Tokaido is a game I’ve long enjoyed at a casual level, but I always felt it was just a little too bare bones. Within the last year or so, it became one of my daughter’s favorites, and she requested to play regularly, so having the opportunity to spice up the gameplay with an expansion was definitely of interest to me.
Crossroads and Matsuri combine the two original expansions for the game, as well as most promos, into a single box. Note that it is compatible with previous editions of the game.
Expansion Overview:
The expansion includes 25 new traveler tiles that can be added to those in the base game, as well as several small decks of cards.
A small board is placed above the main player board, and this is where the new decks of cards, as well as a fortune die, are placed. When a traveler stops at a destination, they now have a choice between the original option for that space or one of the crossroads options.
At the temple, instead of donating, you can pay one coin to take an Amulet card, which gives you a one-time use ability. At the souvenir shops, you can take a Legendary Object card, which might add a fifth category to your set or be worth a significant amount of points in itself. Instead of taking three coins at the farms, players may choose to gamble by wagering two coins and rolling the fortune die- they could lose their wager, win it back, or double, triple, or quadruple it!
When visiting the hot springs, you may now spend one coin to gain a Bathhouse card worth four points. Encounter spaces now offer the option to buy a Calligraphy card that can add private scoring conditions to the game end. When stopping at any of the three types of landscape spaces, players may instead opt to draw a cherry blossom card, which awards two points and one coin.
Finally, once all players reach an intermediate inn, the first player to arrive will draw two cards from the Matsuri event deck, look at them, and choose one to put into effect. This may alter the game rules until players reach the next inn, or award points based on certain game conditions.
Game Experience With the Expansion:
Crossroads and Matsuri are exactly what Tokaido needed. It elevates the game from a linear experience to a more three-dimensional one. It does not overwhelm players with choices; you simply now have two options at each stop, which opens the game up just enough and supplies a needed player agency to the experience. The Matsuri events mean that the flow of the game will change slightly throughout play, but only in small ways, which is, again, exactly what was needed.
While I enjoy everything this expansion adds, my favorite feature is the array of playable travelers included. Where the base game gives ten options to choose from, Crossroads and Matsuri add twenty-five more! This offers so much more variety between plays and allows players to explore different strategies each time. Many of the abilities work with the new expansion: i.e. some travelers may allow you to use both actions at a given space instead of choosing only one, but a few would still work even if playing with just the base game.
The only drawback I found is that it does add slightly to the cluttered feeling of the game as you play. There are now more cards to be placed in front of you (though, not all that many), and it can get a little harry keeping track of which event is currently in play in addition to keeping up with your private scoring objectives (if you have any); but this is a small complaint and not something, in my opinion, that should prevent you from adding the expansion.
Always a fan of chance, I also love the addition of the fortune die, even if it’s often probably wiser to just take your three coins at the farm and move on. The little option to place a wager and possibly walk away with four or six more coins is, often, simply too tempting for me. It’s a subtle feature, but one that adds just a touch of optional luck and excitement to the game.
Final Thoughts:
Unless you enjoy Tokaido precisely because of how simple and straightforward it is and you think it is perfect as-is, then anyone who owns the game should add the Crossroads and Matsuri expansion. It elevates it from an experience in which players can, at times, feel they’re simply moving with the current, to something that puts agency more directly into their hands. Without over complicating things, it adds variety and breathes fresh air into a classic game, while still keeping to the core of the original experience. Both me and my daughter agree that this is a must-have expansion. If you love Tokaido, it gives you more to love, and if you dislike Tokaido, this might just be enough to change your mind about it.
Hits:
• Worth it for the new travelers alone
• Gives players more choices
• Brings depth to gameplay
Misses:
• Adds a bit of fiddlyness
• It can be easy to forget Matsuri effects
