One of the most well balanced boards on the site. Medium fog is STRONGLY recommended. There are 6 or possibly 7 distinct starting areas that are very strong and offer incremental progression. Due to the bonus structure and limited attacks, the game progresses in three distinct phases, each of which requires its own highly adapted strategy. For instance, units matter in the early game and end game whereas in the midgame your most valuable resource is attacks. Far less luck dependent than most boards due to absence of cards and limited attacks - you have to set up eliminations VERY carefully because you can't just go on a single game-ending run. Cautious placement and judicious use of reserves goes a long way. Every game is different, everyone has a chance to win. Even the smaller touches down to the 5 troop reinforcement minimum are perfectly and elegantly balanced. I will never get tired of playing this board!

Not a fan, unfortunately. Tactically and strategically it's interesting for different group sizes and settings, but basic problems with the board image keep this one from being enjoyable for me. Two main issues: First, the territory outline style means there's a small 'gap' between all territories, even the ones that connect, which means it can be very hard to tell when the gap you're looking at means two territories DON'T border. I find myself frequently having to check the board explorer and being disappointed. Second, the background. Yertle, what were you thinking? The lime 'glow' can be very confusing when a player has chosen lime, and likewise with the black. In a non fog game with black and lime both selected it's VERY hard to see at a glance what's happening.

It plays fine though.

Really good. Lovely as always for Yuma's work. Not good for 1v1, perfection for 2v2, plays great for larger groups (better with fog, as with any board). Tactical concerns around cities make for interesting strategy. Very well done.

Yuma boards always look great and this one is no exception. I think it plays well, too. I love the split continent concept and I disagree with most of the negative reviews stating that this board plays too quickly. In fact the split continents slow this game way down. You're not going to get a Colossal type of long drawn out back-and-forth, and no player is likely to be placing more than 10 armies in a turn at any point. It's a game of delicate positioning, maintaining eyes and choosing the right moment to create aggression. The board flow is perfect - just the right amount of chokepoints and neutral blocks. I've played games where everybody rushed the pylons and games where the neutral islands were almost entirely ignored. It's very well balanced and supports different numbers of players. Really good board.

It looks great and makes for a fun, small diversion. You pretty much can't win without starting from the top or bottom, but the neutrals on the top decks add some strategy, and as long as you understand that as a small board it's more subject to luck than usual, there's no problem with it. A bad couple of rolls early will "sink" your game - on to the next one.

HOWEVER.
1. Two colors are nearly identical (black and dark gray). This is really, really bad.
2. This board has 17 starting territories. That makes the starting positions kinda unfair for three players (6 6 5), kinda unfair for four players (4 4 4 5), very unfair for five players (4 4 3 3 3). The difference between starting with 4 territories vs 3 territories on this board is pretty huge - particularly if your seat is near the end of turn order.

So it's a 6 for me.

A great board. Simple, balanced, good for different group sizes, graphics look good. 6 or probably 7 for me bumped up to 10 for the people rating 1 for no reason.

It's a shame because I love the concept of multiple (sometimes overlapping) additional micro-bonuses. And the board looks absolutely stellar. But two things really kill this one for me. One, the lack of attention to detail and balance. And second, the 12 attack limit is absolutely crushing on a board this large. Games drag on F O R E V E R. I doubt I'll be playing this one again which is a shame as it's great to look at.

Wasted potential. I love the concept, the art style, and the balance. I do not love the too-similar player colors and difficult to distinguish borders/obstacles. With a slightly larger image and more obvious territory connections (or lack thereof) this would be a top board. As it is it's still fun, there are just a handful of "gotchas" to keep in mind.

Shockingly good. Nice small scale geo board with a perfect balance between defensibility and accessibility. The tension added by the massive bonus in the middle provides an extra frisson to the existing tactical menu provided by the easily defended bonuses on the left side vs the slightly larger but still obtainable bonuses in other areas. Plays great from 2 players to 6+ and 2v2.

Not too special. Can be a grind, as with many symmetrical boards, paying close attention and not getting unlucky are probably the two biggest keys. Graphics are adequate.