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Dreams of Tomorrow is a one to six player set collection, rondel game which looks stunning. The game is designed by Phillip Falcon Perry and published by Weird Giraffe Games and has an average play time of about 45 minutes.
In Dreams of Tomorrow players are dream engineers trying to save the present by sending dreams back in to the past. Dream fragments must be collected and weaved together to form coherent dream sequences. The longer the dream sequence and the better connected (matching symbols on the dream fragments) they are, the more points will be awarded. Dream fragments also allow you to perform certain abilities which might influence which dream fragments players collect. The end of the game is triggered once any player has stitched five dreams in to their dream sequence. Points are awarded based on the number of connected matching symbols in their dream and the player with the most points is the winner.
Thinking of a Dream
Dreams of Tomorrow is a gorgeous looking game, there is no denying it. The dream fragments are dreamy, beautiful, ethereal, looking landscapes. But does the game play match? Is it a wonderful dream or a nightmare in a box? Read on to find out more.
Well, I am pleased to say that this as far from a nightmare as a game can get. The game not only looks lovely but plays it as well. It is not a complex game, yet there is enough "game" to keep people interested and engaged whether you are a seasoned gamer or new to the hobby. On a player’s they move their dream engineer up to three spaces along the rondel and activate the spot they land on. Action spots include gaining resources, gathering a dream fragment, weaving a dream fragment or activating a special ability on the dream fragment. Some of the action spots, as well as giving you resources, also gives your opponents resources. So some careful planning and decision making is needed to ensure that you are not providing the resources that your opponent needs, just at the right time.
The rondel system of cards works very well with players laying out these cards in a sequence and moving around them activating spots as they go. I strongly recommend to play with the night-mare variant though. The night-mare will add a touch of chaos in to the game and will cause the card rondel to switch, change, move and flip based on a card draw. This does add some randomness in to the game which might not be to everyone's cup of tea but for me it is what makes the game interesting and exciting.
Best laid plans can get thrown out of the window when the night-mare strikes and it can just fall exactly how it needs to for your opponents, but equally it can also disrupt their plans. There are still ways to mitigate your turn and the spaces you can move and balancing the benefit of this vs. the cost is essential. Players will have to react and pivot their turns accordingly.
The dream fragments have special abilities which can be triggered on a specific rondel action spot. These actions don’t benefit your opponents and allow you to perform a number of different, powerful, special actions. You can gain resources, swap and exchange dream fragments and whole host of other interesting actions. When weaving a dream fragment in to your dream sequence it can either go on top or underneath any existing fragments. This will in turn cover up either its own special ability or the one currently available.
When weaving the dream fragments in to the sequence a number of factors need to be considered. Not only are you losing an ability but you need to ensure you have a sequence of matching symbols to score points. This makes for interesting choices right from the point of when you draft that first fragment. Do you draft it for the symbols to weave in to your dream sequence or are you drafting it for the special ability. Is it worth spending your resources on a dream fragment that you are not going to use in your sequence just for the ability?
Dreams of Tomorrow has a simple rule set, albeit slightly icon heavy. There is a handy reference sheet which is essential. But the core mechanisms are fairly straight forward. The choices that you make are interesting and keep you planning and thinking about your next move. It is easy to teach, accessible and plays in a relatively short time frame. If you want a more family friendly game then play without the night-mare. But for me this is an essential addition.
I have been having a blast with Dreams of Tomorrow and highly recommend that you check it out.
