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Game Info
Year
2005
Players
2+
Age
8+
Collection
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Mechanic profile
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Vibe profile
How this game feels to play
Description
Between the 8th and 11th centuries, the Vikings had the world holding their breath. Always on the lookout for new land, they aren't above fighting their own countrymen. In this game, two clan leaders fight each other, using the right tactics, for a fruitful plot of land along Norway's coast. They quickly build up villages at strategic locations and fight with anything they can to ensure the larger portion of the region for their clan. Fjords: the tactical battle for the best land!
The above is the description of the game from Hans im Glück.
The game is played in two phases: the first phase, placing tiles and farms, mixes luck and skill; the second phase, claiming fields, has a Go-like enclosure dynamic that is all skill.
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 5
This page: 5
Sentiment:
pos 3 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 1 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–5 of 5
Video 5qxvmE8eB5s
Board Games for One Top 10 List at 11:11 sentiment: positive
video_pk 88786 · mention_pk 234830
Click to watch at 11:11 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- strong thematic cohesion and art
- offers a narrative-driven campaign feel
- deep strategic options for a heavy title
Cons
- not beginner-friendly
- complex and lengthy for casual play
Thematic elements
- mystery solving
- dreamscape, campaign-style campaign-driven setting
- asymmetrical dreamer roles with story progression
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- asymmetrical role abilities — Different dreamers provide unique abilities and paths.
- Campaign progression — Longer-term play with evolving scenarios and challenges.
- Deck Building — Partial deck-building that feeds into playing dreamer actions.
- deck-building (to a degree) — Partial deck-building that feeds into playing dreamer actions.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's expensive it is available retail this is over a hundred dollars it's a big game it's a table hog
- it's a beautiful game
- this is basically a is it protect Builder sort of
- this is a dreamscape game
- this is full on a game and it is multiplayer
- it's a heavy Euro with absolutely no luck involved hardly at all
- the more people the better
- you set up quickly party game the more people the better
- it's stupid fun but it's so much fun I loved this
- Rise of Fenris is like 40 50 could be wrong I'm putting them up on the screen
- three to eight players designed by people cryptozoic entertainment
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video SSkE6UddZ0s
Board Games UnLocked Discussion at 7:47 sentiment: neutral
video_pk 81404 · mention_pk 201892
Click to watch at 7:47 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
neutral
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I got 66, so not great. Not great. So, I ate on this one.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video GJ4DjfcTkoo
Meeple University Review at 0:07 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 64820 · mention_pk 158353
Click to watch at 0:07 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- The first 25% and last 25% of the game are fun.
- The game has a modern feel with minor updates.
- The art is beautiful.
- Offers more options and tougher decisions with variants.
- Can be a nice intriguing little tactical game with an app.
Cons
- The middle 50% of the game (tile placement) can be a chore.
- Spent a long time trying to find legal placements for the last tiles.
- The game can be slow-paced.
- The frustration of finding legal tile placements detracted from the game.
Thematic elements
- Viking long houses
Comparison games
- Jaws
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Set Collection — Rune stones can be added, which provide different scoring opportunities based on adjacent Vikings or having the most Vikings around a rune.
- Tile Placement — Players expand the island using tiles, with restrictions on matching sides and not creating new islands, and tiles must adjoin at least two others.
- Worker Placement — Players place Vikings on the board adjacent to their long houses or other Vikings, aiming to block opponents.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The last bit is like oh I just saw blocking Vikings everywhere.
- The middle 50% of the game can be a chore.
- The process of finding legal tile placements for the last few tiles was more chore than play.
- This would turn the game into a nicer, intriguing tactical game by removing the 'tricky thinky bit'.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video tKVUZDt12bw
All You Can Board Top List at 1:21 sentiment: positive
video_pk 62972 · mention_pk 156151
Click to watch at 1:21 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
- Blue Lagoon
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- blue lagoon is a great game
- it's got so colorful so much fun
- there's this great moment in blue lagoon where you just realize that you've got a certain island secured
- it's a sandbox style pirate game
- i'm going to buy this for myself 100
- Ethnos is an awesome very simple area majority game
- Ticket to Ride Europe
- Nidavellir
- Dune Imperium
- Code Names is just so great that it's word games are just easy for no i shouldn't say they're easy for everyone to get into
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video cZfy0Uxb5Jg
Board Gaming Ramblings Review at 0:40 sentiment: positive
video_pk 38883 · mention_pk 241678
Click to watch at 0:40 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Short, tense rounds suitable for 2-4 players (about 20 minutes per player)
- Card-driven combat with no dice, enabling planning and control
- Mechanics that balance movement, combat, and territory control
- Clear ways to mitigate luck via card choice and discard options
- Flexible play paths with beacons, churches, and route-building
- Supports both light intro play and deeper strategic play with expansion to full game
- Thematic flavor and historical backdrop integrated through mechanics and layout
- Good depth without being overwhelmingly heavy for intermediate players
Cons
- Some luck remains in card draws and event timing
- Combat can feel punitive when your units are weakened or routed
- High interaction can cause crowding and occasional frustration with routing
- May be a bit heavy for absolute newcomers, though a simpler baseline exists
- Prototype components/art may affect initial perception during previews
Thematic elements
- land control and war, religious influence, maritime routes
- During the Norwegian civil war
- card-driven, strategic conflict with historical flavor
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area control with cubes and supply lines — Control cubes are placed on regions to claim them; connected cubes function as a single move and you create longer supply lines back toward home to maximize movement and scoring opportunities.
- Beacons and endgame scoring — Beacons yield points across rounds; symbol-based scoring adds another vector toward victory, incentivizing varied routes to victory points.
- Card-driven combat — Combat is resolved with combat cards rather than dice; units contribute numeric strength and terrain/adjacency can provide bonuses; battles can force retreats.
- Church building / burning track — Actions can build or burn churches; the church track advances to grant ongoing bonuses, shaping end-game scoring and strategic choices.
- Event / draw-based scoring and card management — At milestones (e.g., reaching five points) event cards are drawn; players can choose to keep or discard cards, influencing the chances of hitting scoring cues later.
- Leader cards with movement and bonuses — Leaders grant directional movement and/or bonuses, introducing varied strategic options and endless replay value.
- Movement card engine — Players play movement cards to determine how far their pieces can move and to access special abilities; cards are placed and built up in front of you; keeping multiple cards may require paying coins to retain them, influencing round tempo.
- Non-dice interaction and route-building — Movement and combat are tied to route-building and positioning rather than dice; players aim to extend and protect supply routes while contesting others.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- coins are really good
- it's not a dice roll in combat
- there's a lot of interaction in the game
- mitigates the luck of getting the symbols for scoring at the end of the game
- draw two of them you choose one and you discard it
- this is a strange version of worker placement
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–5 of 5