Oceans (2020)
Oceans
“Oceans” is a nature-themed strategy board game published in 2020 by North Star Games. It is part of the Evolution series and was developed with the help of a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. The game is designed to capture the beauty and ferocity of marine life, allowing players to compete in creating and maintaining species in an aquatic ecosystem.
Why is Oceans Popular?
Oceans is popular and significant for several reasons:
– Engaging gameplay: The game combines strategy, planning, and quick thinking, making it enjoyable for both experienced strategy gamers and newcomers.
– Scientific background: The game’s development team consulted with a marine biologist to establish the scientific basis for the game, ensuring a high level of accuracy and immersion.
– Stunning art: The game features watercolor art by illustrator Catherine Hamilton, which invites players into a vibrant ecosystem.
– Replayability: Oceans is an interactive engine builder, with nearly 100 unique trait cards and a continually changing ecosystem, making each game unique and engaging.
Game Components of Oceans
The Game Components of Oceans include:
– Game board
– Trait cards
– Population tokens
– Scenario cards
– Reference guides
Game Setup of Oceans
Prepare the game board and place it in the center of the table.Shuffle the trait cards and place them face down in a draw pile.Each player is dealt a hand of cards.Players take turns to create species by assembling trait cards.Released creatures are placed on their respective ocean zones.
Gameplay Mechanics of Oceans
In Oceans, players take individual turns to create species by assembling trait cards. These creatures are then released into an aquatic ecosystem where they must obtain food and avoid becoming prey to other creatures. The game has two main phases: the “Slow Build Up” and the “Cambrian Explosion.” During the Slow Build Up, players carefully plan their species and strategies. Once the Cambrian Explosion is reached, the pace accelerates, and players use two traits per turn and can access the “Deep” deck, full of more bizarre characteristics of marine life and mythical sea creatures.
Game Objective of Oceans
The goal of Oceans is to have the most collective fish tokens in your score pile and on your species boards when the end of the game is reached, which occurs when all ocean zones are depopulated of fish.
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