This creates a very balanced game where each player has access to similar resources throughout the game.
The game arrived a week ago, and my wife and I, along with our 9 year old daughter, have played almost every day, some days multiple games per day. The game includes a "beginner" layout, with the game "hexes," dice roll markers, and even player starter positions in specific locations. This creates a very balanced game where each player has access to similar resources throughout the game. Playing with this layout makes it a lot easier for beginners to learn the rules and introduce some strategy without a lucky roll of the dice creating a huge gap. We played this way 3 or 4 times, then we switched to completely randomizing the layout according to the rules for subsequent games.