Explorers of the North Sea

EvEvanstar5,9

This is a tile laying game similar to carcassonne, but rather than have this disconnected way of claiming things, in this game you are actually sailing and walking your meeples around on the tiles you place, picking things up, raiding towns, and building huts. I have a weak spot for clever tile games, so I'm really happy this one plays quickly and is more engaging than average. Each turn you are choosing which of three tiles to play from a hand of tiles, then budgeting four actions to try to best maximize your ability to not only score for completed islands, but also to have the most efficient sailing path home so you can drop off the loot you pick up. I like how players can be in each other's faces, building in the same areas, or build off separately and do your own thing. The game does have certain random elements that can be very defining of your fate in terms of what appears on the tiles you happen to have the ability to draw, or when the expansion it added what facedown tokens you happen to draw, but overall it's a nice pickup and deliver game with good components, even if it is a little tiresome moving animals back and forth after awhile. ★ Art, Iconography and components functional ★ Clever or interesting mechanisms ★ Reasonably low downtime between turns with mildly AP players ★ Multiple plays stay interesting ☆ Low or mitigatable luck elements ★★★☆☆ Raw enjoyment