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Game Info
Year
2014
Players
1-5
Age
13+
Playtime
60 min
Collection
Mechanic profile
Not enough video data yet
Vibe profile
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Description
Shipwrights of the North Sea is set in the early years of the Viking Age, circa 900 AD. As Viking shipwrights, players compete to build the greatest fleet on the North Sea. Players must collect oak, wool and iron, as well as getting other craftsmen on board to help. Gold is a precious commodity, and must be spent wisely. As you would expect, the township is filled with an array of characters, bad and worse. Better hope they're on your side!
Aim of the GameThe aim of Shipwrights of the North Sea is to be the player with the most Victory Points at the game’s end. Points are gained by constructing various Ships and Buildings. The game ends after the round where 1 or more players constructs their 4th ship.
Gameplay OverviewThe game is played over a series of days (rounds). Each day follows the same pattern:
Morning Phase - Planning (Each player receives 3 cards)
Afternoon Phase - Working (Players take actions and play or discard their 3 cards)
Evening Phase - Resting (Players receive Gold and Workers for the next day)
Printed Components128 Cards - Featuring 46 unique and stunning illustrations
5 Beautifully Illustrated Player Boards
5 Player Reference Boards
1 Illustrated Rulebook
1 Pioneer Token
5 VP Markers
Wooden Components5 Gold Ships
25 Oak
25 Wool
25 Iron
50 Workers
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 5
This page: 5
Sentiment:
pos 4 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–5 of 5
Video SHt6ejsGJvE
kovray Top List at 810:54:40 sentiment: positive
video_pk 64823 · mention_pk 158369
Click to watch at 810:54:40 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
highly positive
Pros
- engine builder and drafter
- satisfying progression as the engine grows
- great for discovery and learning
- approachable complexity, good for introducing new players
- evolution of game design from publisher
- feels clean and well-figured-out
Cons
- first play might not be highly successful
- can be challenging to introduce very new players compared to some other games by the same publisher
Thematic elements
- shipbuilding
- Viking village
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card drafting — You'll be drafting of course cards passing them around and then once your draft is complete you kind of just get to go ahead and play fun.
- engine building — The engine gets bigger and bigger as you progress through the game and that's always fun and exciting because you're able to do a lot more in the rounds that come up.
- Resource management — Gathering ships, gathering resources, gathering crew members.
- track movement — Those are various tracks you can invest in and the further you're along those tracks you can get benefits from leaders.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- My list is different than your list and my list is the best 10 games of 2024.
- This engine building game is very interesting and probably my favorite part about this is the way that you take actions, you'll spend a resource that is a coin and you'll be able to do a variety of different actions.
- The art style is very unique and different that really invited me over the first few games we played over to the last few games we played.
- There's eight different cities with different scoring conditions the way that the goals come out they're always going to be different.
- The art in this game is probably the most gorgeous art of 2024 it's it's a gorgeous game each of the cards is so uniquely Illustrated the cover is fantastic this game is an art piece on your table.
- The Crew produces that almost like every three four games in my opinion because at one point you're all going to have really crappy hands but you somehow predict the order of your crappy hands at one point you'll someone will draw card redraw cards and they'll draw two aces and the probability of that is not very likely but all of a sudden an ace comes up and it's just so fun.
- It's poker but it's taking a simple concept well simple concept like poker and turning it into this like or turning it on its head and turning into a Cooperative game that people can get behind.
- The first time you play it it's just a discovery game and you have to accept that you you won't get very far on the tracks.
- The reason I think this is my number one is a little bit because of the surprise element surprise in the sense that you didn't expect it I didn't expect it to be as great as I knew it was going to be good but it ended up being fantastic and grade.
- It tickles my logic brain which is always great and it's a little puzzle that I think everybody can kind of get behind.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video eU3WR_GnYL4
kovray Discussion at 4:54 sentiment: positive
video_pk 60338 · mention_pk 152760
Click to watch at 4:54 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- solid entry into the Garphill trilogy
- strong thematic consistency
Cons
- may feel heavy for absolute beginners
Thematic elements
- engine-building and resource management
- north sea shipbuilding
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- engine building — Develop production and upgrade capabilities to build ships.
