Makoto

• Designer: Simon Weinberg 
• Publisher: Mayfair Games / Huch!
• Players: 2-6
• Age: 8+
• Time: 20 minutes
• Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/43Iz4el
• Played with review copy provided by publisher/designer

Makoto, which means “sincerity” in Japanese, is a climbing card game with hidden depths and beautiful illustrations that show the journey of a Ronin through the countryside of Japan. Makoto is all about cleverly improving your hand cards and weighing when to continue playing versus when to pass.

To set up, take the Oracle cards (with a gold symbol on the back) and shuffle them into an Oracle Deck.  The rest of the cards are prepared based on player count and then shuffled into a main deck.  Each player starts a round being dealt a hand of cards (values range from 1-16), and a number of cards are dealt face up in the center of the table as a “blind”.

The lead player of a trick plays a combination — a set of one or more cards of the same value or a run of at least three cards — then players in turn either play the same combination (with at least one higher valued card) or pass, which does not remove you from the trick. Players can not change the type of combination played for the trick.

The one exception is a four-of-a-kind — a Kensei — which can be played over any combination and is beaten only by a higher Kensei. When all players pass in turn, the trick ends, and whoever played last collects the played cards and leads the next trick.

After playing on your turn, you can discard to the blind one card from your hand that’s lower than anything you played, or you can pick up cards from the blind as long as they’re the same value, lower than what you played, and at most the same number of cards you played.

If you choose to pass on your turn, you may draw one card from the Oracle deck.   You must then discard one card from your hand to the Oracle discard pile (it could be the card you just drew).  When you pass, you remain active in the round, and if play returns to you, you again have the choice of playing cards or passing.

When you’ve emptied your hand, you receive a bonus, taking the highest valued reward card available.  After all but one person has gone out, the round ends.  The final remaining player neither gets a reward card nor will score for the cards left in their hand.  All players score for the cards they’ve collected — but only for 2s, 5s, and 10s.  2s are worth 20 points, 5s are worth 5 points and 10s are worth 10 points.  Additionally, the player who went out first scores for any cards still in the Blind.  After a certain number of rounds, whoever has the highest score wins. The rules suggest playing one round per player, but any number of rounds can be agreed upon at the start.

My thoughts on the game

There have been a lot of climbing/shedding games lately, and Makoto is another entry into this crowded field.  Here, there are two aspects that help it stand out from the crowd: the way that you can upgrade your hand on each turn as well as the unique scoring system.

First, let’s talk about the hand management in Makoto.  Whether you play or pass, you have the ability to possibly change your hand.  The Oracle cards are more of a blind grab – but at least it gives you the chance to draw a card to possibly better your hand.  The blind presents you with two options – either a way to shed a single card or to draw cards of the same rank.  Interestingly, you can only play/take cards that are lower than your played combination – thus, as the hand moves onwards, the blind tends to be filled with higher and higher valued cards.  These cards can be super helpful if you’re able to draw them, but then again, it’s also much harder to make a play that allows you to take them!

As the hand plays out, players will have to make decisions on when to play tricks and when to wait.  Things to consider include the status of the blind as well as the point value of the trick in play.  The scoring system rewards two things – collecting the right cards and the speed in which you are able to “go out”.   This is an added dimension to shedding games which often simply reward you for the speed in which you can empty your hand.  

Strategically, all of these additions give you a more complex and deeper climbing/shedding game.  That being said, these changes also add a bit (or maybe a lot) of playing time to the game.  There is a lot of stop/start action in the game as a player will play a combination (or pass) – but then the game waits on that player to decide what they want to do next.  Sure, some plays are quick, but there are times when it is necessary to stop and think for a bit – but this does cause the overall length of the game to grow.

Makoto is definitely a novel entry into the class of climber/shedders, and there are a number of interesting ideas that provide challenge to even the most veteran of gamer.  Not sure whether I prefer the meatier but longer game that comes here, but thus far, it’s been fun exploring what Makoto has to offer.

**Editor’s Note – the designer, Simon Weinberg, is a member of the Opinionated Gamers, but he did not have any input nor oversight on this review.

Ratings from the Opinionated Gamers

• I love it! Erik Arneson
• I like it. Dale, John P
• Neutral.
• Not for me…

Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/43Iz4el