In the land of Terra Mystica dwell 14 different peoples in seven landscapes, and each group is bound to its own home environment, so to develop and grow, they must terraform neighboring landscapes into their home environments in competition with the other groups.
Terra Mystica is a game with very little luck that rewards strategic planning. Each player governs one of the 14 groups. With subtlety and craft, the player must attempt to rule as great an area as possible and to develop that group's skills. There are also four religious cults in which you can progress. To do all that, each group has special skills and abilities.
Taking turns, the players execute their actions on the resources they have at their disposal. Different buildings allow players to develop different resources. Dwellings allow for more workers. Trading houses allow players to make money. Strongholds unlock a group's special ability, and temples allow you to develop religion and your terraforming and seafaring skills. Buildings can be upgraded: Dwellings can be developed into trading houses; trading houses can be developed into strongholds or temples; one temple can be upgraded to become a sanctuary. Each group must also develop its terraforming skill and its skill with boats to use the rivers. The groups in question, along with their home landscape, are:
Proximity to other groups is a double-edged sword in Terra Mystica. Being close to other groups gives you extra power, but it also means that expanding is more difficult...
Terra Mystica mixes long-term strategic planning and tense tactical decision making in a highly satisfying way.
There is definitely a significant mechanical puzzle element to the game, which regularly straddles the “busywork” line. That’s something I am generally not too fond of. However, all your micro level decisions are informed by the fact that you’re engaged in a super tight, highly competitive struggle for key hexes on the map as well as for cult track positioning. The game mechanics and even more so your opponents’ actions pull you in a number of different directions —- figuring out the best course of action is immensely rewarding.
The asymmetry between the factions feels just right. Everyone is definitely playing the same game but will pursue vastly different paths to victory.
Overall, I am a big fan of Terra Mystica despite its mechanical complexity and spreadsheet optimization. The battle for map control and cult spaces makes all the difference and wraps the entire game into a tight and highly engaging package. A remarkable game!
Just a fantastic and complex game, the learning curve can be pretty steep but in the perfect information genre this is a very rewarding game with endless replayability. The game mechanisms are clever and the factions offer varied gameplay. Works bets if you have someone to teach you the game for your first game.
I still love this game more than Gaia Project. I love the theme and simply gameplay.
This is an instant classic, and one of the most exhilarating Euros ever designed. Tremendous amounts of fun. Incredible amount of variety and strategy.
This is one of my favorite games. Very strategic choices and almost no luck.
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Good sleeves. Heavy thickness. Like the short height that doesn't extend much above the top of card. Common size so buying 200ct is a good deal.
Nice and detailed enough models for other purposes, too other than the game itself. Looking forward to paint them.
Don't judge a book by its cover; and this is so true for "Palastgeflüster" also.
- Fun & Portable & Quick -
Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy – Rift Cannon
