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One of the best games I got to try at Gen Con and couldn’t wait to play with my friends at home was actually one I hadn’t heard of before. Life In Reterra is one of those games that proves that simple, quick, and fun board games will never go out of style.
The world has come to an end due to some unknown apocalypse (you decide what), and it’s time to rebuild what we used to know. If you’ve ever played a cozy game, the best description for Life In Reterra is a community rebuilding game that’s surprisingly cozy, creating a fun and interactive experience that has strategy hidden in the fun of building your own community.
How To Play Life In Reterra
Easy Gameplay With A Higher Skill Ceiling
The goal of Life in Reterra is to build a community with what you have at your disposal. It’s a tile-building board game where you’ll collect points as you create your own cozy setup, build settlements, and populate your areas, using several tiles to help collect points at the end of the game.
You’ll be tasked with taking turns and choosing from several tiles, building until you create a four-by-four square of your settlement. The tile pieces you’ll use to build your settlement will be shared between all players at the table, so the goal is to grab the pieces that’ll help you accrue the most points before someone else does.
To add to the strategy, you’ll have cards detailing the different types of settlements you can build and the amount of points each is worth. There are several ways to gain points, and there is always a new way to try and beat the competition.
There are three different scenarios to play:
Each has five cards with front and back play options, making several combinations to keep the game and scoring fresh in every game. The goal is to have the most points at the end of the game, but how you get there depends on the strategy you use.
Inhabitant pawns are worth one point, relic tiles are worth one point, and junk tiles are worth negative points. There are several different types of terrain on the tiles, and while they don’t need to match up to be placed together when building, if you have segments of the same continuous terrain, you’ll earn extra points. Building tiles have a value depending on the building, with some having specific parameters for how much they’re worth.
For example, in one game, the Market has no numerical denomination for how much it’s worth; instead, it is worth two points for each building in your community. In the end, if you strategize building several communities, you can rack up points and win if you have enough buildings in play.
Adversely, the Observatory is worth a consistent 2 points, but you’ll gain more points if it’s placed on any border spaces.
Once everyone has built out their community, you’ll add up the points to see who the winner is. With some quick math and ensuring you’ve calculated every point including from bonus tiles and continuous terrain, you’ll quickly be finishing the first and starting the next with your prior knowledge aiding you in trying a new strategy.
The rules also suggest curated building sets for different types of play, such as Peace & Quiet for those who want a more peaceful game, and Unfriendly Neighbors, a set that focuses on interacting with your neighbors to try and make them lose points. You can mix and match the sets to create whatever type of game you’d like to play, adding even more combinations.
Setup And Storage
Quick And Simple
Setup and storage can make or break a board game, and Life In Reterra is great at both. There are 104 land tiles, which you and the other players will use to pick from and build out your cozy plots of land. The setup is simple; you’ll just need to shuffle the tiles, remove the starting tiles (which you can put in the front of the tray to easily find next time), and place them in five rows above the board.
With the board laid out, you’ll choose one of the sets to play for that round, match the shapes of the building tiles, and lay them on the board. You’ll then pass out the starting tiles and get to playing. It’s a quick, easy setup, and it will be easier after your first time.
For younger players, it’s great to have them quickly help with setup by matching the shapes of the buildings to the outlines on the board.
Once you’ve got everything set up, you can choose which tiles to use for the game each time you play. Everyone who has board games knows how frustrating it can be when you can’t put your pieces organized together for ease of use next time. Each set has its own plastic tray with intentions for the shapes of each building and sections for the cards for each set. This makes it super easy and organized so that you won’t have pieces falling all in and around the box. You’ll appreciate the effort that goes into making this easy for you. I’ve seriously never seen a board game that’s stored better.
But Is It Fun?
On Multiple Levels
Life In Reterra is in a unique position as not only is it fun, it’s customizable. Games are quick, and because there are so many different ways to gather points, you’ll marvel at your own strategies and that of your neighbors. You’ll learn ideas for how to rack up points, and want to play continuously to try out a new strategy. Shifting the sets and cards and mixing and matching them creates tons of different options for a new game and strategy each time you play.
Its ease of learning makes it a great game for anyone, especially players who don’t like to hear or learn tons of rules, making faces the longer the explanations go. If you’ve got a friend group that prefers competition and is really into competitive board games, creating a board that throws in several goals, allowing you to deduct points from neighbors and directly compete against them, creates even more fun and ridiculous time when playing. If you’re more into playing solo or not fighting your friends, focusing on your own strategy can work with the right setup as well. The customizability and replayability make Life In Reterra a ton of fun every time you play. It’s not a raucous time, but it can be if you want it to.
Should You Play Life In Reterra?
Heck Yes, Play This Game
The fact that the game isn’t difficult makes it great for those cozy vibes and chill game night evenings for a wide age range. It’s recommended for ages ten and up, but I’ve played with kids as young as seven who had a great time, with adjusted sets on play, of course. I’ve also played with a group of adults, and Life In Reterra has been a favorite among every group. You should definitely play Life In Reterra; you’ll have a ton of fun every time you sit at the table, creating your next cozy community.
Life In Reterra
The tie-laying strategy game Life In Reterra takes you into a post-apocalyptic world where you’ll need to rebuild a community using relics of the past and your best strategies to get enough points to win the game.