- engine-building — Develop production and upgrade capabilities to build ships.
- Resource management — Manage limited resources to optimize actions and scoring.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- We've been making content for four years.
- Four is a number I love; if we play four games in a game night, that's an ideal game night.
- We are ready to do four more with you.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video dfCcLi9vSC0
The Secret Cabal Gaming Podcast Discussion at 10:13 sentiment: positive
video_pk 12722 · mention_pk 37114
Click to watch at 10:13 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Compact engine-building with solid theme
- Good balance of risk and reward
Cons
- Can feel derivative to Raiders of the North Sea
- Some players want more asymmetry
Thematic elements
- crafting vessels and trading routes
- ship-building and Viking-era commerce
- tight, practical strategy
Comparison games
- Raiders of the North Sea
- Raiding engine-builders
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- worker placement / engine-building — Assemble ships and crew to fulfill orders and trade.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Artwork does have a big impact on my interest in playing the game.
- I bought games just for artwork that I've never played.
- Santorini doesn't turn me off, and Arcadia Quest doesn't turn me off exactly but I would prefer it to be more realistic in general.
- I think games with Xavier Colette his kind of artwork he did the a lot of the dixit stuff.
- I love getting up and coming down here and shooting a video and editing a podcast and developing content for the next show.
- quit drinking soda it's poison.
- Feast for Odin is a Viking-era title that rewards careful planning.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video YkWGWYml05A
3 Minute Board Games Review at 0:13 sentiment: positive
video_pk 12404 · mention_pk 36220
Click to watch at 0:13 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Accessible and straightforward entry point within Garphill's lineup
- Engaging engine-building and drafting blend with clear progression
- Simultaneous actions help pacing once players understand the system
Cons
- Downtime can occur if one player lags, since drafting is shared per round
- Less complex than Raiders of the North Sea; players seeking heavier Euro mechanics may desire more depth
Thematic elements
- shipbuilding, raiding, and exploration
- Viking Age coastal North Sea shipbuilding and raiding campaigns
- engine-building with drafting and simultaneous actions
Comparison games
- Raiders of the North Sea
- It's a Wonderful World
- Shipwrights of the North Sea: It's a Wonderful Fjord
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Building and placement — Buildings are played beneath a player's board; a worker on a building can yield rewards and unlock powers.
- drafting — Each turn you draft six cards, choose one to keep, and pass the rest to the next player; this drives hand composition and interaction.
- Resource management — Resources include iron, wood, wool, gold, silver, and workers; these are spent to build, hire, and activate effects.
- set collection — Collecting icon sets advances you on bonus power tracks that influence scoring and abilities.
- Simultaneous Actions — The main phase features actions that occur in parallel, reducing downtime once players understand the system.
- Track advancement — Red track grants raid cards, blue track provides income cards, yellow track upgrades starting cards; leaders are awarded for progression.
- Tracks and leaders — Red track grants raid cards, blue track provides income cards, yellow track upgrades starting cards; leaders are awarded for progression.
- Turn order and trade costs — Turn cards determine the cost of trades and the direction of card passing for that round.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The best thing about this game is the simultaneous actions.
- Once you know what you're doing the game blasts by.
- It's probably the least complex and intimidating, which makes it the perfect start point if you're looking at their games.
- Oh, it has these thingies for Tomb Saga if you have that.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video F4Z3bwpUM4A
Foster the Meeple Discussion at 6:24
video_pk 21 · mention_pk 38
Click to watch at 6:24 · YouTube ↗
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- we have only 19 unplayed games since then we played 14 of the games that were on that list
- we are challenging ourselves to play all of these games by the end of the year
- star wars rebellion is on the list and it's at the top
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–5 of 5