1181 – Jaipur | Bored Game Unboxing
Bored game unboxing full of sleepy colors and textures that will exchange whatever is keeping you awake for your borefriend keeping you company.
-
Episode 1181 – Jaipur | Bored Game Unboxing
[START OF RECORDING]
SCOOTER: Friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, you’ll be puzzled by this…if you’re new, you may find this show puzzling. I’m no Puzzler, though. I’m the Puzzled, not the Puzzler. But in this case, this episode’s about boxing a board game, which hopefully you’ll be bored enough. You know, you’ll be engaged but you’ll be bored enough to fall asleep. But I won't be playing games, but it kind of is a game. It’s fun, so it is a game, though I take it very…I pay…you know what I mean. I don't…actually, I don't even know what…I mean, I know what I mean; I just can’t communicate it. So, I’m glad you’re here. If you’re confused, oh boy, are you in good company, because…I don't know, I am. So, I’m confused; I know I’m supposed to do a set up in a sleep podcast. So glad you’re here if you’re new.
Give the show a few tries. I’m gonna explain everything here and in a few minutes again, but this is a show to keep you company while you fall asleep, to be your friend in the deep, dark night because you deserve a good night’s sleep. You deserve a friend, you deserve a bedtime you could feel neutral about or look forward to that you don’t have to dread, and that’s what I’m here to try to do. What’s gonna happen is we’re gonna have some support — that’s how the show is free twice a week — then there will be a long, meandering intro, which is a show within a show where I kinda introduce the podcast, but it also helps ease you into bedtime or get you ready for bed.
Then we’ll open a holiday…a game from the holidays. This isn’t in the holiday season, but…and the game has nothing to do with the holidays, but that’s…it was a gift I gave and then I opened it myself. I mean, I didn’t unwrap it; I just took off the protective plastic layer and went through the box. I haven’t played the game yet. So, I’m glad you’re here. It’s time for Sleep With Me, the podcast that’s here to put you to sleep. Thanks for making it possible, my patron peeps.
INTRO: [INTRO MUSIC] Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing? Trouble getting to sleep? Trouble getting…trouble staying asleep, trouble getting to sleep? It’s time for Sleep With Me, the podcast that’s still…I’m still puzzled…the podcast that puts you to sleep. We do it with a bedtime story. Alls you need to do is get in bed, turn out the lights, and press Play. I’m gonna do the rest. What I’m going to attempt to do is create a safe place where you could set aside whatever’s keeping you awake, whether it’s thoughts or feelings, like, so anything on your mind that you’re thinking about about the past, the present, the future. So thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, changes in time, temperature, routine, anything like that. Anything that’s coming up and getting in the way of your sleep.
So, thoughts, feelings…thoughts would be stuff I’m thinking about at bedtime or about the past, present, or future. Feelings could be emotions related to those thoughts. They could be…or something else that could just be there that could be coming up, anticipating…from the past; the R…what is that? How do you spell that? R-A-G…you know, those kind of feel…strong feelings or not even that strong…too strong for bedtime, though…or physical sensations or whatever’s going on. I don't know exactly what’s keeping you awake, but the part of…the show that’s the most important is there is this community around the show, and we can relate to what’s keeping you awake, probably, or the feelings behind it, feelings of…you know how it feels in the deep…that’s why I call it the deep, dark night. I know how it feels.
I might not know exactly what you’re going through but I could probably relate to it, and if I can’t, there’s someone listening right now that can. I hope that makes you feel less alone and validated, because that’s important to say, yeah, it’s tough. It’s not…there’s no one that says, oh boy, you betcha; I can’t wait to not get some sleep tonight. I mean, that I’ve heard of…that says it from a grounded place. I say, can’t wait for another night on that old whatever it is that keeps…can’t…oh boy, want to work…can’t wait to be tired and work through some feelings for hours on end or think about stuff or have some sensations come up or anticipate something. Those things just happen and then we have to…it’s kinda like, oh. Well, this podcast is here to help if it can.
Now, the reason I make the show…not only can I relate to those feelings, but you deserve a good night’s sleep. That’s what’s really important. You deserve a place you could rest and a bedtime you don’t dread, and that’s important to me, but it’s just the truth. If you get the rest you need, your life’s gonna be more manageable, your life’s gonna be better, and that means the world we live in is a better place to be in. So, that’s important. The way I do it is I send my voice across the deep, dark night. I’m gonna use lulling, soothing, creaky, dulcet tones and pointless meanders and superfluous tangents, and I’ll go off topic and get mixed up and stuff like that.
All of a sudden, something from earlier popped in my head, and I know I’ve talked about this on a intro that I recorded in the last two months, but I don’t remember what it was for. But I was talk…'cause something about the Puzzler…I think…so, that’s usually…there used to be…before superhero movies were a big-budget, big-deal thing, they were kind of…and before that, people didn’t…they were treated differently. You could say they were campy at times. There was a Batman show that’s been on repeat…that the…that StarKid did a musical about, too. It was like, Batman and Robin. There was also…if you have HBO, the HBO service, the animated shows on there are a little bit different. I don't know where to find the TV show; maybe on the…I don't know where. I don't know if it needs to be…it probably does.
