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Game Info
Year
2006
Collection
Ratings
Creator Score
Mechanic profile
Not enough video data yet
Vibe profile
Not enough video data yet
Description
In Terra Nova, players try to claim areas of land by moving control markers and placing fences. Each turn, a player must take three actions, first moving a control marker, then taking two further actions from these possibilities:
moving a control marker (whether the same one or a different one) and/or
placing a fence next to a control marker that moved this turn.
Areas are scored once they're enclosed and contain no more than three types of landscape. Whoever has the majority of pieces in an area scores points based on the number of spaces and the number of types of landscape in the area, with fewer types scoring more points. Points are split in case of a tie. The game ends once all areas have been scored.
Winner of Premio Archimede 2004.
Featured Videos
Review
Terra Nova Roundtable Review
Rules Teach
How to play Terra Nova (11 Minutes)
Playthrough
Terra Nova - Playthru With Friends!
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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 1 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–5 of 5
Video f3jaiBONfeg
All You Can Board Discussion at 1:26 sentiment: positive
video_pk 89602 · mention_pk 238257
Click to watch at 1:26 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- offers a simplified version related to Terra Mystica
- potentially quicker gameplay than Terra Mystica
- provides a new jumping-off point while still allowing comparison to the original
Cons
- may lose elements that made Terra Mystica special
Thematic elements
Comparison games
- Terra Mystica
- Gaia Project
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- terra nova got announced which is sort of a re-implementation not a re-implementation but yeah i guess you can call that a different version of terra mystica
- evergreen is from the same designer ... the exact same designer
- it's a fast-paced strategy game similar to a short 4x
- i cannot wait to try this out
- war of the ring and this is the new version war of the ring the card game
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video X7MnaqYYZpY
Getting Games Review at 0:09 sentiment: positive
video_pk 89040 · mention_pk 235856
Click to watch at 0:09 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- terra nova is a streamlined, cleaner version of Terra Mystica
- easy to teach and accessible with shorter overhead
- well-presented with faction cards and helpful reference materials
- asymmetry remains engaging with diverse faction strategies
- roughly 80 minutes, making it a well-paced, tighter experience
- teaching is easy; a quick, approachable 15-minute teach is feasible
Cons
- not ideal for light gamers or party gamers
- power mechanic not as engaging; limited levers to pull and fewer opportunities for clever manipulation
- some players may feel the endgame can be anticlimactic if they end with few actions in the last round
- desire for more depth or alternative power dynamics (e.g., more variety in power resources)
Thematic elements
Comparison games
- Terra Mystica
- Gaia Project
- Arc Nova
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- adjacency / building placement — Building near other players is advantageous; adjacency can reduce costs for structures, but also creates potential blocking dynamics.
- End Game Bonuses — Strategic decisions abound across rounds; the final round can be decisive, and passing can yield end-game points.
- end-game timing / last-turn decisions — Strategic decisions abound across rounds; the final round can be decisive, and passing can yield end-game points.
- Faction Asymmetry — Ten factions with unique starting powers and two strongholds, offering different ways to score and play.
- money management / income — Money is the primary resource used to perform actions; rounds involve spending money to do things and progress through the five rounds.
- power tokens / power actions — Power is a secondary resource with three pools; players take power actions, and in Terra Nova the power system is streamlined compared to Terra Mystica and Gaia Project.
- round-based objectives / tokens — Five rounds with tokens drawn at the start of the game that incentivize specific actions in each round (e.g., trading posts, terraforming, basic units).
- towns / palaces / majority scoring — Players build towns and palaces; there is a majority scoring mechanic for buildings that are adjacent or connected.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's the smaller streamlined cleaner version of Terra mystica
- it's not Terra mystica 2 in any way
- I would happily play this game now
- Terra Nova nails the asymmetry in a game that is lighter and more vanilla still
- this is not a module expansion right this is playing a different faction
- I would so rather put this in front of that person than Terra mystica or Gaia project
- it's going to be sweetest at four players but I think it's still going to work really well at two
- what a perfect way to play a game on Saturday morning
- I would 100% teach this over Terra Mystica or Gaia Project
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video aCNWbuZa8DE
Getting Games Playthrough at 1:16 sentiment: positive
video_pk 63334 · mention_pk 156686
Click to watch at 1:16 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Terra Nova is a streamlined, lighter version of Terra Mystica
- two-player variant with its own board and Lucky Digger mechanic
- strong river/shipping mechanic enabling varied strategies
- towns and palaces provide varied end-game scoring and power
- interactive play with opponent with adjacency bonuses
Cons
- the two-player variant can lead to congestion or limited space
- some players may prefer more players for the intrigue
Thematic elements
- terraforming and building on a river-connected map
- map with five terrain types and five factions, featuring rivers and ships
- explanation during play
Comparison games
- Terra Mystica
- Gaia Project
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Bridges — bridges across the river connect areas and can enable towns; building bridges costs power vs money.
