Niagara (1997)

Niagara

Niagara is a German-style board game designed by Thomas Liesching and published in 2004 by Zoch Verlag and Rio Grande Games. The game is set in Niagara Falls, and players collect, transport, and steal gems. Upon its release, the game won several awards, including the 2005 Spiel des Jahres.

Why is Niagara Popular?

Niagara is known for its unique Gameplay Mechanics of Niagara, which include a hinged board designed to sit atop the game box and represent Niagara Falls as a flap hanging over the box edge. The river is represented using clear plastic discs in a grooved surface, allowing board spaces to move downstream toward the waterfall. The game is also significant for its use of quirky plastic discs to represent the rushing river.

Game Components of Niagara

– Hinged board designed to sit atop the game box and represent Niagara Falls as a flap hanging over the box edge
– Clear plastic discs in a grooved surface to represent the river
– Gemstones

Game Setup of Niagara

Players set up the board and place the clear plastic discs in the grooved surface to represent the river. Each player receives a canoe and a set of gemstones.

Gameplay Mechanics of Niagara

Players move their canoes up and downstream to collect and drop off their gemstones. Each round, the water rushes forward an amount of spaces based on the choices made by the players. To move the river, discs are inserted at the top of the channel, pushing every disc beneath it one step closer to the waterfall.

Game Objective of Niagara

The objective of the game is to collect the most gemstones by the end of the game.

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