Origins: First Builders (2021) Board Game

Origins: First Builders is a city-building board game that was released in 2021 by Board&Dice. Designed by Adam Kwapiński, the game incorporates elements of dice rolling, tile placement, and worker placement within a mythology-themed setting. With a playing time of 60-120 minutes and suitable for players aged 14 and above, Origins: First Builders offers a mix of strategy and resource management.

Game Components of Origins: First Builders

Main board featuring five circular motherships, storage for tower discs, a tableau of District Cards, temple tracks, a market for building tiles, a military track, and spaces for Citizen dice and neutral dice.

Player boards, bases to hold dice, starting resources, and initial building tiles (Agora and Palace).

Building tiles with special abilities, tower discs, Citizen dice, neutral dice, District Cards, Zodiac cards, and resource tokens (wisdom, stone, gold, food).

How To Setup Origins: First Builders

To set up the game, place the main board on the table and organize the various components. Each player starts with their own player board, bases for their dice, and initial resources. The game begins with each player having a city consisting of the Agora and Palace tiles. The motherships are set to their starting values, and the District Cards are dealt face up. Players also receive starting dice and resources.

Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective

Worker Placement: Players use dice as workers, placing them at encounter sites under the motherships to perform various actions.

Building Construction: Build new buildings by paying the required wisdom and stone costs. Each building has a special ability that activates when placed and when a district is closed.

District Closure: Close districts by placing a die in the middle of a 2×2 grid of buildings, activating building abilities and scoring points if the color matches the district pattern.

Tower Building: Increase tower levels using gold to enhance endgame scoring.

Military and Temple Tracks: Advance on these tracks for additional resources and points. The military track is somewhat underwhelming, while the temple tracks offer Zodiac cards with ongoing abilities.

Objective: The goal is to score the most victory points through building construction, district closure, tower heights, and advancements on the temple and military tracks.

Player Experience

**Origins: First Builders** offers a rich and complex gameplay experience, particularly appealing to fans of euro games and worker placement mechanics. The game requires strategic planning, as players must manage their dice values, build synergistic districts, and optimize their resource usage. The alien theme adds a unique twist, but the core mechanics are deeply rooted in traditional euro game elements. The game scales well for 2-4 players, though planning ahead can be challenging in four-player games due to the dynamic game state.

Pros

Dice Manipulation: The game’s use of dice as workers, which can increase in value, adds a compelling layer of strategy and tactical decision-making.

Synergistic Building: Creating synergies between districts, dice colors, and towers is highly satisfying and crucial for scoring points.

Solo Mode: Offers two solo modes, including a more complex version designed by David Turczi, which can be downloaded from BoardGameGeek.

Cons

Complexity: The game can feel convoluted at first, making it challenging for new players to grasp the rules and mechanics.

Imbalance Issues: Some players have noted imbalance issues, particularly with the military track and the randomization of Zodiac cards, which can affect game length and fairness.

Component Legibility: The game has minor issues with component legibility, such as the value of resource tokens being hard to read.

Personal Thoughts on Origins: First Builders

**Origins: First Builders** is ideal for fans of complex euro games and those who enjoy deep strategic planning. The game’s unique blend of dice manipulation, building construction, and resource management makes it a compelling choice for players looking for a challenging yet rewarding experience. However, it may not be the best fit for casual gamers due to its complexity and the need for a significant amount of time to fully appreciate its mechanics. With some tweaks, particularly to the military track and balance issues, this game could become a standout in the euro game genre.

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