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June 2471, and kerosene - KERO - is scarce. Two clans are struggling to survive, exploring New Territories in their tanker trucks. Running out of fuel is a risk each time they leave camp! Fortunately, a local tribe of Tuareks can lend a helping hand…
Kero is a two-player game set in a future unfriendly world, where players will be clan leaders - managing a camp, a tanker truck and 7 Explorers - competing for the same lands. Their ability to win the game will be based on how much kerosene (Jerrycans) they can find and how they use it wisely… Collect as many resources as possible while using as little as possible of the KERO in your tanker-truck to upgrade your camp and claim New Territories! Score the more points (by adding up the points on cards and territories) and become the 2471 Badassest Clan!
The game is played in 3 rounds (ending when a Claim card is revealed), each comprising several turns. Making snap decisions and mistakes under time pressure is part of the game!
5 MAIN STEPS IN A PLAYER’S TURN
1. Fuel up with KERO (if necessary).
2. Choose your dice and roll them.
3. Collect resources shown on the dice and perform actions to upgrade your camp: take cards from the raw, take Tuarek tiles, send out Explorers on New Territories.
4. Deal with Fire and discard any burnt cards accordingly to the results of your roll.
5. Claim New Territories in which you have a majority at the end of a round.
FOCUS ON THE ORIGINAL REAL-TIME PLAY
TO COLLECT RESOURCES …
On a turn, choose your dice and roll them in a self-limited time using your tanker-truck. Tip it and roll your dice however many times you want, to obtain needed resources, keeping results as desired and avoiding fire (the fire dice burns up). When happy with the results, replace your truck flat. You can’t tip it up again! Beware of Kero outage! In this case, you lost your turn!
… AND FUEL UP WITH KERO
As soon as your opponent starts rolling the 8 dice, hold your tanker-truck (cab facing downwards). You gain only as much time as it takes your opponent to roll fires on all the dice. A simultaneous and interactive way to gain time for your sandtimer!
KERO KEY FEATURES
• Light, tactical & frantic game
• Fast & furious play for casual & experienced players
• Unique balanced gameplay mixing strategy & chance
• Uncommon barren theme with beautiful colored art
• Two 6 inch/16 cm tanker-timers inside!
HAVE FUN ROLLING YOUR DICE & REFUELING YOUR TANKER-TIMER!
- Beautiful artwork
- Innovative central board mechanic with blocking interaction
- Some players may find it heavy or dense
- Trade, mosques, and market activity in a central board
- Ancient city of Merv with caravans and bazaars
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Central board building placement — Place buildings in the middle to influence actions and resources.
- dice placement — Two-player variant uses a dummy to block/shape play.
- Multi-use cards — Cubes/discs grant actions and can interact with others.
- Multi-use/disc management — Cubes/discs grant actions and can interact with others.
- Two-player dummy placement — Two-player variant uses a dummy to block/shape play.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's gorgeous
- everything about this game is gorgeous
- it's jazz chess with insects
- it's a combat game that I really like
- don't be turned off by it being too pretty
References (from this video)
- Excellent production quality and graphic design
- Engaging asymmetrical two-player design
- Well-balanced and tense endgame with close outcomes
- Accessible mechanics that suit asymmetrical gameplay
- Strong thematic integration and potential for high replayability as cards/abilities evolve
- Memory-intensive elements requiring tracking of blocks and board state
- Can be stressful due to confrontation timing and pressure to act optimally
- Pacing can feel circular at times depending on board setup
- Predator-prey survival with asymmetric roles
- Underwater environment featuring kelp forests
- Head-to-head competition with evolving abilities
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- asymmetric player powers — Two players operate as different characters (octopus vs. shark) with distinct goals and mechanics.
- asymmetric player roles — Two players operate as different characters (octopus vs. shark) with distinct goals and mechanics.
- confrontation card system — When the shark strikes, players choose confrontation cards to counter or defend; outcome determines who wins the clash.
- Deck building — Octopus expands its deck of cards to gain new abilities; shark cards add dice and effects.
- deck-building / card acquisition — Octopus expands its deck of cards to gain new abilities; shark cards add dice and effects.
- dice drafting — Shark uses a bag of dice to navigate and perform actions; dice influence movement and actions.
- dice drafting/rolling and management — Shark uses a bag of dice to navigate and perform actions; dice influence movement and actions.
