The Bottom Line
Clever and quick, Clans is one of the rare 30-minute strategy games that feels much more substantial.
Pros
- Quick to play, packed with strategy.
- Creative design, plenty of replay value.
- Scoring effects change throughout game.
Cons
- Some players don't like a "hidden identity" mechanism.
Description
- For 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up.
- 30 minutes to play.
- Designed by Leo Colovini, published by Rio Grande Games and Venice Connection.
Guide Review - Clans
Players compete to score points by creating villages favorable to their own color in Clans. The trick is that no one knows what color other players are -- and there's always at least one "neutral" color, owned by no one.
At the start of the game, 60 wooden huts (clans) are spread over the board. Players then draw cards to learn what color they are. On a turn, a player moves all the clans in one territory into an adjacent territory that also contains at least one hut. If the result is a clan-filled territory surrounded by empty territories, scoring takes place.
As the game progresses, players move through five epochs, and each has a different effect on scoring. The game ends after 12 villages are founded; all players then reveal their colors before the final scoring.
