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Kristen McCarty
United States
Pennsylvania
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The beautiful fjords of Norway, crafted by ancient glaciers, fashion the setting for our next gaming adventure. You and a rival Viking Clan fight to claim the fertile land along the coast. In this game of "tactical settlement of an unknown land for two players," players must use the best tactics and a little luck to ensure the largest and most fertile claim for their clan.
Components
Fjords comes with 40 hexagonal landscape tiles, 4 wooden farms and 20 wooden fields in two player colors. It's small but packs in a lot of strategy and game play.
Set Up
Players choose their color and take their farms and fields. Three of the landscape tiles have a different colored back. These are the start tiles. The rulebook actually has a mistake. It shows the mirror image and the start tiles should be placed. This confused me the first time I played but luckily someone has caught the mistake and provided the picture below.
Goal of the Game:
Fjords is played over three rounds. Players score points each round for each field they place. At the end of three rounds the player with the most points wins.
Game Play:
During each of the three rounds there are two phases of play: Discovery and Land taking
Phase 1: Discovery
During the first phase players are placing tiles to discover the fjord region. Players alternate turns by first drawing a tile and then placing the tile. If the tile can not be placed they draw until they draw one that can be played. These set aside pieces become open choices and may be used later during the round.
Tiles have three possible landscapes on them: sea, mountain, and farmland. A placed tile must match the other landscapes in order to be placed. The second rule for tile placement is that it must be placed adjacent to two sides of previous tiles. Tiles also must be placed so that there is only one single landmass. You can not place a tile so that a separate landmass would be created, such as when a sea separates two landmasses.
When drawing a tile players may choose to use one of the open tiles if they wish. When a drawn can not be placed players may choose to then use an open or draw again.
After players place a tile they may choose to place one of their farms. You can only place a farm on a just played tile. Farms may not be placed on the start tiles or the one tile that has only mountains.
Phase Two: Land Taking
After the last face down tile has been draw and placed (or set aside if it can't be placed) the first phase ends. Players now move on to land taking. Being first during this phase can be critical so a bit of strategy comes into play. The first player is decided based on two possibilities. If the last drawn tile was played on the fjord region the player who did not place it goes first. If last drawn tile could not be placed in the region and is set aside among the open tiles the player who drew it plays first.
After determining the start player players now place their fields. Fields must be placed either next to a players farm or one of their fields. They may not be placed on mountains or seas. The strategy is to block the other player and secure as much land, as possible, for yourself. After all fields are placed or all the farmland is secured (another player can not legally place fields there.)
Scoring
Whomever was able to place the most fields is the winner of the round. Each player should records their score each round. The tiles are then shuffled and the next round begins. The player who has the most points after three rounds is the winner. If both players score the same amount the winner is whomever won two rounds. Otherwise you "rejoice in your shared victory."
My Thoughts
Fjords is a light and quick tile placement game. It fulfils my love of tile placement games that create a beautiful picture when completed, and it does this three times in one game. I enjoy the mix of strategy in luck and the tension created when you try to claim the fields. Each game and each round is different so one strategy may not work each time. You may also find yourself changing your strategy throughout the game due to what tiles you draw and where your opponent places their farms and fields. My one problem with the game is a fault all my own. I have forgotten or run out of time to place my farms during the first phase. I'm just always waiting for that perfect tile or not wanting to place the farms to early. So I caution players on this point, don't be afraid to place your farms! After all you are a Viking, and Vikings are rarely afraid of anything.
Quick Stats:
Designer: Franz-Benno Delonge
Artists: Jörg Asselborn,
Christof Tisch
Publisher: Rio Grande Games, 999 Games, Hans im Glük
Number of Players: 2
Play Time: 30 minutes
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