Now or Never

2022 · Fantasy

Now or Never

Exiled families return to a crumbling cliffside village to reclaim and rebuild their ancestral home amid the aftermath of a meteorite invasion. Players choose asymmetrical characters, explore a fantasy map, fight lingering strange creatures to protect traveling villagers, and construct buildings to house returnees. Actions include hiring specialists (including those controlled by other players), placing structures for long-term benefits, and balancing immediate needs against future rewards. Two play modes are supported: a standard competitive mode and a story-driven mode that uses a storybook for location-based events and character-specific narratives.

Players
1–4 best 2
Playing time
45–180 min
Age
14+
Complexity
3.6 / 5
7.9 on Ludoyafrom $57.79Science FictionCity BuildingAction DraftingHand ManagementNarrative Choice / Paragraph

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On Ludoya's tables

Full stats in Ludoya
38
Plays logged
45
Players
2h 52m
Average play
51
In collections
13
On wishlists

7.9/10

from 14 Ludoya reviews

  • Fun6.0
  • Interaction6.0
  • Replayability10.0
  • Uniqueness10.0
  • Looks10.0
  • Accessibility8.0
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Rules questions

Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.

Can I pay another player's specialist to use their action?

Yes — you may pay either your own or another player’s specialist to take its specialist action, following the payment and recruit rules (p. 9).

If a specialist is flipped (exhausted), can I still use it?

No — a flipped specialist is exhausted and cannot be used until it is rested/flipped back face‑up by the appropriate action or effect (p. 9).

Can I build on the starting town spaces or only on new spaces?

You can place buildings on the designated starting town spaces following the build rules; the rulebook explains how those spaces work and the costs/icons that apply (p. 11).

Do villagers automatically return to the supply during production, or do I need to spend actions to refill them?

Villagers are refilled as part of the production phase and certain anytime actions let you place villagers into housing or complete orders; you do not need a specialist action to refill during production (pp. 15–16).

Do I have to end my movement exactly on a location to visit it?

Yes — to visit a location you must move onto that location’s space (end your movement there) and then take the location’s visit action as described in the movement/visit rules (p. 12).

What happens if I retreat from combat — do I still get rewards or penalties?

If you retreat you end the fight without the enemy’s defeat rewards and instead resolve the retreat outcome and any associated consequences; defeat (not retreat) grants the normal victory rewards (p. 13).

Opens Ludoya's rules assistant, which reads this game's rulebook.

Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.