Evenfall is a game that comes with an undoubted air of mystery. What does ‘Evenfall’ even mean? What’s going on with those magical folk flying towards that tree? How can a game with a box cover this stunning not be discussed more widely?
I’ve no idea as to that last one, because to go with all of its gorgeous art, Evenfall is good. Really good.
Evenfall is a game that comes with an undoubted air of mystery. What does ‘Evenfall’ even mean? What’s going on with those magical folk flying towards that tree? How can a game with a box cover this stunning not be discussed more widely?
I’ve no idea as to that last one, because to go with all of its gorgeous art, Evenfall is good. Really good.
What Even(fall) is this game about?
In Evenfall, each player takes on their own clan of witches/wizards/magic folk and is attempting to become the dominant force via the classic board game medium of procuring the most victory points.
Players gather resources and spend them to hire specialists, appoint council members and play rituals on their Places of Power.
These will allow players to build their engine for improved resource harvesting, open up new action spots, gain mana to spend in the battle for end of round region dominance, pick up end game scoring bonuses etc etc…. Yes, there is a lot going on!
However, Evenfall is a game that is less complicated than it looks, or reads in my description above. The iconography used throughout is clear and consistent and the game has a logical flow to it. I find it so clear that I barely need to reference the rulebook whilst playing.
Evenflow
The cadence of the game is as follows. Play 1 (for a basic region) or 2 (for one with binding bonuses and/or superior resource harvesting) witches to one of the regions to claim a place of power. Play rituals on them and move them from your outer circle area to your inner circle area to get the end game points from the ritual and from the Place of Power itself.
The advantage of having Places of Power, with rituals, in the inner circle is that any action spaces on them are now accessible by your elders. These fussy wizardly worker meeples are not prepared to work as hard as the witches, so they will not go to the outer circle, only the inner one.
The disadvantage of moving Places of Power from the outer circle is that they are no longer available to have resources harvested from them. When the clan token is activated (once per turn), only Places of Power in the outer circle are harvested.
This system requires players to have a good sense of timing and a feel for the tempo of the game. You won’t want to leave points behind in the outer circle, but transfer them too soon and you are giving up potentially vital resource generation.
Specialist cards are similarly nuanced. They can be played to the left of players’ boards, contributing a wide variety of situational bonuses. Broadly speaking, they increase your resource efficiency.
The alternative is that they are tucked under the bottom of the player board. Here they (mostly) provide bonus points, depending upon what cards players have in their covens (coven refers to both the outer and inner circles) by the end of the game.
Working it’s magic on my brain.
As I alluded to in my opening, I think Evenfall is more than an especially pretty game; it is actually pretty special. What it lacks in innovation (all of its individual mechanisms I have encountered in games before), it makes up for in execution.
Once underway, the game just works. I know exactly what I could do on each of my turns, but I’m not always sure what I should do for the best. I love it when games evoke this feeling. I’m concentrating on how to maximise my turns, without getting caught up in fiddly rules and edge cases.
There is yet more fun things to consider, as I’ve not even mentioned yet how the game comes with 4 unique clans. These can be played as having the same abilities, though I would always be choosing to use their asymmetric powers.
The four clan powers seem to be well balanced and I love how each encourages you to explore different aspects of the game. This can be helpful to players, as the myriad options could be overwhelming for some. The player powers do a good job of nudging players in a particular direction, giving small advantages over others, if certain actions are taken.
There is some strong player interaction too, with the end of round area control conflicts. All players will be rewarded for investing mana, with the winner taking a precious power stone. These allow players to double the points of an inner circle ritual at the end of the game.
It is a good system that provides a decent return for the investment and all players know exactly what they will be receiving. Yes, it’s nice to win and claim the power stone, but investing enough to get the bonuses you want is the key driver here.
Falling For Evenfall
Evenfall is a great example of how a board game can interweave different mechanisms into a cohesive whole, greater than the sum of its parts. I’ve seen tableau building, dual use cards, worker placement, area majority, resource gathering and so forth in dozens of other games. Far rarer, is one that skilfully pulls all of these elements together and finishes off the package with an interesting theme and fabulous art and components.
I’ve not yet touched upon the components all being wooden pieces, in the shape of the 3 resources (knowledge, potions and herbs), or that the custom witch and elder meeples are screen printed, or that the player boards are dual layered.
(Actually, that last point is something to be aware of. The boards do require assembly with double sided stickers (provided). The instructions are clear; just have patience and check the positioning before committing to the sticking.)
As a solo board gamer, I’m also delighted that the solo mode is very well done. The bot opponent is very quick and easy to operate and posts challenging scores each game. I should win, but only if I play well, which is just how I like it.
I’m a fan of tableau and engine building and, as such, I’m very pleased to have Evenfall in my collection. If you’re reading this because you saw the cover and thought “Ooh… what’s that?”, then rest assured that the game follows through on that promise and delivers a fun, thoughtful, high quality gaming experience, one I have no hesitation in recommending.
About the author:
When not reviewing board games, Graham is teaching maths, running a games club and failing to convince his students that baseball is the greatest sport ever invented. You can read his thoughts and opinions on all things board game on his blog, GrahamS Games.
You can find him on BlueSky, where he will invariably be wittering on about whichever game has currently captured his attention.
Zatu Review Summary
Zatu Score
90%
