Above and Below

I absolutely loved this game. The artwork is breathtaking, the storytelling aspects (which is the main selling-point) is very well written and engaging, and everything from the cards to the tokens are made of high-quality stock. The game is fun and there are a lot of different strategies one can take to get points. The only thing that kept me from giving this 5 stars is that, according to the rules, the game is too short. This could be fixed easily by extending the game by a round or two. Also, it does seem that some strategies are superior to others so things like 'harvesting' seem like a waste of time. That's fine by me because the storytelling is the main draw but some people might find that frustrating. Full disclosure, I have read other reviews that ignoring ... MoreI absolutely loved this game. The artwork is breathtaking, the storytelling aspects (which is the main selling-point) is very well written and engaging, and everything from the cards to the tokens are made of high-quality stock. The game is fun and there are a lot of different strategies one can take to get points. The only thing that kept me from giving this 5 stars is that, according to the rules, the game is too short. This could be fixed easily by extending the game by a round or two. Also, it does seem that some strategies are superior to others so things like 'harvesting' seem like a waste of time. That's fine by me because the storytelling is the main draw but some people might find that frustrating. Full disclosure, I have read other reviews that ignoring the storytelling completely is a better strategy so maybe I just haven't played enough? Either way, if you're looking for a fun, high-quality game with TONS or replay-ability, you can't go wrong with this game. If you like this game and want more of it, check out Near and Far by the same company.

Artwork is beautiful and all the pieces feel durable and of good quality.Takes some time to get a grasp on the rules and to understand the flow of the game but there are videos online to assist.The sheer number of pieces and cards was initially overwhelming, but the concept of the game is fun.The randomized exploration makes each venture into the caves different and unique, further adding to the games replayability. It also adds a nice balance of skill and luck into what you may find.Overall, 4/5. A fun and enjoyable game.And as usual, a speedy service by Game Kings.

"Above and Below" is a two to four player set collection/action point game that has players using...

"Above and Below" is a two to four player set collection/action point game that has players using Villagers (workers) to gather resources, House and Cave cards to obtain the most Village points to win after seven rounds. General actions will be sending out workers to accomplish actions. These actions will lead a villager to becoming either exhausted or injured (areas on a player's board). To setup a four player game, players will each receive a player board, 3 starting villagers (two exhausted), 7 coins (+1 for last player), and 1 starting home card. The play area will have the reputation board (round marker, Cider, player reputation marker), 6 Star house cards, 4 Key house cards (drawn from 9), house and outpost card pile (four drawn face up from each), Cave card ... More"Above and Below" is a two to four player set collection/action point game that has players using Villagers (workers) to gather resources, House and Cave cards to obtain the most Village points to win after seven rounds. General actions will be sending out workers to accomplish actions. These actions will lead a villager to becoming either exhausted or injured (areas on a player's board). To setup a four player game, players will each receive a player board, 3 starting villagers (two exhausted), 7 coins (+1 for last player), and 1 starting home card. The play area will have the reputation board (round marker, Cider, player reputation marker), 6 Star house cards, 4 Key house cards (drawn from 9), house and outpost card pile (four drawn face up from each), Cave card deck, Special villagers placed aside, and finally the remaining villagers piled into a stack (5 face up above the reputation board). Player actions will consist of each player taking one action until all players pass. The actions that can be accomplished are: Explore action- a cave card is drawn and two villagers (or more) are sent to explore the cave. The player will roll a die which will dictate what story will be read in the encounter book. This story number is based on the six numbers depicted on the cave card. The player on their left will read excerpts from the encounter book that explains what explore number is needed to succeed without giving away the reward (goods/reputation), or failure, of the outcome. To accomplish the explore number, players will roll a die for each Villager sent and are trying to roll numbers that matches the lantern die on the villager. A player may exert their villagers to obtain another successful lantern, but the villagers will be sent to the injured area of the player's board. Successes or failures will be read to the player, but if it is a success the player places the cave card underneath their home card (failure has the cave placed under the cave deck). Either outcome will still have the player place the remaining villagers in the exhausted area of the player board. Build action- This requires a villager to have a hammer symbol and be moved to the exhausted side of the player board. Players may buy House, Key, Star, and Outpost cards by paying the cost located on the top left corner of the card. House, Key, and Star cards are placed in rows next to each other. The Outpost cards can only be played onto explored cave cards obtained. The reason for these building cards is they give abilities, income, beds, goods, and other benefits. Harvest action- Players will move one or more villagers to the exhausted area to obtain goods found on House or Outpost cards. Players are allowed to take one good for each villager exhausted. The Obtained good is placed next to the player board, and may be sold (one only) or placed in the advancement track of the player board. Train action- a villager with a quill symbol is exhausted and the cost is paid to acquire a new villager. The villager's cost is found on the reputation board (2,3,3,4,5). The new villager is placed in the exhausted area (no new villager is drawn onto the reputation board). Labor action- Players will exhaust one or more villager to gain one coin for each, and the first player to do this action will receive Cider. Free actions- These actions consists of buying resources other players placed for sale (minimum 3 coins), put something for sale (1 only), refresh building area of the play area (houses or outposts cards) for one coin (only once). The advancement track can also be filled with goods at any time by the player. The rules for placing goods is they must be placed on the farthest left circle, and the same goods must be placed in the same slot (current and future goods that are the same). The reason for this action is each space lists village points and income obtained for end game and end round (1/5,1/6,2/6,3/7,4/7,4/8,5/8,6/8). After using all villagers, or choosing to stop, a player will pass. When all players pass the round will end. End of Round upkeep: Round marker will move unless it is on the 7th space which means the game has ended. A new Cider is placed, unless it is already there, Villagers on the reputation board are moved to the left if any empty places are present (new villagers are drawn), Players will rest a Villager by moving them from the exhausted/injured area for a bed found on house or outpost cards (cider to rest without bed and potion to uninjured), collect income of 4 coins (advancement track increases), and refresh goods with arrows. Finally, first player marker is passed to the left. When the last round is played, the game will end and village points will be tallied. Advancement track will grant village points based on how many goods are found on each space. Each building is worth one village point without including any additional card bonuses for points. The player furthest on the reputation track obtains 5 village points (2nd 3...

