Welcome, fellow board game wranglers! If you’re like me and love games that are clever, quick, and don’t rely on luck, then pull up a chair. This is my review of Siam, a game that’s about brains over brawn, chunky pieces, and more head-to-head action than a sumo wrestling match at nap time. I played this one with my usual crew, and trust me—there were laughs, groans, and more than one fake mustache twirl of evil strategy. Let’s see if Siam is worth squeezing onto your game shelf!
How It Plays
Setting up
Put the board between you and your friend. Place three big animal pieces for each player (elephants vs. rhinos), and set the three small mountain pieces in the middle three spaces. That’s it! Keep the box nearby in case the cat tries to steal your rhinos. (Mine did.)
Gameplay
On your turn, choose one animal to move. You can move it forward, sideways, or turn it to change its direction. If your animal faces the same way and pushes, it can try to shove a mountain or another animal. It takes more animals pushing together to move heavy objects, so line up your team! You can also swap out animals if you run out of clever moves. Each turn is quick, and you’ll spend half your time plotting your next pushy power move.
Winning the game
Get one mountain off your opponent’s side of the board to win. No dice, no luck—just pure head-to-head strategy. The moment you send a mountain tumbling off their edge, you can do a small victory dance. I did, and my friends are still mad about it.
Want to know more? Read our extensive strategy guide for Siam.
Game Mechanics and Balance in Siam: Tug of War With Elephants
Siam is a tiny game with big personality—sort of like a mouse in an elephant suit, if you ask me. The whole game is a standoff between you, your friend, and a handful of chunky animal pieces. It’s pure two-player bliss with almost no luck, which is as rare as my grandma’s banana bread at family gatherings.
The moves in Siam are simple. You either move, turn, or push. But the push! This is the meat of the game. Only by teaming up your animals can you shove mountains off the board. If you try to brute-force it with a single beast, you may as well be a hamster trying to roll a bowling ball. Everything comes down to positioning and cleverness. No dice, no cards, no “draw a tile, hope for the best.” I love this. If I lose (which is more often than I’ll admit), I blame my brain—not some unlucky coin flip.
Balance? Spot on. Both players get the same pieces and moves. There’s no secret power hiding under someone’s seat. Siam is fair, clear, and rewards those who pay attention. Sometimes, I wish I could blame something else for my mistakes, but in Siam, the only thing tripping me up is myself.
So, if you want to test skill, not fate, Siam could be your new favorite showdown. Of course, the real question: is this chess in a jungle, or just a fancy arm-wrestle with animals? Next up—let’s see how Siam pits cold strategy against wild luck!
How Much Does Luck Matter in Siam?
If you want a board game where the dice decide your fate, Siam is going to break your heart (and maybe your ego). Luck takes the backseat here. You won’t find any dice, cards, or surprise unicorns swinging the game. Every single move comes down to raw, cold-blooded strategy. This means if you mess up, you can’t blame the universe.
In my games, I tried a few sneaky tactics—like pretending I didn’t know the rules to distract my opponent. It worked surprisingly well, but that’s about as lucky as it gets. The real win comes from planning ahead, reading your rival’s moves, and outsmarting them like a chess grandmaster who’s had too much coffee. Siam rewards folks who think before they act, rather than those who just cross their fingers and hope for lady luck to lend a hand.
This also means every match plays out differently, since it’s all about how you and your opponent handle the chunky animal pieces. No two games felt the same for us, because our choices kept changing. There are no runaway leaders (unless you keep dropping rhinos off the board like I did) and no wild comebacks from lucky rolls.
If you hate losing because your friend got lucky, Siam is honestly a breath of fresh air. It’s all on you, for better or worse!
Now, if you’re wondering whether this luck-free zone makes Siam fun to play again and again, get ready for the next section: Replay value and player engagement is about to stomp onto the scene!
How Siam Keeps You Coming Back: Replay Value & Player Engagement
So, does Siam have that magic that makes you want to play again and again? Let me spill the beans: absolutely yes, but with a tiny catch. This game is quick, intense, and as addictive as those spicy chips you say you’ll eat ‘just one’ of. I brought Siam to three different game nights, and every single time, someone asked, “Can we play that again?” And not just because they wanted revenge (okay, maybe a little because of revenge).
The secret sauce is how every game feels different—despite simple rules, the choices you make with pushing, pulling and blocking pieces create a fresh puzzle each round. Siam never drags. You can finish a match in 15 minutes, so the whole table stays alert and no one ends up scrolling through cat memes while they wait. It’s snappy and keeps everyone locked in.
But here’s my only warning: Siam shines brightest with two players. With three, it works, but you might end up feeling like the third wheel watching your pals wrestle for the spotlight. Some folks in my group joked they were just helping whoever looked the most intense at the moment. It’s still fun, but head-to-head is where it really sparkles.
To wrap it all up, Siam delivers on engagement and replay value. You’ll want to come back for more brain-sizzling sessions. Next time, I’ll chat about how it actually looks on the table and if the pieces feel as satisfying as they look—so don’t touch that dial!
Component Quality and Table Presence in Siam: Eye Candy or Eye Sore?
Let me tell you, Siam knows how to put on a show. The moment I set up the game at my kitchen table, my friends all gathered around like meerkats spotting a drone. The animal figures—those chunky, chunky elephants and rhinos—are thick enough to survive being swept onto the floor by an over-caffeinated uncle. The mountain piece is basically a tiny plastic trophy, just screaming to be fought over. And honestly, who hasn’t wanted to push a mountain just to prove a point?
The board, while not a sprawling tapestry of fantasy, fits the game perfectly. It’s small, but that just means less table required (leaving more room for snacks). The art is simple and clear. That’s good, because if you’ve ever confused a rhino for an elephant, well, you’re playing a whole different game. The colors pop, too. Kids, adults, and my neighbor’s weird parakeet all found the setup inviting. Okay, the parakeet may have just wanted to chew the mountain, but still.
If I had to nitpick like a grumpy badger, I’d say the board can feel a bit plain on first glance. You don’t get lush illustrations or fancy foil embossing. But hey, I’d rather have sturdy animals than fancy frills any day. And after only a few rounds, nobody cared anymore—they were too busy plotting their next shove.
So, would I recommend Siam based on its looks and feel? Absolutely. It’s got table presence and parts sturdy enough for years of shoving. If your shelf needs a little bold animal action, Siam fits right in.
Conclusion
Siam really won me over. It’s a smart, fast game with chunky animal pieces that look like they escaped from a board game zoo. Every play feels fresh because you never face the same showdown twice. There’s no luck—every win or loss is down to your moves. I did wish for a bit more variety sometimes, but I’d still call it a new classic for folks who love pure strategy. It’s fair, fun, and always leaves us laughing when an elephant shoves a rhino off the board. That’s it from me—thanks for reading my review of Siam. I hope your next game night is as wild as a Siam standoff… and that you remember which way your animal is facing!
