Too spicy for some
MERV
Designer: Fabio Lopiano | Publisher: Osprey Games
This genre really needs a name. ‘European style, non-conflict, modular board with a variety of point systems’ games is too much of a mouthful. Personally, I’ve started calling games like Five Tribes, Istanbul and now Merv, ‘Chocolate-Box Euros’ as they offer lots of little options for you to consider and are usually quite sweet (if not to everyone’s taste.)
Merv certainly succeeds in looking like a chocolate box, with its gorgeous pastel-coloured geometric patterns influenced by traditional Islamic art and its very generous array of tokens, giving the game a luxurious look. There’s also a lot to look at; Merv sees 1-4 players attempting to build the medieval metropolis of Merv, with points scored for every mosque, library, market, caravansary, city wall and palace interacted with.