- hunger track and loss condition — Players add dice to a hunger track; filling it results in a loss.
- Resource management — Manage energy/dice, buy shark cards, and balance immediate needs with growth.
- tile manipulation and information reveal — Blocks/tiles are revealed, moved, or hidden, affecting visibility and strategic options.
- Tile/Map Shifting — Blocks/tiles are revealed, moved, or hidden, affecting visibility and strategic options.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I really enjoyed kelp
- it's asymmetrical two-player game
- this game is fantastic
- I would put this in my top 10 list
- the balance is integrated into the game
- the production quality is outstanding
References (from this video)
- Clear, structured setup with a well-defined six-phase loop
- Adventurer recruitment creates strategic choice and tabletop symmetry
- Link bonuses encourage tactical placement and faction/profession synergy
- Includes multiple variants (draft and solo) that boost replayability
- Rule complexity and symbol density could be daunting for new players
- Requires a relatively large table and multiple components to play comfortably
- Solo and variant rules might require careful rule-checking to avoid edge cases
- adventurer recruitment and tableau-building in a tech-infused fantasy setting
- A world of magic and technology where adventurers are recruited to form powerful parties
- strategic exploration with factional synergies and quest progression
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Adventurer recruitment — Players simultaneously select up to two adventurers from their hand and pay the cost; recruited adventurers enter the tableau.
- Draft and variants — Draft variant alters the draw phase, while the solo variant changes combat scoring and endgame conditions.
- Link bonuses — A row or column that aligns matching faction or profession across the 3-card chain yields a one-time link bonus that boosts magic, technology, money, or victory points.
- Power track and combat scoring — Combat uses the power on adventurers; only the top card in each column contributes power; bonuses may add power or grant VP under combat conditions.
- Quest mechanics — If playing with quests, completing them grants victory points; multiple players can complete the same quest within the same phase.
- Tableau placement — Adventurers are placed on a 3x3 grid; the first card has flexible placement, later cards must be orthogonally adjacent; the grid can shift as the game progresses.
- Voting/phase-based scoring — The six phases (draw, recruitment, combat, production, income, victory) determine resource flow, scoring opportunities, and end-of-round progression.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- This is a game for one to five players,
- Players will recruit adventurers from various factions to create a powerful party in this world of magic and technology.
- And that's how you play Eero.
References (from this video)
- Rich, multi-layered decision space with long-term strategic planning
- Strong interactivity through shared active rows and marketplace actions
- Diverse economy with spices, upgrades, and caravan actions offering multiple paths to points
- Dynamic defense and raid mechanic that adds risk and planning around Mongol invasions
- Upgradeable components and mosque track provide meaningful long-term goals
- Steep learning curve and a lot of rules to parse for new players
- Turn-by-turn bookkeeping can feel heavy, potentially leading to analysis paralysis
- Longer playtime typical for a full session, which may deter casual players
- trade, city-building, defense against invasion
- 12th-century city of Merv on the Silk Road, facing Mongol raids
- historical simulation
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- caravan series / spice card row — spice cards are drafted from a central market with camel tokens affecting eligibility and bonuses
- Card/Chit Market — spice cards are drafted from a central market with camel tokens affecting eligibility and bonuses
- Increase Value of Unchosen Resources — tiles can be upgraded to modify how resources are produced or to generate wild resources that function as any color
- influence, favor and scroll tracks — tracks determine access to more spices, discounts, and breakthrough options; favors unlock scoring opportunities
- mongol raid / defense — raids threaten unprotected buildings; players defend with walls, gates, and soldiers
- palace scoring / courtiers — courtiers placed in the palace yield scoring potential across mosque, spice, and scroll-related objectives
- row/column active zone interaction — resources generated depend on which row/column is active and which colors align
- tile placement — activate building sites to place buildings and influence future activations
- tile placement / building sites — activate building sites to place buildings and influence future activations
- upgrades and wild resources — tiles can be upgraded to modify how resources are produced or to generate wild resources that function as any color
- worker placement — move master figures around the city to access different districts and rows
- worker placement / master meeples — move master figures around the city to access different districts and rows
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the mongols are planning on raiding and they will ultimately be the downfall of this city
- the caravan series and this lets players pick up spices which can be worth a significant amount of points
- you can activate sites that have buildings on them