tabletoppingboardgames 
If you’ve ever stood in Prague’s Old Town Square, you’ve probably seen the Orloj. It’s that incredible astronomical clock with its rotating dials, tiny windows, and the twelve apostles that make their appearance every hour as the golden rooster crows. Built more than six hundred years ago, it’s part artwork, part engineering marvel, and part mystery. In Orloj, the board game, you step into the role of one of the artisans working to bring this masterpiece to life. Over the course of the game, you’ll gather resources, expand your workshop, place apostles, and construct the calendar and zodiac dials that make the clock truly shine. At the end, the player with the most points earns the title of master clockmaker.
👥 1-4 players, ages 14+
⌛ Playing time: 60-120 minutes
📝 Designers: Abraham Sanchez Hermida & Paloma J. Pascual
🎨 Artwork: Jesús Fuentes & Amelia Sales
🏢 Publisher: Perro Loko Games (review copy provided)
Gameplay Overview
The game takes place over a series of rounds, each paced by the golden rooster that calls the hours. During a round, the golden rooster moves forward whenever a player passes or when the red teeth on the apostle gears line up. When it finally reaches the end of its track, it crows after the current player finishes their turn, marking the end of the round. The game ends when the calendar has been fully built or when the rooster has called for the fourth time.
On your turn, you choose between activating the clock or passing. Activating the clock means rotating the astronomical dial clockwise and, if you wish, turning the Orloj clock face counterclockwise. The astronomical dial must move at least one step, while the clock face does not have to move, and the two dials are independent. When you finish setting them, the hand points to one section on the outer ring and one on the clock face, which gives you the two actions for your turn. You place one of your workers there to carry out those actions, and if someone else’s worker is already in that spot, it’s returned to its owner. Your innovation mastery limits how far you can rotate the dials, but you can always push your luck by forcing deviation. It lets you move further, though you might pay for it later when the rooster calls.
Passing gives you a moment to breathe. You recover your workers, activate the moon to gain resources or make repairs, and move the golden rooster one step closer to its next call. Even when passing, you can still carry out additional actions if you have the means to do so.
The actions available form the core of the game. You can produce wood, paint, iron, or gold depending on the state of your production tracks. You can progress on the three mastery tracks: innovation, which controls dial movement, precision, which influences passing and the sculptor, and observation, which affects the painter and the moon. You can recruit apostles from the rotating gears and store them in your warehouse until you’re ready to place them on your apostle panel for points and bonuses. You can also purchase new workshop cards to unlock rewards and open assistant slots.
Constructing is another major part of the game. You move the hammer disc clockwise, as far as your hammer card allows, until it reaches the dial you want to build. Then you pay the resources shown in that row and column and earn two points for each resource you spend. When you place a new dial, you also gain two points for every adjacent dial that already has one of your workers on it. You can send the sculptor to carve one of the four symbolic statues, gaining rewards based on your level of precision mastery. The painter and the moon both move clockwise, creating more ways to collect resources, fix deviations, and gain other benefits.
Every so often, the golden rooster crows, signaling the end of a round. When that happens, everyone must correct their deviations if they can, or lose points if they cannot, before the next round begins.
When the final round ends, players add their endgame points to what they’ve earned along the way. You’ll score for your position on the mastery stained-glass windows, for leftover gold, for assistants placed on workshop cards, for the shared stained-glass objectives, and for apostles on your panel. Any broken gears from unresolved deviations reduce your final total. The player with the highest score becomes the master clockmaker.
Game Info
Orloj: The Prague Astronomical Clock is designed by Abraham Sánchez Hermida and Paloma J. Pascual, and published by Perro Loko Games. You might recognise them from Phoenix: New Horizon, released last year. The game plays one to four players, takes around 60 to 120 minutes, and is recommended for ages 14 and up.
The story takes us to Prague in 1865, when the real astronomical clock was being embellished with the apostles’ carillon and the calendar paintings by Josef Mánes. In the game, you become one of the craftspeople restoring the clock, planning, building, and hoping your work stands the test of time.
Components, Production, and Artwork
Let’s start with the obvious. Orloj looks absolutely stunning on the table. The era of beige Euros is long behind us, and this one is living proof. The main board dominates the table, featuring a detailed rendering of the astronomical clock surrounded by rotating dials, gears, and stained-glass motifs. Once everything is set up, it instantly draws attention.
At the centre sit the astronomical and clock dials, painted in deep blues and rich golds that shimmer against the warm background. Beneath them, players gradually build the calendar and zodiac dials, adding tiles that form an intricate mosaic of celestial symbols. It feels less like setting up a game and more like arranging a piece of art.
The visual direction by Amelia Sales and Jesús Fuentes captures the charm of Gothic Prague with a painter’s touch. The palette mixes jewel tones with parchment hues, giving the whole thing a handcrafted look. The iconography is neat and clear but still fits within the ornate style of the artwork.
The components are a pleasure to handle. The apostle gears fit together perfectly, decorated with tiny portraits framed like stained glass. The golden rooster perched on its track is both charming and thematic. Each player gets chunky, colour-coded pieces, along with wooden resources for wood, iron, paint, and gold. The mastery area resembles three stained-glass windows, one for each of the innovation, precision, and observation tracks. The player boards look like miniature workshops, divided neatly into spaces for production, apostles, deviations, and construction.
Everything feels thoughtfully designed. The materials are sturdy, the colours distinct, and the layout intuitive. When the game gets underway and the dials start turning, apostles move, and the rooster advances, you really see how everything connects.