Above and Below

One of the first things you'll notice about any of Red Raven's games is that they are gorgeous works of art, and the illustrations by Ryan Laukat (designer and artist) truly pull you into the world of his games. Above and Below stands out, even among an already impressive series of titles, as not only a mark above in beauty, but also as a seamless integration of excellent, middle-weight Euro mechanisms with RPG-lite exploration. The game is played over a series of seven rounds, with each player taking a single action on each of their turns, trying to be the one with the most points at the end of the game. This is accomplished by expanding your village with new buildings and exploring for goods in the caverns beneath you. This is where the game truly shines, as every ... MoreOne of the first things you'll notice about any of Red Raven's games is that they are gorgeous works of art, and the illustrations by Ryan Laukat (designer and artist) truly pull you into the world of his games. Above and Below stands out, even among an already impressive series of titles, as not only a mark above in beauty, but also as a seamless integration of excellent, middle-weight Euro mechanisms with RPG-lite exploration. The game is played over a series of seven rounds, with each player taking a single action on each of their turns, trying to be the one with the most points at the end of the game. This is accomplished by expanding your village with new buildings and exploring for goods in the caverns beneath you. This is where the game truly shines, as every exploration you take gives you new choices to make, and brings the possibility of new rewards. You might earn goods, which can bring you income; or you might free a trapped slave who then joins your company; or you might even discover a lost civilization that is more than happy to share its knowledge you. I have read before that Ryan Laukat and his designs have been compared to the grand storytelling of Hayao Miyazaki's movies, and there is no better game that demonstrates this similarity than Above and Below. Very highly recommended.

Absolutely charming game, there is plenty to love and enjoy for all audiences and we find the rep...