But so, there was different people Batman would encounter and then say, oh boy, we gotta work around this. I don't think there was a Puzzler. There was a Riddler and there was a Joker, but there was no Puzzler. But I would be the Puzzled, and then I could maybe…I think there was multiple dance and musical Batman…whatever you call them, antagonists, but I could be…the Puzzler…and the Puzzled and the Puzzle Pieces; I guess that could be my…I don't know if that’s a…that’s a little bit too many…I don't know if alliteration’s that…the Puzzled and the Puzzle Pieces. Doesn’t sound like a…too much for a band. I don't think that would fit on the drum circle…the bass drum. But if I had a…if I…I don't know, I think I’d prefer to be…to be honest, I’d prefer to be a backup singer, anyway.
So, I’d be…well, could you be the Puz…? I mean, I know I’m the Puzzled, but could I just be a puzzle piece and you’re the Puzzled…? You’re the lead…you’re playing the role of the Puzzled because I’d just prefer to be a puzzle piece. They’d say, that’s…that doesn’t…that’s puzzling to you, but not to me. I can’t be the Puzzled 'cause I don’t find that puzzling. Makes perfect sense you’d want to be the puzzle piece, but you’re the Puzzled. Are you the Puzzler? Is this Ghostbusters 7? Am I looking for the…? I’m the Puzzled. Wouldn’t I be looking for the answer key, not the Puzzler? I know what I…I’d say, please stop puzzling me. They’d say, I have nothing…I’m the Puzzler; I make puzzles. You’re the Puzzled. You’re just in a state of being puzzled, or you’re…and I’d say, have you met the puzzle pieces?
We do musical…we one day will do imaginary musical numbers. Probably we won't, but Scooter thought of us and it kinda makes sense. It makes sense for the Puzzler to have the puzzle pieces, though, not the Puzzled. I’d be looking at the puzzle pieces, not…anyway, oh boy, that’s a pointless meander and a superfluous tangent, by the way. So, if you’re new here, let me give you some info. I probably already gave it to you, and that’s…but this show is very different, so it does take a few tries to get used to, and that’s not coming from me; that’s coming from hundreds of thousands…maybe a million people have said, I didn’t like this show or you at the first listen, and took a few tries, then I came back — I said, oh, he’s not here to be liked; he’s here to help me fall asleep.
He’s not here to put me to sleep; he’s here to keep me company while I fall asleep. I don't like him, but…or he’s not likable, but I like him. That’s, I think, what a lot of listeners share. They say, at first glance, Scoots is not a likable…but once you get to know him, I like him. You say, that’s puzzling. I say, yeah, when he keeps repeating stuff and he gets caught in his own…he’s caught in his own puzzle. I guess I am the…oh boy, that could be my first…The Puzzled and the Puzzler and the Puzzle Pieces, Chapter 84 of my autobiography. When you look at things from a sky-high view, you could see things. But when you’re right there in the middle of it, you don’t even know…if you were the…if you were one-fiftieth the size of a puzzle piece, you wouldn’t know it’s a puzzle piece.
So, that would be the…maybe that’s the opening of the chapter. This chapter is performed by the Puzzle Pieces. Okay…oh, what was that…? Pointless…? Oh, I’m here to…oh, most people don’t like this show on the first try, 'cause…the other thing is, if you’ve tried a lot of stuff to fall asleep, you’re probably skeptical and doubtful this is even gonna work, and that’s pretty smart because I’ve been there. I’ve tried; I’ve spent tons of money, I’ve tried different stuff. Nothing worked consistently. A lot of people had advice, told me I was doing it wrong. I don't know how many times you’ve been told…you say, I’m just trying to fall…well, you’re doing it wrong. Have you try…? Oh, you’re sleeping in a bed? You can’t sleep in a bed if you’re having trouble sleeping. You gotta walk around. You’re doing it wrong.
I say, whoa, whoa, wait a second. What? You’re try…? Are your eyes closed when you’re trying to sleep? Trust me, if someone asks you that question, there’s not a right answer. Just from experience, 'cause I mean…just honestly, you could greet it with amusement, ‘cause you say, if someone’s asking that question, they probably need my help but they don’t know it, so they’re try…so you just say, could you…? I don't know what I’d say. Could you rephrase that question? That would be pretty funny. When you’re sleeping, are your eyes closed? You say, when I’m sleeping, yes. Oh no, I mean when you’re trying to sleep, are you closing…? I’d say, wow, it’s not easy to rephrase a simple question, is it? Then maybe they…and then they say, are your eyes closed when you’re trying…when you’re having trouble falling asleep?
I’d say, some of the…sometimes. That’s probably a good…sometimes. There you go; that’s…that might defuse it, 'cause then they’re…then you’ve opened the door for their advice. But they’d say, oh, well, you gotta do it all the time. Okay, which one? Then they’ll have some sort of…I’m just saying. Then it’ll be…but you say, well…then you say, sometimes? You’re doing it wrong. Your eyes have got to be open or closed. I don't know. Don’t close your eyes ‘til you’re asleep. I say, what? Okay. Thank you so much for trying to help me. I appreciate it. So, that’s why I make the show. I don't know if you’re laughing or nodding your head or nodding off, but that’s really…it can be lonely when people are giving advice like that. They don’t know it 'cause they sleep fine. Are your eyes closed? I say, did you close your eyes when you’re trying…?
I say, oh boy, here we go again, about to be sleep-splained by someone that falls asleep in four minutes, probably when they’re supposed to be doing the dishes, am I right? Sorry, a little pandering there. Okay, so, where was I? When I point my finger in the mirror, it’s pointing back at me, though. So, oh boy. Okay, so, I went on a…oh, so this show does…if you’re kind of skeptical…oh, this is good stuff. These are called bore-giggles, by the way. Even if you’re not laughing…some people may be barely laughing, where you say, I almost giggled. I say, well, that’s a bore-giggle. It’s the perfect cure for your bedtime…there’s no wrong…here’s the good thing; there’s no wrong way to barely laugh at what I’m saying, or not laugh at all. There’s no wrong way to do it. You could even be cracking up.
