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Game Info
Year
2022
Collection
Mechanic profile
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Description
Ostia is a strategy game for 1-4 players. Players lead a large fleet to explore the ocean, trade and develop the port.
Make good use of the Mancala system to strengthen your personal board and aim for the highest honor!
The player chooses one of the six spaces on his board.
Corresponding resources will be produced for the number of ships in that space.
After that, take all the ships in that space and place them one by one clockwise.
Take action corresponding to where the last one ship was placed.
By repeating this, you can build a new ship on your personal board, strengthen your ship to a larger one, or build a building in the harbor.
—description from the publisher
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 4
This page: 4
Sentiment:
pos 4 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–4 of 4
Video -mQL4owGsKU
Top List at 3:53 sentiment: positive
video_pk 65701 · mention_pk 159458
Click to watch at 3:53 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Designer's other games are well-regarded
- Cohesive interaction between game areas
- Solid Mancala mechanism distinguishes it from typical euros
Cons
- Theme sounds potentially repetitive
Thematic elements
- Merchants
- Mediterranean
Comparison games
- Sweet Lands
- Aqua Garden
- Trojan
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action selection — The Mancala mechanism is used for action selection.
- Mancala — Features a solid Mancala mechanism for action selection.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- So, most of if not all of these games can only be played in person that I will mention in this list.
- So, this is a very heavy game about running a hospital.
- It's like a hospital administration simulator rather than like a game similar to Dice Hospital where it's more focused on physicians treating patients.
- But it it was quite a heavy game, you know, especially considering some of the other heavy games that I've talked about it definitely was over my head
- This is probably at the top of just games on this list that I really want to play again.
- It's a Martin Wallace design of a board game adaptation of a video game, the video game Anno 1800 where you are building up industries in the 1800s acquiring resources and then often trading them with other players in this game to fulfill contracts in hand.
- make games that sound pretty simple when you explain them, but have a lot of strategic depth.
- I really liked how approachable this game was even without having played the video game.
- And uh you know, since then the game has kind of been out of print.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video qQJe19RnhII
Board Game Sanctuary Review at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 50879 · mention_pk 151166
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Beautifully simple yet intricate design that scales in depth as you play
- Clear core loop (move, load, trigger, gain) with meaningful game consequences
- Monuments and ports provide meaningful choices and modular progression
- Resource doubling mechanics add exciting risk-reward dynamics
- Tactile placement of boats and ports creates a satisfying physical experience
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Trade, resource management, and port development with a focus on contracts and economic growth.
- A hex-based port basin where a fleet travels among trading ports and monuments, forming a compact but rich trading network.
- Abstract economic simulation with a tactile, modular infrastructure emphasis.
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action triggering by placement — Dropping off boats at a port activates the port's actions, revealing abilities and scoring opportunities on that turn.
- Area movement on hex grid — Players move fleets around a hex-based map to deliver boats to ports, which in turn trigger actions and resource flow.
- contracts — Contracts drive travel from left to right across the map, guiding player movement and strategic planning for resource collection.
- Contracts and travel routing — Contracts drive travel from left to right across the map, guiding player movement and strategic planning for resource collection.
- engine building — Constructing buildings and monuments enriches the action options available on a player's board, creating a layered engine-building feel.
- Monuments and buildings for action enhancement — Constructing buildings and monuments enriches the action options available on a player's board, creating a layered engine-building feel.
- Resource amplification via special pieces — Certain boats double the amount of resources earned, providing a strategic leverage point and a temporary power spike.
- Resource generation tied to presence — Resources produced at a location scale with the number of boats docked or stationed in that area, forming a direct link between position and gain.
- Wheat/resource-based fulfillment — Wheat serves as a core resource used to fulfill order cards, enabling progress and access to additional bonuses or symbols.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is a Euro game where you are the owner of a fleet of ships that travel around inside a hexagonal port basin.
- This game has a main cara mechanism where you're going to be moving your boats around and dropping them off at different ports.
- This is a beautifully simple yet intricate game that's full of layers.
- What's really cool about this game is how you pick up and put down the pieces.
- It's a beautiful game called Austia, and I love it.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Nj9xgCtl9bw
Board Stupid Discussion at 23:02 sentiment: positive
video_pk 42845 · mention_pk 130229
Click to watch at 23:02 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- exposes unique regional and cultural inspirations
- demonstrates crowdfunding can surface unusual ideas
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Seaside of Rome-inspired themes from a Japanese designer
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- unknown — crowdfunded indie title with regional inspiration
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Logistics and shipping prices worldwide have gone through the roof.
- I don't crowdfund games anymore.
- Knowledge is power. Make sure you do research before you get in there.
- Crowdfunding rewards tend to emphasize style over substance.
- All in or die.
- You can speak with your wallet and choose very carefully what you back.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 9GmpoyAf3ws
The Board Gaming Doctor Review at 3:18 sentiment: positive
video_pk 34590 · mention_pk 103030
Click to watch at 3:18 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- deep strategic depth with an integrated set of mechanics
- smooth progression and scalable gameplay with expansion content
- high replayability due to randomized setups and variable tiles
- strong interconnection of actions via the Mangala system
- Administration action adds flexibility and reduces stagnation
Cons
- interaction can feel limited, leaning toward multiplayer solitaire
- endgame scoring can be tedious to calculate due to the breadth of factors
- setup variability may produce unbalanced experiences between plays
- some players may prefer more direct interaction found in games like Yokohama or Concordia
Thematic elements
- Mangala-based action selection and empire building through trade, with expansion-driven variability
- Ancient Mediterranean trade network with ports in the Middle East and the Mediterranean, featuring ships, buildings, and routes
- Abstract strategic pacing with historical flavor and modular board elements
Comparison games
- Yokohama
- Concordia
- Trajan
- Arc NOA
- Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done
- Five Tribes
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- administration action — An administration action lets a player take two different turns on a single turn, increasing tempo and mitigating stagnation.
- Endgame scoring track — Progress along a scoring track based on items collected and buildings/ships owned, affecting final points.
- Event cards / randomized events — Events from the pirate expansion trigger random shifts in play state, adding variability and tension.
- Events — Events from the pirate expansion trigger random shifts in play state, adding variability and tension.
- Expansion interactions — Pirate expansion adds extra board locations, naval threats, and hireable units (legionnaires) with broader strategic implications.
- Mancala — You pick up pieces from a sector, gain resources based on that sector, move pieces one by one until the final piece is placed in a sector, then you take the corresponding action.
- Mangala / Mancala action selection — You pick up pieces from a sector, gain resources based on that sector, move pieces one by one until the final piece is placed in a sector, then you take the corresponding action.
- Military / pirate mechanics — Pirates on ships require military strength to repel; treasure and events introduce risk and reward dynamics.
- neighbor interaction — Pirate expansion adds extra board locations, naval threats, and hireable units (legionnaires) with broader strategic implications.
- Randomized setup / modular components — Tiles and tokens create different setups each game, influencing routes, building placement, and scoring opportunities.
- set collection — Spend resources to fulfill orders from cards, enabling scoring and strategic synergies.
- Set collection / orders — Spend resources to fulfill orders from cards, enabling scoring and strategic synergies.
- Ship movement along ports — Move ships across ports to reach distant lands, enabling building access and scoring opportunities.
- tableau building — Build buildings onto your personal tableau to gain efficiencies and access new actions and resources.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- you are essentially using a mangala based system to take your actions
- the administration action where you can essentially take two different turns on the same turn
- I give it a 7.4 out of 10
- it's a pretty streamlined version of some of these other games like Crusaders, trun Yokohama
- this game can have a pretty similar start every round
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
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