Almanac: The Crystal Peaks

Almanac: The Crystal Peaks Deep Dive

What the Community Thinks About Almanac: The Crystal Peaks

Reviewers see Almanac: The Crystal Peaks as a close relative of Almanac: The Dragon Road, the first game in the series, published by Colossal Games and designed by Scott Almes. Board Games UnLocked describes the sequel as "just that game just with different gimmicks and different mini games and kind of a different setting," and places it in a colder, winterized world compared with the desert and Mediterranean feel of the original. The reviewer rates Crystal Peaks an eight out of ten and drops Dragon Road to an eight as well, calling both still very solid.

Meeple University's early preview took a similar view. The reviewer presented the sequel as a standalone game with its own maps and encounter cards, some of which can also be used with Dragon Road, and noted that the components shown were prototypes, so rules and artwork were not final. Board Games UnLocked admits to usually disliking the work of Colossal Games and Scott Almes, yet found Dragon Road a lot of fun and is hoping the series keeps going.

Core Mechanics That Define Almanac: The Crystal Peaks

Worker placement rules that change on every map

Each round is played on a different map, and each map changes how workers are placed. Meeple University gives two examples: one map lets a player place a letter instead of a worker, which opens that space to other players, and when others use the letter, the owner gets a good of their choice from the supply. Another map works like a rondel, where a worker can only land within the next three segments clockwise from the last one. Placing a worker still grants the space's benefit, whether that means getting or selling goods, buying caravan extensions, gaining workers, or completing contracts. Shops offer weaker actions that the reviewer describes as necessary at times.

Bidding for the guide role

Each round, players bid gold, and the highest bidder pays the amount of the lowest bid. Meeple University explains that the winner becomes the guide, chooses which of the two available maps comes next, and takes the first player position. The guide also usually gets the better result from the encounter faced when moving between maps. Board Games UnLocked stresses that winning the bid matters because each good may be more or less plentiful, or worth more or less money, on a different map.

The Almanac: The Crystal Peaks Experience

Tight races for goods and the least worst action

Meeple University frames the game as a race to turn goods into money. Players are racing to get goods and sell them at the most lucrative price before the opponents can reach them, and the reviewer finds the choices tight. Without planning ahead, players often end up picking the least worst action available. Because certain actions on each map are limited, the first player and the winner of the bid can have a real edge, which makes each round feel consequential.

The thrill of arriving somewhere new

Board Games UnLocked describes the series' appeal as novelty. Traveling to a new map brings the excitement of seeing how the worker placement has been twisted this time, and the encounters met along the way keep changing. The reviewer says that the fun leans heavily on that arrival, which is why the game can feel less exciting once the maps are familiar.

What Makes Almanac: The Crystal Peaks Stand Out

A winterized setting with its own encounters and contracts

Board Games UnLocked notes that Crystal Peaks trades the warm, Mediterranean or Middle Eastern feel of the original for higher, colder northern areas with a winterized look, which makes it feel distinct even with the same core rules. Meeple University points to the encounter a player faces each time they move from map to map as a major source of variety. Board Games UnLocked adds that players are never going to see the same encounters from one round to the next, and that contracts granting special abilities change how each game plays.

Maps that mostly stick the landing

Board Games UnLocked reports that most maps work well and that none of the maps they played felt broken, with only a few needing more clarification. The reviewer's broader verdict is positive: a new map with a different twist on worker placement is what makes the series worth returning to, and more Almanac titles are welcome. The reviewer also says the game feels lighter because of its gimmicky maps.

Potential Drawbacks

Some maps need clearer rules

Board Games UnLocked says the placement rules for each map are printed on that map rather than in the main rulebook, and a few of them were unclear. One setup asks players to start on one of three blue spaces, which raises a question in a four-player game, because a worker cannot land on a space another worker already occupies. The group first assumed players could share the starting space, then found a rule on the map that moves workers up to three spaces. The reviewer says that kind of gap is frustrating, and that a group which disagrees on the interpretation can bog the game down.

Longevity depends on the maps

Board Games UnLocked is not certain how long the game will hold interest. The reviewer compares a disliked map to a Mario Party minigame that everyone wants to get past so the group can reach the next one. After many plays, the reviewer says, the substance of the game may not feel exhilarating, because the appeal rests on arriving at new maps. Groups who have played a lot may find the game holds up less well than its fresh first sessions.

If You Enjoy Almanac: The Crystal Peaks

Board Games UnLocked recommends Crystal Peaks most strongly to players who already enjoy Dragon Road and want more of it, since the rules play the same way and the new maps bring different worker placement twists. The reviewer also describes it as a fun, light worker placement game that is not a party game by any means. For players who like the series' map-by-map design, the reviewer hopes Scott Almes and Colossal Games will someday release an expansion that links the maps into one overarching world. A 2021 Board Games UnLocked preview, made before Crystal Peaks was released, also named Sleeping Gods, an Atlas Games title, as a point of comparison for the series' changing maps.