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Game Info
Year
2006
Collection
Mechanic profile
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Vibe profile
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Description
The dream of creating a new civilization in ancient Mesopotamia is within reach. Are you ready to lead your population ?
In the age of its maximum splendor, this vast and fertile geographical area was a scene of destiny for some populations, who resolved to settle in the richest and most strategically advantageous territories. Over the course of centuries these populations succeeded in developing all aspects of their civilization wisely. This was the main factor enabling them to found marvelous cities like Ur and to construct gigantic buildings like Ziggurats.
Just like Mesopotamia’s ancient Kings, each player will have to achieve the highest prestige by precisely dosing the development of Agriculture, Trade, Politics, Culture and finally War, so that thanks to these efforts the long desired construction of five Ziggurats is completed.
But, beware…
If the King becomes guilty of Greed in building them, or pursues improperly the conquest of Lands, this could ultimately lead him to defeat. The intrinsic speed of the game, the simplicity of rules, the very alluring artwork, together with the subtlety of the innumerable strategies which can be pursued, render Ur a gaming experience which you will play and play and keep playing again for a very, very long time!
Online Play
http://www.mabiweb.com/ (turn-based)
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 4
This page: 4
Sentiment:
pos 2 ·
mix 2 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–4 of 4
Video _6Ul3i3b1tY
Review at 0:00 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 67606 · mention_pk 163755
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Beautiful and clever
- Ambitious
- Thematically authentic
- Surprising affordability
- Epic look on the table
- Classy meeple work
- Extremely simple actual act of playing
- Each individual action is simple
- Actions are pretty well sequestered from one another
- Massive opportunity for big brain scheming
- Rewards hyper specialization
- Smart design move with llamas for scoring balance
- Feels like a larger game but true to box time frame
- Completely original
- Gorgeous
Cons
- Weird
- Can be dismissed as abstract point salad
- Deceptively bigger than it is (table presence)
- Dizzying amount of information on UI
- Timing is everything makes it complex
- Casual players will be punished
- Analytical agony in figuring out scoring
- More academically interesting than out and out fun (for the reviewer)
- Lack of sense of investment beyond capitalizing on points
- Sacrifice time now for more efficiency is not present
- Try before you buy type of game
Thematic elements
- clans aiding the four pairs of IR, the male and female children of Inti and Mama Killa, the sun and the moon
- mythological origins of the Incan people
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action selection — Actions are determined by the space revealed on the player's action column or row.
- Area Control — Implied through 'lay claim to the most lucrative woven islands in Titicaca.'
- End-game scoring — The reviewer mentions 'the final IR's retirement can make up over half of the points that you're going to score, especially from those temples as moon points.'
- Race — Implied through 'race up the lake to lay claim to the most lucrative woven islands in Titicaca.'
- Resource management — Implied through 'farm some maize for long-term investment.'
- Scoring objectives — Players score sun and moon points differently, with the final score being the lesser of the two totals.
- set collection — Implied through 'Grab some pots for set collection.'
- Spatial Puzzle — Implied through 'weave tapestries to complete the spatial puzzle.'
- track movement — Players move corresponding color pieces on a public central board.
- Variable player powers — The inclusion of llamas that can be flipped and converted to sun or moon points to balance scores suggests a form of variable scoring adjustment.
- worker placement — Players place a worker at the end of an available column or row on their player board.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- IR is weird. Beautiful, clever, original, yeah, but weird.
- Ultimately, the best way that I can put it is that it's just weird and unlike anything else that I've ever played.
- Personally though, I find it more academically interesting in its design than out and out fun, but that might be just more my preferences as a player.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video m7OK5qMaqz8
Review at 1:49 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 67573 · mention_pk 163712
Click to watch at 1:49 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Clear graphic design and intuitive board elements
- Relatively simple rules that are easy to get into
- Engaging track movement and timing mechanic
- More interactive than previous games in the trilogy
- The lower of two scores scoring mechanic (conceptually)
Cons
- Dull and muted artwork that doesn't stand out
- Repetitive and boring mini-games that don't interlink
- Lack of replay value; game feels the same each time
- Imbalanced sun/moon scoring where moon points always dominate
- Expensive for the content and plays received
- Theme is unusual and difficult to explain
Thematic elements
- Controlling characters representing Incan children who are tasked with finding fertile ground and teaching clans civilization skills.
- Based on the mythology of the Sun and Moon gods from Lake Titicaca and the rise of the Inca Empire.
- Lore is presented as an introduction to the game's theme, but is considered unusual and dry for a Euro game.
Comparison games
- MV
- Sanor
- Back to the Future trilogy
- Baghdad
- Ager's Dream
- Dream's Dreams
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area majority — The farming mini-game involves placing cubes on a board, with bonuses awarded for the most cubes.
- Scoring Mechanism (Lower of Two) — The final score is determined by the lower of accumulated 'sun' and 'moon' points, though this is noted as imbalanced.
- set collection — Collecting pottery tiles of the same color and weaving patterns to form Tetris-like formations.
- track movement — Four characters move along four tracks, with movement dictated by player actions and triggering interim scoring or retirements.
- Variable Player Powers (Implied) — Special bonuses and abilities can be unlocked on player boards using 'mask tokens'.
- Worker placement (implied) — Players place markers on a grid to dictate movement and select actions, referencing rows and columns.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The theme of this game is probably one of the most batshit themes I have ever seen for a Euro game.
- Your moon points are going to eclipse your sun points any day of the week.
- Once you've played it once, you've seen everything. There just isn't enough replay value or enough in the games, the mini games themselves to draw you back.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video tw7jS5F5pQA
The Dice Tower Discussion at 3:13 sentiment: positive
video_pk 12424 · mention_pk 108394
Click to watch at 3:13 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- clever mechanic that scales with player thought
- solid on-theme feel and simplicity
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- clever manipulation of cards
- card rotation puzzle
- quirky, puzzle-like
Comparison games
- Scout
- Revolve
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card rotation — rotate/flip cards to reveal new configurations
- spatial/rotation puzzle — manipulate cards around a central axis to optimize outcomes
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- It's a complete filler, but I really enjoyed it.
- This is my game of the day.
- I love the tightness and I also love the different options you have on there.
- cooperate to play out your hands of cards, but you can't communicate.
- You rotate the card around it. It says up, but backwards it says it either way.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video ludZSRTTeS4
The Dice Tower Review at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 5607 · mention_pk 16663
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- strong timing puzzle with meaningful late-game decisions
- quick, approachable teach and solid components
- satisfying diminishing-action ladder
Cons
- timing control can be polarizing for some groups
- replayability may feel similar across plays
Thematic elements
- Sun and moon gods, AR pairs, and the rise of Tuantu (Income Empire)
- Ancient Peru
- Mythic backstory framing around two-sex pairings and a departing empire
Comparison games
- MV
- Sim Cororey
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action placement behind moved brother — After moving a brother on the main board, a player places an action on their own board behind that brother and resolves that action.
- Compound Scoring — Night scoring of sun/moon dials and temple-based scoring drive endgame points.
- diminishing options — Each round reduces available actions as pairs retire, increasing the value of careful timing.
- Resource management — Pottery and textiles are purchased with strength, with costs and a weaving/terrace farming track flow.
- round-based scoring — Night scoring of sun/moon dials and temple-based scoring drive endgame points.
- vera/veraculture bonuses — Veraculture tokens placed on the board boost future actions and scoring opportunities.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I really like the look and layout of the board.
- The puzzle is engaging and timing-centric.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–4 of 4