Wouter & Ymke 
Every year, there’s a special gathering known as the Festival of the Seven Seas, where captains from all corners of the world come together. It’s not just any gathering; it’s a competition to find out who will be the next legend of the Seven Seas. Participants set off on adventures, exploring new worlds filled with islands, trading opportunities at ports, and facing the unpredictable seas. It’s a chance for everyone to sail into the horizon and make their mark at the festival.
👥 1-5 players, ages 10+
⌛ Playing time: 45 minutes
📝 Designers: Joseph La Marca
🎨 Artwork: Yvan Tesi
🏢 Publisher: Critical Hut (preview copy provided)
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Setting Sail: The Beginnings of Adventure
The game spans 5 to 7 rounds, depending on the mode you pick. Players take turns using action tokens to decide what they want to do next. Each action space on the board is linked to two possible actions, and you can choose the order to do them in. You’re allowed to share a space with another player, but you can’t repeat the same action combination in the same round. The main actions are sailing, landing on an island, docking at a port, and upgrading your ship.
The speed of your ship, determined by how many sails it has, affects how far you can move on the sea. While sailing, you might run into different challenges, like pirates in discovery mode or a mix of friendly and dangerous encounters in advanced mode. Being prepared with cannons is key to defending your ship against these threats. The number of cannons you have affects how many dice you roll during these battles. If your ship gets defeated and capsizes, don’t worry—you can fix it up at the start of your next turn or during a renovation action, where you can also upgrade your ship.
When it comes to exploring islands, you’ll use food to roll discovery dice and see if you can land safely. Finding an island gets you resources like food and wood, which you can trade at ports for things like fabric, steel, and rum. These resources are crucial for upgrading your ship. Completing challenges at sea earns you a gemstone and a card for that particular sea area.
At the game’s end, points are given out for gemstones, treasure chests, resources, and how well you’ve upgraded your ship. Your adventures, battles, and trading efforts also earn you points. The player with the most points becomes the legend of the 7 Seas for a year.
Choosing Your Destiny: Discovery vs. Advanced Mode
In The 7 Seas, players can choose between two modes: discovery and advanced. Discovery mode is the simpler option, designed for five rounds. It’s a great starting point for new players, helping everyone get a feel for the game. In this mode, the sea cards you encounter are straightforward, each marked with a single color: blue for exploring, red for battling, and yellow for trading. When you interact with these cards, the outcome is simple — you either succeed and get a reward or fail and face a penalty.
Advanced mode, on the other hand, stretches out over seven rounds and adds more depth to the game. Here, the placement of your action tokens becomes more tactical. The game introduces two roles: a captain and an officer, and your decision on where to place them matters because of their ranks. You can place a higher-ranking piece next to an opponent’s without issue, but if you place a piece of the same or lower rank, you’ll have to choose a lesser version of one of your intended actions.
The sea cards in advanced mode are more complex, too. They often feature multiple colors, signaling more varied and challenging interactions. Now, instead of just pirates, you’ll face dangerous sea creatures and hazards. These encounters might require a mix of strength and cunning to overcome, and failing can have negative effects. However, it’s not all perilous; there are also chances to meet trading merchants, where you can decide to trade peacefully or, if you’re feeling daring, attempt to rob them.
Island visits become more nuanced with the addition of a second interaction choice, with options to engage in battle or trade influenced by the type of inhabitants you encounter. When it comes to ports, how you approach them—through exploration or battle—depends on their status. Resolving two cards in the same sea rewards you with bonus tokens, which are useful during the game and add to your score at the end. Overall, the advanced mode offers a richer experience with more to consider before making your move.
The Creative Voyage: Behind The 7 Seas
The 7 Seas, designed by Joseph La Marca, offers an adventure on the high seas for 1-5 players, suitable for ages ten and up. With a playing time that varies from 45 to 90 minutes, depending on the number of players and the game mode chosen, it fits nicely into an evening of gaming. The game’s journey to players begins with a crowdfunding campaign on Gamefound, scheduled from March 23 to April 24, 2024, hosted by its publisher, Critical Hut.
We had the opportunity to preview The 7 Seas through a promotional copy from Critical Hut. While the game felt nearly complete, it’s worth noting that the final version might see some changes. Our experience, based on this preview version, was quite positive. The game comes with two rulebooks—one for each game mode, discovery and advanced, and an additional sheet for solo play—and we found them clear and easy to understand, with no grey areas in the gameplay instructions.
The game’s pieces are already impressive in the preview. Players get custom-shaped meeples representing a captain and an officer alongside their boats, adding a personalized touch to the game. Each player manages their resources, gems, and ship upgrades on their own player board, which adds to the immersion. The artwork on the cards, done by Yvan Tesi, stands out beautifully. The variety and number of cards suggest that every game will offer a new experience, enhancing the game’s replay value.
Critical Hut has also teased some extensions that will be introduced with the crowdfunding campaign and as part of the initial stretch goals. These are expected to add further dimensions to the gameplay. For those curious about these additions, a visit to the game’s Gamefound page might provide more insights.
Strategy and Skirmishes
Playing The 7 Seas, especially when you dive into the advanced mode, you quickly realize it’s all about managing your resources wisely. From the get-go, you’re dealing with a tight squeeze—resources are hard to come by, and there’s not much room for what you do find. This means you have to think ahead, making sure your ship is not only stocked with the right supplies but also equipped with enough firepower to fend off threats and keep sailing.
For those starting out, the discovery mode keeps things simple by minimizing player interactions. This changes in the advanced mode, where the game really opens up. Here, how you place your officers and captains becomes crucial. Plus, you get to interact more with other players through trading or battling when you cross paths at sea, depending on what you feel like doing.
The game adjusts to different numbers of players pretty smoothly. The only change is in the number of bonus tokens available. But, the feel of the game shifts with more players. In a two-player game, it’s easier to carry out your plans without interruption. Add more players into the mix, and you’ll find yourself having to compromise more often, placing tokens of equal or lower rank together, which might limit your actions.
Both exploring new territories and battling it out at sea depend on rolling dice. For battles, you roll to hit or achieve certain symbols based on the sea card you’re up against. You can beef up your cannons and spend some rum to roll up to five dice, boosting your chances. For exploration, you’ll need rum or food to buy dice, which you’ll roll, hoping to rack up stars. There’s also the neat twist where you can use fortune tokens before rolling to pick a die face, helping tilt the odds in your favor.
Charting the Course Ahead: Final Thoughts
Having played The 7 Seas, we’ve found it’s a game that holds up well regardless of how many people are playing. The game has two modes, ensuring it’s approachable for both newcomers and those who’ve spent plenty of time with board games. The gameplay pulls you in, and while the rules are simple to start with, it promises to get even more interesting with the addition of expansions.
We believe The 7 Seas holds its own in the world of board games. It strikes a balance between being thematically rich and gameplay-wise brisk and engaging. The dice bring an element of suspense, yet there’s plenty of room for making strategic decisions. If you’re a fan of games with strong themes and direct gameplay, this game is definitely one to look into on Gamefound.
📝 Disclaimer: We received a preview version from the game’s publisher, Critical Hut, which allowed us to share these insights with you.
