Nimalia

This l looked like a cute biome building game, and that's about right.  But it was remarkably cryptic.   The objective for each of the five rounds came from a uniquely weird set of objective tiles.

The goal is to build a nature reserve that fits in a 6x6 grid using tiles that each have for squares on them.  On each round you take the new tiles.  Keep one and pass the others. Then all plays play their chosen tile.  Then choose one more and pass the other.   Play that tile then play the last tile.  Figure out the score from the objective grid and move on to the next round.  There are five rounds total.

Your tiles can overlap but must stay within the 6x6 area.  Translating the symbols on the objective cards, our game had points for separate green biomes, solo pandas, minimal giraffes and length of river.  The page in  the rulebook that describes all the objective es is so dense with little icons it just hurt our eyes.

I'm usually the guide or banker or storekeeper  for games, and here I had to reiterate the goals of each round over and over. It takes away a bit of the immersion.

I'm sure we could catch on to the logic and iconography of Nimalia if we gave it a few more shots.  But we would have to be in some certain mood.  Some of these games feel more like work than play.  

It feels like we tried another 6x6 grid of biome building a year or two ago, but I can't for the life of me remember which game that was.





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