K2

K2 is a mountain climbing game game by Adam Kałuża and published by Heidelberger Spieleverlag.

The Game

1-5 Players

Age 13+

60 minutes to play

Expansions: K2: Broad Peak, K2: The Avalanche

Awards: 

2011 Golden Geek Best Family Board Game Nominee

2011 Gra Roku Game of the Year Nominee

2011 International Gamers Awards - General Strategy; Multi-player Nominee

2011 Japan Boardgame Prize Voters' Selection Nominee

2011 Nederlandse Spellenprijs Nominee

2012 Spiel des Jahres Kennerspiel Nominee

This, again, is quite a simple game that establishes a tense atmosphere. The aim is to get your two climbers as high up the mountain as you can, and keep them alive till the end of the 18-day game.

The Play

There are three phases to each turn: draw, movement and environmental. 

First you draw six cards into your hand, then choose three to play that turn. The cards display points on either movement or acclimitisation, which acts as life. When everyone has decided, you all reveal. The player who reveals the highest tally of movement points takes a 'risk token' from the three random risk tokens that are maintained upturned. The risk token is a penalty on either movement or acclimatisation and can be taken off the acclimatisation meter each player maintains.

The second phase is played in turns as each player moves their climbers. The player going first rotates around the table. The movement points are used to move to ledges along branching paths. Each ledge has two numbers on it, movement cost to move into it and acclimatisation cost/bonus, which is resolved during the environmental phase. Ledges have a limit to the number of climbers allowed to stop on them, determined by number of players and altitude. A tent can be placed per climber, for the same cost as movement onto the ledge, which provides environmental protection and can be used by either of the player's climbers.

The third phase is when all players resolve the environmental effects for that day. A weather bar progresses each round and indicates the total number of rounds played. It gives an altitude range and acclimatisation penalty to the climbers within that altitude range. Another environmental factor is displayed on the ledges, which again affects acclimatisation but at lower levels can give a boost rather than a penalty.

Climbers score points on a scale on the board, which relates to the highest altitude they have achieved. Climbers die if their acclimatisation falls to zero or below. If at any time a climber dies, he is removed from the board and his points marker is moved to zero, except in the family version of the game where a one time rescue card can be played to move the climber back to base camp.

The Mechanics

The first phase is about card selection. The choice here is how to balance out acclimatisation with movement, while preparing a contingency plan in the case of having to pick a risk token. As the risk tokens available are always on show you can decide on which one you will take for your contingency. 

Is this fun? Well... yes, IF you like planning and analysis as it is the planning phase for the rest of the round. You have to weigh up options, review your position and potential routes, then ensure your acclimatisation is high enough to survive the night. After that the prudent player will check other players options just to make sure they aren't going to cut you off or be stuck with an unplanned-for risk token. 

I've found that even the chattiest gamer will sit silent, moving cards around, checking the board, looking at other players, checking the board for who they are looking at, then moving cards around again. There is an air of anticipation, knowing that any mistake here might just cost you the game. But you know its not just you that decides the outcome. the best plan can be put back two turns by an inconsiderate, or shrewd, move by you opponents. You need to have those contingencies. 

The movement phase is where direct competition comes into play. Whoever has the move first marker has the advantage when a ledge is in competition, particularly at the higher altitudes where only one climber can be on a given ledge. The placement of tents is also a weighty decision as being able to reach them when recovering from a summit attempt is imperative, and although there is no limit to tents on a ledge you will find that your good mate Pete, who will lend you his car at a moments notice, will camp out on that ledge for an extra turn so you cant use your tent, sending you to your frozen death.

Is this fun? Fun and nail-biting. As this is the phase where you compete directly with your opponents and the mountain. The best laid plans last only as long as first contact with the enemy, and in a large group you will find that your plans change quickly, especially when you are the last to move.

This is the tactile part of the game. Anything where the player moves their avatar around a board feels more personal. As such, even if the plan doesn't change, this phase gives a sense of satisfaction and involvement.

The final phase is where the mountain takes its turn. Each climber has the acclimatisation effects from weather and altitude subtracted from their acclimatisation total. This is the maths phase, the test of your planning. I have seen failure and defeat take hold when players lament that they should have played that extra point two moves ago. or not taken the risk and waited, or told Pete he's no longer the godfather of certain children because he waited on that ledge, blocking or diverting a climber onto a deadly path. 

Is this fun? This is more a maintenance phase than a fun phase. It doesn't detract from the game at all due to how quickly it is done. There is a buildup created for the next round as your position becomes obvious but that's about it, unless you are in a gaming group of shit talkers, then this is best known as the sledging phase.

Conclusion

K2 revolves around calculation and planning but masks it well behind simple, well designed mechanics. The game plays quickly and disaster strikes just as swiftly. It gives a sense of satisfaction when a plan comes off well and there is plenty of room for discussion and interaction with other players, even if the direct competition is limited.