I’d like to acknowledge right off the bat that a middling review of a 50-year old board game is a rather pointless critical venture to undertake (even for me). But seeing as Bazaar has established a reputation for itself over the years as a bit of a minor classic from master designer Sid Sackson, I thought it was worth a paragraph or three to jot down some thoughts on it. Bazaar is a basic set collection game that challenges players to efficiently use ten different equations randomly determined at the game’s outset to convert colored stones into specific combinations. On any given turn, the active player decides to either roll a multi-colored die and collect a stone matching their roll or trade stones they already have in their possession for other stones as directed by one of the aforementioned equations. After taking their action, if they have stones matching the set on an available card for purchase, they may spend those stones to do just that and score some points. Point values are determined by 2 factors: 1) the value of the card and 2) how many stones the player has leftover after making the purchase (with fewer being better, obviously). Players are highly incentivized to make efficient trades and purchases as these point values vary greatly. The same card could be worth up to five times as much for the meticulous player with zero leftover stones as the sloppy player with gosh knows how many. Whatever the methodology behind their acquisition may…