Knarr Review: Vikings Love Victory Points!

Mike and Zee take a look at this efficiency-focused card game in which you must choose your paths smartly on your way to 40 points!
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BGG Link: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/3...
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[@sapien01010]

On a whim, I started playing this on BGA just because of the wonderful art, and now it’s in my regular rotation. It’s pretty great.

[@Oneillw2Ls]

I’ve also been playing it on BGA. I completely agree. It’s slick and streamlined. I’m not sure if I’ll add it to my physical collection, but it’s definitely going to get a good amount of plays on BGA!

[@Goldfinch241]

I love reviews with Zee and Mike as their views seem to tie in the closest with mine. I will have to get this game now - looks great!

[@ronaldbell7429]

I think it’s interesting how compact it is, for all the things you could do. A lot of designers would have made it sprawling. I find myself increasingly attracted to compactness (not to say tiniest, because a lot of c]games shrink things so that I feel I need a magnifying glass to play)

[@jameskirk4692]

I have those thoughts too. It really seems that way. Makes me wanna try it, and own it.

[@coreynoemif3j29]

Just got mine in the mail today. Excited to play it! Thanks for the review.

[@chuckm1961]

I am NOT saying this game is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I AM saying it is the BEST quick engine builder in a small box of the past few years, probably since Point Salad.

[@tomasxfranco]

How is point salad an engine builder?

[@searose6192]

I wouldn’t say point salad is an engine builder….

[@__McFly__]

Point salad... an engine builder??? 🤔... i dont think so....

[@jh5kl]

what's point salad?

[@jameskirk4692]

Maybe you meant Point City game, successor to Point Salad

[@jameskirk4692]

Thank you for this teach Zee, it helped a lot. And thank you both for your review thoughts on it. It seems interesting and like I might love it. Thank you again, to both, I love your reviews.

[@WaldoReyJr]

One of our better purchases from Essen last month. Great card game. I would play this over Splendor anytime

[@manic2360]

Definitely interested in picking this one up...

[@Montag451]

Love this game. So simple, so fast, and so satisfying. It feels like a perfect design. Surprised you didn't mention the artifacts. They do a great job of shaking things up.

[@nicolasmogollon9253]

Where did you bought it? It's not on Amazon...

[@Montag451]

@@nicolasmogollon9253 I bought it at a Canadian store. Not sure it's available in the US yet.

[@rodgermoore7960]

@@nicolasmogollon9253 Not in the US yet. Pandasaurus Games is bringing it statewide next year from the information I have found.

[@lolaldanee2743]

Played it at Essen, I agree with everything said here. I would actually compare it to Deus more than anything

[@Supastar031]

Let’s raid a soup kitchen folks, I think Mike is onto something here.

[@evanstanek5838]

This one caught my eye, by the review checks most of the boxes (easy to teach game taking under an hour with some fresh mechanical combinations and satisfying choices that looks great on the table), and at $30 I'll be adding this to the shelf soon!

[@douxhc]

I have only played it online so I can't say anything about the issues with the board but I love this game, the art, the flow of the game, the small combos you can make and they included enough artifacts to have a good replayability

[@foxbear60]

Seeing *Dice Tower* and *Vikings* without *Sam Heeley* will always feel a little weird for me.

[@BaneClandestine]

So it’s Bad Company with Vikings and more nuance. I really like the explainer that it’s not just an engine generator, and you sometimes need to break the engine for more rewards. Also that’s the problem with ALL points based games. You can kinda see the end coming.

[@MrPavarok]

Find of the Year at Essen for me. + only 25 euro's or so iirc. Very nice!

[@khiarastales2091]

I don't really compare this with Splendor either. It reminds me of Tybor the Builder instead--though the people cards are multi-functioned, if I chose them as workers, I have to discard them soon I make a building. The people cards used as civilians could add discount on the building's worker cost, so I can discard less workers.

[@nuuqbgg]

There's also great advanced variant of the game. Base game is 8,5 for me. With that boats flipped 9,5.

[@Djaian2]

What is exactly the difference of this variant? I don't have the game and after browsing the rules online it seems that the only difference is just that your boat has a victory point in the first column and a bracelet in the third column (instead of a recrut symbol in the second column). Does it really change the game? I can imagine the game might be a little bit faster since with a victory point in the first column you will get points earlier. But I fail to see how this would really affect the game in a significant way. Why is that "advanced" ? Or are you also talking about the artifacts?