So, okay, so the show does take some getting used to. It’s a podcast you don’t really listen to. It’s kind of background noise, but it’s kinda not. You can kinda barely listen, but there’s no pressure to listen. I’m here to just talk like a friend in the deep, dark night while you drift off to take your mind off of stuff, to puzzle those parts of you that are trying to keep you awake…that sometimes, that puzzle…that part of me, the sleep-splainer within me, that puzzled them for a second. This also isn’t a podcast that puts you to sleep. It keeps you company while you drift off, so there’s no pressure to fall asleep. I’m gonna be here for over an hour. There’s over 500 free episodes if you need them. But I’m here to keep you company.
I’ll be your bore-friend, your bore-bae, your bore-sib, your bore-bud, your bore-bestie, your bore-bor, your neigh-bore, your friend in the deep, dark night to keep you company, and that’s what I’m here for, which is a little bit different. But don't worry, and if you can’t sleep, I’m here to keep you company. So, that’s the relief this show offers whether you fall asleep or not. I’m here to barely entertain you, and tonight will be with a board game unboxing. Structurally what to expect…this can also throw people off kinda naturally, 'cause I don't know…it’s hard to expect…what to expect with a sleep podcast. I know the reason I started making a sleep podcast back when there weren’t any was all the sleep audio…it came with a certain expectation.
A lot of times, it was inner…that I was relaxed or I would interact or that I was somehow a functional adult. I was like, yeah, I’m looking for something more at my…I’m the Puzzled, not the Puzzler. Do you have anything with that flavor? They said, this is the power company. I said, oh, okay. So, that’s a joke you don’t even need to laugh at, 'cause it was just…I barely thought of it. But so, lights are out on that one. Okay, so…oh, structurally. So, the show starts off with a greeting; friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls so you feel seen and welcomed in, and you say, oh, I might be able to check this show out. Seems a little bit silly, lighthearted…then there’s support for the show so the show can be free and come out twice a week versus just being a paid-only podcast.
Then there’s the intro, which sometimes when you’re new or you don’t like the support or something, you lump the two together. But the intro is totally separate from the support. It is a show within a show. You could skip it and start the show at twenty or thirty minutes, but then you would miss out on this. I mean, look where we’ve been, and people are falling asleep during this, too. But most of the time, the intro is to ease you into bedtime and not put you to sleep. It’s here to keep you company, but slowly give you a buffer from the day. So, there’s listeners getting ready for bed or doing some sort of wind-down or in bed getting comfortable, petting your pets…that is a new part of my wind-down.
It was always a part of my…something I did at bedtime, but I’ve been petting Koa, my dog…old-school…just a head pet. She’s into that. All of a sudden, I say, holy cow…I kinda test out other pets and she said, no; go back to just petting my head. So, that’s a part of my bedtime routine right now, or more of…and when I say bedtime routine, it’s different…it’s like, okay, now I’m gonna take a few minutes and pet your head. She said, why can’t you pet…one, she says, why can’t you pet my head all the time? There’s…what do you call that where you just…? Oh no, random pet…random petting going on in my house. Don't worry, it doesn’t all have to be scheduled petting. This is…so, what was I saying? Oh, the intro goes on and on and on to ease you into bedtime. So, give it a try.
If you decide you don’t like it, you could pay to get story-only episodes, but more people listen to the intro-only episodes than the story-only episodes on Patreon. So, just see how it goes, and you could change over time. There’s some people…you shift your listening habits as you become a regular listener. Then, between the intro and the show or the story, are sponsors. Again, that’s what enables the show to be free, and then there will be the story. Tonight will be a board game unboxing where I open a board game and I kinda look at it and look at the cards and go through and try to figure out how to play it, which is…when you hear someone do that and it takes them forty-five minutes to fifty minutes, it could put you to sleep, I’m pretty sure. I say, look at this here; is this…would you call this a token or a coin?
I say, oh boy, this card, it’s…is this a rectangle? Yes, most cards are…not all cards are rectangles, but most…not all rectangles are cards. Not all cards are rectangles, but some cards are rectangles and some rectangles are the…well, I don't know if any…some cards are rectangular; how about that, English majors? So, let’s see, what else do we need to know here? Huh, can’t remember…oh, so then there will be a story and then there will be thank-yous at the end. So, that’s the structure of the show. That’s why I make the show. I’m really glad you’re here. I really work hard and I really hope I can help you fall asleep. Thanks again for coming by, and here’s a couple ways we’re able to do it for you for free twice a week.
Alright, hey everybody, Scoots here, and tonight we’re playing…we’re unboxing a board game I gave as a gift. We haven’t played it yet, and it’s one…a really well-reviewed game, like one of the top games. I think it…maybe it’s a two-player fast game? I’m not even sure anymore. So, that part I don’t remember, but the name of the game is Jaipur. It’s by Sebastien Pauchon, and it comes in a box about the size of a X…I mean, a rectangle…like a Blu-ray…the rectangle size is like a Blu-ray or Xbox or PlayStation game, but a little bit…about the thickness of a hardcover book, and it’s matte, kinda textured print on it, and on the cover is what I believe is a merchant, and he is…his arms are spread. He’s got some pottery.
