The idea of a deckbuilding game has been around for quite awhile, the idea of making a game solely about building a deck of powerful cards over the course of a single game. Designers have since “riffed” on that basic idea in many ways, and Hyperborea takes as its new twist the idea of bag-building. In Hyperborea, players place and remove colored cubes from their personal bag. The colors drawn dictate a player’s options for that turn. This new(ish) mechanism is used to good effect. Combined with unique player powers and multiple paths to victory, Hyperborea is a fun game that feels something mildly akin to Risk, but Risk where each player (and country) has special powers.

Hyperborea
Designers: Andrea Chiarvesio, Pierlacca Zizzi
Publisher: Asmodee
Ages: 12+
Players: 2-6
Time: 90 mins (20 minutes per player)
(Review copy provided by Asmodee)

Hyperborea begins with each player choosing a color and they are then assigned a set of three “personal” hexagonal territories for their color. These territories are plugged into a central bit of face-down territories that are revealed as players explore the board. In the beginner game, the choice of color has little impact, but in a regular game each color has 3 unique starting hexagons and one of two special player powers. Since each color has two special powers from which to choose, the game has plenty of variety.

Next, players are given three figures (their “army”) in their home territory and since this is a “bag building” game they place one of each colored cube (there are 6) into their bag. Players also get to choose one bonus cube (of their choice) and choose some starting development” levels (used to “buy” more cubes for the bag. This provides yet another way for players to individualize their strategy. Before the game begins, each player takes three cubes at random out of their bag.

The goal of the game is to gain the most points. Players get points for buying new cubes, buying special ability cards, controlling territories at the end of the game, defeating opponents’ army figures, and for any special “stars” obtained during the game (each of which is worth one point.) There are several different ways the game can end and the player triggering each way gains a couple extra points.

On a turn, players place their cubes (typically 2 or 3 at a time) on specific squares on their player mat. Each player’s mat is the same and they handily give players a quick overview of all their options. Once an action has all its cube spaces filled, it is available for use. Actions can be used in any order on a player’s turn, but can’t be saved between turns. (It is possible to partially fill an action’s squares, and finish filling the square and taking the action on a later turn.) Cubes not spent are set aside in a “graveyard” and can’t be placed on later turns.

At the end of their turn, a player draws three new cubes to use on their next turn. This is a smart move, since players can then plan out their next turn during their “downtime”. If there are no more cubes in the bag, a “reset” occurs. All their cubes are gathered up, placed in the bag, and three new random cubes are drawn. (If you only have one or two cubes left, tough luck, you get your next turn using only one or two cubes, so watching your totals is useful.)

That’s an overview, let’s talk about each color in the game. The six colors of cubes, colors of players, and colors of actions each have a common “theme”. (For example, green is “move” and red is “attack” so the action the costs a green and red cube gives a player one movement and one attack.)

Green
Green is the color of movement. Green cubes are used for actions that let you move your army figures around the board. This is important, since each territory has special abilities. To use a special ability, a figure “enters” that ability area as a free action and is then granted that reward. (It could be more cubes, extra specific actions, points, etc…) However, a figure that “enters” a special ability space (within a territory) is “locked” in place and can no longer move. Whenever a player has a “bag reset”, all their figures are also moved out of any special ability locations. They can then enter them again on that player’s next turn or move to a new location via more green actions.

Red
Red is the color of war or conflict. Each fighting (red) action allows a player to eliminate an opponent’s figure from the board, as long as the acting player also has a figure in that territory. (There are also neutral figures defending locations at the start of the board that can be attacked and killed for extra end-game points.) To prevent two players from exclusively picking on each other, only the first figure from each player is worth one point. After one has defeated a figure from each of the players, they can then go wild attacking any other players for one point each.

Purple
Purple is the color of growth. Most purple actions allow players to add figures to the board. Figures start in one of a player’s three “home spaces”, so movement is also important to get them spread out. Placing all of one’s figures on the board is one game-ending condition (earning extra points) and having many figures makes it easier to control territories (for end-game points.)

Orange
Orange is the color of development. Orange actions move a player’s development markers (there is one for each color) forward on the development track. When the marker is high enough, it can be reset to add one or two cubes (of that track color) into a player’s bag. This allows players to emphasize the colors of their chosen strategy. Over the course of the game, a player’s bag will start to have more of the colors of cubes they desire. Gaining cubes is also nice since each cube is worth one point at the end of the game.

Yellow
Yellow is the color of trade. Yellow actions have to do with the nifty yellow gems in the game. Typically you are awarded one or more of these gems as part of your action. Gems are worth one point at the end of the game. Having twelve or more gems is an end-game trigger and is thus also worth a couple extra points.

Blue
Blue is the color of advanced technology. Blue actions typically allow a player to purchase an advanced technology card. These cards provide a few points at the end of the game, but more importantly, they give a player an entirely new action that is typically more powerful than the default actions. However, purchasing one of these actions also grants a player a grey cube. These grey cubes are almost completely useless and thus clog up one’s bag if too many cards are purchased. Buying five cards is a game ending condition, earning a couple extra points (in addition to the points on each card.)

The game ends when two of the three game ending conditions has occurred. (A quick game can end after one, with a long game after all three conditions.) Players add up their points and the highest total is the winner.

Verdict:
I am a sucker for games where each player has their own special powers and there are multiple ways to win the game. Hyperborea has this in spades. There are lots of strategies to explore and the game really does come in at around 20 minutes per player. Two players can get through a game quite quickly, but I’d shy away from the expected 2 hours for a full six player game. One might think all the actions and powers and things would get quite complicated but the game makes use of a simple set of symbols, so that the consequence of any given action is quite straightforward. (For example, an arrow represents movement, a sword is combat, and a little guy represents adding a figure to the board.)

Each year I see new games and I have to weigh them against my past favorites to decide how likely they are going to stay in my collection for the long haul. Hyperborea is moderately quick, has real strategic depth, is not overly complex (thanks to the color theme and the symbols), and its exceptional variety means it easily earns a place on my “to play regularly” shelf.
Kid Factor:
This game is somewhat complex, but it goes out of its way to help new players understand their options and how to accomplish them. The use of common symbols rather than text help to clearly indicate the effects of any given action. This also means players do not have to know how to read in order to play. Yes, a child who cannot yet read could go through the correct motions to play, but I would think that’s a bit young to understand what is going on. However, I have played with a third grade student who (while not coming very close to winning) had a great time with the game. Hyperborea is, at times, a direct conflict game where one player will lose resources to another player (the warfare actions.) Be prepared for a bit of tension if in-game conflicts do not go over very well in your home. While it can be played younger, I’d say tweens or early teens are about the right age to start playing the game.

Tags: Game Reviews, Unplugged