Forget bloody wars and battlefield clashes. In Altera, the struggle for power has shifted to diplomacy and cunning during the legendary Ascension Festival. In this mountain city, the world's great factions gather not to fight, but to prove who possesses the greatest ingenuity and ambition. The goal is simple, yet the execution is complex: you need Prestige to climb the hierarchy and secure a seat on the coveted High Council.

The game blends the tension of worker placement with the strategy of bag-building. Each round, you draw and roll your dice, which act as your Emissaries. The core strategy lies in where you deploy them: each choice determines which of the three Guilds you are building Reputation with. But be careful, as the race is frantic! The player who dominates a Guild's Reputation at the end of the round earns Prestige, but pays the price by returning to the bottom of that Guild's track, opening the door for rivals to rise.

Over seven rounds, you'll need to build your efficiency engine, optimizing your dice and anticipating your opponents' moves. Since actions are selected simultaneously, the pace is dynamic, and no one is left waiting for their turn. It is a game of risk management and positioning, where knowing when to invest in Reputation or convert it into Prestige is the key to victory. If you enjoy medium-to-heavy games where dice luck is mitigated by strategic choices and engine building, Altera is for you. Prepare your Emissaries, study the Guilds, and make sure you aren't left behind in the climb to the top!