Oros Review

boardgamequest.com:

We review Oros, a worker placement and tile laying game published by Lucky Duck Games. In Oros, players are trying to earn the most knowledge points over the course of the game.

When a game incorporates all of my favorite mechanics into one I always find it hard to resist. It means I get an opportunity to exercise both puzzle-solving skills and management in all forms. Complexity in game mechanics also translates to room for self-improvement as a player, and with its vibrant colors, this game had to make it to my table.

Oros is a grid movement and worker placement game for 1-4 players that takes about two hours to play. The best experience is with 3 players for a good balance of competition and time investment.

After setting up the map board and placing starting tiles and volcanoes, players in turn order all take the same three actions for their first turn: assigning a follower to any unoccupied island tile, and assigning the other two followers to unoccupied action spaces on their player mat to take the corresponding action. For subsequent turns, it is up to the player to decide which three actions to take.

The available actions in the game are Shift, Move, Volcano, Study, Journey, and Build. Within each action type are six levels of ability that can be unlocked over time with wisdom, making the action more powerful. Wisdom can be gained by returning followers from study, building a sacred site, or having a follower studying on your own sacred site when another player builds on the same mountain.

The gameplay focuses on using these actions to manipulate the grid and its volcanoes in order to create mountains, which provides opportunities for followers to journey and build sacred sites. Sacred sites are important for