Gaïa

Shape a living world with tiles and godly powers, and be first to place all five figures.

Designer: Olivier Rolko
Published by: TIKI Editions
Editions by: asmodee, Evrikus, Lucrum Games, Blackrock Games, Smoothie Games

In Gaïa you create a world, breathe life into it, build cities, keep them happy and use godly powers to shape the land in your favor. Tile placement, area control and influence meet a twist of power cards. Everyone has five wooden figures, and the first to place all five on the board wins. The basic rules are simple and non-attacking enough for players from age eight, while the advanced rules add lightning, volcanoes, rain, sun and earthquakes, and let you steal an opponent's cities, which makes the game more aggressive and more strategic. Two to five players, about 30 minutes, published in 2014.

Two levels of rulesGodly powers like lightning and volcanoesFirst to place five figures wins

Who it's for

You want a gentle tile-laying game with a mythical twist and an optional more aggressive mode.

Not for you if…

You want a long strategy game or no luck. Tile draws and powers shake up the board.

Vibe's take

Gentle at first, sharper if you want it to be. The basic game is a calm building race, and the advanced game adds storms, volcanoes and city stealing.