When comparing Tsuro vs The Voting Game, the Slant community recommends Tsuro for most people. In the question“What are the best Android board games?” Tsuro is ranked 5th while The Voting Game is ranked 15th. The most important reason people chose Tsuro is:
The game is easy to explain and introduce to new players, even ones that aren't familiar with modern board games, due to the simple nature of it. The game is played on a 6x6 grid on which cards can be placed, forming a path for your player piece. The game is quite straightforward - each turn consists of playing 1 card and then following the path on that card until it's stopped by a tile-less space. Your path can collide with an opponent's path, in which case both you and the opponent move their pawns accordingly, following your paths. If you collide with an opponent on the same road or if you walk off the board, then you are out of the game. The game is won by the last player on the board.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Very simple gameplay
The game is easy to explain and introduce to new players, even ones that aren't familiar with modern board games, due to the simple nature of it.
The game is played on a 6x6 grid on which cards can be placed, forming a path for your player piece. The game is quite straightforward - each turn consists of playing 1 card and then following the path on that card until it's stopped by a tile-less space. Your path can collide with an opponent's path, in which case both you and the opponent move their pawns accordingly, following your paths. If you collide with an opponent on the same road or if you walk off the board, then you are out of the game. The game is won by the last player on the board.
Pro Can be played competitively or nicely
The way Tsuro is designed allows you to either try to make your own path without interacting with other players or play completely cutthroat and try to ruin your opponents' paths by making them run off the board.
Pro Beautiful and unique artwork make the game stand out
The artwork on the main game board is very well done and it follows an Asian theme. Needless to say, a lot of work has been put into the presentation aspect of this board game. Aesthetically this is probably one of the prettiest playing spaces out there.
The game gives a very peaceful and zen-like feel due to the simplicity of the game mixing with the detailed art style. There's an epic Eastern-styled phoenix colored in the royal colors of red and gold accompanied by some clouds on the background of the board. The player figures have engraved dragons, adding flavor to the simplicity of them. There are also Chinese characters scattered throughout, roughly translating to "passage" or "going the same way".
Moreover, as the board fills up with path tiles, the tangled web of paths looks visually striking. They look as if they've been carved into marble.
Pro Short play length allows for quick sessions
Tsuro is a great "appetizer" game that can be set up and played very quickly, making this a perfect option to kill some time. It plays in about 15 minutes or less and it'll easily hold the attention of everyone all the way through. The quickness of the game also pretty much guarantees replayability.
Pro The wide player count allows Tsuro to be played in a variety of settings
Tsuro can be played with 2 to 8 players, which means that it is easy to find enough players to play, while having room for larger play counts that are somewhat rare in other boardgames.
Pro Originality
It is really disruptive wrt classic games.
Pro A lot of hilarious player interaction
Players are constantly socializing with each other, be it by laughing along at the questions and results or explaining their choices. This leads to many stories being told throughout the whole game, which can also lead to inside jokes and throwbacks in the next questions, making the game a memorable and fun experience for everyone involved.
Pro Good replay value and variability
The Voting Game is highly replayable because of the large amount of possible house rules and four official expansions.
There are some rules mentioned in the official instructions that can help change up the game, for example, by allowing players to vote for themselves or transforming the game into a drinking game. You’re also free to add your own house rules, change the win condition or just play for fun.
The Voting Game has four unique expansion packs – NSFW, Fill In The Blank, Political, and Create Your Own Expansion. Each of these brings new thematic questions to the table that adds to the replay value and fun. For example, the Create Your Own Expansion lets the players themselves create some unique questions before the game begins, whereas the Fill In The Blank expansion adds question cards with blank spaces that are filled in when it’s your turn.
Pro Players can come and go
If you’re playing the game just for fun without a win condition, then players can join or leave as they please without impacting the game too much. It is very easy to deal in another player to a game already in progress once a question is finished. Similarly, if someone has to go, then the game can continue without interruption simply by removing the player’s number from the other player’s hands.
Pro Large player count
The Voting Game is great for a larger party with a lot of people because it’s made for a maximum of 10 players. This means that usually nobody will be left out of the fun.
Pro Very simple
The game is very straightforward and easy, making it possible to teach it to anyone in a few sentences. Each player is assigned a number and given a deck of number cards with the same amount of cards as players in the game. Every turn a new question is revealed, for example, “Who would find a way to break out of prison and succeed?” The players then vote for the player who, in their opinion, fits the description. The player that received the most votes gets a point. If it’s a tie, then the reader decides the winner. The first player to get 10 points wins the game.
Cons
Con Highly random
There are pretty much no aspects in the game that can be planned ahead apart from the fact that you can choose between three tiles. The rest is based on luck. There's no way to predict how your opponents will play and sometimes even you won't have much control over the outcome due to the cards that are drawn.
Con Relatively simple play might not appeal to experienced boardgamers
The simplicity that makes this a great game for new players might also turn off experienced players that are looking for more complex strategies.
Con Highly player dependent
The game changes drastically depending on the people you play it with. Players need be in the right mindset and mood - if there is someone shy, easily offended or easily embarrassed in your group, then the game can turn into an unpleasant experience very quickly.
Con Not very replayable if played with the same group
If you play The Voting Game with the same people repeatedly, then the game can quickly lose its charm. It’s possible to exhaust too many questions in your initial playthrough, which can lead to you having to answer the same questions in your future plays, which, in turn, creates repetitive answers and situations.
