Targi is a fantastic, rather deep, two-player only board game from KOSMOS. It’s a game that our fans have been suggesting we try for some time. Now that we have, it’s become a regular Date Night Game for Deanna and I.
One of the things I like most about Targi is that it’s a small box game with a big box feel.
Disclosure: Thanks to KOSMOS games for hooking us up with a review copy of Targi. Some links in this post are affiliate links, using them doesn’t cost you anything and helps support this blog and our podcast. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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- Learn about Targi (Game Info & Components)
- How Targi plays (Rules & Gameplay Overview)
- Two player game fans should pick up Targi (Review & Overall Thoughts)
Learn about Targi
Every time we’ve talked about great two player games, someone recommends we try out Targi from KOSMOS. We finally did try it out, and everyone was oh so right to recommend it to us.
It’s not often publishers are willing to send us games that are more than ten years old. I think the fact that KOSMOS sent us Targi is a good indication of their confidence that this game has stood the test of time. This truly is an evergreen board game.
Andreas Steiger is the designer of Targi which features artwork from Taira Akitsu and Franz Vohwinkel. Compared to many of the two player only games we enjoy, Targi is a bit longer and has more meat on it, with games taking over an hour on average and that’s after multiple plays. Our first couple of games were even longer.
Since being released in 2012 Tagri has been nominated for and won a number of awards. The two most notable awards being a 2012 Spiel Des Jahres Kennerspiel nomination and a 2013 Golden Geek nomination for “best two player board game.”
In Targi, you are the leader of a desert Taureg tribe. You collect and trade resources and gold, which you will use to recruit tribes to your cause. Mechanically this is done by placing markers onto cards on the edges of a five by five grid. In turn you will activate the cards you placed on as well as having the option to claim the cards where the rows and columns on the grid spots you claimed intersect.
Targi comes in the standard sized KOSMOS two player game box, and has a generic plastic box insert that works okay for sorting everything. We highly recommend using baggies if you aren’t going to keep your copy stored flat.
The card quality is good, the playing pieces are wood in clearly differentiated colours, and the resources are well cut cardboard. The rulebook is clear and easy to reference.
We don’t have any complaints component wise but be aware that the entire thing can take up quite a bit of room once you lay it out to play. Sadly that makes it so Targi doesn’t work on smaller coffee shop or pub tables. While the initial card grid is pretty small, each player also requires room for a tableau of cards in front of them.
How Targi plays
Start Targi by laying out the outside ring of cards, which always go in the same order. Each card is two sided, one with text and the other with just icons. You can use whichever side you are more comfortable with.
Place the wooden robber on the number one card, the Noble. Fill the center grid with a mix of goods and tribe cards swapping between the two so there are five goods and four tribes in play.
Each player collects the wooden pieces in their colour and two of each resource. These are dates, salt, and paper. They also take one gold and four points worth of victory tokens. The player to have last eaten a date goes first.
Each round of Targi has players placing their Targi figures, one at a time, onto one of the non-corner edge cards. This can’t be the card with a figure already on it, including the Robber. Once a figure is placed, that player has claimed that row or column of the grid. No Targi may be placed on the card on the opposite side of one already placed (a.k.a. each row or column can only be claimed once). The start player places, then their opponent, and back and forth until all three Targi for both players have been placed.
Next you check the rows and columns you have Targi on and place a round tribe marker onto the two cards that intersect the rows and columns you control. Then the starting player activates each of their wooden pieces in any order they wish, this is followed by their opponent doing the same.
Each of the outside cards has an action associated with it which is explained on the cards. Many of these give you resources while others are more complicated. For example, the Trader spot lets you trade three goods for one gold or two goods for one of another good, while the Silversmith lets you change sets of goods into points, and the caravan lets you flip over the top goods card and get whatever you draw.
Tribe markers placed on the center grid let you claim two types of cards. When you activate a Goods card you take the resources shown, discard the card, and replace it with a face down Tribe cards. When you activate a Tribe cards you may purchase it with your goods on hand. You can also choose to hold onto one Tribe card which you can play later by taking the Leader action. If you cannot afford or choose not to purchase a tribe card, it is discarded instead. In any case the chosen Tribe card is immediately replaced by a face down Goods card.
Tribe cards come in five different types or suits and each card is worth a set number of victory points at the end of the game. Most cards also offer some type of rule breaking ability or a way to score points at the end of the game.
