Review Detail

Argent is a game set on a fictional Earth where Harry Potter wasn't a load of faff. You're students or something at a wizarding school where everyone is still a jerk but they don't waste their time fighting a moron dark wizard. They still don't learn how to do anything useful, though, like algebra.

I digress. I'd heard good things about this but seeing pictures of the extremely busy board and such made me think this was nothing but a more in-your-face Agricola, just another one of these overcomplicated New Euros doling out infinitesimal rewards that eventually turn into victory points for doing...something, anything. It almost is. But unlike so many others, this one remembered it should also be fun too, and have some kind of personality. It should inspire more than just "darn, you took the wood I needed. I guess I'll get a pig instead."

Argent is long and sloppy and I think some weirdo expansion stuff was included in this play that may not be needed. But we had a great time playing it, and I'm not just saying that because I won. However, the fact that I won does say something about the game, as I usually cannot muster up the intelligence or interest to excel at things like this. But here I could see how the pieces fit, could identify things to focus on and things to ignore, and actually pursue a path and stick to it. I felt like I worked with the game against the other players instead of the usual other way around.

It was long as hell, but I was engaged in it a lot more fully than in much shorter games it's less "elegant" than.