Rise and Fall Preview

boardgamequest.com:

Note: This preview uses pre-release components and rules. What you see here may be different from the final, published game. This post was a paid preview, you can find out more information here.

If you have read my previous reviews, you know that I love civilization-themed games. You also would know that, outside of some exceptions (Clash of Cultures), I do not like games with direct conflict with my opponents.

When I heard that Christopher Boelinger, designer of Archipelago, Earth Reborn, and Dungeon Twister, was designing a luckless Civilization game with limited direct conflict, I KNEW I wanted to play the game.

As luck would have it, this preview copy rolled into the shop and I was able to preview it!

Rise and Fall supports two to four players and games last about 30 minutes per player.

There are two distinct parts to a game of Rise and Fall.

Part 1 – Creating the world

Players alternate laying out Sea, Plains, Forest, Mountain, and Glacier Tiles, building the world they are about to settle.

Part 2 – Conquering the world

Players take turns, with each turn divided into six phases:

Once the number of trophies claimed equals the number of trophies that will trigger the end game (between four and six, decided on by the players at the start of the game), the game ends and Victory Points are tallied. The player with the most points wins!

Rise and Fall is interesting because building the map you are conquering is part of the game. Unlike most civ games where you flip/place a tile when you reach an unexplored area, players build the map together at the start of the game. The entire map is known by everyone. As stated above, players take turns placing tiles, starting with the lowest altitude pieces, and ending with the