I C E

Players lead teams of archaeologists into a frozen wasteland to excavate layers of buried ruins and artifacts. The game uses stacked tile levels representing ice, surface, intermediate, deep artifact layers and a final edifice layer; players remove tiles in order to dig and collect artifacts that grant reputation points. Ice-sheet tiles removed can be used as helping actions, while edifice tiles introduce new, game-changing rules that are revealed as play progresses. The campaign ends when an edifice tile is fully discovered, then players total reputation points to determine the winner.

Players: 1–5 best 3
Playing time: 90–120 min
Age: 14+
Complexity: 2.8 / 5

4.1 on LudoyaScience FictionAction PointsModular BoardWorker Placement, Different Worker Types

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About the game

Design: Bragou
Sams
Art: Léonard Dupond
Publisher: This Way!

Expansions

See them in Ludoya

I C E: Relics2025

I C E: Companion Set2024

I C E: Ics Sailboat Promo Tile2025

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Where to buy it

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AlphaspelIn stock 599 kr
SpelexpertenCheck stock 599 kr

On Ludoya's tables

Full stats in Ludoya

6
Plays logged: 16
Players: 1h 59m
Average play: 7
In collections: 17
On wishlists: 3
Pre-ordered

4.1/10

from 4 Ludoya reviews

Louis2.5
The game looks absolutely beautiful, but I played it on TTS and I was shocked at how much I disliked it. Only the top layer tiles have hidden backs; all of the other layers have all of the tile information on both sides. Even during set-up, you'll see exactly where the more valuable tiles are. Because of that it just felt surprisingly unsatisfying to dig through the layers: instead of an exciting rush for treasure, it felt more like a rote optimisation to gather the known quantities on the board. It doesn't help that the two player mode is just a two-handed four player game and that many of the snow tile powers literally don't work in the solo mode, as they affect non-existent other players. I really wish I enjoyed this game more (because gosh, look at that artwork!), but alas, I did not.
Kush5.5
Love the theme, art, and production. Gameplay, while good was not superlative as the other aspects listed. At its core, it is a spatial / movement-based abstract game with a lot more rules and details to make the gameplay not very intuitive and unnecessarily feels bloated. I would have expected it to be a lot more streamlined or a lot meatier. As of now, it is the worst of both worlds.