Reef Encounter is about life on a coral reef! Using polyp tiles, players grow different types of corals, which they can protect from being attacked by other corals through judicious placing of their four shrimp counters. To be successful, players must consume polyps from neighboring corals in order to acquire the 'consumed' polyp tiles that are the key to the game. The consumed polyp tiles have a myriad of uses (and have a similar effect to the action points in games like Tikal and Java). Most importantly, they can be used to flip over or lock the coral tiles, which determine the respective values of the different types of coral at the end of the game.
Description from the designer, Richard Breese.
Expanded by:
Reef Encounter of the Second Kind
- Sounds intense
- Ecological management
- Ocean reef
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Polyps grow into corals and fight for control of the reefs
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- We love trick taking games
- This game is so much freaking fun
- I adore GMT games, they are becoming one of my favorite game publishers
- If you remember Vast Crystal Caverns is in my top five games of all time
- We bloody love it
- We can't stop playing
- It's a blimp game not a train game
- That's just work
- I don't think I want to play it
- I'll get it eventually