But most beautifully of all, the entire complex web of decisions and incentives moves because of the choices of other players.

Aegyptus et Creta - This expansion contains two additional maps - Aegyptus and Creta - each with its own twist and unique mechanic. I would absolutely love to see an overhaul of the scoring run down to take this app to the next level and replicate one of the best features of the physical game however even without that this app has done a great job making the move to the digital tabletop. Frankly, I was shocked during that recent five-player game at how everything you need is on a small double-sided card that serves as a player aid.At times I found the decisions to be a little overwhelming, but it was still fun and simple to pick up.

Think of it this way: I may make a decision that seems more resource and action-efficient, but it’s very very difficult for me to calculate exactly how many points I’ve gained or lost relative to my (perceived) next-best move.When you understand what goals they are pursuing, you can adapt your strategy, to either outpace them, or focus elsewhere. There are a few other cards with less commonly used abilities, but those make up the bulk of what you are doing. It’s probably what we’d consider an “open framework,” to use a design term, which promotes depth and emergent gameplay, but without requiring a lot of complexity.

But unfortunately that’s all you do; no conflict, no powers, hardly any uniqueness (there are some unique cards to draft in, but they’re just another way to produce/score) and plenty head scratching late on. Combining my first two worries a bit, I also worry that this game will have that Puerto Rico problem, where there’s so much interaction between the players that a new player making the wrong play at the wrong time can allow a more experienced player to catapult into victory courtesy of their blunder. Sure, in some regard, each player has to do a bit of everything, but I’ve seen players win by focusing on Mars cards, Jupiter cards, Saturn cards, Minerva cards… It all comes down to strategy and opportunity. I was reading Concordia reviews on BGG because I'm interested in it and it's held in very high regard in general, and especially in my country due to the only native boardgame reviewer who is crazy about it and you know, people often act as parrots if they don't quite have their own defined taste yet and the bravery to say otherwise against a tide of fans of anything.You have time to scan the board, watch your opponents, think about what cards they’re probably prioritizing in the card market, consider various strategies in your head, etc.

It is in the management of your hand, and the sequence in which you play cards, that your strategies will unfold. Every bit of DLC, be it an expansion or a map pack, contains two maps each, most of which come with their unique twists and map-specific mechanics.So if you have several cards that give a bonus for having towns in each province, work on getting to each province. More often than not, hand management games, deck builders, and deck shedders make players begin a game with some terrible cards; not so in Concordia. I Guide one of these dynasties and send colonists to the remote realms of the Empire; develop your trade network; and appease the ancient gods for their favor - all to gain the chance to emerge victorious! Each player starts with two colonists, one for land and one for sea, one of each type of the games 5 different resources, a small amount of money and a personal deck of cards.