Gaido 2013

Medieval Japan has so much to offer in the way of scenery! Vast mountains, quaint villages, hidden shrines and much more. The real treasures however are those that jump and fly - the rare brown squirrels, cranes, egrets and eagles who make their homes in remote locations. These hard to find creatures are the ultimate destination of any tour of the countryside.

In Gaido, players take on the role of guides and travelers journeying through the countryside of medieval Japan. Guide duties are shared, with each player taking the responsibility for one day of their journey. The guide directs the group of players through the Japanese landscape, to their journey’s end. Only the current guide can decide when a journey is over.

There are four animals the group is trying to spot, squirrels, cranes, egrets and eagles. These animals are found in four different locations and represent the end of a journey. On the play table, players will create four stacks of cards, called Journeys. These stacks represent the different paths to the four animals.

Every Journey card has a Kanji symbol on it which indicates how many points each player will receive when that stack is scored. Cards can be played facing any direction. There are sixteen Journey cards and four Journey’s End cards which, when played on one of the four journeys will immediately end that journey and score that stack of cards.

Gaido offers interesting play choices, with a strategy that’s deeper than it first appears and a simple play style. Only 20 cards and 24 counters in size, it’s played in an average of 15-20 minutes.