Karakorum is a board game designed by Reiner Knizia that focuses on the theme of mountain climbing. The game challenges players to make smart choices about taking risks and knowing the right moment to rest and claim their progress. While it involves a race on several levels, the mountain climbing theme is mostly a setting for the game mechanics. In the story, you manage three climbers, each trying to reach the top of a different peak. Your goal is to help them climb as high as possible, and your score is based on how far they get.
Every player receives a board with pawns in three different colors. These pawns track your progress on the three separate peaks. It is important to note that the peaks shown on the board can be a bit misleading. To reach the summit for all three colors, you actually need to reach a total of 30 points for each color, rather than the 10, 20, and 30 marks that might be suggested visually.
To move your pawns forward in any of the three colors, you must collect, play, and trade in cards. On your turn, you reveal cards from the deck. You must show at least one card, but you can reveal up to one more card than the number of players at the table. From the cards you reveal, you are required to take at least one. You may take more than one, but only if they are all the same color. The cards come in three colors and are numbered from 1 to 9, with some featuring axes.
Any cards you do not take are offered to the other players. Each opponent may take one card from what remains. This system creates a delicate balance: revealing more cards increases your chances of getting what you want, but it also gives your opponents more opportunities to find useful cards. If the very first card you flip is perfect for your needs, it is often wise to stop there and simply take that single card for yourself.
Once you have claimed cards, you must play them in front of you. You can organize up to four columns, one for each color, plus one additional column that can duplicate a color. Cards placed in the same column must be in ascending order. Cards with the identical number can be played side-by-side. When you add a card to a column and that column now contains at least three cards, you can trade that column in to advance your pawn on that specific peak.
The amount of progress you make depends on the number of axes shown on the cards in that column. However, if you are ever forced to discard a column that has fewer than three cards, you suffer a penalty. Your pawn moves backward three steps. This is a significant setback because gaining ground in this game is not an easy task.
When you trade in a column to move forward, you have another option. If your column (or columns) fulfills one of the 12 public objectives, you can discard your column to make progress based on the rewards listed on those objectives. These objectives are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Once an objective is claimed by a player, it is turned face-down so no one else can use it.
The objectives available include requirements such as having at least four cards in a column, creating two separate columns of three cards each, playing at least six cards in total, or collecting at least 10 axes. These objectives offer a different path to victory if you can meet the specific conditions.
Throughout the game, you will face several dilemmas. The first is deciding how many cards to reveal from the deck. Drawing more cards can help you, but it can also help your opponents. You are restricted to picking only one color, and sometimes you will be torn between two or even three colors. You must consider that whatever you leave behind will likely become useful to someone else.
Deciding when to trade in a column of cards is not always straightforward. Should you wait for one or two more cards so you can make even more progress? However, delaying can mean a long wait before you get another opportunity. This is a classic example of opportunity cost. Even choosing which specific card to take can be tough. If you already have a red 1, will you take a red 4 as your next card? Doing so might mean you lose the opportunity to play any more red 1s, 2s, or 3s. It is a simple game, but it presents many difficult decisions.
The end game scoring is interesting and features a classic Knizia-style twist. You are not simply adding up your scores in the three colors. First, to be eligible to win, you must be the top scorer in at least one of the three colors. If you are not a top scorer in anything, you are immediately eliminated from contention.
Among those who are still in the running, you then score your two other colors. This means that during the game, you must ensure you lead in one color while also performing well in the other two. If another player is doing too well, you can plot to eliminate them by denying them the top position in any color. This creates an interesting dynamic that adds depth to the strategy.
Karakorum is a game that is simple yet clever, and it deserves more attention from board game enthusiasts. It combines strategic card management with a race for points, offering a satisfying experience for those who enjoy making calculated risks.
