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Description
The Wolves is a pack-building strategy game for 2-5 players. It's survival of the fittest as you compete to build the largest, most dominant pack by claiming territory, recruiting lone wolves, and hunting prey. But be careful not to expand too recklessly into terrain where your rivals thrive – they may lure members of your pack away.
A clever action-selection mechanism drives your choices. Each action requires you to flip terrain tiles matching the terrain where you wish to take your action. These double-sided tiles mean the actions you take this round will set up which terrain types you can act on in the next round. As you take actions to expand your pack's control of each region, you also upgrade your pack's attributes, allowing you to take more aggressive actions as the game goes on.
In three mid-game scoring phases, power is calculated in each region. At the end of the game, players tally points based on VP tokens earned in these scoring phases and the highest VP number revealed in each of the six tracks on your player board. The player with the most VP wins!
—description from publisher
Year Published
2022
Featured Videos
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 6
This page: 6
Sentiment:
pos 4 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 1
Showing 1–6 of 6
Video rtPaehv60hs
game_review at 27:39 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 62490 · mention_pk 155108
Click to watch at 27:39 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Rich thematic flavor and tactile components
- Varies with player count, offering different dynamics
Cons
- Terrain flip mechanic creates heavy analysis paralysis for some
- Dominance rules can feel arbitrary or restrictive
Thematic elements
- territory control, alpha dominance, and territorial conflict
- wolf packs vying for dominance across a mapped landscape
- thematic but tactile with terrain interactions
Comparison games
- Hansonica
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- den building / scoring regions — Dens score regionally and interact with end-game objectives
- dominance / alpha wolf mechanic — Dominating other players’ wolves introduces asymmetric play and tension
- terrain tiles & flip mechanic — Terrain tiles flip each turn, restricting movement and planning
- Tile/Map Shifting — Terrain tiles flip each turn, restricting movement and planning
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is an own it for me.
- The quality of the cards is incredible.
- Nine turns is a big hook for White Castle.
- I would call Lacuna an own it as well.
- Spot is a play it for me, not quite owning it.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video mmYwP9GIWqQ
Board Gaming Doctor top_10_list at 12:51 sentiment: positive
video_pk 40426 · mention_pk 122404
Click to watch at 12:51 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- high interaction, tense player tension
- interactive dominance mechanic
Cons
- not as widely ranked yet
- availability may be limited on digital platforms
Thematic elements
- predator-prey, territory, and dominance
- wolf-pack social-dynamics on a modular map
- storytelling through mechanics and board
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — players manage packs of wolves, moving and influencing regions
- area control / dominance — players manage packs of wolves, moving and influencing regions
- interaction / direct player impact — dominance can be asserted by swapping wolves with others' reserves
- Modular board — map sections assembled to create variable layouts per game
- Positive player interaction — dominance can be asserted by swapping wolves with others' reserves
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- thank you for sticking around and viewing this list once again
- it's easy to try them out there [Board Game Arena]
- these are the most underrated games in my opinion
- this is a tiny Epic type of game where it's really, small and quick
- I think this is a masterpiece of micro game design
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video yE3f-tRVODg
Beyond soliter interview at 1:38 sentiment: positive
video_pk 13539 · mention_pk 39595
Click to watch at 1:38 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Engaging social dynamics
- Co-design strength with well-known designers
- Strong thematic integration
Cons
- Potentially challenging learning curve
- Heavy emphasis on negotiation may slow games
Thematic elements
- Social negotiation, alliances, and deception
- Fantasy realm featuring wolf clans and guild politics
- Emergent, player-driven with social dynamics
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Hidden Information — Players have private goals or information shaping decisions.
- negotiation — Players bargain, form alliances, and influence outcomes to score points.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Deadlines are magical indeed
- Just make something, just try and see what happens
- Stop putting your game in front of designers
- Don't take yourself out of the running
- You're pitching yourself as somebody the publisher might want to work with
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video U_JjvD0lcGc
OPG - Our Playful Group general_discussion at 40:34 sentiment: positive
video_pk 7879 · mention_pk 23248
Click to watch at 40:34 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- highly strategic
- no randomness to rely on
Cons
- can be harsh in interaction
Thematic elements
- survival/territory
- wolf-pack society
- thinky, strategic
Comparison games
- Concordia
- Root
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area control with migration — movement of units to collect food and water across zones.
- no luck / pure strategy — players build their wolf pack and dens with a countdown clock scoring system.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Stara Month is officially over.
- This is one of the most diverse and inclusive conventions we've been to. It felt like a warm hug.
- Grand Con is a family reunion.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video GCsSIXGLlNY
Our Family Plays Games general_discussion at 31:54 sentiment: positive
video_pk 6676 · mention_pk 19867
Click to watch at 31:54 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- colorful, family-friendly
- engaging take-that interactions
Cons
- can scale up in complexity with players
Thematic elements
- pack-building and territorial influence
- wolf-pack themed strategy
- predatory family dynamics
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area majority — players vie for dominance in regions via influence and takeovers
- Area movement — players maneuver to gain strategic advantage on the board
- take-that — direct interactions to disrupt opponents' plans
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- we had a big blast with our live show
- we're on panels because we just want to let everybody know what's going on
- Dawn of Humankind is coming back as a reboot
- Basilica 2.0 looks really really good
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Ui4qA4c_2QQ
Unknown Channel general_discussion at 2:16 sentiment: negative
video_pk 4034 · mention_pk 91364
Click to watch at 2:16 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
negative
Pros
- noted as a playable concept, but not highly regarded
Cons
- rules described as obtuse
- not considered a strong pick
Thematic elements
- Abstract/tactical track progression
- Token placement on tracks
- Minimalistic/abstract
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- track_token_placement — Players place tokens along a series of tracks.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- i don't know why we picked this up
- i have no idea what it is
- it's an area control game
- it's just weird looking
- this is a half decent pickup and deliver game
- it's actually a half decent game stock market building and other stuff
- you'll be putting tokens up on a series of tracks
- it's a tower defense game called samurai spirit
- Imagine the promise of this was quite intriguing at the time
- it's essentially poker in a box i think
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–6 of 6