Finest Fish: Review
Introduction:
Finest Fish is a tile placement game that will have you designing a calico goldfish. The turns are very approachable with depth in optimising the three scoring conditions. Creating long groups of the same scale; meeting pattern cards and collecting black scales.
Game Anatomy:
Fish and Scales:
Each player will have a fish board. This is where the player will build the colours of their fish using scales that will be drafted and traded throughout the game. The players will start at the left hand side of the fish board and will grow by expanding the scales towards the right.
Scales come in six variations each appearing 30 times. The black scale is the most unique since each black scale on the fish board is worth an additional one point.
Fishbowl:
Scales will act as an action currency during the game to trade and gain pattern cards. Any time scales are spent they will enter the fish bowl, opening more choice for other players as the game continues.
Pattern Cards:
This is one out of three methods for players to gain points. Each pattern card will have three scales in one of two formations.
Throughout the pattern cards only five of the scale colours are represented the black scales do not appear in these cards. A player can spend a scale on a turn to gain any visible pattern card. If a player achieves the pattern at the end of the game they will score three points per completed pattern card. Each pattern card can only be scored once. But a scale can be used on multiple pattern cards.
Progress Board:
Based on the player count there are three options on how the progress Board will be setup. At the end of each round the fish progresses one space on this board.
Whenever the fish reaches the orange square. All scales in the fishbowl are discarded and replaced with one from the bag. The right most pattern card is also now discarded making way for a new progress card to keep the momentum of the game progressing.
Setup:
- Shuffle the pattern deck and display three pattern cards.- Give each player a fish board and one pattern card.
- Place all scales into the scale bag and draw one for the fish bowl and create several groups of three scales equal to the player count.
- Place the progress board on the side that meets the player count, then place the wooden fish at the top of the board (the orange location).
How To Play:
Finest Fish will play in rounds where everyone gets a turn until someones fish scales are full, then the round will finish giving everyone equal turns. In a round piles of three scales drawn from the bag, equal to the player count will be placed in a communal drafting area. On a player's turn they will take one of these piles. These piles will not be replenished until the start of the next round.
On a turn the active player will use each of these scales. Firstly the scales can be placed on the left-hand side of the fish or touching a previously placed scale. Instead of placing a player can spend a scale they gained this turn or any scale exposed on the right hand side to do one of two actions. They can trade that scale with another scale in the fish bowl, or spend the scale placing it in the fish bowl to gain a pattern card. There is no limit to pattern cards gained but the display of pattern cards doesn't refresh until the start of the next player's turn.
Once all the players have their turn, the round will end and the fish on the progress board will progress. The refresh that occurs when the fish reaches the orange square will occur more frequently at lower player counts. The first player marker will pass to the left and there will be a new start player for the next round.
Scoring:
To score at the end of the game all players will gain three points for each pattern card completed; score one point for each scale in any cluster of three or more and the same colour scales touching; lastly each black scale is worth an additional point. Whichever player has the most points wins.
Final Thoughts:
- Easier to recall rules with more problem solving than expected.
- Amazing table presence with quality pieces.
- Lighter than other games in this vein, think Cascadia and calico.
Animal tile placement puzzles have become a rising combination that produces many great titles like Calico or Cascadia and many more I have not had a chance to play. Finest Fish is the latest game I've played to meet this combination. It is an absolute ease to teach where I think Finest Fish shines is it targeting the lighter players. I personally love the puzzle and optimisation those other games have but it can really drain the brain. Finest Fish is a cosier game where players simply take one of the scale piles, and place them to meet as many scoring possibilities as possible or they spend scales to create scoring opportunities (pattern cards) or spend the scales to trade for more favoured scales that were discarded by other players for actions. Added to that the table presence of the game is stunning with actual fish boards and wooden scales that really bring the atmosphere to life. If you want to introduce younger players to these type of games or simply have something cosier after a long day I can easily recommend Finest Fish.
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