In Zoo-ography, players take turns drafting building tiles to construct a zoo while drafting sets of animals as they arrive on boats into the game. Players have to balance building pens to support the animals available while also building sufficient attractions to keep guests engaged. Each zoo can earn up to 10 stars by meeting a variety of specific goals involving biodiversity, attractions, features, and aesthetics.
Ragnarocks is a 2-player area control game designed by Gord! - the designer of Santorini and Santorini: New York. In Norse mythology, humans exist in the land of Midgard - a place in the center of the world tree and connected to the nine realms. Among these nine realms live gods and goddesses, serpents and spirits, and all manner of mythical and mystical creatures.
In Ragnarocks you take on the role of a Viking clan using Runestones to mark your clan’s claims of land. In the advanced game, your clan worships one of these powerful beings from another realm who lends you their power to help you outwit rivals and claim territories for your clan.
At the end of the game, the clan who controls the most territory in Midgard wins!
A player's turn consists of a move phase and a summoning phase.
During the move phase you move one of your active Vikings any number of spaces in a straight line.
During the summoning phase you summon a runestone and place it on any space along a path following a straight line from the location of the Viking you moved. Whenever a summoning creates an encloses area containing only vikings of a single clan, that area becomes settles and belongs to the player whose clan occupies it.
When all vikings have settled, the player who controls the most territory wins.
—description from the publisher
In Tuned, you want to get your animal band in order so that they'll be ready to play — and although you're competing for space in the practice room with another band, you can incorporate all the musicians in your quest for the right arrangement.
To set up, each player takes two donkeys, two dogs, two cats, and one rooster. Place the rooster on the "move a figure" action space on your side of the 3x3 game board, leaving your two "add a figure" actions exposed.
On a turn, move your rooster to an open action space on your side of the board. If you choose "add", then place one of your figures on the board by following the placement rules:
Place a donkey only on an empty space.
Place a dog on an empty space or on an unencumbered donkey.
Place a cat on an empty space or on an unencumbered dog.
For a "move" action, choose an animal on the game board and move it to a new location while following the placement rules. You can move a portion of a stack; you cannot reverse the opponent's previous move.
As soon as a player creates an orthogonal or diagonal row with three of the same animals on top, that player wins. If a player is forced to add an animal (because their rooster occupies the lone "move" action) but cannot, they lose.
In SETUP, you create a set or sets, scoring points to move around the board. How many points on each turn depends on how good you are at spotting sequences and by playing a set which will create multiple combinations on the board. Even when it's not your turn, unwitting opponents may gift you points by creating sets using tiles in your bonus spaces, so always keep your eyes peeled to claim those extra points.
SETUP is a game of strategic tile placement, making sets of numbers of matching suits. You can't always plan in advance though as the tiles stack, so a sequence you had in mind may disappear when your opponents take their turn.
The strategy is even more intense when you try team play mode, work with a partner to plan your sets together. You'll work hard to maximize points, help your partner create sets, and gift each other bonus points. Careful how many points you score because the game ends when the first player crosses the finish line, but being in first place doesn't decide the win; it's the team that avoids finishing last when the game ends!
—description from the publisher
Simple yet tactical, Qawale will rock your idea of strategy games.
Lay stones on the path and try to line up four stones in your color.
Qawale is inspired by the tradition of stacking stones along trails and paths in nature.
As you drop these stones along your path, this incredible game will transport you to a place where strategy and nature come together.
Each player takes 8 stones in their color. The third color is neutral and is placed in the 4 corners of the board.
On your turn, add a stone on top of any pile and move it. When moving a pile, you must leave a stone on each space you cross.
The first player to get 4 of their stones in a row, looking at the board from above, wins the game.