Looks like he also has some diamonds. He has everything for sale, 'cause there’s some rice, some spice or some grain, some fabrics, and behind him are some cranes in the sky, blue sky. One tree…over his left shoulder is a camel ready to go, and then a tower, some buildings, some…what do you call those? Awnings. So, that’s the cover. On the box edge, one thing is the…on the bottom and the top it just says Jaipur and then, I think, the symbols of the companies that make the game; Space Cowboy on one, and Spaceship Making number two, maybe? Then on the left side is the Space Cowboy logo, maybe? Jaipur…some trees, another gentleman who has a sterner look, then I think a age guide; 10+. Time; 30 minutes, and players, two. On the other side it says Jaipur.
On the left, it has another gentleman who seems to be explaining something, and on the right side, a woman who’s holding up a piece of fabric and saying…she’s smiling. The gentleman on the left is kinda smiling. On the back cover, that’s where we get a lot of details, of course. It says, Jaipur…become the Maharaja's personal trader. To the left of the J is a gentleman lighting…it looks like he’s lighting a lamp or the oil in a lamp. On the right is a woman and she’s just kinda looking towards us. She doesn’t have anything in her hands. Then we get a basic explanation of the rules right away. On your turn you can buy, take a single good from the market, or trade goods with the market, one for one, or take all the camels from the market. So, we know we have goods cards and camel cards. We don’t know the value of the cards.
Or you could sell. You could sell as many of the goods of the same type as you want, then gain a token for each good you sold, then potentially gain a bonus token. Okay, so we know we have more than one of each type of good. So, we have tokens and bonus tokens. Alls you gotta do is win two rounds to win the game, but Jaipur is a subtle, simple, and swift — alliteration; holy cow — tactical game by Sebastien Pauchon. Rediscover this…or discover…rediscover this multi-award-winning game in this new edition magnificently illustrated by Vincent Dutrait. Comes with fifty-five cards, sixty tokens. Age; 10+…thirty minutes. Then it has more and more details. This edition is 2021. Alright, so, let’s open the box. The first thing is a Space Cowboy…two-player range.
Oh, so maybe Space Cowboy specializes in two-player games? Cool. Yeah, they have Jaipur, Echor…that’s two to four players. Resources…build your trade in Ancient Egypt. Tea for Two, a card duel between Alice and the Queen of Hearts at tea time. It’s a deck-building battle with deck-building…that’s a two-player game. Botanic; become the best mecha botanist…two-player game. Release your tiles without giving the advantage to your opponent. Then children games; Patatrap Quest…reach the top of the 1,000 Mirror Tower at Patatrap Castle and defeat the…that’s two to four players, 6+. Dreamcatcher; I might have to check this game out. What do we got here? The best ally against bedtime not-great dreams is your cuddly toy. That’s two to four players, 4+, a fifteen-minute game.
I just bought this game based on reviews, so…then they have other games, puzzle and adventure games inspired by escape rooms. They have more than one, it looks like. Sherlock Holmes games, Splendor…I think I saw that one…well-reviewed, too. Then some games where you’re a temporal agent. So, that came with it…that’s just the thing; okay. Okay, then we have the instruction book…we’ll come to last. The tokens are unwrapped, so I guess we’ll go through the tokens first…and then the cards are wrapped. So, when you open the box, the instructions are on the top after the little…the catalog, and then you have three storage things; two for tokens, which are the size of poker tokens…they’re thick cardboard, though, and then the cards in the center. So, I’m gonna go to the first batch of tokens.
The first one is a 1 on one side, and on the other side, it looks like a pair of shoes. Then I have a 5 with a golden bracelet or brass bracelet, then a 1 with shoes again, then a 2…2 has a shirt; it’s a beautiful purple shirt with some…with a lot of detail on it. Actually, the edges of all the tokens…like, the circles, have a design…beautiful design to them, too. Another 2 with shoes…wait a second, wasn’t the 1 with shoes? Okay, so…interesting; now we’re learning. A 1 with shoes…so, I don't know, are these goods or this is how…? Oh, if you sell the shoes? This is a 1 with leaves. Okay, so, I don't know if these are meaningless or they have meaning that they’re different goods on each one. Probably have some meaning, I bet. Maybe not, though.
Then a 3 with a shirt on it, then a 1 with the shoes on it, then a 5 with the gold bracelet on it, a 3 with the shoes on it, a 1 with the shoes on it, a 5 with the leaves on it, three leaves, possibly…I don't know, are those bay leaves? A 1 with the shoes on it, then we have a 5 with the shirt, the purple shirt, a 4 with the shoes on it, a 5…oh boy, we got a new one here. It looks like a statue, a peacock statue? A silver or platinum peacock statue, is what I believe it is. A 3 with the shirt on it, a 5 with the peacock statue on it, a 3 with the leaf…3 leaves on it. What else do we got here? A 2 with the shoes, a 1 with the shirt, a 2 with the leaves…I’m not counting, by the way.
A 5 with the peacock statue, a 2 with the leaves, a 5 with the statue, a 1 with the shirt, a 5 with the statue, a 1 with the leaves, a 3 with the leaves, and then this must be a bonus one? It’s 6 or 9. I don't know, the dot is on the round part, so does that mean it’s a 6? Then it has four cards, so maybe this is a bonus token? ‘Cause we got more bonus tokens in the next thing, so we’ll figure that out. Oh boy, here we go; a 7 with a red gem or ruby, a 5 with a red gem or ruby, a 5 with a red gem or ruby. This one has five cards on one side; it’s 10, so I guess you could get ten if you turned in five cards of one good, or a nine if you turned in…then a 7 with a red ruby, an 8 with five cards on it. So, maybe not. Maybe a different…interesting.
