Review | Jakarta Traffic board game review

Every now and then I also look at crowdfunding models. This also applies to the board game Jakarta Traffic, which is out now Kickstarter He went into finance.

Jakarta Traffic is a pick-and-drop game with modification options. The board game is the first work by Simon Schmieder, who lived in Indonesia for two years. The game also comes with a soundtrack to make the gaming experience even better.

The material in this review is still in prototype state and therefore not final yet.

Game description

The rules are actually relatively easy to understand. We have to move dishes and people from point A to point B. Priorities may change as a result.

In front of players is a game board in the form of a 5×5 grid with various streets, commercial buildings (as delivery addresses), charging stations, and pick-up locations.

On your turn, you can optionally decide to release one of the 25 Road Cards and switch or play them. Then we move along the roads (blue) to another map. If we carry goods or people there, it always costs energy from our mobile phones. We get power from recharging stations or when we meet fellow players on board and have a quick chat.

The goal now is to deliver goods or people to places where there is corresponding demand. But this changes with each delivery from players, such that certain items can no longer be delivered or their value may increase. As a reward we get stars (value from 3 to 7 points). The first person to collect four of them ends the game.

Then the values ​​of the stars and various rewards are evaluated.

There are 5 additional modules attached to the game that give the game a different focus.

Author: Simon Schmieder ■ Chart: Winsoy
Publisher: Self-published ■ Publication year: 2024

1-4 players

14 years and above

About 30-60 minutes

Rules of the game (link redirected to)

Gaming feeling

The board game Jakarta Traffic is very unusual. It starts with a bustling game plan, which gives a sense of what Indonesian city traffic feels like.

Especially since here we have long been accustomed to the hustle and bustle of the first 1-2 games so that we can imagine the best paths, since the grid is very reminiscent of maze games from childhood. But with time you find your way better and sharpen your eye for the paths.

Using optional actions to swap tiles, you can get into a better position, but you can also lay an egg or two in the nest for your fellow players. You have to love that kind of interaction.

As the playing field changes over time, it becomes clear that we are dealing with a tactical game, not a strategic game. Especially when the number of players is full, the ability to plan the game is reduced. Also with four players, the game, which is a somewhat faster board game, can take quite a long time due to the downtime on each move, as there are a lot of options in the game to make moves. So I prefer to play with two or three people. It helps keep the number of players low, especially in the early 'learning games'.

The matching of the goods to be delivered and the people to be transported versus the five different ordering locations is very exciting. As each successful delivery changes the location of the order and goods/people, new combinations are created. Of course you can try to factor that into your considerations. Of course it would be better if you played with three people.

A playing time of 15 minutes per player is realistic. So here we have a fast expert game, so the downtime has a bigger impact.

Eventually, the game also becomes a competitive one, as collecting the fourth can be very quick. Here you have to pay more attention to the opponent so that you can understand when they make decisive moves so that you can hinder them if necessary by flipping tiles.

More traffic in Jakarta

Anyone who has played 2-3 matches of the base game can expand the game by 5 units: Recommendation of a maximum of 2 additional units in the game:

• Special Orders: Now all orders are mixed and mixed with special orders. This creates a special dynamic.
• Rupee: 2, 5, 3 and 1 rupee symbols are placed next to stars 7, 5 and 4. The first to make the respective delivery must deposit the corresponding rupee sign at the delivery address. This makes these places temporarily more attractive and results in a very tactical phase, especially at the beginning.
• Azan: Added two travel locations to the game board.
• Candy Crash: The popular mobile game can be found in the game and gives additional rewards when visiting charging stations.
• Ondel-Ondel: Up until now we could only stop the tiles from rotating with a marker. This can now also be done with three more that must be used strategically.

summary

Jakarta traffic It is a clear and entertaining interactive pick-and-drop game with many 'manipulative' possibilities. I liked it better with two or three people. With four people, stopping and planning is a little more difficult.

• Beautiful toy material
• Fun board game with the right number of players (endgame 2-3).
• Simple rules – quick to learn
• Modular expansion for long-term fun (5 units)

• Quite a long time when it's fully occupied (longer downtime), as there are so many options available.
• There is a danger of brood.

From my point of view as a player: Although the rules are relatively easy to understand, I see the game more as a connoisseur's game than a family game. Swapping road tiles and changing objective sets in particular requires quick tactical rethinking. For me, the downtime is too long in a short game with a full crew of players.