Reiner Knizia, the designer behind Lost Cities, Modern Art, Tigris and Euphrates, his 2008 Spiel des Jahres winner Keltis, and a catalogue of 800-plus published games, has returned with a lighter, cosier proposition. Rebirth is a tile-laying Eurogame from Mighty Boards, and it has now reached UK retail after fulfilling to Kickstarter backers earlier this year.
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Set up your group for freeThe theme is a gentle pivot for the designer. Rebirth is set in a hopeful post-collapse future where ruined Scottish and Irish castles are being restored by competing clans. The double-sided board lets you swap between the two maps, and you play by drawing and placing tiles to claim landmarks, gradually building out areas that score at the end of the game. Rules take about five to seven minutes to teach, play is tight at 2-4 players, and the decision space is classic Knizia: a simple ruleset with genuinely crunchy choices.
The Kickstarter campaign pulled in 7,333 backers and €345,739, solid numbers for a mid-weight Eurogame from a smaller publisher. UK reviewers at Board Game Review and Big Boss Battle have been warm, calling out the interlocking little plastic castles and the cosy illustration work, though some have noted the retail cardboard tokens are less sturdy than the Kickstarter deluxe components.
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Start organising for freeIf your group liked the end-game scoring tension of Blue Lagoon and wants something quicker for a weeknight, Rebirth scratches that itch in roughly half the time. Worth lining up a learn-to-play session and rounding up the regulars to try it.
Sources: Mighty Boards | Mojo Nation | Board Game Review | Big Boss Battle | Wikipedia
