Wouter & Ymke 
In Terra Nova, you compete against up to three other players to establish dominance over a land brimming with opportunities. Your mission is simple – utilize your faction’s special abilities intelligently, expand your territory on the map, and garner the highest points by the end of the game.
👥 2-4 players, ages 10+
⌛ Playing time: 60-90 minutes
📝 Designer: Andreas Faul
🎨 Artwork: Loïc Billiau, Inga Keutmann, Lukas Siegmon & Christof Tisch
🏢 Publisher: White Goblin Games (publisher of the Dutch version, review copy provided) English version by Capstone Games.
The game is played over five rounds, and each round is divided into three phases: Income, Actions, and Round End.
💼 In the initial phase, players earn income in the form of money and power based on their established buildings and their specific bonus tile active in that round. This is symbolized by an open hand on the faction mat and bonus tile.
⚙️ The Power Cycle is crucial to grasp, as it governs how power is accumulated and used during the game. Power tokens move through three bowls representing different stages: spent power, charging power, and usable power. Managing this cycle efficiently is critical to success.
🚀 During the actions phase, players take turns performing various actions from a selection of seven, which involve building or upgrading structures, enhancing sailing capabilities, and more. Your objective here is to expand your reach strategically on the map, constructing buildings and bridges and possibly founding towns, which occurs automatically under certain conditions and grants bonus points and other rewards.
Actions at a Glance:
🏗️ Make Habitable and Build: Transform terrains to accommodate your faction’s buildings.
🔧 Upgrade Buildings: Enhance your buildings to unlock special abilities and increase income.
🚤 Increase Sailing: Expand your reach across rivers to explore new territories.
🌉 Build a Bridge: Create connections over rivers to further your expansion.
⚡ Power Actions: Use accumulated power to perform specific actions.
🌟 Special Actions: Unique actions specific to your faction or bonus tile are available once per round.
🔄 Drop Out: Withdraw from the round and prepare for the next by selecting a new bonus tile.
Another important consideration is that each round offers different opportunities to score points based on specified actions.
🔚 The round end signifies the preparation for the upcoming round, resetting various aspects of the game board for the next round. After completing the fifth round, it’s time to tally the scores. The final score considers your accumulated wealth, and players are awarded additional points based on the number of connected buildings in their largest territory.
Terra Nova, designed by Andreas Faul, is a more accessible variant of the much-loved Terra Mystica. If you are familiar with Terra Mystica, you will notice that Terra Nova, despite its simplified mechanics, retains a significant amount of depth that makes it far from just being a ‘junior’ version of the original. The gameplay, spanning 60-90 minutes, has struck a balance – it offers enough complexity to engage seasoned players, yet is accessible for younger players aged ten and above.
📚 The rulebook is clearly and well-written, paving the way for an easy understanding of the game’s mechanisms. It details the various gameplay elements, including the critical Power Cycle, which demands strategic management of power tokens moving through different stages. This clear delineation of phases means players can anticipate a structured and organized gameplay.
🌍 Centering mainly on the map, Terra Nova encourages players to expand their territories and interact with opponents strategically. The building and upgrading of structures create a progression trajectory that adds depth to the overall gaming experience. Focusing on the round-scoring times and using your chosen faction’s abilities wisely is essential to pave your way to victory.
🧙 Terra Nova offers ten factions, each with unique abilities contributing to a balanced, asymmetric gameplay. The resource management is simplified, centering around power and money, with power being quite limited and requiring thoughtful acquisition during the rounds.
🎨 From a visual standpoint, the game appears more vibrant than its predecessor, featuring improved artwork and durable wooden components that signify a commendable production value. Moreover, it adapts well to varying player counts, making it flexible for different group sizes.
💭 Terra Nova is an excellent entry point for those unfamiliar with Terra Mystica or for families looking to involve younger members in gaming. While offering lighter gameplay, it doesn’t compromise a lot on depth and complexity, making it a worthwhile choice for both beginners and experienced players. It stands as an introductory platform to the mechanics of Terra Mystica, suitable for family time and perhaps as a precursor to diving into more complex games in the future.
📝 We’d like to thank White Goblin Games for providing us with a review copy of this game.
