In Relic Runners, each player takes on the role of a character keen to exploit and acquire relics that have been unearthed in a long lost part of the jungle. Each would-be archaeologist has a colorful past — retired university professor, former army captain, etc. — and wants to be the first to get their hands on the precious loot to earn the most victory points.
Players must navigate a series of paths in order to visit temples. The archaeologists are restricted in their movement by their access to rations, but thankfully they can place markers on paths to allow them to travel for free in future turns. The players also have a toolkit that can be upgraded in three particular ways to break the rules in some way or offer them an advantage as they move around.
Each time a player visits a temple, he takes a token. Initially the temples offer up victory points or some form of in-game bonus. When the final token is taken, a relic is placed there to be collected. The players earn large victory points for collecting relics of different types (set collection) and players can also earn bonus points for creating long routes and traveling along these to collect relics.
Relic Runners Gen Con 2013 Overview
- high production value
- sculpted relics stand out
- top-notch components
- no dice
- uncover rare and precious long-lost relics
- a vast jungle
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- no dice — there are no dice so you have some chance of beating Luke
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Days of Wonder puts out very few games each year but when they do wow do they go all out on the production.
- The sculpted relics particularly stand out of course but all of the components here are really top-notch
- this is this is your enthusiasm for the hobby come to life and you want us to experience that and I I really appreciate that
- I think in a small way I can understand watch it played for me is is my opportunity to share my enthusiasm for the hobby with other people and when anyone takes an interest in that it just it's so meaningful
- thank you Matthew thank you everyone for your kindness over the last three years now you're encouraging words your gifts your support all of it it just it's it's so wonderful
References (from this video)
- adventure
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- hi everyone welcome back to watch it played my name is Rodney Smith
- at the time of this recording we finished our dead of winter playthrough and that was a lot of fun to bring you guys I hope you enjoyed it as well
- speaking of different this is alt um Brad spill notice how how I tried to throw in a slight Swedish accent there I have no idea if I pronounce that correctly or not probably not but it stands for all about board games
- congratulations alt om red spell and thank you so much for letting me be in your first issue what a great honor I hope you guys have great success and many many more issues to come
- this year 2014 at Gen Con I've been invited to be a part of a panel that's being hosted by the spooning meeples who also run their own YouTube channel
- listen I'd like to give away another copy of this game to one of your viewers so Matthew thank you that is super nice
- Contest time uh I've been joined by me Andrea yes we've had some weird little costumes on the show before
- Canyon Lyn congratulations you won the expansion and you got it from ass soon to be beautified Andrea SMI
- it's the King of Tokyo Halloween expansion we don't have this cool yay this is awesome
- thank you again Hensley I wish I knew your full name so I could thank you properly but just know that we we very much appreciate
- well we have a little fluffies few of them to clean up but until the next episode thanks for watching
References (from this video)
- Multiple routes to victory via relics, pathways, and temple points
- Ration management adds strategic depth and planning
- Clear win condition based on total victory points
- Potential complexity due to multiple interacting systems
- Relies on careful resource management and timing, which may lengthen playtime
- Relic collection and route building
- Ruins exploration on an ancient site with relics
- procedural/mechanics-driven
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- base-and-resource loop — Return to base to restock rations and plan future relic runs.
- pathway movement — Build and use pathways to connect relics, enabling efficient travel and relic runs.
- Ration management — Rations limit actions: you spend rations to explore temples and replenish at base; you gain fixed rations from the base.
- relic runs — Take turns to traverse the board and collect relics to score points.
- Resource management — Rations limit actions: you spend rations to explore temples and replenish at base; you gain fixed rations from the base.
- temple scoring — Blue Temples grant victory points; other scoring vectors exist via relics and pathways.
- token-based progression — Crossing a path with a tool token flips the token, advancing along progression tracks.
- Track advancement — Crossing a path with a tool token flips the token, advancing along progression tracks.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- okay so this is our new days of Wonder game Relic Runners
- it's actually Midway through a game
- the basic premise is you want to explore these ruins purple white ruins and you want to build Pathways
- once a ruin has been explored you'll have a Relic pop up
- the premise of the game is to grab as many different kind of relics as you can
- you do that by getting relics making Relic runs the longer the run the more Pathways you use the more points you get
- there are other ways to make points as well
- and um part of the strategy is you know using your rations properly and being able to create a pathway back to the base so you don't waste a whole lot of time
References (from this video)
- Adventure
- Exploration
- My Little Scythe
- Five Tribes
- Yamatai
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
References (from this video)
- Relic hunting
- Adventure/exploration
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I went outside like for a whole two hours.
- Well, you're not the only one.
- You signed my game, but I didn't like it.
- That's a funny you signed my game, but I didn't like it.
- You get the one that's signed
- It's like you got the worst the worst component from my least popular game
- I think that's a much better fantasy to have that you fight dragons rather than you're a dentist
- Dragons? Surely that's what my uncle Adam does. Dragons, doesn't he's not a dentist.
- No, you can't make a Euro game set in space.
- It's interesting how that group think sort of works
- I think maybe it's a bit of group think in the industry
- One in 10 maybe
- Stack the deck
- That advice is right
- We probably got to check check our privilege here a little bit
- Very very fortunate to be in that position, aren't we?
- It's a practical problem, really