Got a 5 with a gold bracelet, a 5 with four cards on it, a 6 or a…a 6, I guess, or a 9 with four cards on it, a 3 with three cards on it, a 10 with five cards on it, a 3 with three cards on it. I guess these are the bonus tokens. A 5 with four cards on it, a 5 with the ruby…okay, I don't know if these are player tokens. This has a gentleman on one side and a woman on the other side. Interesting. Yeah, put that to one side. Then we have a 4 with four cards on it, a 2 with three cards on it, a 4 with four cards on it, then another token with the gentleman and a woman on it, a 2 with three cards, a…oh, wait, now…a 6 or a 9…so, this is the opposite. I guess that’s a 9. I don't know. It would make more sense if the dot goes on the bottom, like a period.
A 9 with five cards, an 8 with five cards, a 6 with a gold bracelet, a 6 with a gold bracelet, another token with…a player token, a 1 with three cards on it, a 5 with a camel on it, staring. That’s the first camel we’ve seen…a 2 with three cards on it, and a 1 with three cards on it. Interesting. Okay, then we have these player tokens, which I’ll put at the bottom. Okay, I’ve opened the cards. On the back of the card is all the same. It’s Jaipur. It has the gentleman from the cover, and cranes in the background, a maroon-ish, reddish background, but he’s in his…so, it’s mostly maroon and red. He’s full color, though, his head, and I guess his necklace. It looks like the cards are…well, let’s see. Just kinda going through them. A beautiful, fresh smell. So, they’re somewhat shuffled. The first three bottom cards are all camels.
There’s no writing on the cards, so it’s just a camel. It’s a different camel than from the box, 'cause this camel is unadorned. It does not…is not ready for work. This is just a camel chilling. The camel’s looking at us over a fence, or we’re looking at the camel over a fence. In the background are some towers. They’re the same pink. Beautiful blue sky. There’s a tree to the camel’s right. There’s some birds in the distant sky, or a lot of birds, actually, in the distant sky. Also a bush or a shorter tree to the camel’s left. The next card is…oh, I like how these cards are just art. Really adds a lot. A lot of detail on this card. This card is…the majority of it…it’s a deep red. So, on the bottom of the card is a beautiful carpet or rug. I guess a rug. Then on the bottom-left is a red sack that’s closed.
Above that is a chest with silver and red or…no, I guess a deep red…details on it. Then in the very center is, I guess, a bowl filled with gems and rubies and diamonds. A couple have spilled out. On the top is a shining, red ruby, then to the right of that is another sack that’s closed. Above that is some sort of container, then behind that is some red curtains. So, it really adds a lot of depth. There’s even shadows. So, yeah, I guess that would be rubies, 'cause the next one is gold, and it’s golden. But there is some stone floor that’s kind of like a brown. But on the left side of the stone floor are gold…what are those called? Is that bouillon? Is that what you put in your…when you don’t have broth? That’s bouillon. Bullion; gold bullion, right? Is that gold bars? I think so, but the bricks…bricks of gold.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve bricks of gold. Okay, behind that is a mirror with a gold frame, and to the right of that is…one is a gold…what is that thing called? They use for hot water…? A kettle, and in front of it is another gold container, round like a vase. Behind that looks like a giant platter to the right, and then various instruments for cutting your food. There’s also gold light shining in from the left, and then behind it all is either a gold tapestry or a curtain. It does have some details on it like a sun, maybe embroidered, or a circle embroidery. Could be wallpaper. Wow, we’re getting a lot of color here. So, the next one is a silvery platinum color with blues. So, there’s a blue rug on the bottom of this page with some white details, then to the left is a silver or blue box.
The top is…silver or platinum box. The top is open and there’s a blue lining in the box. To the right is a gold ball on a string? I don't know if that’s for tea or…it looks like something that they use in churches for incense, but it seems like a hollow silver or platinum ball you put stuff in. Then above that is a blue and silver box. Could be wood, just 'cause it looks like the blue is painted on and it’s kind of a muted silver or platinum. That has…obviously it’s a rectangle. It goes off-camera…I mean, or off the screen. Above that is an elephant. I’m assuming it’s a sculpture, but it’s so detailed and silver and gold that…I mean, silver and platinum and grays that it could be real, but it does have a green eye, like a gem, and it’s…has…it’s wearing something on its head and over its back that has some gems in it, too.
Then to the left, the same…taller than the elephant is a…looks like a silver lamp or platinum lamp. Then behind that all is kind of…I don't know, it’s tough to say. The background is so nice. It’s just drawn, but…so, it has a depth to it, like a three-dimensional depth, and dark blues. Okay, next up is fabric. So, this is our first one…it does have a lot of purples, but it is…has a lot more colors, too. This one has a lot…a little bit more depth. A lot of stuff is up at the front-bottom of the picture, and it’s just stacked, folded…well, I don't know if it’s…it looks like it’s finished fabric, so, I don't know, it could be fabric ready for use, 'cause even the edges are finished. So, there’s three stacks of fabric, two that are going off of the picture, and one in the…right in the center.