- building and upgrades — build houses, upgrade to trading posts and palaces; upgrading adjacent to opponent buildings can trigger discounts.
- End-game and scoring — final scoring based on largest connected block of buildings, number of towns, palaces, money left converted to points.
- habitable terrain modification — change terrain type to a habitable type using shovels; proximity to top of shovels track influences cost.
- houses, trading posts, palaces scoring — points awarded for building, upgrading and possessing palaces/towns; end-of-round bonuses to incentivize certain actions.
- Income — income phase yields money and power; power charges via bowls; bonus tiles affect income.
- income and power — income phase yields money and power; power charges via bowls; bonus tiles affect income.
- Point Salad — points awarded for building, upgrading and possessing palaces/towns; end-of-round bonuses to incentivize certain actions.
- shipping and rivers — boats extend reach along rivers; sailing power increases reach; important for constructing on distant spaces.
- towns and emblems — towns form when a settlement meets size and emblem requirements; towns use town tokens to grant rewards.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Terra Nova so it's a in a lot of ways streamlined version of a game called Terra mystica
- Tara mystica is one of my favorite games so I'm excited to play this one
- I really liked it I mean as someone who's played a lot of terroristic I'm a big fan of that game
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video UZuspbfuXRQ
JestaThaRogue Rules Teach at 0:01 sentiment: neutral
video_pk 50976 · mention_pk 139919
Click to watch at 0:01 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
neutral
Pros
- Clear, step-by-step setup demonstrated
- Demonstrates key mechanics via examples during setup and play
- Describes faction boards and initial placements
Cons
- Video is dense and lengthy, which may overwhelm new players
- Some rule details are complex and abbreviated in the narration
Thematic elements
- Races with special abilities attempt to make landscapes habitable and found towns
- Fantasy world where races terraform land and build towns across rivers
- Instructional demonstration with setup and rules explanation
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Bridges — Pay money to build bridges over water to connect structures and expand adjacency
- Building and upgrading — Upgrade buildings from houses to trading posts to palaces, via paid costs and adjacency rules
- Habitable terrain conversion — Pay money to change terrain hex to the home terrain, place a home tile, then build a house on that space
- Network/Route Building — Pay money to build bridges over water to connect structures and expand adjacency
- Power and resource management — Power tokens move between bowls; spending power to perform actions via a round-based system
- Resource Management — Power tokens move between bowls; spending power to perform actions via a round-based system
- Sailing and river reach — Sailing track increases reach along rivers; higher sailing allows skipping spaces to access actions
- Town founding — Found a town when four adjacent buildings have a combined value of seven or more
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- you play a fantasy race use their special abilities to make the landscape habitable for that race and build buildings to form towns and spread across the land
- found a town this happens automatically and does not count as an action
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video x4YRrlqe0x4
BoardGameCo Top 10 List at 7:01 sentiment: positive
video_pk 38769 · mention_pk 116839
Click to watch at 7:01 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- familiar, solid framework
- ease of learning due to shared system
Cons
- not loved as the top pick; curiosity remains
- unclear if it outperforms other titles in the same family
Thematic elements
- terra/planetary colonization within a framework of TerraMystica-inspired play
- Terramystica-based systems; science fantasy civilization building
- system-driven civilization progression
Comparison games
- Gaia Project
- Terramystica
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- inter-system comparison — explores similarities/differences with Gaia Project and others
- Terramystica system inheritance — uses underlying TerraMystica framework to drive actions
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- It's a deck building game that kind of gives me vibes of like let's go to Japan, like you're building your deck, but you're playing through your story and your life as you go through it.
- The art looks great. I'm very intrigued by the art.
- A 7.2 rating does not make me think it's going to fall into the need to add.
- This is a meta game around the hobby that we're in featuring all these various games as you deal with the worker placement.
- I love chaining rewards.
- Keyflower... I thought it was absolutely brilliant.
- Production holds it back a bit; I hope for a deluxeified version.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–5 of 5