- Publisher : Super Meeple
- Designer(s) : Mandela Fernandez-Grandon, Fabio Lopiano
- Artist(s) : Ian O'Toole
- Players : 1–4
- Playing time : 150–180 Min
- Weight BGG : 4.17
What's this?
Sankore: The Pride of Mansa Moussa is a strategic board game where players take on the role of school principals in the Mali Empire in the 14th century. Inspired by the history of the University of Timbuktu, the game challenges you to attract students, teach in four disciplines (Theology, Law, Mathematics, and Astronomy), and build the prestigious Sankore Madrasa.
How do you play?
The game is played in a series of rounds where each player can perform two different main actions and as many bonus actions as they wish.
➡️ Main actions
Welcome a student: Recruit a student for one of the disciplines.
Prepare a university course: Buy a course tile in exchange for a book.
Teach a course: Activate a student to receive rewards and perform specific actions on the board:
Astronomy: Move the camel, establish trading posts, access port cities.
Theology: Build mosques, collect books, move students to the Medersa.
Mathematics: Build walls, flip Sankoré tiles, earn gold.
Law: Place crowns, earn Skill tiles, unlock prestige bonuses.
Graduate a student: Obtain a diploma and earn prestige points.
Exchange a favor: Receive an advantage or return a Sankoré favor.
➡️ End of the game: The game ends when the last Sankoré tile is placed in the Medersa.
Is it good?
“Sankoré: The Pride of Mansa Moussa” is a complex game that will take several games to fully appreciate its qualities.
The game does not offer a large number of main actions, but the real difficulty lies in understanding the interconnection between the different actions and disciplines (theology, law, mathematics, astronomy).
Strategic rotation is essential, requiring rigorous planning to optimize your actions. This anticipation is all the more crucial since intermediate counts take place regularly to earn books and prestige. Being in the majority in the different disciplines then becomes essential, hence the importance of programming your actions at the right time.
Managing students and courses on your personal board is also interesting. Here again, you will have to organize your students judiciously to trigger lectures at the right time.
During the first games, the whole thing may seem vague and complex, but this strategic depth is revealed and appreciated over the sessions.
There is palpable tension around the table, especially for the prestige race. However, it is difficult to accurately assess one’s position compared to one’s opponents in terms of points before the final count.
On the hardware side, there is nothing to complain about: the quality is there with neat components and clear and intuitive illustrations signed by the talented Ian O’Toole.
The main flaws lie in the setup, which is long, games that can last and a complexity that is not for everyone.
In summary, “Sankoré: The Pride of Mansa Moussa” is a demanding game that rewards players willing to invest time and thought. With its strategic depth, high replayability and rewarding intellectual challenge, it will appeal to fans of complex management games.
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Review Sankoré: The Pride of Mansa Moussa
Despite a long setup and a steep learning curve, it offers a rewarding intellectual challenge, supported by high-quality material.
Positives
- Strategic depth
- High replay value
- Rewarding intellectual challenge
- Interconnectedness of actions
- Interesting student management
- Quality material
Negatives
- Steep learning curve
- Long setup
- Long game duration
- Limited score visibility
- A forgettable theme
