Caltrops - Overboard!

Forum Overview :: Overboard!

by Mischief Maker 02/04/2025, 9:12pm PST

This game is way easier to play than it looks.

You're filling lines of tiles on the left side of the board for the ability to place a tile of that color on the scoring board to the right. Top rows are just plain easier to fill than bottom rows, but you can leave those more difficult to fill rows partially full between rounds (to your peril). Each time you place a scoring tile, you get bonus points for other tiles it's touching, and if you manage to finish a pattern like a vertical line or 5 of a color, you get bonus points.

The way you get the tiles is where the strategy comes in. You take turns grabbing all the tiles of one color from a factory plate, then discarding the remainder to the center. Over time the number of tiles in the center gets larger and larger, but there's a point penalty to be the first to take from the center and then it's an open feeding frenzy for all the other players. But to take a colored tile from the center, you have to take EVERY tile that color, and if you can't fit them all into one row on the left, the remainder go to the bottom of your board for a growing score penalty.

This is why even though Azul supports up to 4 players, it's best 2-player because instead of just focusing on getting the most points yourself, it can actually put you ahead by concentrating on forcing your opponent to collect a giant pile of unplaceable tiles and take a huge score hit. Every point they lose is like an extra point for you!

This is just about the perfect game. Each player's board has a full score sheet and all the relevant rules at a glance. Pulling random tiles out of the provided bag is easier than shuffling cards and satisfying in a tactile way. It's beautiful to look at. And it's a bloodthirsty knife fight with two players who know what they're doing.

I guess the closest I can get to a negative is you'll be desperately hungry for starburst candies if you play for too long.