# Faraway ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2023 - **BGG Rating**: 7.5 - **BGG Rank**: #256 - **Players**: 2-6 (Best with: 3) - **Duration**: 15-30 min - **Weight**: 1.94 / 5 - **Designers**: Corentin Lebrat, Johannes Goupy - **Artists**: Maxime Morin - **Publishers**: Catch Up Games, Across the Board, Blackrock Games, BoardGamePlanet, BoardM Factory, CMON Global Limited - **Categories**: Card Game, Fantasy, Puzzle - **Mechanics**: Constrained Bidding, End Game Bonuses, Hand Management, Open Drafting, Selection Order Bid, Set Collection ## Verdict If you enjoy fast-paced card games with a puzzle twist and deep strategic planning, Faraway is an excellent choice that will surprise you!Innovative scoring mechanicDeep strategic planningQuick and dynamic gamesClever indirect interactionHigh replayabilityMay take a few plays to graspCard drafting decisions are tenseTheme might be abstract for someHIGHLY RECOMMENDED ## Description Get ready for an adventure in Alula, a mysterious continent that transforms with each season! In Faraway, your goal is to explore this enigmatic land, uncover its secrets, meet its peculiar inhabitants, and catalog its wonders to surpass your opponents in fame. In each game, you build a sequence of eight cards in front of you, from left to right, representing the regions you visit. The creatures and elements on these cards grant victory points, but here's the twist: the conditions for scoring will only be met by cards you play *after* them. At the end of the game, scoring happens in the reverse order that the cards were played, meaning from right to left. This means the cards you play serve both to establish new objectives and to fulfill the requirements of cards you've already placed. Each turn, you play a card from your hand of three and then choose a new card from an open 'river' of cards. And here's a strategic challenge: the game is simultaneous, but the selection order is crucial! Being the last to pick a card can leave you with less advantageous options for subsequent turns, so every decision matters. It's a game that makes you think ahead, planning not only what you'll pick but also what you'll leave for others. A true dance between exploration and optimizing your card line! ## How to Play Game Objective Welcome to Alula, explorers! In Faraway, you will embark on an exciting journey through a mysterious and ever-changing continent, where nature reigns supreme and balance is key. Your mission is to unravel the secrets of Alula, meet its inhabitants, and, of course, discover the wonders it offers, such as the precious species of **okiko**, **uddu**, and **mawé**. Over 8 rounds, you will play **Region cards** to map your explorations, from left to right. Each explored region can reveal **Sanctuaries** and, more importantly, inhabitants with specific requests. In the end, the explorer who has accumulated the most **fame** by satisfying these requests and revealing Alula's secrets will be the grand winner! Setup Let's set up the table for our adventure in Alula! Follow these simple steps: Shuffle the **Region cards** and deal 3 to each player, face down. Each player looks at their cards without showing them to others. Place the remaining Region deck in the center of the table. Reveal a number of **Region cards** from the central deck equal to the number of players, plus one. For example, if there are 3 players, reveal 4 cards. These are the purchase options for the round. Shuffle the **Sanctuary cards** and form a face-down deck. Place it next to the Region Deck. Keep the **Scorepad** handy, as it will be essential at the end of the game. Ready! The table is set, and Alula awaits you. Game Turn A game of Faraway lasts 8 rounds, and each round is divided into three exciting phases. Let's see how it works: 1. Explore Region This phase happens simultaneously for all players: Each player chooses a **Region card** from their hand and places it face down in front of them. When everyone has chosen, the cards are revealed at the same time and added to their play area, always to the right of the card played in the previous turn. Remember to maintain the order of the cards to facilitate final scoring! 2. Find Sanctuaries Now it's time to discover the **Sanctuaries**! This phase is played one player at a time, following a specific order: First, determine who played the **Region card** with the shortest exploration duration this round. This player will be the first to act. Then, the player with the second shortest duration, and so on, until everyone has acted. Attention: In the first round, no one receives Sanctuaries, as there is no previous card to compare exploration duration. If you played a **Region card** with an exploration duration greater than the card you played in the previous round, you find a Sanctuary! If you found a Sanctuary, draw a number of **Sanctuary cards** equal to the number of **Clues** you have on all your cards (Regions and Sanctuaries) plus one. From all the Sanctuary cards you