In this new strategy game from Raph Koster and Isaac Shalev, players share the same group of penguins, but score based on how their carefully chosen cards match where they’ve managed to get the penguins to wind up. Each turn you’ll select a score card with a goal like locations with an even number of penguins, with more yellow than red penguins, with the maximum of 5 penguins, or something else! Then you’ll place penguins from your supply, or pick up penguins from a single location to move elsewhere. Finally, you'll score a number of points based on how many locations match your score card. But be careful! You might be moving them exactly where your opponents want them!
★ Great art and components: Each location features entertaining art with penguins about town, while the penguins themselves are represented with colorful screenprinted meeples!
★ Tricky choices: with limits to how you can collect and move the penguins, it’s always a challenge to figure out how to get the most points, while trying to stay a step ahead of your opponents.
★ Easy to learn: The simple rules and clear iconography make it a great fit for gamers of all ages.
Components*
• 32 Penguins (16 yellow and 16 red)
• 52 player cards
• 1 round and score board
• 10 tokens and markers
• 10 Place tiles
• 1 Rulebook
*Final components may vary
- Unique Aztec-themed aesthetic with feathered snakes
- Engaging drafting and pattern-building core
- Potential for high scoring through multiple card interactions
- feathered snakes, prophecy, gods, temple cards
- Aztec-themed ancient temple setting where players draft pieces to assemble feathered snake sculptures and patterns
- competitive drafting and pattern-building with scoring from prophecy and temple cards
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Compound Scoring — A single pattern can satisfy multiple scoring cards at once.
- drafting — Players draft head, body, and tail pieces to assemble patterns.
- End-game trigger — End game is triggered after key patterns are completed or scoring conditions met.
- multi-card scoring — A single pattern can satisfy multiple scoring cards at once.
- Pattern Building — Build intricate patterns of pieces to satisfy card requirements.
- pattern-building — Build intricate patterns of pieces to satisfy card requirements.
- set collection — Prophecy and temple cards provide points when conditions are met.
- set-collection / scoring via cards — Prophecy and temple cards provide points when conditions are met.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- This is a family-friendly game where players are going to compete against each other to become the new Aztec high priest in a game called Kowaddle.
- To prove their merit, players are going to be engaging in a prestigious tournament to impress the gods.
- They're going to carve the most intricate and elegant koal sculptures, also known as feathered snakes, to emerge victorious.
- Players are going to be drafting different head, body, and tail pieces that satisfy the requirements of the prophecy cards that they wish to fulfill and give them important victory points.
- The more prophecy cards that players fulfill, the more prestige points it's going to score.
- Quaddle snakes can also score bonus prestige points by satisfying the requirements of one of the temple cards.
- You'll be crafting up to three different koaddles snakes consecutively and trying to build the patterns in the best way possible so they satisfy the different rule conditions.
- It might be using alternating colors or even including all five colors in the kaddle itself.
- It's essentially a pattern building game where you're trying to maximize the best score possible and then triggering the end game.
- It's really unique and