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Embrace your spirit animal and prove you’re the strongest tribe in the Great Plains!
Simple to play but pleasantly varied and strategic. That’s the best way I find to describe Great Plains, an area majority game designed by Trevor Benjamin and Brett J. Gilbert for 2 players, aged 10 or above, that puts players in a competition for the dominance over, you guessed it… the Great Plains!
With help from the spiritual animal world, the players must overcome hills, cross the lowlands and invade each other's territory in order to assert their dominance and become the tribe who will live on. A simple and well executed premise which proves that sometimes less really is more.
What’s In The Box?
Inside the box of Great Plains you won’t find much: 7 double-sided boards, 6 cave markers, 40 hunter meeples (20 foxes and 20 snakes), 9 animal tokens (3 horse, 3 bear and 3 eagle) & 1 rule book.
The box itself is a simple cardboard box with no insert and the different parts are stored inside sealable bags. I know, this doesn’t sound like the most awesome unboxing of all times but while the game may lack in deluxe packaging and components, it certainly makes up for it during setup and gameplay.
Gameplay
Each match should take about 15 minutes and if you’re like me and love a good head-to-head brain battle it will leave you wanting more.
Setup is very simple, the hunter meeples are given to each player together with their respective cave markers, the 7 double sided hexagonal boards are shuffled and placed in a “circular” shape creating the playfield and the 9 animal tokens are placed nearby.
After deciding on a starting player (I’m a big fan of rock, paper, scissors!) players take turns picking the location of their caves, where the hunter tokens will then spawn from. Game starts once all caves are placed, with players taking turns placing their hunters to try and claim territory and trap enemy hunters. Some spaces in the lowlands will allow you to acquire spirit animal tokens when placing a hunter, which give you the chance to use certain special abilities when placing the next hunter.
With all this in mind, it really is up to the players to see who comes out on top. There is no luck involved in this game, it really is all about making the best decision each turn to ensure you best your opponent with every token you place. Once all hunter tokens are placed or eliminated from the board, the game ends and points are then added to declare a winner.
Final Thoughts
Great Plains was a pleasant surprise. The first time I put it out on the table I confess I was a bit sceptic about it. I have no quarrel with an overproduced board game as I, and I’m sure many of you too, love a deluxe table presence when playing. Great Plains may not be that BUT it looks and feels nice enough to allow you to fully enjoy what matters most: its gameplay!
The feeling it gives you every turn when you’re trying to plan ahead for your opponent’s moves is almost chess-like. You’ll find yourself thinking multiple times “I could’ve done this instead” or telling your opponent “Great move, didn’t see that coming”.
If you’re into good head-to-head strategic games where it’s all about the skill and not luck and you can look past a more humble production than the usual board games of the modern era, then you’ll find that Great Plains is a little gem that will not disappoint you.
That concludes our thoughts on Great Plains. Do you agree? Let us know your thoughts and tag us on social media @zatugames. To buy Great Plains today click here!
