2013 · Fantasy
Forbidden Desert
Explore the ruins of an ancient desert city to locate pieces of a buried flying machine before heat and sand overwhelm the team. Players cooperate as specialists, moving across an ever-shifting tile grid, excavating tiles, and collecting parts while managing water and exposure to storms. Random sandstorms and rising heat create pressure, forcing coordination, resource sharing, and planning to assemble the machine and escape. Continuous board changes and role-specific abilities shape the group's tactics.
- Players
- 2–5 best 4
- Playing time
- 45 min
- Age
- 10+
- Complexity
- 2 / 5
About the game
- Design
- Publisher
Expansions
See them in Ludoya
Where to buy it
Shop prices and second-hand copies, checked every day.
On Ludoya's tables
Full stats in Ludoya- 347
- Plays logged
- 243
- Players
- 37m 11s
- Average play
- 178
- In collections
- 11
- On wishlists
- 1
- Pre-ordered
6.8/10
from 76 Ludoya reviews
Garfield7.0 #46 [c] Theme: :star::star::star::star::star: <!-- size 7]Very strong theme --> Gameplay: :star::star::star::nostar::nostar: <!-- size 7]Repetitive but ok --> Interaction: :star::star::star::star::star: <!-- size 7]Everytime and everywhere --> Artwork: :star::star::star::nostar::nostar: <!-- size 7]Nothing special --> Luck: :star::star::star::star::nostar: <!-- size 7]Card drawing luck, you can loose a lot of times just because of card drawing bad luck --> Strategy: :star::star::star::nostar::nostar: <!-- size 7]Mäh --> Components: :star::star::star::star::nostar: <!-- size 7]Good --> Play duration: :star::star::star::nostar::nostar: <!-- size 7]Could be shorter --> Easy to teach: :star::star::star::nostar::nostar: <!-- size 7]Should be easy --> Setup time: :star::star::star::star::nostar: <!-- size 7]Fast --> No downtime: :star::star::star::nostar::nostar: <!-- size 7]Depends on how much discussion there is about every movement --> [/c]
Vic Granell7.5 Very punishing and fun co-op game!! Production is very good with a nice insert (which unfortunately doesn't take sleeved cards though). If you feel like playing pandemic in half the time, take this one!
Inserto fet i penjat a la BGG
Rules questions
Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.
How many actions do I get on my turn, and does moving use an action?
You may take up to 4 actions each turn (you can take 0–4), and moving to an adjacent, unblocked tile costs 1 action per move (no diagonal moves) (p3).
Do I have to excavate a tile before I can pick up a flying machine part?
Yes — picking up a revealed Flying Machine part costs 1 action and the part must be on an unblocked, excavated tile; if the part is on an unexcavated tile you must excavate it first (p3, p4).
Can I move onto or through a tile that has 2 sand markers on it?
No — a tile with 2 or more Sand markers is considered blocked/impassable and you may not move onto or through it (p3; see sand stacking on p6).
If I'm on a tile with 2 or more Sand markers (buried), can I still take actions?
If your pawn is on a tile with 2+ Sand markers you are buried and must have Sand removed down to one or none before you can take any further actions; teammates may spend actions to dig you out (p6).
When do we draw Sand Storm cards and what does a "Wind Blows" card do?
After you take actions, draw Sand Storm cards equal to the current Sand Storm level; Wind Blows cards shift the indicated number of tiles into the storm hole (moving any pawns, markers, and parts with the tiles) and then place one Sand marker on each tile that moved (p5).
Is sharing water or passing equipment an action?
No — players on the same tile may share water and pass equipment cards for free at any time, though you may never exceed your canteen's maximum; note Sun Beats Down storm cards force drinking if you're not in a tunnel or protected (p3, p6).
Similar games
Free, on web, Android and iOS
Play Forbidden Desert with Ludoya
- Keep it in your collectionTrack your copy and its expansions, lend it to friends, or put it on your wishlist and get told when the price drops.Add it to your collection
- Log every playScores, winners, timers and photos, then your stats: win rate, favourite player count, best score.Log a play
- Settle rules questionsAsk anything about the rules and get an answer from the rulebook, with the page to check it on.Ask the rules assistant
- Find people to play it withClubs, game nights and events near you that bring this game to the table.See events
Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.