Once purchased, Tribe cards go into a 3×4 tableau in front of you, which you have to fill left to right. At the end of the game you will get bonus points for full rows of four cards with four different suits and/or for full rows of all the same suits.
At the end of the round, after both players have activated all of their pieces, the face down cards on the table are flipped, the start player moves to the next player, and the Robber moves over one card around the outside edge.
At each corner of the board there is a Raid card. When the robber moves onto a raid card both players must pay the shown resources or lose points. After that the robber moves to the next card.
The game ends at the end of the round when any player has filled their tableau with twelve Tribe cards or once the robber has made it all the way around the board and back to the Noble card. At that point players add up their scores. The player with the most points wins. Most Gold and then most Goods are the tiebreakers in Targi.
Two player game fans should pick up Targi, especially if they like meatier games.
As far as Targi goes I’ve really got to thank our fans for convincing us to give this two-player strategy game a shot. We’ve covered a lot of two player games, both on The Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast and here on the blog, and almost every time the topic comes up someone will ask if we’ve played Targi.
So I have to say thank you to everyone that has recommended this game in the past because it has been a huge hit with Deanna and me. We love discovering a solid, engaging, two player game. We love games we can play together on date night with a bonus for games that work at coffee shops, breweries, and pubs. Targi is just about perfect for that. The only downfall it has it takes up a bit more table space than is ideal for some locals.
The problem isn’t the initial grid of cards, it’s having room for that 3×4 grid that each player makes in front of them. While there are some ways you can overlap the cards, in most cases you want to leave those Tribe cards visible so that both you and your opponent don’t forget the advantages they provide.
What I like most about Targi is the number of decision points in the game and the depth of those decisions. There is never an obvious play in Targi and you have to play both tactically and strategically if you want any chance of winning. The best part is that you manage to get that all of this in a game that plays in about an hour, and one that is designed for only two players.
The grid based worker placement system in Targi is brilliant and drives a lot of that tactical play. You need to watch what your opponent is doing and take that into consideration when placing your own pieces. Denying your opponent a card can be as important as getting what you want and it is super rewarding when you can pull off both with one move.
The basic action spots and placement rules give you plenty of options and depth and this just grows with the various Tribe cards. You need to decide if you want to try to collect sets for bonus points or focus on cards that give you the best abilities. You can also try to build an engine by getting tribe cards that play off of each other. However, it’s also possible to ignore all of this and just try to collect the cards worth the most points.
As an example of the way this plays out, there is a Tribe card that makes it cheaper to play Tribe cards at the Noble. There is also a card in each suits that makes buying cards of that suit cheaper. I’ve seen Deanna use this to get a combo going where she only plays Tribe cards from the Noble and plays them all from the same suits. This gets her a big combo bonus at the end of the game and it cost her two less resources per card.
Of course, when I spot Deanna using this strategy I’m going to do everything I can to pick up those matching cards and keep her away from the Noble spot. It’s gameplay like that that keeps us coming back for more.
I don’t have much bad to say about Targi. I do have my usual complaint of wishing the text was bigger, but the iconography is actually very clear and easy to read. With only two of us playing, I don’t mind having to pick up each Tribe card as it comes out to give it a read.
The box insert in Targi could be better. It’s a generic tray that KOSMOS has used in multiple games, and it doesn’t quite work perfectly here. This is a game with cards and tokens and it’s always a bit of a mess whenever we open it up. As mentioned earlier, baggies can help, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some people toss the insert and just use bags. I’ve also seen a few homemade foamcore inserts for this one.
Overall Targi has been a perfect fit for Deanna and I, and I think that’s going to be true of anyone who’s into heavier euro games who is looking for a two player only experience. This is a small box game that gives you the feel of a bigger, much longer, game.
If what you look for in your two player games is something light that doesn’t require much attention, where you can chat and enjoy a glass of wine or a few pints while playing, Targi may not be the right game for you.
Honestly we’ve enjoyed Targi so much, I kind of feel like everyone should give it a shot. It’s been around for quite some time and there’s probably someone near you who has a copy. So even if two-player only games aren’t your thing, if you have the opportunity, give this one a chance.
With that it’s time to pack up the caravan, and move on to another game. I hope this gave you a good idea of what Targi is about, how it plays, and if it’s a good fit for you and your group.
We talk a lot about two player games but not often ones that are quite this old. What’s a classic two player game you still play? Now that we’ve tried and fell in love with Targi, what other classics have we missed?
- Worker placement game for 2 players
- 7. 6 Board Game Geek Rating | Top 100 Ranking
- Solo Variant