Absolutely charming game, there is plenty to love and enjoy for all audiences and we find the replayability extremely high. Once you’re familiar with setup and rules actual games are fast and exciting with everyone having a chance to build up a point generating engine, or spend their time doing the adventure driven quests to acquire resources and reputation. These two things combined make for an excellent choice of game to pull off your shelf and play with family or friends. Anyone not already familiar with Above and Below will be very surprised with the narrative adventure decisions they can make. The game itself sets 2-4 players as settlers of village in a new land after having been displaced by tragedy in their former home. As you begin building your new homes ... MoreAbsolutely charming game, there is plenty to love and enjoy for all audiences and we find the replayability extremely high. Once you’re familiar with setup and rules actual games are fast and exciting with everyone having a chance to build up a point generating engine, or spend their time doing the adventure driven quests to acquire resources and reputation. These two things combined make for an excellent choice of game to pull off your shelf and play with family or friends. Anyone not already familiar with Above and Below will be very surprised with the narrative adventure decisions they can make. The game itself sets 2-4 players as settlers of village in a new land after having been displaced by tragedy in their former home. As you begin building your new homes you discover a vast network of caverns below your new village, and so as you and your fellow players begin building “above” those of you who are excited about the riches and wonders can also start exploring the caverns “below” and possibly build there as well. You will focus primarily on your own player board moving your villagers to one of the five actions you may take on your turn, Explore, Harvest, Build, Train, and lastly Labor. The Explore action will take at least 2 of your villagers and gives you access to the narrative part of the game. You’ll roll a die and be presented with a tiny snippet of an overall themed story from the underground world, and then be given choices of how you’ll proceed. The Explore action has some great opportunities to gather resources to further your score and everyone will enjoy taking a turn reading the scenarios. Next, the Harvest action lets you gather some of the resources you’ve accumulated and move them to your player board for increases to your income you gain each round and victory points later. The Build action is where you will select from the available building and outpost cards, pay and then add them to your part of the village, the buildings have various powers and will let you set up an engine that helps you accumulate victory points or increase your ability to explore and grow. Taking the Train action will let you recruit new villagers to your player board so that you can take more turns each round assigning tasks to them. Lastly, taking the Labor action allows you to generate coins for each villager using it, and you’ll need those coins for building. We love this game; it has enough random elements to it that each game is unique and different. The artwork is quite attractive and a finished game looks great on the table, all your buildings lined up beside your player board have a nice flow and look like a completed fantasy world village. A tiny con, if anything the game is often times too short, having only 7 rounds it can sometimes be over before you get a good card engine built and you’ll wish it went on for a few more rounds. With setup being so easy though we can quickly reset and just play again in that case. I love this game at 2 players, and think it also plays wonderful at 3. I haven’t tried it yet at 4 but see no problem with that player count as each turn a player takes is usually pretty quick and in the case of the Explore action everyone gets involved in listening to the story and options. Fabulous game overall, one I think you are sure to enjoy.

After first playthrough I might have given this 5 stars. But after fourth, I'm down to 2 stars. T...

After first playthrough I might have given this 5 stars. But after fourth, I'm down to 2 stars. The game has this way of being over just before you start to feel you are creating a pretty cool little settlement. And the adventures in the depths of the Earth are a great concept, but you start drawing the same ones over and over surprisingly quick considering how many there are. And their results are really random, an effect intensified by the fact that you roll dice to determine which of the then unknown results you will get. And even with those problems, the caves are the best part of the game, because the things you do with surface buildings and resources feel really hollow story wise by comparison. I'd say this is a pretty good game to play with middle-age kids, ... MoreAfter first playthrough I might have given this 5 stars. But after fourth, I'm down to 2 stars. The game has this way of being over just before you start to feel you are creating a pretty cool little settlement. And the adventures in the depths of the Earth are a great concept, but you start drawing the same ones over and over surprisingly quick considering how many there are. And their results are really random, an effect intensified by the fact that you roll dice to determine which of the then unknown results you will get. And even with those problems, the caves are the best part of the game, because the things you do with surface buildings and resources feel really hollow story wise by comparison. I'd say this is a pretty good game to play with middle-age kids, or perhaps for those times when your gamer group has a cousin from out of town over who looks with deep concern on anything other than Monopoly, since it is pretty easy to learn and fairly quick play time.

My husband and I just purchased this game, played it tonight, and love it. This game is a nice mi...

