Engine building games start small, with just enough to get things going, and then grow into satisfying chains of actions and combos. Each turn your setup gets stronger and a bit more efficient. It’s clever, rewarding and a little nerve-racking when someone else’s engine starts firing faster than yours.
Some examples of engine building games are A Wild Venture, Daitoshi and SETI.
Echoes of Time – Waiting for Your Engine to Arrive
Building an engine is usually quite simple in theory. You play a card, it does something useful, and then you add another card that hopefully makes the first one even better. Echoes of Time makes one fairly important change to…
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Níjar – Making Pots Is the Easy Part
Níjar takes us to southern Spain in the 1920s, to the small Andalusian town that gives the game its name. Long before tourism became important to the region, Níjar was known for crafts such as pottery, esparto and jarapas, the…
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Rosalie – Stop and Smell the Roses… Then Get Back to Work
There is something quite peaceful about the idea of growing roses. You choose a few varieties, give them some care, perhaps add a greenhouse or fountain, and slowly turn a small plot into a beautiful garden. Rosalie starts there, but…
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Wingspan Pocket – Can Six Birds Really Be Enough?
If you’ve played Wingspan, you probably know the general routine. You collect birds, feed them, lay eggs and slowly build a collection where one bird’s ability can help another. Wingspan Pocket takes several of those ideas and rebuilds them around…
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Wondrous Creatures: Winterfall – A Season of Change
The island of Starbeak was first discovered when explorers followed a strange bird with a glowing beak through the sea mist. On the other side, they found a mysterious island full of unusual creatures, hidden habitats, and enough weird wildlife…
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Moon Colony Bloodbath – Build an Engine, Then Watch It Break
Humanity has finally made it. We have permanent settlements on the Moon, rockets are arriving with supplies, colonists are ready for a fresh start, and robots are standing by to do the heavy work. It all sounds very promising, doesn’t…
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Entropy – Building Solar Systems and Evolving Life
What if humanity didn’t just understand entropy, but actually learned how to control it? That’s the idea behind Entropy. In the game, players take on the role of apprentice scientists taking part in a final examination inside a giant simulation…
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Emberleaf – A Forest Full of Small Decisions
In Emberleaf, you take on the role of an Emberling, one of the small creatures trying to rebuild their forest home. The idea is quite simple. You explore different clearings, recruit heroes, gather resources, build structures, and settle villagers to…
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Yotei – A Town Builder Where Potatoes Run the Economy
At the foot of Mt. Yotei in Hokkaido, life changes with the seasons. Spring brings wildlife, summer brings food and activity, and winter turns the area into a snowy destination. In Yotei, you’re building a town in that setting, trying…
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SETI: Space Agencies – Why Start Slow If You Don’t Have To?
(or why we kind of stopped setting up SETI without it) If you’ve been paying attention to board games over the last few years, you probably know SETI. And if you don’t… well, I guess you’ve been busy doing other…
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