We are channelling our inner philatelists in the new tile laying game from Stamp Swap by Stonemaier Games!
Stamping out history!
Stamp Swap is only the second stamp themed game we have played. And there are a few floating about, but nothing that has really made a significant impact. I can’t quite work out why stamps have been overlooked to date, however, because Hobby board gamers are serial collectors. Visit any player’s home and I guarantee they have amassed not only an impressive number of games, but also the Kallax systems (other storage solutions are available – I am not sponsored by IKEA!) to store them! So another hobby focussed on collecting items made from paper no doubt resonates strongly amongst us.
USPS: The Great American Mail Race was the first and it wasn’t a huge hit for us. As a mechanic, pick up and deliver at 2 player rarely provides a tense and exciting experience, Akrotiri being the exception to our general rule. It has a fun stamp gadget, and the place names on the board are very amusing (and real), but we found it a bit, well, dull. We delivered what we wanted using the different delivery methods, and rarely did we meddle with each other in a fun way.
So when Stonemaier kindly offered to send us STAMP SWAP to play, we were very keen to wipe the slate clean and give the theme another chance! Especially as the postal history of stamps is quite charming, not to mention more rock and roll than you’d think (did you know Ronnie Wood from the Rolling Stones is a keen philatelist?!). The concept of receiving a surprise in the post for free (the sender suddenly having the burden of paying the delivery price) being celebrated in a board game is therefore quite lovely (although the only post we ever seem to receive are bills!).
Collect, Swap, and Show!
Stamp Swap is for 1 – 5 players and is easy to learn – after setting up the main board, sorting out the tiles, shuffling the cards, and settling into your own album boards, the first round begins. And each round follows the same three phases – Collect, Swap, and Show. So whilst you may be super happy with the stamps, specialists, and exhibitors you are collecting, you might not actually be their forever home. And, as such, the points you thought you would get in the Show phase, may be gone in the lick of a stamp! There are also some unknown, face down options which could turn out to be the best of stamps (shiny, ooh!) or the worst of stamps (negative nellies, boo!)
Philatelists love pie!
We love pie! We also love games that carve up options like a tempting but tense pie. So the I-cut-you-choose emphasis of the Swap phase appealed to us. New York Slice, Hanamikoji, and Isle of Skye feature this sneaky mechanic, and they are all hits in our household. Knowing that you are the architect of your own greedy demise is somehow irresistible and adds a certain spiciness to drafting. And for us it works well in Stamp Swap.
I would mention that at 2P, the choices are inevitably smaller and more predictable – this pile or that pile – but there are more than just stamps in the mixes. Like New York Slice, there are other desirables to distract the unsuspecting (or un-strategic) selector! Seeding your piles with something shiny or a helpful Attendee to distract your opponents from what you really want to keep is key. And seeing what they are collecting can help with this. But how much do you really know about their intentions? The reduced level of chaos at 2P is also a double edged sword – there’s less variety round on round, but you can mitigate risk by making sure both piles contain things you like (even if they aren’t the jackpot collectibles you are desperate to hoard!).
Competitive Collecting!
You see, with a choice of only four contests to enter over the course of the three rounds (and only one per round), you need to choose where to place your three tickets wisely – a little like Carpe Diem – what thing is going to score you the most right now? But, then again, having analysed the cardboard landscape, could that thing actually be worth more if it was left until later? And what about end-game scoring? Obviously prior drafting has to go in your favour to score maximally, but that’s the gamble you take, and that’s the unknown you are managing when trying to fathom what your opponents are working towards. As players simultaneously place their stamps in their books (which have an asymmetrical lean), the consequences of the choices you made become clear. And that can either be a “huzzah !” moment or a “what have I done?” one!
The mix of scoring after each round and at end game helps to extend the feel of the gameplay and can bring a fun completion (conflict?) in terms of scoring objectives – the three rounds go by so fast that if you didn’t have to consider both, your decisions would feel less impactful. And that can be fine for small card games, where you are going again and again. But when you have set up a game like Stamp Swap, you want to be left with a satisfying feeling.
Similarly, the spatial element of some Contest cards adds another consideration which adds a puzzly element which we really enjoy. There’s plenty of space on the player boards, but the combination of Contests arising over the course of a game can force prioritisation.
Licking Good!
Stonemaier Games are known for their top-tier production quality, and the muted palette of Stamp Swamp is calming and makes the rarer special gold foiled stamps really pop. The border of each stamp helps to identify the theme and colour if the background is ambiguous. And there are lots of bits in the box which houses them with plenty of space to spare. We did note that the lidded half insert holds the stamps really well, but there’s no complimentary storage for the cards, tickets, and player markers, so they get relegated to plastic baggies. Which is fine, of course, but would have been nicer if the insert had housed everything neatly.
Overall, we are enjoying Stamp Swap and its emphasis on I cut-you-choose. It won’t replace Viticulture or Wingspan/Wyrmspan at the top of our SM list but it is a brisk, accessible drafting game with a nice twist on the usual drafting mechanism. I think our sweetest spot is 3P – it is a little bit more random than the 2P experience without being unmanageable. There’s also more of a chance you get to keep what you want…..or perhaps not! And I am looking forward to trying the solo (which, given Stonemaier’s justified reputation for excellent automas, I am excited to try) to see if it gives me the same game feeling as multiplayer.
Please note that a copy of this game was kindly provided by the publishers for review. I am not paid for my comments, however, and all opinions are my own. I am also not affiliated to or sponsored by any retail store.
