Gold rush is a – usually collective – condition or excitement where people think they can get rich quick. Often due to a recent discovery or development. Think, for example, of people who think they can get rich en masse through crypto and equities because social media influencers whisper unsolicited and unregulated financial advice to them. Think also, for instance, of the literal gold rush: the large-scale movement of people to recently discovered gold fields in – especially – the (wild) west of America. Prospectors and cowboys who desired the gold and settled en masse in wild west towns. Armed with a pan/filter to find the golden commodity and its sources, pickaxe to mine and a revolver against the other fortune seekers. Does the gold rush also rush to your head in Silver Mine?
Silver Mine is a racing game where the goal is precisely not to cross the finish line first. Players try to be the last to enter the dangerous but fortunate “Mina del Plata” (silver mine). This is because the player who is the last to enter the mine does not have to pay an entry fee, but receives all the gold and silver paid to the central cart. Will you manage to leave the mine with a profit?
During each turn, the player closest to the mine entrance rolls one die, the next player rolls two dice, the next three dice, and so on. In a six-player game, the ‘last’ player – i.e. the one furthest away from the entrance – can in principle throw as many as six dice in a turn. Poh that’s a big risk! Fortunately, each player can buy the right not to have to roll all the dice. By placing a certain amount of silver or gold nuggets in the mining cart, they are allowed to roll fewer dice in the hope of not having to move too fast across the board. The amount of nuggets you have to pay for succeeding dice increases exponentially.
A game is played over several rounds, but the payment doubles and triples as the game progresses. Thanks, inflation! A round ends once all but one player has entered the mine. Each player who enters the mine must pay an incremental entry fee (which is also prone to inflation). Only the last player does not have to pay and receives the pot. The player with the most nuggets at the end of the game wins!
Silver Mine was first released in the 1990s, and it shows! It feels like a classic game with a healthy dose of luck. Risk management and betting are the main game elements. Silver Mine is therefore also suitable for players looking for old familiar game concepts in a nice new look.