received, choose only one to add to your play area. It will be face up, and its abilities will already be active. Unchosen Sanctuary cards are placed at the bottom of the Sanctuary deck, face down. 3. End of Exploration In this phase, you replenish your hand and prepare for the next round: On your turn (still following the order of the previous phase, from shortest to longest exploration duration), choose one of the **Region cards** available in the center of the table and add it to your hand. You should have 3 cards in hand again. Important: Chosen Region cards are not replaced. Whoever plays last will have fewer options! If this is the 8th and final round, you do not draw a new Region card, but you can still play a Sanctuary card if you earned one in the previous phase. After everyone has acted, the remaining **Region cards** in the center of the table are discarded. Then, reveal a new set of Region cards (number of players + 1) for the next round. The game continues for 8 rounds, until everyone has 8 **Region cards** in their play area. End of Game and Scoring The game ends at the end of the 8th round, when everyone has 8 **Region cards** in front of them. Now it's time to tally the **fame** and discover who is the most renowned explorer of Alula! To facilitate counting, turn all your **Region cards** face down. **Sanctuary cards** remain face up. Start revealing your **Region cards** one by one, from right to left (i.e., from the last card you played to the first). For each **Region card** revealed, calculate the **fame** received. Take into account all your Region cards that have already been revealed (including the current one) and all your Sanctuaries. Record the fame on the **Scorepad**. Remember that the **objectives** on Region and Sanctuary cards may have prerequisites that need to be met with the resources (**okiko**, **uddu**, **mawé**) or biome types you have collected. One resource can satisfy multiple objectives! After scoring all **Region cards**, add the fame received from your **Sanctuary cards**. Some Sanctuaries also contain objectives that grant extra fame. Sum all the **fame** obtained by each player. The player with the most fame is the winner! In case of a tie, the tied player who has the lowest total exploration duration in their play area is the winner. Tips for Winning To become a master explorer in Alula, here are some tips: Plan your exploration: Remember that the order in which you play your **Region cards** is crucial. Think about the objectives you want to achieve and the resources you need to collect. Scoring is done from right to left, so cards played last can have a greater impact on previous cards! Manage your Clues and Sanctuaries: **Clues** are valuable for getting more **Sanctuary cards**. Sanctuaries can offer important bonuses during the game (more Clues!) or at the end of the game (extra resources and objectives). Keep an eye on Sanctuary cards that complement your Region objectives. Pay attention to exploration durations: To find **Sanctuaries**, you need to play a card with a longer exploration duration than the previous one. This means that sometimes it's good to play a "low duration" card to have more chances of finding Sanctuaries in the next round. Balance is everything in Alula! ## FAQ ### How many players does Faraway support and what is the average game time? Faraway is super flexible, it can be played by 2 to 6 people. Games are quite fast, usually lasting between 15 and 30 minutes, perfect to fit into any schedule! ### What is the complexity level of the game? Is it easy to learn? It has a BGG weight of 1.9386, which means it's a light to medium game. The basic rules are easy to pick up, but the strategic depth of the reverse scoring challenges you every game. ### Is the reverse scoring mechanic difficult to understand? At first, it might seem a bit counter-intuitive, but it's the heart of the game! You play cards from left to right, but score from right to left. This forces you to plan your moves thinking about both the future and the past simultaneously. It's a guaranteed 'aha!' moment. ### Does the game have a lot of player interaction? Interaction is more indirect, but super important! Since you draft cards from a common 'river' and the order of selection matters, you're always keeping an eye on what your opponents need and what you can 'deny' them. It's a delightful tension! ### Who is Faraway best suited for? It's ideal for anyone looking for a fast-paced card game with plenty of strategy and a unique scoring mechanic. If you enjoy puzzles and optimizing your moves, you'll have a lot of fun exploring Alula! ### What are the main components of the game? Faraway is essentially a card game. You'll have a main deck of region cards and sanctuary cards, which are the central elements for your exploration and scoring. ### Does the game have expansions or future plans? Currently, the base game offers a complete and highly replayable experience. 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