Yes, you can sail the 7 seas...

One of the games I was rather curious to get a close look at was Tsuro of the Seas by Calliope Games.  The original Tsuro was released first by WizKids in 2004, but was re-released in late 2009 by Calliope.  In May of 2012, Calliope placed Tsuro of the Seas up on Kickstarter.  The project was over 300% funded, and Tsuro of the Seas made its debut at GenCon 2012.  Tsuro of the Seas promised more of the same game play we've come to know and love in Tsuro, but adding in new elements to make the game more exciting than the original.

Not me, but often is how I look at the end of a game of Tsuro

To explain Tsuro of the Seas, it is necessary to spend a couple minutes talking about the original.  Tsuro is an abstract tile-laying game for 2 to 8 players.  One of the most unique aspects of the game is that it plays just as well throughout that player range, a truly remarkable feat.  Tsuro is a very basic game.  Your goal is to not die.  You die by either running into another player, or running off the board.  On each turn, a player places a tile on the board directly in front of their playing piece...the tiles each have a mix of straight and curved lines, creating serpentine paths that you must follow.  Sometimes, one player's tile can cause multiple pieces to move.  It's fast, it's semi-chaotic, but it is always fun.  This is a game that players of all ages and abilities can easily enjoy.  I would go so far as say that any good game collection should have Tsuro in it, as it is about the perfect 15-minute filler.

Tsuro of the Seas, at it's heart is the same game.  The board is a big larger (7x7 compared to 6x6), and there are more tiles (56 compared to 35).  This time, there is more of a theme pasted on: each player is in charge of a ship, sailing the treacherous seas.  Not only do you have to worry about ramming your opponents or falling off the edge of the world, but you now have to deal with sea creatures.  At the beginning of a game of Tsuro of the Seas, six daikaiju or dragon tiles are placed on the board by rolling a pair of dice, and placing the tiles in the appropriate squares.  A player's turn has one extra step as well: at the beginning of the turn, those dice are rolled again.  If a 6, 7 or 8 is rolled...then the dragon tiles get to move around the board.  Another die is then rolled, and each tile is moved.  If the dragons fall off the board, great, if they land on each other - awesome, if they land on you though?  Game over, man.  The rest of the turn works basically the same as regular Tsuro.

I think Tsuro of the seas is a beautiful game.  The ship models are detailed (though they don't feel as substantial as the pieces from the original game), the board has great art, and the tiles look outstanding.  Everything about the graphical part of the game is top notch.  Calliope has done a wonderful job in upholding the standards of the base game.

I have to say, however, that I'm not a fan of the game play additions at all.  The die rolling, and dragon tiles make the game far too random to be much fun.  My first game was a four player game.  I got four turns in, and thought I was safely huddled in my little corner.  However, three random dragon moves later, I was out of the game, with absolutely no chance to try and save myself.  The problem with the dragon mechanic is that it doesn't feel integrated into the game at all.  Much like the ship theme, it's a pasted on mechanic for the sake of a new mechanic.  Tsuro has a simplicity, and sort of elegance to it.

If I didn't already own Tsuro, I might consider this version because I like the art, the bigger board, and the extra tiles.  I would, under no circumstances buy it for the new dragon mechanic.  Quite a disappointment.