Noria (2017) Board Game – Board Game Guys

Noria is a board game that was released in 2017 by Edition Spielwiese. It was designed by Sophia Wagner and features artwork by Klemens Franz and Michael Menzel. The game falls under the categories of Economic, Fantasy, and Industry/Manufacturing, with gameplay revolving around deck, bag, and pool building mechanics.

Game Components of Noria

Central board

Stack of flying islands

Knowledge tokens

Resources (obsidian, energy, mycelium)

Goods

Ships

Warehouses

Wooden cubes

Player boards with a three-part wheel, factory, and player aid

Five representative pieces in each player’s color

City, Journey, Tool, Obsidian, Mycelium, and Energy discs

Politics tracks and politician cubes

How To Setup Noria

To set up Noria, each player starts with a player board, a ship of each color, a resource of their choice, and a resource token. Players also select one politics track to begin with and receive the City, Journey, Tool, Obsidian, Mycelium, and Energy discs. The rules provide a suggested setup for the wheel for the first game. The central board is shared among all players and includes the market for discs, politics tracks, and the stack of flying islands.

Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective

Resource Gathering: Players use resource discs to take resource tiles matching the color of their ships.

City Actions: Players can take a new disc from the market or advance their representatives on the politics tracks by paying the required resources.

Politics Phase: Players can influence politicians by paying knowledge chips and moving politician cubes to support their projects.

Administration Phase: Players rotate their wheel rings and place new discs or take knowledge chips as indicated.

Game Objective: The goal is to acquire resources, invest in Great Projects, and influence politicians to score victory points. The game ends after 14-16 rounds, and players score points based on their representatives’ levels on the politics tracks.

Player Experience

Playing Noria involves complex decision-making and long-term planning. The game’s innovative wheel mechanism allows players to plan ahead by rotating their action discs, which dictates the actions available on their next turn. This system encourages strategic thinking and resource management. However, the rules can be daunting and scattered, making the initial learning process challenging.

Pros

Innovative Wheel Mechanism: Allows for deep strategic planning and resource management.

Complex Decision-Making: Players must make tough decisions to maximize their score.

Long-Term Planning: The wheel system enables players to think ahead and adjust their strategy.

Thematic Depth: Players take on roles as explorers, scientists, merchants, and lobbyists, adding to the game’s thematic richness.

Cons

Complicated Rules: The rules are needlessly complex and scattered, making it hard to learn the game.

Learning Curve: Initial setup and understanding can be overwhelming.

Player Interaction: The game is more engaging with three or four players, as two-player games lack varied political influence.

Personal Thoughts on Noria

Noria is for experienced board game enthusiasts who enjoy complex strategies and resource management. It is ideal for those who appreciate the challenge of optimizing their actions over multiple turns and are willing to invest time in understanding the game mechanics. While it may not be the best fit for casual gamers due to its steep learning curve, Noria offers a rich and engaging experience for those who delve into its intricacies.

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