Rival Realms (2018) Board Game

Rival Realms is a board game released in 2018 that is designed for 1-2 players. It falls into the adventure, card game, exploration, fantasy, and puzzle categories, offering a mix of gameplay elements to keep players engaged. The game features beautiful artwork by Eagle-Gryphon Games and was designed by a team of renowned artists including Caspar David Friedrich, Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, and John William Waterhouse.

Game Components of Rival Realms

Region Cards: Used to build and explore the magical realms.

Mountain/Valley Cards: Serve as the framework for the realms, separating the sub-realms.

Adventure Tokens: Include 6 Animal Tokens, 3 Artifact Tokens, and 3 Gem Tokens, each with unique abilities.

Quest Cards: Reward players for achieving specific goals such as exploring all types of realms or collecting all animal tokens.

Standees: Represent the players’ adventurers in the game.

Raven’s Nest: A discard pile where cards used for movement are placed, allowing players to steal them back.

How To Setup Rival Realms

To set up Rival Realms, each player creates their realm by alternating rows of mountain/valley cards with rows of tokens. The tokens are shuffled and divided into three random piles of four, each containing two animals, an artifact, and a gem. These tokens are placed face-up above or below the middle mountain/valley cards. Players then place their standees on one of the spaces in their realm. Each player is dealt five region cards from the deck, and if using Events, these are shuffled into the remaining cards.

Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective

Card Placement: Players add region cards to their realms, ensuring the cards increase in value from left to right.

Exploration: Players can move their adventurer to adjacent cards or across valleys, exploring regions by rotating the cards 90 degrees clockwise.

Token Collection: Collecting tokens on the spaces they move into, which include animals, artifacts, and gems.

Quest Completion: Fulfilling quest cards for additional points, such as exploring all types of realms or collecting all animal tokens.

Gem Management: Using gems to move the raven, steal cards from the deck or opponent’s raven’s nest, or other special actions.

End Game Scoring: Points are awarded for filled spaces, explored regions, gems, and matching adjacent region cards. Negative points are given for empty spaces.

Player Experience

Playing Rival Realms is a deeply strategic experience that combines the joy of building a magical realm with the thrill of exploration. Players must carefully manage their card resources, balance the need to fill their board with the strategic placement of cards to maximize scoring opportunities. The game’s mechanics, such as the use of gems and the raven, add a layer of complexity that makes each game highly replayable.

Pros

High Replayability: The random setup and varied card draws ensure each game is unique.

Strategic Depth: Players must balance card placement, exploration, and token management for optimal scoring.

Engaging Mechanics: The use of gems, artifacts, and the raven adds a fun and challenging layer to the game.

Clear Objectives: Quests and scoring rules provide clear goals for players to aim for.

Cons

Space Requirements: The game needs a significant amount of table space to set up both player realms.

Complex Setup: While the setup is detailed, it can be time-consuming and requires careful attention to rules.

Luck of the Draw: The random draw of cards can sometimes limit player options.

Personal Thoughts on Rival Realms

Rival Realms is perfect for players who enjoy strategic card games and territorial building. It is ideal for those who appreciate a game that requires thoughtful planning and execution. The game’s solo variant also makes it a great option for those who often play alone. However, due to its space requirements and complex setup, it may not be the best choice for players with limited table space or those looking for a quick, simple game. Overall, Rival Realms offers a rich and engaging gaming experience that rewards strategy and clever thinking.

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