Hamlet Week – Components of Hamlet

Thanks to our friends at Mighty Boards, we are participating in Hamlet Week with many other stores and creators to promote the US retail release of Hamlet in stores! There are also other amazing announcements and giveaways, which you can find by searching for #hamletweek on your favourite social media platforms! In this article, we are going to look at the components of Hamlet, and why we love them (spoiler)!

You know a game has good cardboard components when they punch out of the punch board with ease. Poorly produced games won’t pop apart nicely, and will even potentially tear the faces of the tiles as the paper gets stuck to the punch board.

That wasn’t the case here – in fact, I’d argue that the punch board was so good, after being jostled in shipping and moved around my house a bit over the last week, that many of the tiles had already popped themselves out (although were not damaged).

The game also includes a punch board box insert. This is phenomenal, and more games need to do this with their releases. Although putting the box insert together seemed a bit daunting, it really wasn’t and took less then 10 minutes to complete. I was a bit sceptical of some of the pieces as the cardboard was flimsy in some areas. However, once you put the thing together and orient it correctly in the box, it will never be moved or taken out. It should be fine!

The wooden bits included in the game are great as well. Tiny little villager meeples, donkeys, flag, and roads highlight each player’s set of pieces. There is also a small round player discs and a taller pillar with a screen printed top used to show refined materials. The wood is lightweight, but still sturdy, and I cannot wait to use these pieces and see how they bring the game to life. Also included is a great Hamlet bag which appears to have a screen print on it.

The tiles used to build out the game board – which will change from game-to-game – are vibrant and beautiful, albeit a bit small. A common complaint I have read so far about Hamlet isn’t necessarily about how the game plays, but how small the iconography is on each of the tiles.

Once I got everything punched out, I definitely knew that the game looked absolutely gorgeous. But the writing and symbols – yeah, they are pretty small and could be challenging for some in my game group.

The rulebook itself is sturdy, large, and full of details. It’s a bit overwhelming when you first open the book, but I’m hoping this is one of those games that is much easier to play than the rules make it seem.

When I saw this on Kickstarter, I was a bit worried about how much was going on. The rulebook, although large, seems to clearly explain each and every aspect of the game. Hopefully with some play time, those concerns will go away!

The components in Hamlet are top notch, and the game itself is gorgeous. On the table, I’m sure it will feel like a little village, as the designers intended. We will have more on Hamlet throughout the next few days, so stay with us here at GamesReviews.com and over on Instagram .