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Description
Niagara is set in the not particularly safe world of rushing waterfalls. In the late 18th Century, the Shawnee and Iroquois Indians pointed white Desperadoes, Mercenaries and Adventurers in the direction of hidden caches of valuable jewels, in the hopes of turning them against one another and away from their territorial expansion ambitions. Players play as some of those Adventurers.
The first player to be able to claim ownership of five jewels is the winner. But the chase after the riches has some snags. The speed of the river is always changing, since the speed depends on the decisions of the players and the changeable weather. And once a canoe goes over the falls, it's a hefty investment to replace it. And there are also the Desperadoes to contend with, who aren't above trying to plunder the riches from Adventurers returning home. Niagara is distinguished by an innovative movement mechanic as well as a beautiful three-dimensional rendering of the waterfall setting.
Expanded by:
Niagara: Diamond Joe
Niagara: The Spirits of Niagara
Year Published
2004
Featured Videos
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 6
This page: 6
Sentiment:
pos 5 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–6 of 6
Video kk83BRupzYs
OneTop Co-op Shop playthrough at 0:22 sentiment: positive
video_pk 62730 · mention_pk 155429
Click to watch at 0:22 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- easy to learn and quick to play
- light, breezy solo card game
- friendly for travel or quick sessions
- dense scoring with a compact reference sheet
Cons
- significant luck factor due to deck order
- requires memory and odds calculation to optimize
- potentially cluttered decision space when managing piles
Thematic elements
- set collection and hand management with power totems
- Norse mythology motif
- light, breezy solitaire; instructional
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- color multiplier — same-color sets can multiply points
- hand management — start with three cards and draw/discard to build sets
- head type variation — single-headed vs. two-headed dragons affect value
- risk/discard pressure — route card and deck cycling introduce discard-risk decisions
- scoring by sets — points awarded based on the composition of sets (dragon/ant/golem) and configuration
- set collection — form matching sets from dragons, ants, and golems
- Totems — four powers (hourglass, eye, storage, shield) to manipulate deck/hand
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Not going to burn your brain.
- This is a simple, fast flowing card experience.
- Fragard is very well constructed.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video QJXADk8BYrA
Board Stupid analysis at 17:51 sentiment: positive
video_pk 42681 · mention_pk 129655
Click to watch at 17:51 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed-to-positive
Pros
- innovative movement mechanic and three-dimensional waterfall element
- visually striking and engaging
Cons
- print/availability and price can be challenging
- not as widely known as other winners
Thematic elements
- adventure and exploration along a changing river
- river adventure with waterfalls and Jewels
- thematic, with a strong physical component via edifice and movement
Comparison games
- Jenga
- Monopoly
- Ticket to Ride
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- risk management — desperados and falls introduce risk-reward decisions
- route/movement — changing river speed and path create dynamic tension
- theme-driven risk — desperados and falls introduce risk-reward decisions
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the biggest one ever in the history of the modern board gaming possibly the biggest one ever
- Ticket to Ride is a hand management game that's what it is
- Dominion... it's the deck building game
- Bear Park feeling
- it's essentially root building right it's a root building game, much like Ticket to Ride in some way
- Treat yourself
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video _gRREJIsZG0
Board Game Dad general_discussion at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 42505 · mention_pk 129122
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- educational math element
- accessible even with luck-heavy games
Cons
- innovative but can be abstract to teach
Thematic elements
- math and bidding dynamics
- educational sums with dice
- clever and educational
Comparison games
- Roll and Write variants
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Dice rolling — dice sums drive card play and bidding dynamics
- outbidding/hand management — players bid to maximize card utility
- rolling dice sums — dice sums drive card play and bidding dynamics
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I've decided not to do paid Kickstarter previews. we want to hear about what reviewers actually think of games.
- the first one is Trolls and Princesses... I thought it was a cute theme.
- Beacon Patrol is a Cooperative tile placing game.
- it's a draft and write records a game about building a band.
- I don't like trading mechanic but here's the thing when you're trading to a Cooperative end we had a really fun time with it.
- the White Castle is a dice worker placement game which I love. I love engine building.
- Praga Caput Regni... it's messy. teaching it... not fun.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video yyh3AEk4Jvg
Adam Porter's Board Game Channel top_10_list at 0:13 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 12868 · mention_pk 37620
Click to watch at 0:13 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- fantastic table presence
- Spiel des Jahres winner
- unique disc pushing mechanic
- beautiful translucent discs
Cons
- didn't get on with the game
- endgame dragged on
- players stealing pieces frustrated reviewer
- reviewer got rid of it
Thematic elements
- river
- waterfall
- boats
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control
- disc pushing
- Race
- racing
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- these games have amazing table presence by which i mean people are going to glance across the room and go what is that person playing and i want to play all these games
- stacking games have table presence like nothing else
- looks beautiful it looks like a load of sweets on the board
- one of my favorite games of all time
- i don't like that sort of game i find that one of the most frustrating game mechanisms
- the central marble dispenser is your main draw in this game
- absolutely brilliant strategic game quite complex game
- it's actually my favorite of the mask trilogy
- i'm almost scared to say this but i don't really like azul very much
- biggest most overlooked game on this list
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video NXYxHmfxxJk
Adam Porter general_discussion at 10:44 sentiment: positive
video_pk 11993 · mention_pk 35146
Click to watch at 10:44 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Ingenious river mechanism
- Accessible and family-friendly
Cons
- Mechanism can be fiddly
Thematic elements
- current-driven river navigation
- River racing with boats
- family-friendly
Comparison games
- Camel Up
- Cult Express
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- river movement with rotating discs — Discs simulate current and boats move accordingly
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the aesthetic appeal of a product plays a big part in its commercial success
- placeholder art is more than adequate to give publishers a feel for what the game could look like
- publishers are no longer afraid of looking childish
- as a game inventor the visuals are unlikely to be at the forefront of your mind when you're ideating prototyping and testing your game
- let me know in the comments which games have gone above and beyond with their aesthetics
- standout component is very desirable in a prototype
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video AyxV2fK215g
Adam Porter top_100_list at 22:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 6055 · mention_pk 17936
Click to watch at 22:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Tactile interaction with river dynamics and gem theft tension
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- resource/gem collection — players gather gems from a shifting river; end condition related to gem tally
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- i absolutely love cockroach poker
- the big moments and the big swings are quite satisfying
- i find these games hilarious
- i really like the game huh or hein
- watching the value of things change
- the moment when that tower collapses it's exciting
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–6 of 6