Dorfromantik is based on a popular video game of the same name. Sakura, is a follow up to the original cooperative board game from a few years ago. If you have never played the original board game, then the rules, especially those I will talk about here, are identical. Out of the box, both Dorfromantik and Dorfromantik: Sakura are the same game. In fact, the rulebook states that if you have played the first Dorf game, you can just jump straight into your first game.
Where they differ is in their unlockables and legacy-style content. I will not spoil much in this How to Play as it needs to be played and experienced first-hand. I will just run you through the base rules, which, as I say, work for both the Dorfromantik games.
The Goal
The goal in Dorfromantik: Sakura is a strange one. You can’t really fail. It’s a tile-laying, cooperative game with very little crunch or trepidation. The score you get at the end will determine how much content you can unlock and that, together with other possible unlockable goals, introduces a steady stream of new toys and goodies to play with. These new toys and goodies will allow you to get better scores, introduce new mechanics and allow you to unlock more stuff. It’s a cycle that, while stress-free free is very moreish and quite addictive.
Dorfromantik is based on a popular video game of the same name. Sakura, is a follow up to the original cooperative board game from a few years ago. If you have never played the original board game, then the rules, especially those I will talk about here, are identical. Out of the box, both Dorfromantik and Dorfromantik: Sakura are the same game. In fact, the rulebook states that if you have played the first Dorf game, you can just jump straight into your first game.
Where they differ is in their unlockables and legacy-style content. I will not spoil much in this How to Play as it needs to be played and experienced first-hand. I will just run you through the base rules, which, as I say, work for both the Dorfromantik games.
The Goal
The goal in Dorfromantik: Sakura is a strange one. You can’t really fail. It’s a tile-laying, cooperative game with very little crunch or trepidation. The score you get at the end will determine how much content you can unlock and that, together with other possible unlockable goals, introduces a steady stream of new toys and goodies to play with. These new toys and goodies will allow you to get better scores, introduce new mechanics and allow you to unlock more stuff. It’s a cycle that, while stress-free free is very moreish and quite addictive.
The Set-Up
The set-up in Dorfromantik: Sakura is simple, you have two tile types, standard tiles and task tiles. Mix up the standard tiles and remove three without looking at them. Then mix up the task tiles and place them both in stacks, close to everyone who’s playing, face down. Along with that, mix up the task markers and arrange them into piles of each type, also face down. There is a task marker type for each type of terrain in the game.
Then all you have to do is grab a pen, some of the legacy sheets and you are ready to Dorf! Sit back, relax and get some quality, soothing time, laying tiles and making patterns. It is all rather lovely.
Turns and Task Completion
Turns are very simple, grab a tile, place it and that is roughly it. Your tiles, apart from roads and rivers, don’t even need to match edges. Don’t get me wrong, you will want to match edges to complete tasks but they dont ‘have’ to.
Task tiles are the meat of the game and that is where you get most of your early points from. There must always be three task tiles and markers out at all times and that determines which tile you take on your turn. If there are fewer than three out already, then take a task tile and marker; otherwise, take a standard tile instead.
When taking a task tile, when you have looked at it, you grab the top task marker of the same type and place it upon the task tile when placing it in your ever-growing landscape. These task markers will have a number on them, this number is the number of tiles, that must connect together correctly to satisfy the task.
For example, if I grabbed a task tile, due to only having 2 tasks on the board. After turning it over realised it was a river task tile, so I grabbed a river task marker to match. The task marker states four, which means once that task tile is part of a river that has four tiles connected, I can remove the task tile and score those juicy, juicy points.
You just have to bear in mind you cannot place a task tile in an area that is larger in size than the current task marker requires. You cannot, for example, place a river task marker of four on a river that already has four sections. Careful planning though, can enable you to chain together task completion and leaving sections of the map to instantly complete tasks is where the strategy and tactics arise.
There is a lot more to the game than that, but that is all unlockable and legacy-style content. No spoilers here. It does get slightly more complicated without being overbearing and more and more decisions get added as your game evolves.
Unlockables, End Game and Evolution
After you have tallied up your score, you can write it on your campaign sheet. This gives you several circles you can cross off on your campaign map. This map will advise you of what boxes you can open, what extra content you will gain and give you a few decisions of what to unlock next.
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