About Gaia Project
Gaia Project is a new game in the line of Terra Mystica. As in the original Terra Mystica, fourteen different factions live on seven different kinds of planets, and factions are bound to their own hom...Read More
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Reviews
I probably prefer this to it's sibling, Terra Mystica, promarily because of the introduction of the Research tracks rather than the Cult tracks. Both are meaty games that really reward repeated plays and the variability in set up and races means that every time is a new challenge. It's one of those games though where a 'good' player will always beat new or inexperienced players
I thought Terra Mystica was mechanically brilliant, but just not very fun. Gaia Project improve on it in almost every way - the multiple small quality of life improvements elevate this from something i'd happily never play again, to one of my absolute favorites.
Very enjoyable! Nice to get this played. It's what Scythe aspires to be!
A worthy successor to one of the best games ever created, but still not better than it's older brother. I like how tech tree now has a better integration with the rest of the gameplay, this is the best improvement. Variability of the board is a nice touch, although we never had a problem with the fixed map layouts in Terra Mystica. Gameplay is fairly similar, as it should be, with some nuances in resources and races - which is a good refreshment. Art is ok-ish, but the graphic design is subpar. The publisher did not listen to players that pointed out this early in the testing phase, which is not fine in my book. All in all, it is Terra Mystica in space, it can not be bad. And it is not - it is a great game, just not as good as it could have been.
It's a re-skin of Terra Mystica, probably about 75% the same game, but the changes that were made actually make a significant difference/improvement to the game.
The game is about scoring the most points over 5 rounds, while colonizing space with an asymmetrical alien race. You have a player board with buildings on it that have an associated cost to build them and they need to be built following the same scheme as Terra Mystica (TM) (ie: you build "houses" before "trading posts" etc although they have different names in this game, they essentially have the same function), and you have a unique special advantage or ability although those are a bit tamer here than in TM.
The map is much improved, as it is modular, and just looks better (it's planets in space); as well the game only plays 2-4, but plays well as a 2er unlike TM. Each round you have a category you score points for (same as TM), and you have a menu of actions from which to choose (most are the same/similar to TM). For me, the best part is that it takes the weakest part of TM (cult tracks, which are a pissing match with small bonuses) and transforms it into one of the best, most interesting parts of this new iteration, the tech tracks. The tech tracks provide bonuses/benefits at every level and allow you to specialize as well as gain end game points; there is a race for the top spot for each track but these are hard to get many of anyways. The tracks are: 1) "digging" - you can improve your terraforming ability, 2) flight/travel - this is similar to shipping in TM and is a major component of this game, as you need to travel to reach other planets in space, 3) green crystals (forget their name) - these are a new currency in the game, and are quite useful for a variety of purposes and are generally scarce, although this track only provides one off bonuses, 4) gaia forming- there is a special type of unformed planet that you can only terraform by improving on this track, 5) income- always nice, it gives you more residual ore, money, and power, and 6) technology- another new resource this is the actual resource that you spend to advance on tech and this track gives you a tech income.
When you pass your turn you also choose a strip with income etc similar to TM although there is no money incentive on it. There are some other differences in the game such as you can build 2 strongholds, and gaia forming affects how your power bowls flow/move, but if you know TM you will feel comfortable learning this, even though it is a step up. There are 2 categories to fight over for end game points, similar to TM expansion, and these vary from game to game.
I was surprised by how better the space theme was especially since I'm not much of a sci-fi fan.And while this game is about 75% old TM, it plays/feels different enough more so than say Caverna to Agricola and I like it much better than the original despite all the similarities. Very complex I cannot imagine learning this straight out of the box, but a must have for hardcore gamers, and TM fans. My game of the year for 2017.
Own the [boardgame=396802]Lost Fleet[/boardgame] expansion.
Update: Played several more times and it still keeps getting better.
Update: Rating changed to 10. The more you play the better it gets.
My rating went from 7 to 9 after a second play.
Positive: Excellent full-on strategy feel 3-4 hours including teaching time but never bored Turns usually happen fast (except near the end game) May cool asymmetrical races to try Fulfilling experience Cool theme Rule book easy to navigate Symbols easy to understand
Negative: Art could be better Theme could be improved with more flavor about the world and alien races Components could be better. Slight warping in cardboard.
Neutral: Must play with the right group. You have to enjoy this type of heavy strategy. Haven't tried all races, so don't know how well they balance.
Gaia Project and Great Western Trail : Argentina are currently my #1 favorite games to play. They are both on par
Complex strategy game, its a lot of fun. However, the 2P game wasn's that good compared to a 4P game.
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