[@nuuqbgg]

@@Djaian2 yes, artifacts also. But 40 games in, those other sides of the boards really make difference. I didn't think it will.

[@jeffp765]

We played the game once, flipped to the “Advance” side and immediately laughed our buns off because it was 0 difference to game play. You start with 2 things on top instead of 1. That is the easiest “Advanced” version of a game I’ve ever seen. It is a great game though - card quality is awesome but the similar colours could be a little annoying. We just did black and white and it was fine.

[@nuuqbgg]

@@jeffp765 oh yeah. Choice of color is terrible. I'm really happy with this little game.

[@kungpow108]

@@jeffp765 Yes, the flipped side isn't much in being called "advanced". Maybe more just different. It's less forgiving with no recruit to get and rewarded for saving up 3 bracelets because you always get one back. The artifact cards are the real advanced variant that just help to shake up a little strategy when playing. I think without the artifact cards, you could feel like you're not seeing anything new after playing 10 or so times. Still enjoyable to play though. I have played 10 games in person and a ton on BGA. I still feel that it's refreshing to play.

[@vonwoolf9963]

The retail price is quite cheap.

[@DuGStp]

I wish Splendor was a pure engine builder. It’s more of a hoard gems and just buy a few big point cards and it’s over. Barely any engine building required.

[@jameskirk4692]

I play it differently (though only on my phone against AI), in a more engine-building way where I don't rush to cards with points. But focus on first building up my engine with cheapest cards and choosing those that best match my current engine rewards. As time goes by, I can buy new better cards(now also with points) for free or for just one or two gems, while the AI spends so much turns on collecting gems they need to buy cards. I don't know if my way is suboptimal and would lose me everytime against extremely good Splendor human players, probably it would(from what I heard from others online). This way does however win me most games against 3 AI players, like, around 70 to 80% of the time I think. But this play style definitely is much more fun and rewarding during play for me, especially because it gives me that explicit feeling of building my engine for longer time instead of spending time to be constantly acquiring gems as expendable currency. I prefer to use and build upon my permanent currency(permanent gems for discounts).

[@kevindelord]

Feels like one could simply use (hidden) poker chips (or something else) to count the points and solve their problem which would bring that game to an excellent level!

[@BoardInTheHouseBGAplayer]

BGA got this one early! Wonder if that is the new marketing tactic

[@svenbudde7530]

Playing this at Boardgamearena every day. It's great!

[@arnold2011]

Mike Dilisio!!! ❤

[@carmanragatz2995]

Sounds Knarrly!!

[@danatucker6969]

Splendor is not an engine builder it is a race. First one to 15 triggers the end. You don’t need a lot of cards to get there.

[@tcp1623]

Knarr - nordic boat with a sail. The "K" is not silent :)

[@thedicetower]

Looked it up because I've always been taught that way. The most common English pronunciation has a silent K.

[@rickrivera827]

Oddly, Aquatica came to mind. Not Splendor. Looks great!

[@XeloX58]

I don’t know aquatica, but to me It’s a wonderfull world came to mind…

[@qxwmrfz]

The K in Knarr is not silent

[@ianw0ng]

this or century golem?

[@nicolasmogollon9253]

Where can I buy it? It does not list on Amazon

[@JorWat25]

Assuming you're in the US, Pandasaurus has said on BGG "We'll have the game out in the US early next year."

[@nicolasmogollon9253]

@JorWat25 thanks. Actually I'm in Colombia, but the shipping fees from Europe are just impossible, so I make my games purchases from the US

[@__McFly__]

To me it feels similar to CENTURY...

[@mikintosh6111]

Fun fact. This game shares a name with how New Zealanders say the word no.

[@LaChazzz]

I think people compare this to Splendor mainly due to the fact that it's an engine builder that's a race to a specific VP amount. I do agree with Mike and Zee though, this feels very different to Splendor due to the rythm of the gameplay. It might not be a Splendor-killer, but I'd much rather be playing this than Splendor! Have to disagree with their criticism that it's anticlimactic though! Once all players are experienced and know what they are doing, it does really come down to a close race at the end!

[@jasondunham5780]

NATIONAL TREASURE!!

[@nshaw1299]

Knarr is a bit like a distillation of 'Space station Phoneix'... Opposing engines one being dismantled for the other, and a race to 40 points

[@danvenables4935]

A game without Tom Vasel reviewing it on the dice tower makes me wonder if it's worth investing in😀

[@thedicetower]

No, that's silly! I can't review everything, and the other reviewers here are top notch! They certainly don't need me.