Be the greatest prehistoric tribe
Today I want to show you another small card game: Elawa, the smaller sibling of Knarr (they were both recently released by Bombyx and share some core mechanics). This time it’s a simple card drafting game bolstered by the power of rondels. It's about prehistoric tribes; you are a chief, recruiting tribesmen and building huts and tools.
Elawa can be played by 2-4 players, and it’s very quick and easy. However, there is a really neat twist for the card drafting, making it all very enjoyable to play! ☺️
⚙️ After setup there are 6 piles of cards and 6 piles of resources around a campfire. On your turn you take a card and then take resources from the next piles clockwise, according to the number on the card. Certain cards are weaker and thus bring you more resources, or stronger but let you collect less. ☝️ If a pile of resources runs out you can take an additional facedown resource from the middle, so this is another thing to look out for. Whenever the middle runs out of resources, the game is over and you count up your points! ⏱️
Cards you have cost resources to play. You want to focus on collecting resources you need, because you have limited slots for storage. Normally 4 slots, but playing with asymmetric chief powers you only have 3 slots! 😱
A few cards have an effect when played, allowing you to get a card or a resource, but most are only there for points. Your goal is to find and play cards that work well together and score high. 🏆 Some give just a flat amount of points, some score for specific colors or card types. There are also cards where you can deposit resources for points.
💭 I think the strength of this game is how quick you can setup and play. It doesn't overstay its welcome, so after finishing a game you are ready for more. 😉 The decision of what card to pick (and thus what resources to collect) is just punchy enough so you are kept engaged. I prefer it over Knarr, even though Elawa seems to have a lower rating on BGG. It may be the charm of rondels that always does it for me.
Read about Knarr here:
Reni & Kristóf
A copy of the game was kindly provided by the publisher. Read our content policy.
