Board Games | Abstract Games

Last Light is a fast-paced 4x game with 3D planets and a rotating board in which players playing asymmetrical alien factions simultaneously gather light right before the heat death of the universe.Each turn, players select an action card, then all players take their actions simultaneously, exploring planets, mining for resources, gaining new technologies, and commanding fleets all while racing to the center of a rotating board to the last known white dwarf star to gather light for their civilization to survive.

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  Part puzzle, part game. Play as either Land or Sea (or the Cartographer in a 3 player game). Each player plays with 2 double-sided hex tiles containing a mix of land and sea shapes. They take turns placing a tile each to make a map together. Land places tiles trying to complete land areas, and Sea places tiles trying to complete sea areas. Completed areas score a point per tile; land areas for Land, sea areas for Sea. Some tiles score bonus points for whoever completes the area they are in. So players may decide to strategically complete rival’s areas to gain their bonus points. Other tiles allow players to play their second tile, or steal a player’s tile - but not their last one! Using 2 double-sided tiles (one side always revealed and the other always hidden until played) means there is partial information to plan around, and some surprises too. Players replenish back up to 2 tiles from a choice of 2 face-up tile stacks. The strategy of the game involves careful tile placement to score from as many land or sea areas as possible, while minimising your rivals’ opportunities to score from the tiles you play. Watch your rivals’ possible plays, and control tempo strategically with Play Again and Steal tiles. Look out for opportunities to score valuable bonus points in your and your rivals’ areas. Carefully select tiles as you replenish your hand to prepare for your next turn. The game ends once the last tile is placed. The player or team with the most points wins. The basic Land vs Sea game is simple enough for light / family gamers. After you have played the basic game, you can unlock more scoring options on the tiles to add surprising depth:1. Mountain & Coral scoring - score for cumulative chains of connected Mountain (Land) / Coral (Sea) sections.2. Caravan & Ship scoring - score for Caravans & Ships added to Trade Routes on the map, and score each Trade Route you have majority in (more Caravans scores the Trade Route for Land, more Ships for Sea) at the end of the game.3. Waypoints - bonus points you can place on the map to entice cooperation, or score for yourself. 2, 3 & 4 player modes:You can play head to head with 2 players, or with 4 players in teams using the basic rules and any of the additional scoring options. 4 player games use Waypoints to prevent alpha players directly instructing their partner. The challenging 3 player mode uses all of the additional scoring options in a more asymmetric game. The Cartographer scores by connecting Mountain and Coral sections, and all players compete for bonus points and Trade Route scoring.

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Basilica is an area control tile-laying game for two players set in medieval Florence offering heavy player interaction and easy-to-learn rules. In this game, players take on the roles of competing architects overseeing the construction of a magnificent cathedral. Each turn, they place tiles to enlarge the cathedral and create areas of a single color while placing builder pawns to gain advantages and control areas. In addition, players execute orders to move or remove builders, increase abilities, block spaces, or tear down previously built cathedral parts. There are four tile colors in the game. Players' goals are to create the largest possible areas representing a single color and to have more pawns in these areas than their opponent. Basilica designed by Łukasz M. Pogoda was first published in 2010 and further developed by the expansion Festum Fatuorum in 2012. The new edition by Portal Games includes the base game with a revamped game board, premium custom-made wooden pawns depicting medieval characters, and the expansion, offering players a premium full game experience.

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