Don’t Let the Cuteness of ‘Everdell: Farshore’ Fool You – It’s Deeply Strategic
Everdell: Farshore is a game most HARDCORE gamers will dismiss for the visuals alone. They don’t know how great a game they are missing.
For as long as my little brain has been able to process thought, I’ve loved machinery. Seeing all those individual pieces working together just makes my brain go brr. Even the word contraption makes me unreasonably happy. So, it should come as no surprise I love engine builder board games like Everdell: Farshore.
Everdell: Farshore Can Be Overwhelming, But It’s Worth It
One thing that often troubles engine builder games, in general, is the amount of options players have. You might think more options are always good. This might be true on some level, but for a new player, it can be daunting. Engine builders don’t work without a lot of options to choose from. But it’s this amount of choice that can be overwhelming for new players.
When starting a new game of Everdell: Farshore, each player starts with 2 workers and a hand of cards. On your first turn, there are nearly a dozen options on where to place your worker, and 8 different cards to consider buying. And there is no guidance on what to do or what to get. It’s the unfortunate reality of how these games work.
However, once you make your first couple of moves, the gears finally catch and you start to see how each piece feeds into the larger whole.
When You Do it Right, Everdell is Pure Dopamine
At least for me, seeing the fruits of my tabletop labor come to fruition is one of my favorite gameplay experiences. What appears to be a fun, cutesy game about woodland creatures gathering sticks and rocks has so much strategic depth.
One of the things that really makes Everdell: Farshore great is the viability of different strategies. There are different options for your own engine. You could go economy build and gather a ton of resources early to try to grab those treasure maps sooner.
You could also go deep on card draw and hunt for the cards that will suit you best on that turn. You could even go full sail build and focus on sailing your ship around the shore for big points and treasure. Each of these options has totally different objectives and will play very differently.
Overall, don’t let the cutesy aesthetic of Everdell: Farshore make you think this is some silly little kids’ game. It’s one of the best engine builder games out there with a great balance of complexity and accessibility. But if you’re looking for something that is more accessible, there’s always My Lil Everdell.
