# Now or Never

Now or Never is a board game for 1–4 players. It plays in 45–180 minutes and is meant for ages 14 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 2. It is rated 7.9 out of 10 by 14 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $57.79 (United States).

- **Players:** 1–4 (best with 2)
- **Playing time:** 45–180 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 14+
- **Complexity:** 3.6 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2022
- **Categories:** City Building, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Exploration
- **Mechanics:** Action Drafting, Narrative Choice / Paragraph, Tile Placement, Solo / Solitaire Game, Hand Management, Variable Player Powers
- **Ludoya rating:** 7.9 out of 10, from 14 reviews
- **Owned by:** 51 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 38
- **Unique players:** 45

**Designers:** Ryan Laukat

**Artists:** Ryan Laukat

**Publishers:** Red Raven Games

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cardhaus Games | 57.79 $ | https://www.cardhaus.com/now-or-never/ |
| Mathom | 52.8 € | https://mathom.es/es/otros-juegos-de-tablero/54231-ahora-o-nunca-8436589626898.html |
| Rampi Games | 53.95 € | https://www.rampigames.com/juego-de-mesa/ahora-o-nunca/ |
| Goblin Trader Barcelona | 39 € | https://www.goblintrader.es/es/inicio/51291-ahora-o-nunca-8436589626898.html |
| Juegos de la Mesa Redonda | 50.36 € | https://juegosdelamesaredonda.com/15721-ahora-o-nunca-8436589626898.html |
| Good Games | 84.82 $ | https://www.goodgames.com.au/products/now-or-never |
| Magia de Tinta | 53.95 € | https://www.magiadetinta.com/es/juegos/7886-ahora-o-nunca-8436589626898.html |
| Va de jocs | 54 € | https://vadejocs.es/producto/ahora-o-nunca |
| Spilforsyningen | 405.96 kr | https://spilforsyningen.dk/products/now-or-never-eng |
| Ludifolie | 57.9 € | https://www.ludifolie.com/17144-now-or-never-les-royaumes-du-passe.html |
| Zatu Games | 50.3 £ | https://zatu.com/products/now-or-never |
| Spelexperten | 728 kr | https://www.spelexperten.com/sallskapsspel/strategispel/now-or-never.html |
| Games Empire | 109.99 $ | https://gamesempire.com.au/products/now-or-never |
| BoardGames.BG | 69 € | https://boardgames-bg.com/now-or-never-2022.html |
| Uplay | 84.99 € | https://www.uplay.it/it/gioco-da-tavolo-now-or-never.html |
| Nexus | 11995 kr | https://nexus.is/vara/now-or-never/ |
| Spielezar | 94.9 Fr. | https://www.spielezar.ch/brettspiele/now-or-never-en |
| Fantasiapelit | 104 € | https://www.fantasiapelit.com/index.php?main=ai&kat=single&mista=indeksi&etsittava=_215785 |

## Expansions

- [Now or Never: Enemy Tile – 2021 Dice Tower Promo](https://www.ludoya.com/games/now-or-never-enemy-tile-2021-dice-tower-promo)
- [Now or Never: Crafting Arzium Promo Set](https://www.ludoya.com/games/now-or-never-crafting-arzium-promo-set)
- [Now or Never: Merchant Caravan Promo Card](https://www.ludoya.com/games/now-or-never-merchant-caravan-promo)
- [Now or Never: Secret Cabal Promo](https://www.ludoya.com/games/now-or-never-secret-cabal-promo)

## Similar games

- [ISS Vanguard](https://www.ludoya.com/games/iss-vanguard)
- [Tainted Grail: Kings of Ruin](https://www.ludoya.com/games/tainted-grail-kings-of-ruin)
- [Arydia: The Paths We Dare Tread](https://www.ludoya.com/games/arydia-the-paths-we-dare-tread)
- [Dune: War for Arrakis](https://www.ludoya.com/games/dune-war-for-arrakis)
- [The 7th Citadel](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-7th-citadel)
- [S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The Board Game](https://www.ludoya.com/games/stalker-the-board-game)
- [Frosthaven](https://www.ludoya.com/games/frosthaven)
- [Perseverance: Castaway Chronicles – Episodes 1 & 2](https://www.ludoya.com/games/perseverance-castaway-chronicles-episodes-1-and-2)
- [Grimcoven](https://www.ludoya.com/games/grimcoven)
- [Earthborne Rangers](https://www.ludoya.com/games/earthborne-rangers)
- [Tidal Blades 2: Rise of the Unfolders](https://www.ludoya.com/games/tidal-blades-2-rise-of-the-unfolders)
- [Above and Below: Haunted](https://www.ludoya.com/games/above-and-below-haunted)

## Rules questions

### 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).

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/now-or-never)
- [Now or Never in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/now-or-never)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/314745)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-18. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._