My husband and I just purchased this game, played it tonight, and love it. This game is a nice mix of a resource collection, luck, role playing, risk taking, adventure, and strategy. This game is fantastic for 2 players (in a world of 4 player games). For those who are incredibly competitive (even without trying to be) or play with someone who is incredibly competitive, this game takes the edge off. Because of the 5-6 different ways of achieving victory points, you never have a really clear idea throughout the game of who is "winning" the game. Which makes it much more light-hearted and much less cut-throat. Sometimes--especially during the encounters, you are actually rooting for the other players to get nifty outcomes--even if it would give them an advantage. ... MoreMy husband and I just purchased this game, played it tonight, and love it. This game is a nice mix of a resource collection, luck, role playing, risk taking, adventure, and strategy. This game is fantastic for 2 players (in a world of 4 player games). For those who are incredibly competitive (even without trying to be) or play with someone who is incredibly competitive, this game takes the edge off. Because of the 5-6 different ways of achieving victory points, you never have a really clear idea throughout the game of who is "winning" the game. Which makes it much more light-hearted and much less cut-throat. Sometimes--especially during the encounters, you are actually rooting for the other players to get nifty outcomes--even if it would give them an advantage. Seriously, this is my new favorite game, it is a combination of all of my favorite kinds of games! Role Play: A little Role Play /choose your own adventure booklet/ to keep exploring fun and random! Positive Interaction with others: Trade with other players. Read the adventures for other players makes you more involved in their part of the game. Both players trying to have a positive experience instead of trying to make the other person have a negative experience. Strategy: A little strategy to decide how you best want to run your little village. Should I go exploring? or harvest? or train someone? the choices! Turn Based: You might take the card I want, but another great one is going to come right after it! Time: The game lasts about an hour with 2 people. Just enough rounds to amass some goodies, not so many that it is tiresome. Analyzing Moves: You won't spend 5 hours trying to decide your next move. There's no nail biting really. Resources: Surprisingly harder to get than anticipated, but not critical to normal gameplay. (this isn't Agricola! Your villagers aren't going to starve!) Risk Taking: The dice rolling is a fun element to the explorations. Luck: Rewards from adventuring and taking risks. New cards that pop up that you can purchase! Replayability: Gameplay is going to be different every time you play! You could get done with this game, and want to play again that night because it doesn't last forever (1 hourish) and it doesn't tax all of your mental resources to exhaustion! Other reviews: I've read from others that there is a definite routine winning strategy, and from my experience tonight, I would suggest that there really isn't. You can't always do the exact same strategy and expect to get the same result each game, there are waaaay too many variables to accept a "this is how you win" strategy. Only wish: The game comes with quite a few villagers, but I wish you could have even more of them to randomly choose from! (I would totally buy a future expansion pack!)

There are already some great reviews that go into a lot of detail so I'll keep mine short and jus...

There are already some great reviews that go into a lot of detail so I'll keep mine short and just reiterate some important aspects. I just want to note I have only played with my wife and haven't played with 3-4 people yet. I look forward to doing so though. The length of playing is not too short but not too long either, however of course how long a player takes can change this. Each time we wished it was longer but only in the sense that it's so much fun. You can easily continue the game with no effect on the gameplay if you wish by playing a few extra rounds. Overall this is just a really fun relaxing game to play. It's competitive in the end but you really will have no idea who will win until you count all the points due to all the variables. So all you can do ... MoreThere are already some great reviews that go into a lot of detail so I'll keep mine short and just reiterate some important aspects. I just want to note I have only played with my wife and haven't played with 3-4 people yet. I look forward to doing so though. The length of playing is not too short but not too long either, however of course how long a player takes can change this. Each time we wished it was longer but only in the sense that it's so much fun. You can easily continue the game with no effect on the gameplay if you wish by playing a few extra rounds. Overall this is just a really fun relaxing game to play. It's competitive in the end but you really will have no idea who will win until you count all the points due to all the variables. So all you can do is sit back, do what you can and have fun doing it with each other. The stories are very thought provoking, well written and clever. Not to mention just fun too! One thing I really love is the stories matter, and if you truly listen to them (PRO TIP: make sure to read the backstory on all the creatures in the booklet!) you can preemptively assume possible rewards or consequences to your choices which really makes you think more deeply based on your situation. Since the stories are where people worry about reply value, I will also contend that I forsee it having tons of replay value. Even when you reach a point where you MAY have read all the stories after playing so much, you're never going to want to always choose the same answers based on what resources you have at the time or perhaps whatever strategy you are trying to go for. Combine that with the likeliness you won't truly remember every single story over time, the possibilities really push the replay value very far. If you're in the mood for a 2-4 player game that in the end is competitive (one winner) yet more about the journey, more relaxing and about having fun with the people you're with, this is probably for you. This hits a category all on it's own.