On top…the top two pieces of fabric or material is…oh boy, a…what color red would you say this is? This is the kind of red…like, if Santa Claus wore…didn’t re-dye Santa Claus’ fabric every year, and his suit…so, kind of a deep red, but with little hues of pink from the natural process, which makes it even seem more red. Then it has white circle…white dots, polka dots, kind of, and then details at the edging. Below that is a solid but also has different colors in it…a deep, deep purple. If you said there was a band, Deep Purple…but also with some white details on…finishing out the edge. Then below that is…really folded and going into…kinda fading out, almost, is a piece of fabric that’s kind of a rusty-brown orange. Now, to the left, there’s a stack of fabric. There’s a reddish fabric.
I just tried to zoom with my thumbs, then I forgot that it was…I’m not kidding. But I forgot that it was not on my phone. But there’s also the edges of some fabric with some pink-and-black stripes, a green, a yellowish-orange, a purple with black stripes, kinda turquoise, and then on the right side is fabrics…there’s a couple pieces of yellowish-orange peeking out from the bottom, and then some maroonish-purples. Then in the background, it looks like stuff…it could be…those are dresses on the right, I think. So, there’s some poles hanging from rope, and then stuff is hanging on display. So, it looks like there’s two or three dresses on the right, a beautiful navy one with some details on the top and the bottom, and then a…huh, what color would you say that is? Is that a lavender or a pink or…is that ochre? Is that a color?
A blush? No…with some purples, and then it has a yellow strip towards the bottom and then a deep-purple stripe, and then another purple stripe up top. Then to the right of that is another…I can’t tell if it’s a curtain going all the way to the top — it looks like it — and not on the pole display, but could be a dress or a curtain 'cause it’s just flowing, but that’s all purples, different shades of lavenders and purples, down to some details on the bottom. On the back-left side is just one piece of purple fabric. I can’t tell…it does not look like…it’s tough to tell 'cause it’s so close what it is, but it’s got a bunch…it’s got a lot of folds to it, so it’s really…really looks good. So, that’s nice, then behind that is tons of fabric.
Well, not tons of fabric; we’re here to get the details, Scoots…also laid out maybe against a wall or hanging from the ceiling, but in layers. So, there’s one, two, three, four layers. So, again, giving this image a lot of depth. The top layer is mostly purples, but a lot of different…there’s…you say, well, that’s a lavender purple, a deep purple, a grape purple. All sorts of details, kinda like…the center one that has the most detail has cosmic star details on it. Below that is a red one that’s much more…not the same Christmasy red; maybe more of cherry…a faded cherry red? That has kind of cosmic details around the edging, but not in the center. Let’s see, going back to the top…or, no, to the right of the red one is a gray or green — I wish I could zoom in with my thumbs — with some really nice white details along the top and the bottom edges.
Then below that, we get into some real detail work. There’s a faded something turquoise to the left, but then below the red one is something that’s…it’s got speckles of a deep maroon at the top that kinda fades out to lighter and lighter red, but then again has a bolder detail on the bottom edge. To the right of that is a blue, kind of a lighter, royal blue, with a lot of white detail on it. There’s also a gray one…I think I mentioned that. It’s to the right of the red. Then below that are some folded striped fabrics that are kind of fading into the background. So, that’s a quality one. Next up is one…a lot of greens and a lot of details. So, let’s get into it. So, we got…this is greens…where do I even start? Is this a…? I’d say this is…what kind of…what in the name of Pantone or Crayola Green would you call this?
First of all, I haven’t given the borders of the card any love, 'cause I can’t zoom, but really detailed, almost like a frame in green. Looks like there’s a bird in the middle of this one, with really good details. So, it just adds, again, to the feeling of the depth. These are plastic-coated cards, really nice cards. Okay, so this one has one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight baskets or sacks, then it has one, two, three, four, five, six closed bags, and then one, two, three, four, five, six, seven sacks that are sealed up. If we start in the top background, we’ve got some on the right side, some sticks, green sticks…they could be bamboo shafts, but they don’t have any leaves on them. Then there’s some vines hanging and even some rock or leaf details in the distance, even a grayish, misty sky.
Continuing in the left is…on the left…top-left are leaves coming down from a tree, and then on the left side…could be stacked or it could be…it does look like it’s stacked long, thinner green…like, could be a thatched roof, but I think the detail looks to me more like stacked piles of this wrapped…in bundles, green…like, thin, reedy, green something. Then just off-center to the right is a bowl…a mortar and pestle, it looks like, with green and gold details. Even the handle…the handle’s two-toned with gold and greens. To the left of that are the sacks. They’re tied up with brown rope, but the sacks are green. To the right of the mortar and pestle are the stacked…oh no, those are the bags; these are the sacks. Then on the extreme right side is our first basket with leaves.
The plants look like they’re still on the stem of the leaf, so it kinda looks like…almost like basil when it’s still on the stem. But in the front of that one is…the first basket is some sort of green…a lighter green grain, and I would say it’s not a powder just 'cause there is a powder coming up. Then to the right of that is a green berry or a very small leaf, but a deeper, foresty…a richer, piney green. Then in the front of that is leaves by themselves. They look like they’ve been plucked off of something. Tough to see the details. There’s two different leaves, then to the left of that is another plucked…leaves, and the one on the right is in a sack or a bag, where the one on the left is in a basket. The leaves are definitely different leaves. The leaves on the left are more dried out and a little bit flatter, more of a bay leaf feel, the ones on the right.
