WBG Score: 7.5/10
Player Count: 1-2
You’ll like this if you like: Tense solo or two-player Hand Management card games.
Published by: Dragon Dawn Productions
Designed by: Lee G. Broderick
This is a free review copy. See our review policy here.
Maeshowe, pronounced Mays How, is a clever little card game based on a real place in Orkney, a tiny island off the coast of North Scotland, that I visited back in the 90s, as rather randomly, my Auntie is buried there. Maeshowe is a Neolithic chambered cairn, meaning its very old, made of stone, and probably used for some kind of burial ritual. But being close to 5,000 years old, no one really knows. But what historians and locals alike do know, is that it attracts a lot of interest because of the various stories linked to its existence. Including one that this game is based on. Orkneyinga Saga tells stories of runes found inside the chamber, resulting from various tomb breaks made from Maeshowe. Which due to its design, was not overly easy to get out of if you got in the wrong way. Perfect for a hand management card game, right? Let's get it to the table and find out.
How To Set Up Maeshowe
First choose the side of the board you are playing with, depending on player count. Either the extra row for two players, or just the two rows for a solo game. Place hearts onto the spaces for them either just the red, or blue and red for the two player. Fill all spaces, or just three for a two player game. Then place one Food token down and leave the others to the side. Now shuffle the deck, and for a two player game, place the top five cards into a discard pile, ignore this in solo. Then deal five cards to each player, or just five to yourself in a solo. Place the remaining deck face down to the side. In a two player game, be sure to have the Jarl token out, and given to the first player. Finally, determine the difficulty of game you want. Place out Passage tokens based on this. Three for an easy game, four for a medium game, five for a hard game. Adding one extra for two-player games. You are now ready to play.
How To Play Maeshowe
Each turn, players will play one card from their hand and discard another. You can do this in any order and play any card from your hand of five. When you play a card, place it face up in front of you, forming a line from left to right for all cards played this way. In a two-player game, players play to the same row. Forming one line between them. When you discard, place it face up into your discard pile. In a two-player game, each player forms their own discard pile.
All cards will have a "when played" effect, and most cards will have a discard effect too. But not all! Some cards will offer positive effects for these actions, but most will be negative, so watch out. When you have played two cards this way, draw back up to five from the draw deck if you can. If you run out of cards and cannot play two cards before the end game scenario, you lose. Equally, if you run out of health, the game ends. What you are looking to do is play four Excavate Passage cards in a row to clear one Passage token, or two if the four Excavate Passage cards have the same rune. When all Passage tokens are removed this way, you win the game.
When you draw back up to five, you need to be careful, because if all five cards in your hand have the same rune after this, you will go mad! So, keeping at least one of each rune in your hand after you play cards will help avoid this. But sometimes, going mad is the only way to win! If you go mad, you must remove one heart token permanently from the game from your health bar, discard your entire hand of cards, then shuffle your entire discard pile into the draw deck to form a new draw deck. This way, you can get more cards, previously discarded, back into the game, giving you more time to try and win. You will only go mad once, it cannot happen again, but can be actually quite helpful.
The cards have multiple effects, gaining and mostly losing health and food. Your job is to decide the best order to play your cards, work with your partner (if you have one), and work out when to try and start a row of four Excavate cards. If you place three, then the fourth card is anything else, the first three are wasted. This is a hand management game, and when played with the co-op variant, with limited communication between the two players. So, you need to assess when is the right time to start a row of Excavate cards and help out the other player where possible. In this variant, you can choose not to discard a card and instead pass a card to the other player. That player must then immediately discard a card. In the normal two-player game, players can also choose to pass the Jarl token instead of having their turn.
There are also six sets of expansion cards you can add to the game when you want a bit more spice! Its best to just use one set at a time, but the game works fine with more. It gives you a bit more time of course, so you may just want to adjust the number of passage tokens you have to remove in the game.
Is It Fun? Maeshowe Card Game Review
This game is incredibly tense. Solo or two-player, if you get the balance right between the number of passage tokens and your current ability, games will generally go to the wire, and be an exciting, engaging, and tight affair. The adaptability to adjust the difficulty therefore is key, and it is just so simple. Add or remove passage tokens, that's it. This constant tweaking elevates the game. But beyond winning the game a few times on the hardest setting, what is left? Well, the six sets of expansion cards. So, I would say there are over 20 games in this little box before the game needs a rest on your shelf.
Theme-wise, I adore this. It feels unique and works so well. The theme does actually come through in the game too, with the art and sense of tension. Time is running out for the characters in the story, just as it is for you now in the game. You may not fear for your life as you play. That's a good thing! But it will be tense, and that's all that matters in a game like this. It's all about hand management, knowing when to play certain cards. Knowing when you can take a hit in your health or food with other cards being saved for later to help with that. Build up some Excavate cards in your hand, hoping the other player is doing the same, and then strike when you are ready to get four in a row.
On the art, it can be a bit gruesome for some. I have not shown here the card when the characters catch a lost swan and, well, prepare it for eating! It is quite graphic, and perhaps not for everyone. You cannot really remove it from the game either, so one to take note of.
I am a fan of hand-management games. I love card games, and I adore games with interesting, true-to-history themes like this. So, there is a lot in this little box that appeals to me. I prefer it solo rather than in a two-player game, and it is the perfect quick ten-minute gaming hit I need sometimes. Quick and easy setup, fun and engaging gameplay with a tense and genuinely 50/50 end result. Enough variety with the expansion cards to make it feel fresh each time. This is the solo board.
I would highly recommend this game to anyone who is on the lookout for a tense and engaging solo adventure that can be completed in just ten minutes. This game is perfect for those who appreciate the intricacies of hand management mechanics, as it requires players to carefully plan their moves and make the most out of the cards they are dealt.
This gritty design choice not only enhances the thematic elements of the game but also immerses players in a world that feels raw and authentic. For those who enjoy a little edge in their gaming experience, the artwork adds a layer of depth that complements the gameplay beautifully.
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