Renegade Game Studios 1000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle - Raiders of The North Sea - Conquest, 26 x 19 inches, Features Art from The Critically Acclaimed Board Game, Raiders of The North Sea, Age 10 & Up

OVERVIEW: Raiders of the North Sea is a worker placement game with a simple rule set, strategic depth, and good variation from game to game. The basic concept of RotNS is that on their turn players will place a worker onto a space on the board, taking the associated action for that space; then pull up a worker from a different space on the board, taking a second action for that space. You may either take actions in town to replenish your supplies and recruit raiders, or you may go out raiding the countryside to plunder resources and gain valor (victory points). AUDIENCE: Among my friends, RotNS has been well received by tabletop hobbyists and casual board gamers alike. This game is very comparable to Stone Age in length, basic mechanics, weight, and especially audience. GAMEPLAY PROS: This game shines in the way the board opens up to new choices as the game goes on. As you raid more powerful settlements, you gain more powerful workers, who will in turn allow you to raid even more powerful settlements. The game is also very well balanced; there are multiple ways to score victory points (or valor points), and though you must almost certainly score points multiple ways to win, those who push on to raid the daunting fortress settlements will usually have an edge if the other players do not keep up. Variation from game to game keeps each session fresh. The way resources are distributed randomly on the board during setup gives each game its own twist, and makes some settlements more desirable than others to raid. Players will acquire raiders from a deck of cards throughout the game, and each raider has unique abilities which heavily impact strategy. There are enough different raiders that the cards each player acquires from game to game will vary. GAMEPLAY CONS: Game sessions can drag on to well beyond the box time if players take too long to make decisions. This will probably be an issue the first couple times you play as everyone figures out the game, but once all players have a thorough knowledge of the rules and a good grasp of the strategy, this isnt as much of an issue, especially because... ...Some reviewers have complained that RotNS does not offer enough choices. It does seem to dictate your actions somewhat at the beginning of the game, but the board opens up very quickly to more choices. You should not expect a buffet of choices at any point in the game, but this is not a problem for three reasons: 1. It keeps the game moving at a fast pace with little down time, 2. Limited options drives up tension and player interaction with multiple players trying to get the same thing, and 3. Though RotNS is a worker placement game, many do not realize just how much the raider abilities (cards) impact the game. Players may recruit raiders for their passive ability, or discard them for an instant benefit. These cards add another layer to the game that is easy to miss at first. But once you realize their impact, deck-digging becomes its own effective strategy, and you may even start to think youre playing a game of Imperial Settlers. It should be said that this just isnt that complicated of a game, and it never claimed to be. Where people seem to get hung up the most is when the two cons Ive listed here affect the same session: I spent two hours playing that? Keep your games moving, and it wont be an issue. Let them drag on, and youll probably get bored. COMPONENTS: These are some great components. The coins are metal, the cards are nicely finished, and there is a bag full of little wooden pieces unique to the game series, (never mind that the Valkyrie skulls look like snowmen heads when you turn them upside down). Best of all the artwork is amazing. Youll find yourself studying the picture on a card before you read the cards text. SUMMARY: Raiders of the North Sea is a solid worker placement game with layers of strategy hidden behind simple gameplay. It can drag on a bit if players are unengaged, but with this artwork and these components you wont be looking anywhere else. The element of cards lifts gameplay from good to great, and the board provides plenty of tension without making you sweat. Those expecting a complicated worker placement game with endless choices will be disappointed, but that is not the game it claims to be. Raiders of the North Sea is good fun for casual gamers and hobbyists alike!

Lots of fun, good game components. Very replayable

Very fun worker placement game.

This game is so fun. It was a little confusing when we started, but after 1 play through it all made sense and its become one of our favorite games.

We are pretty avid gamers and this one hits the spot. Wanted a worker placement game and debated between this and Lords of Waterdeep for a while. This game plays really well with only 2p and I would imagine it translates seamlessly to 4p. Watch a 15 min YouTube video on how to play it and it’s not hard at all to learn, but still a little complex. I’d say it’s more so for people who play games pretty regularly. Overall, very happy with this purchase. Really looking forward to the 2 expansions that get great reviews. OH! And the solid metal coins. Every game should have these. Amazing.

Very good, Im a huge fan of Viking themes and even bought 2 expansions along with it.

Simple game to play when friends are over.

Great worker placement game! Strong theme and easy to learn for a mid weight game

Awesome game!

Overall not as fun as we had hoped. It is a different take on a worker placement style game. In the end we find that it is not one of our favorites, but still decent enough to keep for game nights when the family comes over.