Tougher to say. Then in front of that is…I know it’s not lemongrass…or, I mean…well, I don't know, but it looks like long sticks bundled up, similar to if you were buying something like lemongrass. In the center-forward part of the picture is a big sack or a basket — it’s tough to tell — full of a powder, which I guess makes sense with the mortal and the pest…mortar and pestle. That one is a very rich…I just want to say fragrant green, like vegetal green. Behind that is a very wide basket with…it’s tough to tell if it’s berries or chopped-up leaves or something else…very small leaves. Then just poking on…left into the frame is another basket which looks like small cylinders, like maybe small peppers? I don't know. So, that’s the green one. Now we get into a brown one…is next up. This brown one…okay, I’m just letting my eyes adjust here.
Okay, is this…? Different materials, I guess. So, the front is two empty baskets or storage vessels. They’re made out of some sort of material instead of…but a solid material almost like…burlapy. Then in front of…behind that is layers of material stacked, like different reds and…well, yeah, different shades of brown, maybe a couple grays in there. On top of it is a open basket with a beautiful domed top. You just got a view in there. To the left of that is two more baskets with their tops on them, and then rising up in the back are different bags hanging from the ceiling or a pole or something that’s off-screen. One, two, three, four…a bunch of different bags, different sizes. Maybe you could call them purses; I don't know.
Then in the…on the middle-right side are some shoes and sandals, two pairs of shoes, and one pair of sandals. This is all in different shades of brown. Okay, then we have two more ruby cards, a camel card, a silver card, a green card, gold card, ruby card, silver card, camel, brown card, gold card, green card. So, yeah, it looks like…then a purple card; we didn’t have a lot of those. So, it looks like we got through all of that. So, I guess it’s a…I guess it’s just basically like trying to get your cards matched? But let’s take a look at the instructions. But let me just see…well, I don't know how many cards you start off with, so…oh, they have artist statements on the back. Let’s read those first. So, we have Sebastien Pauchon…oh, my, oh my…this is quoting from these statements on the back of the instructions. My oh my, how time flies.
The last decade passed in the blink of an eye. I remember the first ideas that led to Jaipur very well. It all started with the desire of a fast barter, hence a neutral central market. I eventually kept it to a two-player game for, in such a configuration, that a barter has the greatest impact on the opponent. This resulted in a tense trading system but without direct confrontation, which may explain its popularity over time. In this new printing, Jaipur borrows the Space Cowboy rocket to infinity and beyond. Then Vincent Dutrait, yeah…I have strived to blend modern and classic methods by adopting new artistic approaches while remaining face-full…faithful to the tools of old. Paint, pencils, paper…I have been surfing on waves of youth publications, RPGs, board games, a world to which I henceforth devote myself exclusively.
My favorite areas are fantasy and adventure. The Jaipur and Jodhpur diptych holds a special place in my heart, giving me the opportunity to share Maharajan colors, textures, and atmospheres. Then there’s also digital information and all the details about Space Cowboy, contact…so, okay, so let me just guess. I don't really know, 'cause I don't have any cards…so, I’m interested to see how the game plays. I’m not smart enough to…I mean, there’s…it’s a very popular game, very well-reviewed, so I’m missing something, 'cause I don't know the rules. Okay, so, we’ll do…go through the rules. Pretty simple rule book, and not too many…not too much text, either, and a lot of pictures.
Okay, so, we have the introduction and aim; you’re trying to become the Maharaja’s personal trainer…trader by amassing more riches than your opponent at the end of each week/round. To do so, collect and exchange goods cards at the market and sell them for rupees. Flip the tokens over. If you manage to arrange a larger sale, three cards or more, you’ll receive a reward, a bonus token. The camels have no sell value, but they’re useful for trading, especially when you want a lot of goods. At the end of each round, the richest player receives a Seal of Excellence. So, that’s those player tokens. The first player…so, it could only last three rounds or two rounds. The first player to collect two Seals of Excellence wins the game. Okay, so, then…we went through the cards, but there’s six diamond cards. Those are the ruby cards.
Six gold cards, six silver cards, eight cloth cards, eight spice cards, and ten material cards, eleven camels, thirty-eight goods tokens, eighteen bonus tokens, one camel token, three Seals of Excellence, and the set-up. You place three camel cards face-up between the players. Okay, so three…you start with three camel cards, then you shuffle the remaining cards well, then each player gets five cards. Okay, so, I have five cards and I’m looking at three camels. Okay, and I’m trying to see if any of my cards match. Okay, so, I’m just imagining this in my head. The remaining cards are face-down as a draw pile, but you fill the market to five by drawing two cards from the deck and placing them face-up next to the camels. It’s fine if they’re camels. The market is now ready.
Then you take any camels from your hand and put them face-up in a stack in front of them. This forms each player’s herd. Okay, so there’s eleven camels, which is…out of fifty-five cards, what is that? 20%. So, if I have five cards, let’s just say I have one camel, so now I have four cards and one camel. Okay, then you…this is…you sort the tokens by goods type. Make a pile for each goods types in descending order of value. So, you have a stack of each token. So, the tokens do matter, what’s on the other side of them. Then you spread each pile…okay, so you can see all the token values, then you sort the bonus tokens by type; three, four, or five. Shuffle each type separately, then form three piles not spread out. Then you place the camel token next to the bonus tokens and you put Seals of Excellence down.