This game is really great for people interested in real gaming. It is best for 2 players. With 4 ...

This game is really great for people interested in real gaming. It is best for 2 players. With 4 players, it could be a bit long and boring. Pros Wonderful theme and creative gameplay. Enjoyable and has reasonably good replayability Price is really good for what you get. There are so many pieces to the game and the art is beautiful and high quality. Cons The manual book is really hard to understand. It is not well written. We played several games and thought it was unbalanced, only to realize we did not pay attention to all the details. The learning curve is steep. However, the game is enjoyable enough that it is TOTALLY worth it. The exploration book stories feel very generic, and similar to each other. They are not really well-written and sound redandant. "You ... MoreThis game is really great for people interested in real gaming. It is best for 2 players. With 4 players, it could be a bit long and boring. Pros Wonderful theme and creative gameplay. Enjoyable and has reasonably good replayability Price is really good for what you get. There are so many pieces to the game and the art is beautiful and high quality. Cons The manual book is really hard to understand. It is not well written. We played several games and thought it was unbalanced, only to realize we did not pay attention to all the details. The learning curve is steep. However, the game is enjoyable enough that it is TOTALLY worth it. The exploration book stories feel very generic, and similar to each other. They are not really well-written and sound redandant. "You meet and old man/lady underground and then something happens." I wish it had more variety and more thought was put into the language to make it more believable. Also many exploration rewards are simply not worth and feel like a let down. You end up securing 8 lanterns and exhausting your villagers, then you get +1 reputation and a fish! WTF! It takes a lot of time to set the table and that makes you want to play the game less. It also needs a big table. The numbers of turns is tricky. I think it should have been 9 instead of 7. (We tried 10 but it started to drag on too long. It gets longer and longer in later rounds). It is hard to play it with strangers. You end up only playing it with the same people who finally got the rules. Verdict: If you are willing to invest the time and patience, the price is more than fair and you get some enjoyable time playing it. It can get boring quickly especially for more than 2 players. The encounter book is a hit and miss, but mostly miss!

This is a great Eurogame! I bought this for my parents who are also huge board gamers on a whim. ...

This is a great Eurogame! I bought this for my parents who are also huge board gamers on a whim. I had never heard of this game, or this publisher - but I read great reviews so I took a chance. Definitely worth it! I play tons of different board games (e.g. Settlers of Catan, Pandemic Legacy, Descent: Journey's in the Dark, Dixit, Betrayal at House on the Hill, Mysterium, Mansions of Madness, Lost Cities, One Night Ultimate Werewolf/Vampire, Fiasco, The Resistance, Saboteur etc etc) but the other main Eurogame I've played is Puerto Rico. Personally, I think this game does a lot better job of being engaging for a group of players. Something that commonly happens with Eurogames is one of your friends (its never you I swear!) will spend 1203801923 years making their ... MoreThis is a great Eurogame! I bought this for my parents who are also huge board gamers on a whim. I had never heard of this game, or this publisher - but I read great reviews so I took a chance. Definitely worth it! I play tons of different board games (e.g. Settlers of Catan, Pandemic Legacy, Descent: Journey's in the Dark, Dixit, Betrayal at House on the Hill, Mysterium, Mansions of Madness, Lost Cities, One Night Ultimate Werewolf/Vampire, Fiasco, The Resistance, Saboteur etc etc) but the other main Eurogame I've played is Puerto Rico. Personally, I think this game does a lot better job of being engaging for a group of players. Something that commonly happens with Eurogames is one of your friends (its never you I swear!) will spend 1203801923 years making their decision. Above and Below has something with their caves which surprised me: "Randomized Cave Adventures." You can send some villagers (min 2) down into the caves for a randomized experience! What this entails is one of your fellow players will read a scenario to you and you have to make decisions based on what you hear, and based on a couple of rolls you can make (or spend resources for!) stuff happens. This extra anomaly not only adds some twists to the game, but it also involves the rest of the table while a player is taking their turn. Lastly, there is an instructional video you can watch to learn how to play! This is a trend I'm seeing from a lot of newer games that try to streamline the learning experience. It was about 10 minutes if I remember correctly, and it allowed us to set up correctly and get going probably 30 minutes faster than it would have been if one of us read the rules and then tried teaching the rest of the table.