Great Wall of China

Great Wall of China puts each player in the shoes of a northern Chinese prince tasked with building sections of the legendary wall. Every player controls a personal deck of 20 cards: seven wall cards (1 point), three gate cards (2 points), one watchtower card (3 points) and nine variable‑value special cards that grant unique actions. At the start, the deck is shuffled and five cards are drawn. Depending on player count, two to four pairs of prestige tiles (values 1‑8) are laid out as the beginnings of card rows.

On a turn, the player first checks for point majority in any row, then takes two additional actions: either draw another card or add an identical card to a row. When a majority is held, a prestige tile may be placed on one of the player’s cards in that row. The first tile acts as a penalty until the second tile is claimed; once both are secured they are set aside for scoring and two new prestige tiles are revealed.

Special cards spice up the contest. A noble (1) forces all cards in the row to count as 1, a dragon (1) neutralizes an opponent’s card, cavalry (2) provides 2 points without costing an action, and infantry (5) gains value in groups – the first infantry is worth 1, the next 2, then 3, etc. The game ends when a player plays their last card or the final prestige tile is taken; each player then receives one last turn and the rows are resolved. The highest prestige total wins. Play time is about 30 minutes, for 2‑5 players, with a light weight (1.85/5), perfect for fans of quick decisions and area‑control battles.