Trishaw Frenzy

Trishaw Frenzy is a Malaysian design. The designer is Ewe Boon How, and the publisher is LUMA. This is a game about trishaws in Penang. It is a simple game, and I'd even consider it a children's game. 

One easy way to describe the game is modernised Snakes & Ladders. This is a roll-and-move game. The board is made up of nine tiles randomly placed and oriented. The squares on the tiles are not numbered so you don't use such numbers to determine your route. Instead, you use a randomly drawn route card (see below). You roll a die to move your pawn. The first to reach the end wins. 

There are a few location types on the board. Depending on where you land, you perform certain actions. One type of location lets you rotate a tile. You draw a card to see which tiles you are allowed to rotate. Rotating a tile can have huge implications. You might set your opponent back, or you might put yourself ahead. Some locations are portals, and they teleport you to another portal. This is the snakes and ladders part of the game. Sometimes you draw a new route card. This can dramatically change the situation. A leading player might find himself far from the new finish line. A trailing player might find himself only a few steps away from winning. 

It's a simple game, and it is roll-and-move. For seasoned gamers, "snakes-and-ladders" usually means "stay away". In Trishaw Frenzy when you get to rotate a tile, you get to make a meaningful decision. So this is not a passive and 100% luck-based game. There will be dramatic twists of fate. You never know what surprise awaits at the next corner. This is a casual and light game that's easy to learn and relaxing to play. And this is such a pretty game!