Despite the lavish visuals, the design stays clear. The colour scheme isn’t just pretty to look at. The blue, yellow, and red of the mastery tracks stand out clearly, while the rest of the palette ties the artwork together in a way that keeps everything readable. The layout guides your eyes naturally, from the dials in the centre to the point track around the edges. It’s rich and detailed but never overwhelming, which is no small feat for a game of this weight.
Rulebook
The rulebook feels just as carefully made as the rest of the game. It starts with a short historical introduction that sets the scene, then walks through the components and setup for both the shared board and the player areas. Each rule section builds logically, moving from basic ideas such as resources and workers to more complex systems like deviation and construction.
There are plenty of visual examples showing how the dials move, how workers are placed, and how different actions work. The layout helps connect what you read with what you see on the table. Later pages cover advanced actions, endgame scoring, and a well-developed solo mode that pits you against Josef Mánes.
The writing is clear and consistent. It’s not the kind of rulebook you read once and memorise, but it’s one that rewards a careful read. It assumes nothing yet manages to stay approachable. It’s obvious that layout and clarity were a real focus during development.
Gameplay and Flow
Orloj sits comfortably in the medium-to-heavy Euro category. It’s a game that rewards patience, timing, and a bit of experimentation. The first look at the board can feel intimidating, but after a round or two the structure starts to make sense. Activating the clock, placing workers, and watching the rooster advance quickly fall into place.
This isn’t a casual family game, but for players who enjoy layered designs where every choice connects to something else, it’s deeply rewarding. The heart of Orloj lies in its dual-dial mechanism. You rotate two discs in opposite directions, and the hand points to the actions you can take that turn. Around this clever idea, you’ll find familiar Euro elements such as worker placement, resource production, and careful timing.
What makes it special is how it mirrors the real astronomical clock. The counter-rotating dials, the marching apostles, the crowing rooster, and even the shifting moon all echo features of the historic Orloj. Once the game begins, everything feels natural. Each move you make influences the shared mechanism of the clock, nudging everyone else’s plans in the process. Passing a turn still keeps you engaged, as it triggers resource collection, repairs, and the advance of the rooster.
Planning ahead is never guaranteed. The player before you might shift the dials just enough to change your available actions, so you’re constantly adapting to the rhythm of the clock.
Resources can feel scarce early on. You might find yourself short on a piece of wood or a drop of gold when you need it most. But as your workshop grows and your mastery tracks improve, the flow becomes smoother. It mirrors the process of clockmaking itself: slow, deliberate, and eventually seamless.
Building is another crucial aspect to manage. When you construct a dial, your worker stays there for the remainder of the game, leaving you with fewer workers. It may slow you down temporarily, but the rewards increase later, especially as more costly constructions bring more points. Timing your builds becomes an important part of your strategy.
Workers are precious, and deciding when to recover them can make or break your tempo. It’s often worth unlocking an extra one early, even if it takes effort. There’s a clever bit of interaction in how players can bump each other off spaces, returning the displaced worker. It adds a nice touch of unpredictability without feeling mean-spirited.
The deviation system adds a risk-reward balance. You can push the clock beyond its limit to get the action you really want, but every unresolved deviation will cost you when the rooster calls. It’s a simple idea that captures the tension of pushing a machine too far while hoping it doesn’t break.
Beyond the clockwork itself, the mastery tracks, assistants, and scrolls open more possibilities. Red scrolls give a one-time action boost, while blue royal scrolls reward you with instant points. Assistants provide scoring conditions that guide your long-term plan, while the stained-glass objectives create small races for shared goals.
Your rooster track determines how many deviations you can fix when the rooster crows, and keeping it in good shape can even earn you points. The hammer card adds small bonuses to every construction, and since each player has a different one, it brings a nice bit of asymmetry to the table. All these parts connect smoothly, and it feels good to watch everything run the way it should.
Final Thoughts
What makes Orloj memorable is how naturally all its parts connect. The apostles, mastery tracks, workshops, and sculptures all feed into each other, yet nothing feels redundant. Advancing in one area strengthens the others, and the golden rooster keeps everything in motion.
This is a game for players who enjoy seeing their plans come together piece by piece. It’s not quick, and it’s not meant to be. It rewards focus, foresight, and the joy of watching a system unfold. Fans of Tzolk’in or Praga Caput Regni will find a familiar sense of pacing and satisfaction here, though Orloj feels entirely its own.
It plays best with three or four players, when the shared gears feel truly alive. At two it’s more deliberate, and solo offers a well-thought-out challenge against Josef Mánes. The first play can feel like adjusting gears without a manual, but once the system clicks, it runs like clockwork.
Strategically, the game values efficiency over aggression. Build too soon and you might lose momentum; wait too long and others may claim the best spots. The tension of when to act is constant, but never stressful.
For me, Orloj captures what I love most about modern Euro design: elegance, cohesion, and a sense of purpose. It’s a game that feels alive on the table, with every rotation of the dial bringing something new to consider.
It’s a striking game, both to play and to look at, and it’s the kind that lingers after the last turn is done. The kind you think about afterwards, replaying your moves in your head and wondering what you could have done differently. If you enjoy games that reveal their depth slowly and reward careful play, Orloj is well worth your time.
And if you’re visiting Spiel later this month, you can find Perro Loko Games at Hall 3, booth 3U115. I wouldn’t wait too long though, as I suspect this one will draw quite a crowd.
📝 A review copy of Orloj was kindly provided by Perro Loko Games.
