In the newly explored frontiers of the Mistwind Islands, bustling cities are filled with hard working townsfolk from fungus farmers to deep mist divers. Transport whales are seen soaring above the thick mist, transporting citizens and cargo from port to port. Mistwind is growing rapidly and our leaders are looking to connect with neighbouring nations to expand trade networks that will be beneficial for many years to come. You are the head of a trade company, with a chance to make a name for yourself. You've trained your transport whales well and now you need to gather resources to build your outposts and maximize your network efficiency while keeping up with the supply and demands of the local capitals.
Mistwind is a strategic game of building networks and meeting the demands of each nation. Players will gain resources to build outposts or train transport whales, gather and deliver cargo to fulfill territory demands and complete networking contracts with neighbouring nations in an effort to become the most Trusted Trader in Mistwind.
Players will have a hand of action disks numbered 1-5 but at the beginning of every round, you must choose one to discard and not use for that round. The game board will have 4 sections, each with their own spots numbers 1-5 where players will play their matching numbered action disk. Each spot on the board only allows one action disk. Players take turns placing their action disks until each player has used all 4 disks, thus ending the round. The game consists of only 4 rounds so players must choose carefully when and where to spend their actions to maximize their turns.
Players will earn points from, among other things, completing network cards, delivering resources to capitals, and overall majority of Demand Tokens from each region. The player with the most points wins!
-description from publisher
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I'll take you through five general tips for what can help you to explain board games
- this is deck building
- the wind condition
- Spirit Island is actually a surprisingly difficult game to explain because the turn sequence is completely jumbled up compared with the sequence you would use in your mind to understand the theme
- there are many games out there even really crunchy Euro red cheaty Euro types of games where you can still really use the theme to your advantage
- the game is scenario driven the cards will unfold the story and you'll win if you find something that says you are victorious you lose if you max out any track with a red skull
References (from this video)
- Successfully integrates pickup and deliver into a Euro context
- Clever combination of mechanics
- Network building and pickup and deliver
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area majority — Determines who delivers the most goods.
- network building — Players build outposts to form a permanent network.
- Pick-up and deliver — Players use floating whales to transport goods.
- worker placement — Uses numbered discs for actions, with one disc of each number available.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- 2024 is the season to eat too much food and play a lot of games
- happy New Year Happ New Year oh by the time you watch this it's probably too late I mean it's still the new year so still like you happy New Year thank you Taran
- we are going to split those into two so 11 to 20 and then 1 to 10 so that is coming
- however everyone does it we are going to do it maybe sometime mid January potentially
- these are games from various sources they're new to us games so not all of them are going to be new in December 2024 some of them have come to us as review copies games we've purchased games we've done content on but all of this video is our opinion
References (from this video)
- Unique and strategic worker placement mechanism
- Satisfying engine building and network development
- Good synergy between mechanics
- Slight learning curve initially
- Network building and delivery
- Ticket to Ride
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- engine building — Players build their engine by connecting networks and gaining money.
- network building — Players build networks to facilitate actions and movement.
- Pick-up and deliver — Used for fulfilling contracts.
- worker placement — Uses numbered discs (1-5) for actions, with players discarding one disc per round.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- 2024 is the season to eat too much food and play a lot of games
- happy New Year Happ New Year oh by the time you watch this it's probably too late I mean it's still the new year so still like you happy New Year thank you Taran
- we are going to split those into two so 11 to 20 and then 1 to 10 so that is coming
- however everyone does it we are going to do it maybe sometime mid January potentially
- these are games from various sources they're new to us games so not all of them are going to be new in December 2024 some of them have come to us as review copies games we've purchased games we've done content on but all of this video is our opinion
References (from this video)
- interesting twist on worker placement via strength discs
- combines route-building with area movement for spatial strategy
- potentially lighter than some heavy route-builders while still providing depth
- new or unusual mechanics may require a learning curve
- co-designer pedigree may imply a specific design sensibility that may not click with all players
- Network building and area movement
- Airship network and route-based world
- abstract with a thematic veneer
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area movement — Move through a network to connect routes and collect points
- network building — Create interconnected routes for airships across the map
- Network/route building — Create interconnected routes for airships across the map
- route-building — Lay and connect routes to maximize efficiency and scoring opportunities
- worker placement — Workers represented by discs with varying strength values” affecting action choices
- worker placement (with strength discs) — Workers represented by discs with varying strength values” affecting action choices
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- this game looks interesting
- I think this game is trying to go for a combination of zoo building and management as is popularized by Arc NOA in addition to making it a more abstract uh dice drafting type of game
- you are playing simultaneously and you do have the opportunity to draft both Dice and tiles
- the worker placement is handled by these strength tiles that have different strengths on them
- I like the fact that the little tweak on worker placement that this adds to the decision space
- this tiled map that you are building on is it looks interesting because I think there is going to be a lot of opportunity for interaction
- the economy shifts and resources become more scarce
References (from this video)
- Multiple victory point paths
- Painted miniatures option
- Fantasy island trade
- Islebound
- Dune: Imperium
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Compound Scoring
- multi-path scoring
- Network/route building
- route-building
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I'm intimidated to get started with it.
- You're building outposts and in order to increase your trade routes.
- the artwork here is quite lovely
- I'm not super into Political themes.
- it's a dexterity game where you are building up power towers on the island of nikima
- Arctic scavengers I picked this up because I know nothing about it