Container

(image by ColtsFan76 @ BGG)
Sometimes I hesitate a bit when non-gamers ask me about the games that I play. I'm certainly not embarrassed by the hobby but it can be challenging to explain where the fun is in a game about trading goods in the Mediterranean. I have no doubt the oft-dry themes on designer games are a serious barrier to entry even if a fantastic game lies underneath.

Container is a great example. Here we have a game that essentially emulates the retail chain from manufacturing to consumer. At first glance it looks like ECON 101 but turns out to be one of the most surprisingly enjoyable games I've played.

Players compete to have the most money which is earned by producing, purchasing and reselling goods. You may build factories which produce crates of five different types of goods and purchase goods to put up for sale in warehouses, hoping to turn a profit. Then you may load your ship with goods from warehouses and send them to the island where they are sold for hopefully an even larger profit. Finally, your end-game score is the value of the crates you own on the island plus your cash in hand.

On paper Container sounds unbelievably dry. To my surprise the game turned out to be a lot of fun for a few reasons:

(image by Toynan @ BGG)

Simple rule set - Container is one of the easier games to teach. Everyone can quickly understand the concept of producing, buying and reselling goods to turn a profit. The only tricky part is making sure they understand how end-game scoring works but a quick example clears it up. Container's barrier to entry most certainly is not the rule set.

Limited actions per turn - Each player may only perform two actions per turn. This gives the delicious tension of not always having enough actions to do everything you'd like. On top of that you may purchase as many goods from a single player as you want for a single action. Maximizing actions is important so you may be willing to pay more for a good from another player if they have more available. As a seller, finding the sweet spot between profit margin and exploiting your opponents' needs is key.

Hidden end game goals - At the start of the game each player is dealt a card showing how much each color of good is worth to them at the end of the game. This represents the supply and demand for their consumers and is going to be different from all other players. In a twist you must try and get a little bit of each good but have the most of your lowest-valued good since you are forced to discard your most populous one (think of it as having saturated the market for that good, rendering it worthless). It ensures demand varies from player to player and if you can figure out what someone needs you can really cash in big.

(image by MikeBwithoutadot @ BGG)
Player run economy - Container's economy is entirely in the hands of the players. Most money generally changes hands; new money is introduced only when goods are sold at the island via a blind bid. Here the seller earns the highest bid plus an equal amount from the bank in government subsidy. It takes a few turns of producing, buying and reselling goods before ane island so it is quite possible for everyone to spend themselves dry, grinding the economy to a standstill. On the other hand if people grossly overbid during island auctions it adds a massive influx of cash to the economy. Each game seems to play out differently due to how players approach the game and forces you to read your yone ships to thopponents and follow the flow.

Container really surprised me. I really thought it looked like it would be an incredibly dry economic game but it has good "gamey" elements while keeping control completely in the players' hands. You can go into each game with a general strategy and do well but you also need to be reactive to how the game plays out. There are a couple of small issues with the game, though:

Components - Bad components can really hurt an otherwise good game and Container suffers a bit. I like the ships and the container bits but the colors are atrocious. There is not enough contrast between the crates and it can be really difficult to tell them apart across the table. Even worse the player mats and ship colors don't even come close to matching, especially white and blue. It really takes away from an otherwise good looking game and constantly confusing colors can make for a frustrating gaming experience.

(image by Raid1280 @ BGG)

Nickel and dimed - Container can feel like a game of pennies. You have a small range of values to select from when pricing your goods; margins will be tight but will add up over time. Once you settle in on a basic strategy you'll spend most of the game iterating on it. Your small doses of income can make it really difficult to get a feel for your progress compared to others at the table. As such some players may feel like they really didn't do much over the course of the game. Timing is also crucial and if your timing is poor you will miss out on your money-making opportunities. It is very possible for a player to completely doom themselves if they are not paying attention.

If you can deal with the color problems and incremental gameplay, Container has a lot to offer. The rules are incredibly simple and trying to work out your strategy, pricing and timing of purchases and sales is great fun. Container's player-driven economy is really what makes the game tick and gives it a different feel every time, forcing you to adapt. It does not generate the excitement and thrills other games deliver but is one of my favorite economic games.