Okay, and then you pick who starts. Then you can either take cards or sell cards, but never both on your turn. So, take cards…if you take cards, you must do one of the following things; take a single card, take several goods — that’s an exchange option — or take all the camels. Okay, so to take a single good, you or we take a single good from the market into your hand and then replace it with the top card on the deck. So, I think starting off…say, okay, I have two material cards in my card and there’s one up…I probably want that material card. You could also take several goods; take all the goods cards that you want into your hand and exchange the same number of cards. The returned cards can be camels, goods, or a combination of the two. Okay, so then if you take more than one card, you have to exchange them out of your hand.
So, then you could say, okay, well, if I have nothing that matches what’s on the board…alright, or you could take all the camels. You could take all the camels from the market and add them to your herd, and then replace the cards by drawing them from the deck. Okay, so that could be a strategic move, I’m thinking. On your first move, if you don’t have anything that matches what’s face-up, right, you could take all the camels, 'cause you don’t have to return them…oh, you can never have more than seven cards in your hand at the end of your turn. The camels go into your herd, which isn’t in your hand. So, then you could kinda build up, so then when you want to take several goods…'cause I’m trying to get these bonus tokens, I’m thinking. Okay, so, you could sell cards.
To sell cards, you choose one type of good and discard as many cards of that type into the discard pile. Each sale yields goods, tokens, and a bonus. So, choose a type of good and sell as many of them as you wish. So, if we just sold two, for example…placing them face-up in this discard pile. You take one token for each card you sold. Take one token for each card you sold, starting with the top of the corresponding type, the highest value first. Set the tokens in front of you. Not sure I understand that. If you sell three or more cards, take the bonus token. Okay, so you start with eleven…so, they’re going in numerical order? I don't know if that’s how much they’re worth, then. So, the earlier you sell, the more money you make, huh?
Take one token for each card you sold, starting with the top of the corresponding type, the highest value first. Yeah, so…and then stack the tokens in front of you. The exact value of a bonus token is not known. It could be 1, 2, or 3 for three cards, for four cards it could be 4, 5, or 6, or four five cards, 8, 9, and 10. But you also have to realize that the…how…when does a round end? Is that it? We’ll find out, I guess. Restrictions during a sale; when selling the three most expensive goods, silver, diamond, and gold, the sale must be…include a minimum of two cards. This rule applies…oh, 'cause you could sell one card? I guess so. I didn’t even think about that. If there is only one goods token…this applies even if there’s only one token left. Reminder; you can only sell one goods type in each turn, never more.
Okay, a round ends if three types of good tokens are depleted or there are enough…not enough cards left to refill the market. Okay, so you play through the whole deck of the tokens each round. So, that makes sense. So, then the round ends if there’s no…three types of good tokens are depleted or there’s not enough cards left in the deck to refill the market to five cards. Scoring; the player with the most camels in their herd receives a camel token, which is worth five rupees. Then you turn over your tokens and add them up to determine who’s the richest based on their numbers. We suggest you make piles of ten rupees; it’s easier for children and people like Scooter to count. Whoever earned the most earns a Seal of Excellence. In the case of a tie, the player with the most bonus tokens takes the seal.
If they’re still tied, the one with the most goods tokens takes the seal. If neither player has two Seals of Excellence, you set up the game again and play another round. The player who lost the previous round starts. The game ends with…when a player has two things, and that player becomes the Maharaja’s personal trader. Okay, reminders; when you take cards from the market, you can either take goods or camels, but never both. Okay. If you decide to take camels, you must take all the camels. When making an exchange, the cards can be camels, goods, or a mixture of the two. That’s when you’re replacing them. The same goods cannot be both taken and returned to the market, and you can never exchange just one card from your hand…wait…for one from the market. Oh, I didn’t know that.
You can never exchange just one card for…from your hand for one card from the market. Two or more are required. I didn’t know that one. If both players have the same number of camels at the end of a round, neither takes the camel token. Sometimes there are fewer tokens available than cards during a sale. In this case, you still receive the bonus token for the number of cards sold if it’s a bonus. Players are not required to let their opponents know how many camels they possess. Camels do not count towards the seven-card hand limit. Okay. There’s advice…it says not to read it ‘til after your first game, but we’re wrapping up here, so…the use of camels is a balancing act. If you have none, you will struggle to fill your hand after making a sale.
However, if you take a lot of camels at once, you risk leaving a profitable market for your opponent. The best time to take a large group of camels is when your opponent already has seven cards in their hand. Oh, so I guess…I don't understand that part. So, that’s why you have to play a game first. Then, even if the new cards in the market are valuable, your opponent will have to exchange the cards in their hand in order to take them. Then four, if you think that some valuable cards are due to turn up, it could be a advantage to make an exchange that fills the market with camels. If your opponent takes those camels, then you could maybe get what you’re waiting for.
There are three main sources of income; the three expensive goods, the first tokens in each set, and the big sale bonuses. All three are important. Don’t let your opponent grab the share of the diamonds, gold, and silver. Sell before your opponent if you can. Try to make one or two big sales. That is Jaipur. I’m looking forward to playing it. There’s also a digital version if you want to get playing right away. Yeah, that’s it. Goodnight, everybody, and hope you enjoyed this board game unboxing.
[END OF RECORDING]
(Transcribed by Leah Hervoly)
-
Notable Language:
- Please stop puzzling me
- Mecha-Botanist
- Vegetal Green
Notable Culture:
- The Puzzled and the Puzzle Pieces
- Splendor game
- Deep Purple
Notable Talking Points:
- The Golden Age of Campy Superheros
- The Desire of a Fast Barter
- Camels are a balancing act