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Game Info
Year
2024
Players
1-4
Playtime
120 min
Collection
Mechanic profile
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Vibe profile
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Description
The game Resafa takes place during the 3rd century AD in the area of today's Middle East. Resafa now lies in ruins in modern-day Syria, but at this time it was a fortified desert outpost that flourished as a stop along important caravan routes.
In the game, players represent merchants who travel on business trips and buy and sell goods in the various cities in the region. Resafa had no local sources of water, so it depended heavily on large cisterns to collect the spring and winter rainwater to make the area habitable. Players build water tanks and canals to distribute that water where it is needed. In the cities, they build workshops to help their businesses grow, which will allow them to collect resources and camels. They also construct gardens between the businesses, generating more resources and also victory points.
The game is played over six rounds. In each round, a player takes only three actions, playing action cards in this tight and exciting game.
—description from the publisher
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 3
This page: 3
Sentiment:
pos 2 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–3 of 3
Video rTYWObZyK7Y
Review at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 67107 · mention_pk 163085
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Garden construction mechanism
- Canal construction puzzle
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Establishing businesses as merchants
- 3rd century AD in the area of today's Middle East
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action selection — Players choose one of two actions from six different cards.
- Area Control — Building trading bases in trading center locations.
- card drafting — New cards are drawn after actions in some rounds, but not in even rounds, requiring careful planning.
- Resource management — Managing goods, resources, camels, and water.
- set collection — Special cards on color tracks increase in scoring power and effect as they are progressively unlocked.
- tile placement — Garden tiles are placed in a checkerboard fashion.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I really love the garden construction mechanism where you place your tiles in a checkerboard fashion and connect them together with little garden strips.
- The canal construction puzzle is also mighty fine, and I love it.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video sbJ4x3n38o8
Review at 0:00 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 66808 · mention_pk 162613
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- High theme engagement
- Strong player interaction
- Clever card design with multiple uses
- Interesting engine building through permanent crystals
- Tight action selection mechanism preventing repetition
- Modular expansions add replayability
- Asymmetrical player characters
- Mechanics are well-woven together
Cons
- Game end can feel abrupt and unfair due to turn order
- Lack of equal turns for all players when the game ends
- Can feel frustrating if consistently one or two steps away from completing objectives
Thematic elements
- saving their world by traveling through parallel dimensions
- navigating the past, present, and future as a time traveler
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action selection — Players place a marker on one of four action spaces, and cannot choose the same space twice in a row.
- Area movement — Player figures (adult and child) move around different board spaces representing time periods.
- card drafting — Players can draw face-down cards or choose from face-up cards available.
- Dice rolling — Used in some actions to determine outcomes or progress on tracks.
- engine building — Players upgrade areas of expertise or gain permanent bonuses to improve their turns.
- hand management — Players manage a hand of cards, deciding which to play for actions or to fulfill objectives.
- Modular board — Different 'plans' or modules can be added to the core game, changing gameplay.
- Resource management — Managing 'time', 'adrenaline crystals', and 'void tokens'.
- set collection — Players aim to collect sets of cards with specific colors and patterns to complete mission cards.
- Variable player powers — Each character has unique abilities that affect gameplay.
- worker placement — Action markers are placed on action spaces.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The problem I have is that the game has an ending out of turn order.
- I feel really raw. I feel like I'm kind of robbed of my turn, especially if I'm not getting my turn.
- And so, for me, that just kind of rubs me the wrong way.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 44Gy5UXkN0w
Board Stupid Interview at 0:24 sentiment: positive
video_pk 30560 · mention_pk 89956
Click to watch at 0:24 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Strong thematic integration across time travel, pandemic, and politics
- Innovative mix of pattern-building with card-driven timeline changes
- Striking, brain-inspired components and cute lab aesthetics
- Ambitious design that pushes the boundaries of genre
- Promising player interaction with meaningful choices each turn
- Clear enthusiasm from creators and early supporters
Cons
- Potentially steep learning curve for new players
- Multiple timelines and scenarios could impact game balance and pacing
- Kickstarter risk: production scaling and fulfilment timelines
- Component complexity may affect setup time and accessibility
Thematic elements
- Time travel, saving the future, personal ambition
- Dystopian future with time travel and a pandemic
- Modular, scenario-driven timelines; layered brain metaphor
Comparison games
- AG of R
- Game Boy
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card-driven timeline manipulation — Event cards inserted into timelines to alter future outcomes.
- Events — Event cards inserted into timelines to alter future outcomes.
- Modular board — Flip and reconfigure boards to represent different timelines and crises.
- Pattern Building — Players create patterns from cards to trigger actions and chain effects.
- personal boards with brain metaphor — Unique pieces representing conscious and subconscious processes on each player board.
- Player Board | Main Board — Unique pieces representing conscious and subconscious processes on each player board.
- political influence and governance — Players influence Senators and vote on laws to steer outcomes.
- scenario-based modular boards — Flip and reconfigure boards to represent different timelines and crises.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a time travel theme game
- Time Travelers traveling back from a dystopian future
- it's fabulous
- the combinations of like pattern building and card combos
- it's something unique
- Innovative stuff
- we like to bring something new to the table
- phenomenally ambitious
- a totally unique concept
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
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Showing 1–3 of 3